Adsorption of selenite onto Bacillus subtilis: the overlooked role of cell envelope sulfhydryl sites in the microbial conversion of Se(IV)

doi:10.1021/acs.est.8b02280

Title: Adsorption of selenite onto Bacillus subtilis: the overlooked role of cell envelope sulfhydryl sites in the microbial conversion of Se(IV)

Abstract

Microbial activities play a central role in the global cycling of selenium. Microorganisms can reduce, methylate and assimilate Se, controlling the transport and fate of Se in the environment. However, the mechanisms controlling these microbial activities are still poorly understood. In particular, it is unknown how the negatively-charged Se(IV) and Se(VI) oxyanions that dominate the aqueous Se speciation in oxidizing environments bind to negatively-charged microbial cell surfaces in order to become bioavailable. Here, we show that the adsorption of selenite onto Bacillus subtilis bacterial cells is controlled by cell envelope sulfhydryl sites. Once adsorbed onto the bacteria, selenite is reduced, and forms reduced organo-Se compounds (e.g., R1S-Se-SR2). Because sulfhydryl sites are present within cell envelopes of a wide range of bacterial species, sulfhydryl-controlled adsorption of selenite likely represents a general mechanism adopted by bacteria to make selenite bioavailable. Therefore, sulfhydryl binding of selenite likely occurs in a wide range of oxidized Se-bearing environments, and because it is followed by microbial conversion of selenite to other Se species, the process represents a crucial step in the global cycling of Se.

Authors:

Yu, Qiang ^[1]; Boyanov, Maxim I. ^[2]; Liu, Jinling ^[1]; Kemner, Kenneth M. ^[3]; Fein, Jeremy B. ^[1]

Univ. of Notre Dame, IN (United States). Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia (Bulgaria). Inst. of Chemical Engineering; Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Biosciences Division
Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Biosciences Division

Publication Date:: 2018-09-18

Research Org.:: Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER) (SC-23)

OSTI Identifier:: 1493698

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-06CH11357

Resource Type:: Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: Environmental Science and Technology

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 52; Journal Issue: 18; Journal ID: ISSN 0013-936X

Publisher:: American Chemical Society (ACS)

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Citation Formats


                    Yu, Qiang, Boyanov, Maxim I., Liu, Jinling, Kemner, Kenneth M., and Fein, Jeremy B. Adsorption of selenite onto Bacillus subtilis: the overlooked role of cell envelope sulfhydryl sites in the microbial conversion of Se(IV).  United States: N. p., 2018. 
        Web.  doi:10.1021/acs.est.8b02280.

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                    Yu, Qiang, Boyanov, Maxim I., Liu, Jinling, Kemner, Kenneth M., & Fein, Jeremy B. Adsorption of selenite onto Bacillus subtilis: the overlooked role of cell envelope sulfhydryl sites in the microbial conversion of Se(IV).  United States.  doi:10.1021/acs.est.8b02280.

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                    Yu, Qiang, Boyanov, Maxim I., Liu, Jinling, Kemner, Kenneth M., and Fein, Jeremy B. Tue .  
        "Adsorption of selenite onto Bacillus subtilis: the overlooked role of cell envelope sulfhydryl sites in the microbial conversion of Se(IV)".  United States.  doi:10.1021/acs.est.8b02280.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1493698.

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@article{osti_1493698,

  title        = {Adsorption of selenite onto Bacillus subtilis: the overlooked role of cell envelope sulfhydryl sites in the microbial conversion of Se(IV)},

  author       = {Yu, Qiang and Boyanov, Maxim I. and Liu, Jinling and Kemner, Kenneth M. and Fein, Jeremy B.},

  abstractNote = {Microbial activities play a central role in the global cycling of selenium. Microorganisms can reduce, methylate and assimilate Se, controlling the transport and fate of Se in the environment. However, the mechanisms controlling these microbial activities are still poorly understood. In particular, it is unknown how the negatively-charged Se(IV) and Se(VI) oxyanions that dominate the aqueous Se speciation in oxidizing environments bind to negatively-charged microbial cell surfaces in order to become bioavailable. Here, we show that the adsorption of selenite onto Bacillus subtilis bacterial cells is controlled by cell envelope sulfhydryl sites. Once adsorbed onto the bacteria, selenite is reduced, and forms reduced organo-Se compounds (e.g., R1S-Se-SR2). Because sulfhydryl sites are present within cell envelopes of a wide range of bacterial species, sulfhydryl-controlled adsorption of selenite likely represents a general mechanism adopted by bacteria to make selenite bioavailable. Therefore, sulfhydryl binding of selenite likely occurs in a wide range of oxidized Se-bearing environments, and because it is followed by microbial conversion of selenite to other Se species, the process represents a crucial step in the global cycling of Se.},

  doi          = {10.1021/acs.est.8b02280},

  journal      = {Environmental Science and Technology},

  number       = 18,

  volume       = 52,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {2018},

  month        = {9}

}

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DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.8b02280

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Figures / Tables:

Figure 1: Removal of aqueous Se(IV) by untreated and qBBr-treated B. subtilis biomass as a function of pH (Biomass: 20 g/L; initial Se(IV): 1 ppm; 0.1 M NaCl background electrolyte). Two replicates of the adsorption experiments were conducted using identical conditions but at different times, as denoted by #1 andmore »

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Adsorption of selenite onto Bacillus subtilis: the overlooked role of cell envelope sulfhydryl sites in the microbial conversion of Se(IV)

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