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Morphological Changes in an Acidophilic Bacterium Induced by Heavy Metals

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Title Morphological Changes in an Acidophilic Bacterium Induced by Heavy Metals
 
Creator Chakravarty, Rajdeep
Banerjee, Pataki C.
 
Subject Molecular & Human Genetics
 
Description The Acidiphilium strains inhabit acidic mine
regions where they are subjected to occasional environmental
stresses such as high and low temperatures,
exposure to various heavy metals, etc. Change in morphology
is one of the strategies that bacteria adopt to cope
with environmental stresses; however, no study on this
aspect has been reported in the case of Acidiphilium sp.
This work is an attempt using the acidophilic heterotrophic
bacterium Acidiphilium symbioticum H8. It was observed
that the maximum alterations in size occurred when the
bacterium was exposed to sub-inhibitory concentrations of
Cu and Cd. Loosely packed coccobacillus-type normal
cells formed characteristic chains of coccoidal lenticular
shape with constrictions at the junctions between them in
the presence of Cd; Cu induced transformation of cells to
become round shaped; Ni caused the cells to aggregate, but
Zn showed no effect. Respective metal depositions on the
cell surface were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy
equipped with energy dispersive X-ray analysis. Cell
bound Ca2+ ions were replaced by these metal ions and
measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry
from the culture filtrate. Cell shape changed only after
the addition of sub-inhibitory concentrations of the metals,
but in growth inhibitory concentrations it was similar to the
normal cells.
 
Date 2008
 
Type Article
PeerReviewed
 
Format application/pdf
 
Identifier http://www.eprints.iicb.res.in/282/1/EXTREMOPHILES%2C12_(2)%2C_279%2D284%2C2008[120].pdf
Chakravarty, Rajdeep and Banerjee, Pataki C. (2008) Morphological Changes in an Acidophilic Bacterium Induced by Heavy Metals. Extremophiles, 12 (2). pp. 279-284.
 
Relation http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00792-007-0128-4
http://www.eprints.iicb.res.in/282/