Genetic and Physiological Adaptations of Marine Bacterium Pseudomonas stutzeri 273 to Mercury Stress.

ABSTRACT: Mercury-mediated toxicity remains one of the greatest barriers against microbial survival, even though bacterial resistance to mercury compounds can occur. However, the genetic and physiological adaptations of bacteria to mercury stress still remains unclear. Here, we show that the marine bacterium Pseudomonas stutzeri 273 is resistant to 50 μM Hg²⁺ and removes up to 94% Hg²⁺ from culture. Using gene homologous recombination and complementation, we show that genes encoding Hg²⁺-transport proteins MerT, MerP, the mercuric reductase MerA and the regulatory protein MerD are essential for bacterial mercuric resistance when challenged with Hg²⁺. Further, mercury stress inhibits flagellar development, motility, chemotaxis and biofilm formation o

SUBMITTER: Zheng R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5895735 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature