Determinants encoding resistance to several heavy metals in newly isolated copper-resistant bacteria

Journal Article · Fri Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1991 · Applied and Environmental Microbiology; (United States)

OSTI ID:5945141

Dressler, C; Kues, U; Nies, D H; Friedrich, B ^[1]

---

1. Freie Univ. Berlin (West Germany)

Three copper-resistant, gram-negative bacteria were isolated and characterized. Of the three strains, Alcaligenes dentrificans AH tolerated the highest copper concentration (MIC = 4 mM CuSO{sub 4}). All three strains showed various levels of resistance to other metal ions. A. denitrificans AH contains sequences which cross-hybridized with the mer (mercury resistance) determinant of Tn21 and the czc (cobalt, zinc, and cadmium resistance), cnr (cobalt and nickel resistance), and chr (chromate resistance) determinants of A. eutrophus CH34. DNA-DNA hybridization with probes prepared from A. eutrophus CH34 and Tn21 revealed the presence of chr-, cnr-, and mer-like sequences on the 200-kb plasmid pHG27 and of czc, cnr, and mer homologs located on the chromosomes. The second strain, classified as Alcaligenes sp. strain PW, carries czc, cnr, and mer homologs on the 240-kb plasmid pHG29-c and chr determinant on the 290-kb plasmid pHG29-a; a third plasmid, the 260-kb large plasmid pHG29-b, is cryptic. In contrast to the Alcaligenes strains, which were isolated from metal-contaminated water, Pseudomonas paucimobilis CD was isolated from the air. This strain harbors two cryptic plasmids: the 210-kb large plasmid pHG28-a and the 40-kb plasmid pHG28-b. Southern analysis revealed no homology between the metal ion resistance determinants of A. eutrophus CH34 and P. paucimonilis CD.

• OSTI ID: 5945141
• Journal Information: Applied and Environmental Microbiology; (United States), Vol. 57:11; ISSN 0099-2240
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
BACTERIA
GENETICS
COPPER
TOXICITY
CADMIUM
COBALT
DNA HYBRIDIZATION
MERCURY
NICKEL
PLASMIDS
PSEUDOMONAS
SCREENING
TOLERANCE
WATER POLLUTION
ZINC
BIOLOGY
CELL CONSTITUENTS
ELEMENTS
HYBRIDIZATION
METALS
MICROORGANISMS
POLLUTION
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
550200* - Biochemistry
560300 - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
540320 - Environment
Aquatic- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)