Heavy-metal-induced Inhibition of Aspergillus niger nitrate reductase: Applications for Rapid Contaminant Detection in Aqueous Samples
Enzyme inhibition assays have the potential to rapidly screen and identify heavy metals in environmental samples. Inhibition of nitrate reductase (NR) was examined as a method for detecting toxic metals. The activity of NR (EC 1.6.6.2) from Aspergillus niger was assayed as a function of metal concentration in the presence of Cd2+, Cr3+, Cr6+, Cu2+, Ni2+, Pb2+, and Zn2+. NR exhibited sensitivity to these metals at concentrations below 10 µM. Various buffers were screened for their ability to protect NR activity from metal inhibition, and 3-(N-morpholino) propanesulfonic acid (MOPS) was selected as the buffering system for the NR assays as it exhibited the least interference with metal inhibition, thus providing increased assay sensitivity. The hypothesis that chelating agents could prevent the inhibition of NR activity by metal ions was also tested. Results indicated that 10 mM ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) could protect NR activity from inhibition by Cr3+, Cu2+, Cd2+, Ni2+, and Zn2+ at concentrations below 100 µM, but that the EDTA had no effect on NR inhibition by Cr6+. An amount of 10 mM nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) prevented NR inhibition by Cd2+, Cu2+, Ni2+, Pb2+, and Zn2+ at metal concentrations below 100 µM. However, 10 mM NTA was unable to protect the enzyme from inhibition by either Cr3+ or Cr6+. These results indicated that through specific metal chelation, a NR-based method for individually quantifying Cr3+ and Cr6+ species in aqueous solutions could be developed. The ability to restore activity to NR which been previously inhibited by exposure to 100 µM Pb2+, Cd2+, Zn2+, Cu2+, and Cr3+ was explored to determine whether NR activity could be recovered by EDTA additions for use in consecutive metal inhibition assays. The results showed NR activity could not be regained after exposure to Cr3+ or Cu2+, but did partially recover activity after Cd2+, Pb2+, and Zn2+ exposure.
- Research Organization:
- Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC07-99ID-13727
- OSTI ID:
- 912002
- Report Number(s):
- INEEL/JOU-02-01113; ACACAM; TRN: US200801%%447
- Journal Information:
- Analytica Chimica Acta, Vol. 480, Issue 1; ISSN 0003-2670
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS
ASPERGILLUS
BUFFERS
CHELATING AGENTS
DETECTION
EDTA
ENZYMES
HEAVY METALS
HYPOTHESIS
NIGER
NITRATES
NTA
OXIDOREDUCTASES
SCREENS
SENSITIVITY
Biosensor
Enzyme inhibition
Heavy metals
Metal speciation
Nitrate reductase