Glutathione Synthetase Overexpression in Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans Improves Halotolerance of Iron Oxidation.

ABSTRACT: Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans is a well-studied iron- and sulfur-oxidizing acidophilic chemolithoautotroph that is exploited for its ability to participate in the bioleaching of metal sulfides. Here, we overexpressed the endogenous glutamate-cysteine ligase and glutathione synthetase genes in separate strains and found that glutathione synthetase overexpression increased intracellular glutathione levels. We explored the impact of pH on the halotolerance of iron oxidation in wild-type and engineered cultures. The increase in glutathione allowed the modified cells to grow under salt concentrations and pH conditions that are fully inhibitory to wild-type cells. Furthermore, we found that improved iron oxidation ability in the presence of chloride also resulted in higher levels of intracellul

SUBMITTER: Inaba Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8478446 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature