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Reduction and Efflux of Chromate by Bacteria

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Book cover Molecular Microbiology of Heavy Metals

Part of the book series: Microbiology Monographs ((MICROMONO,volume 6))

Abstract

The widespread industrial use of chromium has caused this heavy metal to be considered as a serious environmental pollutant. The most common forms of chromium in nature are the relatively innocuous trivalent form, Cr(III), and the more toxic hexavalent species, Cr(VI). Cr(VI) is usually present as the oxyanion chromate. Toxic effects of chromate for bacteria are associated with the inhibition of sulfate transport and with oxidative damage to biomolecules. The best studied bacterial mechanisms of resistance to chromate include reduction of Cr(VI) to the Cr(III) species and efflux of chromate from cell cytoplasm. Several chromate reductases have been identified in diverse bacterial species. Most characterized enzymes belong to the NAD(P)H-dependent flavoprotein family of reductases. Efflux of chromate by the ChrA membrane transporter, a plasmid-encoded protein, has been demonstrated in Pseudomonas and Cupriavidus species. Chromate efflux by ChrA consists of an energy-dependent process driven by the membrane potential. The CHR protein family, which includes putative ChrA homologs, currently contains about 135 sequences from all three domains of life. Other mechanisms of bacterial resistance to chromate involve the expression of components of the machinery for repair of DNA damage as well as free-radical scavenging enzymes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio de Microbiologia, Instituto de Investigaciones Quimico-Biologicas, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Edificio B-3, Ciudad Universitaria, 58030, Morelia, Mich., Mexico

    Carlos Cervantes & Jesús Campos-García

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  1. Carlos Cervantes
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  2. Jesús Campos-García
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Correspondence to Carlos Cervantes .

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Dietrich H. Nies Simon Silver

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© 2007 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Cervantes, C., Campos-García, J. (2007). Reduction and Efflux of Chromate by Bacteria. In: Nies, D.H., Silver, S. (eds) Molecular Microbiology of Heavy Metals. Microbiology Monographs, vol 6. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/7171_2006_087

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