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Oxidation of Elemental Sulfur by Fusarium solani Strain THIF01 Harboring Endobacterium Bradyrhizobium sp.

  • Fungal Microbiology
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Abstract

Nineteen fungal strains having an ability to oxidize elemental sulfur in mineral salts medium were isolated from deteriorated sandstones of Angkor monuments. These fungi formed clearing zone on agar medium supplemented with powder sulfur due to the dissolution of sulfur. Representative of the isolates, strain THIF01, was identified as Fusarium solani on the basis of morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses. PCR amplification targeting 16S rRNA gene and analyses of full 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated strain THIF01 harbors an endobacterium Bradyrhizobium sp.; however, involvement of the bacterium in the sulfur oxidation is still unclear. Strain THIF01 oxidized elemental sulfur to thiosulfate and then sulfate. Germination of the spores of strain THIF01 was observed in a liquid medium containing mineral salts supplemented with elemental sulfur (rate of germinated spores against total spores was 60.2%), and the culture pH decreased from pH 4.8 to 4.0. On the contrary, neither germination (rate of germinated spores against total spores was 1.0%) nor pH decrease was observed without the supplement of elemental sulfur. Strain THIF01 could also degrade 30 ppmv and ambient level (approximate 500 pptv) of carbonyl sulfide.

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Acknowledgements

Assistance of Hideo Arai, Yu Osuga, and Ichita Shimoda in sampling is appreciated. This research was supported by Japanese Government Team for Safeguarding Angkor and a Grant-in-aid for Scientific Research (No.19251001) from The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, and Technology of Japan. We thank APSARA Authority and Ministry of Environment, Kingdom of Cambodia, for permission of sampling stone materials.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Material Science and Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Gokiso-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, 466-8555, Japan

    Xian Shu Li

  2. Akita Konno Co., Ltd., 248 Kariwano, Daisen-shi, Akita, 019-2112, Japan

    Tsutomu Sato

  3. Department of Environmental and Natural Resource Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 3-5-8 Saiwai-cho, Fuchu-shi, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan

    Yuji Ooiwa, Asako Kusumi & Yoko Katayama

  4. Division of Microbiology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR, People’s Republic of China

    Ji-Dong Gu

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  1. Xian Shu Li
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Correspondence to Yoko Katayama.

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Li, X.S., Sato, T., Ooiwa, Y. et al. Oxidation of Elemental Sulfur by Fusarium solani Strain THIF01 Harboring Endobacterium Bradyrhizobium sp.. Microb Ecol 60, 96–104 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-010-9699-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-010-9699-1

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