In Situ Spectral Kinetics of Cr(VI) Reduction by c-Type Cytochromes in A Suspension of Living Shewanella putrefaciens 200

Sci Rep. 2016 Jul 11:6:29592. doi: 10.1038/srep29592.

Abstract

Although c-type cytochromes (c-Cyts) mediating metal reduction have been mainly investigated with in vitro purified proteins of dissimilatory metal reducing bacteria, the in vivo behavior of c-Cyts is still unclear given the difficulty in measuring the proteins of intact cells. Here, c-Cyts in living Shewanella putrefaciens 200 (SP200) was successfully quantified using diffuse-transmission UV/Vis spectroscopy due to the strong absorbance of hemes, and the in situ spectral kinetics of Cr(VI) reduction by c-Cyts were examined over time. The reduced product Cr(III) observed on the cell surface may play a role in inhibiting the Cr(VI) reduction and reducing the cell numbers with high concentrations (>200 μM) of Cr(VI) evidenced by the 16S rRNA analysis. A brief kinetic model was established with two predominant reactions, redox transformation of c-Cyts and Cr(VI) reduction by reduced c-Cyts, but the fitting curves were not well-matched with c-Cyts data. The Cr(III)-induced inhibitory effect to the cellular function of redox transformation of c-Cyts was then added to the model, resulting in substantially improved the model fitting. This study provides a case of directly examining the reaction properties of outer-membrane enzyme during microbial metal reduction processes under physiological conditions.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bacterial Load
  • Chromium / metabolism*
  • Cytochromes c / metabolism*
  • Kinetics
  • Oxidation-Reduction
  • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / analysis
  • Shewanella putrefaciens / metabolism*
  • Spectrophotometry

Substances

  • RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
  • Chromium
  • chromium hexavalent ion
  • Cytochromes c