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Application of Molecular Techniques to the Elucidation of the Microbial Community Structure of Antique Paintings

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Abstract

This paper uses molecular techniques to describe the microstructure and microbiological communities of sixteenth century artwork and their relationships. The microbiological populations, analysed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), were highly influenced by the chemical composition of the pictorial layers detected by energy-dispersive X-ray analysis. DGGE revealed that the diversity of microbial communities was lower in pictorial layers composed of pigments with metals, such as Pb, Cu and Hg, than in those found in pictorial layers without such compounds. The number of cultivable microorganisms, mainly fungi and bacteria, was very low in comparison to those found by DGGE, revealing the presence of both cultivable and as-yet-uncultivated (or not viable) species in the samples analysed. Both fungi and bacteria were present in a non-random spatial distribution. Environmental scanning electron microscopy and fluorescent in situ hybridisation analyses revealed that bacterial populations were usually found in close contact with the surface of the pictorial layers, and fungal populations were located on the bacterial biofilm. This work shows, for the first time, the correlation between the diversity of the microbial populations and the chemical composition of the pictorial layers of an artwork.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by a Banco Santander/Universidad Complutense project PR41/06-14967. We would like to thank the Arzobispado de Toledo for its contribution to this work by providing the studied artwork. We are grateful to Dr. Begoña Torralba and Dr. Consuelo Dalmau from the Complutense University of Madrid and M. Gambino from the EU Erasmus Programme for expert assistance and helpful discussions during this study. Also, we are grateful to Centro de Microscopía Electrónica y Citometría (UCM).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology, Biology Faculty, Complutense University of Madrid, José Antonio Novais, 2, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Antonio Santos, Alejandro Cerrada, Concepción Abrusci & Domingo Marquina

  2. Department of Painting (Painting and Restoration), Facultad de Bellas Artes, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Silvia García & Margarita San Andrés

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  1. Antonio Santos
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  2. Alejandro Cerrada
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Correspondence to Domingo Marquina.

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Santos, A., Cerrada, A., García, S. et al. Application of Molecular Techniques to the Elucidation of the Microbial Community Structure of Antique Paintings. Microb Ecol 58, 692–702 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-009-9564-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-009-9564-2

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