Bioaccumulation of molybdate ions by alkanotrophic Rhodococcus leads to significant alterations in cellular ultrastructure and physiology

Irina B Ivshina; Maria S Kuyukina; Lyudmila V Litvinenko; Anastasia A Golysheva; Nadezhda A Kostrikina; Vladimir V Sorokin; Andrey L Mulyukin

doi:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.116190

Bioaccumulation of molybdate ions by alkanotrophic Rhodococcus leads to significant alterations in cellular ultrastructure and physiology

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2024 Apr 1:274:116190. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.116190. Epub 2024 Mar 18.

Authors

Irina B Ivshina¹, Maria S Kuyukina², Lyudmila V Litvinenko³, Anastasia A Golysheva⁴, Nadezhda A Kostrikina⁵, Vladimir V Sorokin⁵, Andrey L Mulyukin⁵

Affiliations

¹ Perm Federal Research Center, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 13a Lenin Street, Perm 614990, Russia; Perm State National Research University, 15 Bukirev Street, Perm 614068, Russia; Institute of Ecology and Genetics of Microorganisms, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences - Branch of the Perm Federal Research Center, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 13 Goleva Street, Perm 614081, Russia. Electronic address: ivshina@iegm.ru.
² Perm Federal Research Center, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 13a Lenin Street, Perm 614990, Russia; Perm State National Research University, 15 Bukirev Street, Perm 614068, Russia; Institute of Ecology and Genetics of Microorganisms, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences - Branch of the Perm Federal Research Center, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 13 Goleva Street, Perm 614081, Russia.
³ Perm Federal Research Center, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 13a Lenin Street, Perm 614990, Russia; Institute of Ecology and Genetics of Microorganisms, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences - Branch of the Perm Federal Research Center, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 13 Goleva Street, Perm 614081, Russia.
⁴ Perm State National Research University, 15 Bukirev Street, Perm 614068, Russia.
⁵ Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Research Center of Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, build. 2, 33, Leninsky prospect, Moscow 119071, Russia.

PMID: 38503110
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.116190

Abstract

Alkanotrophic Rhodococcus strains from the Regional Specialised Collection of Alkanotrophic Microorganisms (acronym IEGM, www.iegmcol.ru) were screened for accumulation and sorption of MoO₄^2- ions. Morphological and ultrastructural changes observed in bacterial cells during their cultivation in the molybdenum-containing medium are described. The species peculiarities, growth substrate preferences, and other physiological features allowing for the efficient removal of molybdate ions from the culture medium are discussed. Bioinformatics analysis of genes and proteins responsible for resistance to and accumulation of molybdenum was carried out using the sequenced R. ruber IEGM 231 and other published Rhodococcus genomes. n-Hexadecane growing strains with high (up to 85 %) accumulative activity and resistance to elevated (up to 20.0 mM) molybdenum concentrations were selected, which can be used for bioremediation of environments co-contaminated with heavy metals and hydrocarbons. Transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (TEM-EDX) revealed the ability of Rhodococcus not only to accumulate, but also to chemically convert soluble toxic molybdenum into insoluble compounds detected in the form of electron-dense nanoparticles.

Keywords: Accumulation; Cell ultrastructure; Molybdate ions; Molybdenum; Resistance; Rhodococcus.

MeSH terms

Bioaccumulation
Ions / metabolism
Molybdenum* / metabolism
Rhodococcus* / metabolism

Substances

molybdate
Molybdenum
Ions