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Isolation and characterization of an arsenate-reducing bacterium and its application for arsenic extraction from contaminated soil

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology

Abstract

A Gram-negative anaerobic bacterium, Citrobacter sp. NC-1, was isolated from soil contaminated with arsenic at levels as high as 5,000 mg As kg−1. Strain NC-1 completely reduced 20 mM arsenate within 24 h and exhibited arsenate-reducing activity at concentrations as high as 60 mM. These results indicate that strain NC-1 is superior to other dissimilatory arsenate-reducing bacteria with respect to arsenate reduction, particularly at high concentrations. Strain NC-1 was also able to effectively extract arsenic from contaminated soils via the reduction of solid-phase arsenate to arsenite, which is much less adsorptive than arsenate. To characterize the reductase systems in strain NC-1, arsenate and nitrate reduction activities were investigated using washed-cell suspensions and crude cell extracts from cells grown on arsenate or nitrate. These reductase activities were induced individually by the two electron acceptors. This may be advantageous during bioremediation processes in which both contaminants are present.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Michihiko Ike, University of Osaka, for his kind cooperation in collection of the samples. The authors also thank Dr. Tadashi Toyama, University of Yamanashi, for technical support with the analysis of arsenate. This work was partly supported by a grant (Adaptable and Seamless Technology Transfer Program through Target-driven R&D, AS211Z00600E) from the Japan Science and Technology Agency.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biosystem Course, Division of Applied Sciences, Muroran Institute of Technology, 27-1 Mizumoto, Muroran, 050-8585, Japan

    Young C. Chang, Akinori Nawata & Shintaro Kikuchi

  2. Seoul Metropolitan Government Research Institute of Public Health and Environment, Yangjae-Dong, Seocho-Gu, Seoul, 137-734, Republic of Korea

    Kweon Jung

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  1. Young C. Chang
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  2. Akinori Nawata
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  3. Kweon Jung
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  4. Shintaro Kikuchi
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Correspondence to Young C. Chang.

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10295_2011_996_MOESM2_ESM.doc

Fig. 1. Phylogenic tree based on comparison of the 16S rRNA gene sequence. The phylogenic tree was generated using the neighbor-joining method. Bootstrap values shown are based on 100 replications. Scale bar represents 0.005% sequence difference. Supplementary material 2 (DOC 42 kb)

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Chang, Y.C., Nawata, A., Jung, K. et al. Isolation and characterization of an arsenate-reducing bacterium and its application for arsenic extraction from contaminated soil. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 39, 37–44 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10295-011-0996-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10295-011-0996-6

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