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Extreme arsenic resistance by the acidophilic archaeon ‘Ferroplasma acidarmanus’ Fer1

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Abstract

‘Ferroplasma acidarmanus’ Fer1 is an arsenic-hypertolerant acidophilic archaeon isolated from the Iron Mountain mine, California; a site characterized by heavy metals contamination. The presence of up to 10 g arsenate per litre [As(V); 133 mM] did not significantly reduce growth yields, whereas between 5 and 10 g arsenite per litre [As(III); 67–133 mM] significantly reduced the yield. Previous bioinformatic analysis indicates that ‘F. acidarmanus’ Fer1 has only two predicted genes involved in arsenic resistance and lacks a recognizable gene for an arsenate reductase. Biochemical analysis suggests that ‘F. acidarmanus’ Fer1 does not reduce arsenate indicating that ‘F. acidarmanus’ Fer1 has an alternative resistance mechanism to arsenate other than reduction to arsenite and efflux. Primer extension analysis of the putative ars transcriptional regulator (arsR) and efflux pump (arsB) demonstrated that these genes are co-transcribed, and expressed in response to arsenite, but not arsenate. Two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis of ‘F. acidarmanus’ Fer1 cells exposed to arsenite revealed enhanced expression of proteins associated with protein refolding, including the thermosome Group II HSP60 family chaperonin and HSP70 DnaK type heat shock proteins. This report represents the first molecular and proteomic study of arsenic resistance in an acidophilic archaeon.

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Abbreviations

MSM:

Mineral salts medium

RT-PCR:

Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction

2D-PAGE:

Two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis

MALDI-TOF:

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight

ICP-MS:

Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry

HPLC:

High pressure liquid chromatography

TCA:

Tricarboxylic acid

acetyl-CoA:

Acetyl-coenzyme A

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Acknowledgments

We thank Fran Mulholland, Andy Johnston, and Lynda Flegg for technical assistance and suggestions regarding this work. Trypsin digestions and MALDI-TOF MS were performed at the John Innes Proteomics facility, Norwich, UK. C.B.A was funded by a BBSRC studentship. A.S. and B.P.R. were supported by United States Public Health Service Grant GM55425.

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Author notes

  1. Craig Baker-Austin

    Present address: Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK

    Craig Baker-Austin, Mark Dopson, Margaret Wexler & Philip L. Bond

  2. Molecular Biology, Umeå University, SE-901 87, Umeå, Sweden

    Mark Dopson

  3. Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK

    Philip L. Bond

  4. Department of Molecular Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK

    R. Gary Sawers

  5. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Wayne State University, School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, 48210, USA

    Ann Stemmler & Barry P. Rosen

  6. Advanced Wastewater Management Centre, University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, QLD, Australia

    Philip L. Bond

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  1. Craig Baker-Austin
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Philip L. Bond.

Additional information

Communicated by G. Antranikian.

Craig Baker-Austin and Mark Dopson contributed equally to this study.

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Baker-Austin, C., Dopson, M., Wexler, M. et al. Extreme arsenic resistance by the acidophilic archaeon ‘Ferroplasma acidarmanus’ Fer1. Extremophiles 11, 425–434 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00792-006-0052-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00792-006-0052-z

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