Unlocking survival mechanisms for metal and oxidative stress in the extremely acidophilic, halotolerant Acidihalobacter genus.

Microorganisms used for the biohydrometallurgical extraction of metals from minerals must be able to survive high levels of metal and oxidative stress found in bioleaching environments. The Acidihalobacter genus consists of four species of halotolerant, iron–sulfur-oxidizing acidophiles that are...

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Main Authors: Khaleque, Himel, Fathollahzadeh, Homayoun, Gonzalez, Carolina, Shafique, Raihan, Kaksonen, Anna, Holmes, David, Watkin, Elizabeth
Format: Journal Article
Published: mpdi 2020
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/81889
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author Khaleque, Himel
Fathollahzadeh, Homayoun
Gonzalez, Carolina
Shafique, Raihan
Kaksonen, Anna
Holmes, David
Watkin, Elizabeth
author_facet Khaleque, Himel
Fathollahzadeh, Homayoun
Gonzalez, Carolina
Shafique, Raihan
Kaksonen, Anna
Holmes, David
Watkin, Elizabeth
author_sort Khaleque, Himel
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Microorganisms used for the biohydrometallurgical extraction of metals from minerals must be able to survive high levels of metal and oxidative stress found in bioleaching environments. The Acidihalobacter genus consists of four species of halotolerant, iron–sulfur-oxidizing acidophiles that are unique in their ability to tolerate chloride and acid stress while simultaneously bioleaching minerals. This paper uses bioinformatic tools to predict the genes and mechanisms used by Acidihalobacter members in their defense against a wide range of metals and oxidative stress. Analysis revealed the presence of multiple conserved mechanisms of metal tolerance. Ac. yilgarnensis F5T, the only member of this genus that oxidizes the mineral chalcopyrite, contained a 39.9 Kb gene cluster consisting of 40 genes encoding mobile elements and an array of proteins with direct functions in copper resistance. The analysis also revealed multiple strategies that the Acidihalobacter members can use to tolerate high levels of oxidative stress. Three of the Acidihalobacter genomes were found to contain genes encoding catalases, which are not common to acidophilic microorganisms. Of particular interest was a rubrerythrin genomic cluster containing genes that have a polyphyletic origin of stress-related functions.
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institution Curtin University Malaysia
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publishDate 2020
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-818892021-01-08T02:53:23Z Unlocking survival mechanisms for metal and oxidative stress in the extremely acidophilic, halotolerant Acidihalobacter genus. Khaleque, Himel Fathollahzadeh, Homayoun Gonzalez, Carolina Shafique, Raihan Kaksonen, Anna Holmes, David Watkin, Elizabeth Microorganisms used for the biohydrometallurgical extraction of metals from minerals must be able to survive high levels of metal and oxidative stress found in bioleaching environments. The Acidihalobacter genus consists of four species of halotolerant, iron–sulfur-oxidizing acidophiles that are unique in their ability to tolerate chloride and acid stress while simultaneously bioleaching minerals. This paper uses bioinformatic tools to predict the genes and mechanisms used by Acidihalobacter members in their defense against a wide range of metals and oxidative stress. Analysis revealed the presence of multiple conserved mechanisms of metal tolerance. Ac. yilgarnensis F5T, the only member of this genus that oxidizes the mineral chalcopyrite, contained a 39.9 Kb gene cluster consisting of 40 genes encoding mobile elements and an array of proteins with direct functions in copper resistance. The analysis also revealed multiple strategies that the Acidihalobacter members can use to tolerate high levels of oxidative stress. Three of the Acidihalobacter genomes were found to contain genes encoding catalases, which are not common to acidophilic microorganisms. Of particular interest was a rubrerythrin genomic cluster containing genes that have a polyphyletic origin of stress-related functions. 2020 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/81889 10.3390/genes11121392 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ mpdi fulltext
spellingShingle Khaleque, Himel
Fathollahzadeh, Homayoun
Gonzalez, Carolina
Shafique, Raihan
Kaksonen, Anna
Holmes, David
Watkin, Elizabeth
Unlocking survival mechanisms for metal and oxidative stress in the extremely acidophilic, halotolerant Acidihalobacter genus.
title Unlocking survival mechanisms for metal and oxidative stress in the extremely acidophilic, halotolerant Acidihalobacter genus.
title_full Unlocking survival mechanisms for metal and oxidative stress in the extremely acidophilic, halotolerant Acidihalobacter genus.
title_fullStr Unlocking survival mechanisms for metal and oxidative stress in the extremely acidophilic, halotolerant Acidihalobacter genus.
title_full_unstemmed Unlocking survival mechanisms for metal and oxidative stress in the extremely acidophilic, halotolerant Acidihalobacter genus.
title_short Unlocking survival mechanisms for metal and oxidative stress in the extremely acidophilic, halotolerant Acidihalobacter genus.
title_sort unlocking survival mechanisms for metal and oxidative stress in the extremely acidophilic, halotolerant acidihalobacter genus.
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/81889