Enhancing tellurite and selenite bioconversions by overexpressing a methyltransferase from Aromatoleum sp. CIB.

ABSTRACT: Pollution by metalloids, e.g., tellurite and selenite, is of serious environmental concern and, therefore, there is an increasing interest in searching for ecologically friendly solutions for their elimination. Some microorganisms are able to reduce toxic tellurite/selenite into less toxic elemental tellurium (Te) and selenium (Se). Here, we describe the use of the environmentally relevant β-proteobacterium Aromatoleum sp. CIB as a platform for tellurite elimination. Aromatoleum sp. CIB was shown to tolerate 0.2 and 0.5 mM tellurite at aerobic and anaerobic conditions, respectively. Furthermore, the CIB strain was able to reduce tellurite into elemental Te producing rod-shaped Te nanoparticles (TeNPs) of around 200 nm length. A search in the genome of Aromatoleum sp. CIB revealed the prese

SUBMITTER: Alonso-Fernandes E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10128142 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature