Mechanism of arsenic resistance in endophytic bacteria isolated from endemic plant of mine tailings and their arsenophore production

Arsenic contamination is an important environmental problem around the world since its high toxicity, and bacteria resist to this element serve as valuable resource for its bioremediation. Aiming at searching the arsenic-resistant bacteria and determining their resistant mechanism, a total of 27 strains isolated from roots of Prosopis laevigata and Spharealcea angustifolia grown in a heavy metal-contaminated region in Mexico were investigated. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and transformation abilities of arsenate (As⁵⁺) and arsenite (As³⁺), arsenophore synthesis, arsenate uptake, and cytoplasmatic arsenate reductase (arsC), and arsenite transporter (arsB) genes were studied for these strains. Based on these results and the 16S rDNA sequence analysis, these isolates were identified as arsenic-resistant endophytic bacteria (AREB) belonging to the genera Arthrobacter, Bacillus, Brevibacterium, Kocuria, Microbacterium, Micrococcus, Pseudomonas, and Staphylococcus. They could tolerate high concentrations of arsenic with MIC from 20 to > 100 mM for As⁵⁺ and 10–20 mM for As³⁺. Eleven isolates presented dual abilities of As⁵⁺ reduction and As³⁺ oxidation. As the most effective strains, Micrococcus luteus NE2E1 reduced 94% of the As⁵⁺ and Pseudomonas zhaodongensis NM2E7 oxidized 46% of As³⁺ under aerobic condition. About 70 and 44% of the test strains produced arsenophores to chelate As⁵⁺ and As³⁺, respectively. The AREB may absorb arsenate via the same receptor of phosphate uptake or via other way in some case. The cytoplasmic arsenate reductase and alternative arsenate reduction pathways exist in these AREB. Therefore, these AREB could be candidates for the bioremediation process.