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The ability of the rhizobacterium Azospirillum brasilense to reduce selenium(IV) to selenium(0)

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Abstract

Effect of selenium(+4) as selenite (Se 2−3 ) on two Azospirillum brasilense strains, which occupy different ecological niches (an epiphyte Sp7 and a facultative endophyte Sp245), was studied. The cultures grown in the medium with sodium selenite exhibited intense red coloration. Transmission electron microscopy and X-ray fluorescence analysis revealed accumulation of elementary selenium within the cells of both strains as nanoparticles 50–400 nm in diameter. The ability to reduce inorganic selenium(+4) to elementary selenium (as nanoparticles) has not been previously reported for azospirilla. Our results indicate the possibility to apply Azospirillum strains as microsymbionts for phytoremediation of, and cereal cultivation on, selenium-contaminated soils. The ability of azospirilla to synthesize selenium nanoparticles may be of interest for nanobiotechnology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Plants and Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences, Saratov, Russia

    A. V. Tugarova, E. P. Vetchinkina, E. A. Loshchinina, A. G. Shchelochkov, V. E. Nikitina & A. A. Kamnev

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  1. A. V. Tugarova
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  2. E. P. Vetchinkina
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  3. E. A. Loshchinina
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  4. A. G. Shchelochkov
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  5. V. E. Nikitina
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  6. A. A. Kamnev
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Correspondence to A. V. Tugarova.

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Original Russian Text © A.V. Tugarova, E.P. Vetchinkina, E.A. Loshchinina, A.G. Shchelochkov, V.E. Nikitina, A.A. Kamnev, 2013, published in Mikrobiologiya, 2013, Vol. 82, No. 3, pp. 362–365.

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Tugarova, A.V., Vetchinkina, E.P., Loshchinina, E.A. et al. The ability of the rhizobacterium Azospirillum brasilense to reduce selenium(IV) to selenium(0). Microbiology 82, 352–355 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0026261713030120

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0026261713030120

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