{"title":"Genomic Insights into Selenate Reduction by <i>Anaerobacillus</i> Species.","authors":"Qidong Wang, Jian Zhang, Jinhui Liang, Yanlong Wang, Chongyang Ren, Xinhan Chen, Dongle Cheng, Huanxin Zhang, Huaqing Liu","doi":"10.3390/microorganisms13030659","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Selenium (Se), a potentially toxic trace element, undergoes complex biogeochemical cycling in the environment, largely driven by microbial activity. The reduction in selenate or selenite to elemental selenium is an environmentally beneficial process, as it decreases both Se toxicity and mobility. This reduction is catalyzed by enzymes encoded by various related genes. The link between Se reduction gene clusters and specific taxonomic groups is significant for elucidating the ecological roles and processes of Se reduction in diverse environments. In this study, a new species of Se-reducing microorganism belonging to the genus <i>Anaerobacillus</i> was isolated from a mining site. A comparative analysis of the growth characteristics reveals that <i>Anaerobacillus</i> species exhibit notable metabolic versatility, particularly in their fermentation abilities and utilization of diverse electron donors and acceptors. Genome analysis identified a diverse array of gene clusters associated with selenate uptake (<i>sul</i>, <i>pst</i>), selenate reduction (<i>ser</i>), and selenite reduction (<i>hig</i>, <i>frd</i>, <i>trx</i>, and <i>bsh</i>). Since selenate reduction is the first crucial step in Se reduction, genes linked to selenate reductase are the focus. The <i>serA</i> gene clusters analysis suggests that the <i>serA</i> gene is highly conserved across <i>Anaerobacillus</i> species. The surrounding genes of <i>serA</i> show significant variability in both presence and gene size. This evolutionary difference in coenzyme utilization and <i>serA</i> regulation suggests distinct survival strategies among <i>Anaerobacillus</i> species. This study offers insights into Se bio-transformations and the adaptive strategies of Se-reducing microorganisms.</p>","PeriodicalId":18667,"journal":{"name":"Microorganisms","volume":"13 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11944866/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Microorganisms","FirstCategoryId":"99","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13030659","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"MICROBIOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Selenium (Se), a potentially toxic trace element, undergoes complex biogeochemical cycling in the environment, largely driven by microbial activity. The reduction in selenate or selenite to elemental selenium is an environmentally beneficial process, as it decreases both Se toxicity and mobility. This reduction is catalyzed by enzymes encoded by various related genes. The link between Se reduction gene clusters and specific taxonomic groups is significant for elucidating the ecological roles and processes of Se reduction in diverse environments. In this study, a new species of Se-reducing microorganism belonging to the genus Anaerobacillus was isolated from a mining site. A comparative analysis of the growth characteristics reveals that Anaerobacillus species exhibit notable metabolic versatility, particularly in their fermentation abilities and utilization of diverse electron donors and acceptors. Genome analysis identified a diverse array of gene clusters associated with selenate uptake (sul, pst), selenate reduction (ser), and selenite reduction (hig, frd, trx, and bsh). Since selenate reduction is the first crucial step in Se reduction, genes linked to selenate reductase are the focus. The serA gene clusters analysis suggests that the serA gene is highly conserved across Anaerobacillus species. The surrounding genes of serA show significant variability in both presence and gene size. This evolutionary difference in coenzyme utilization and serA regulation suggests distinct survival strategies among Anaerobacillus species. This study offers insights into Se bio-transformations and the adaptive strategies of Se-reducing microorganisms.
期刊介绍:
Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607) is an international, peer-reviewed open access journal which provides an advanced forum for studies related to prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms, viruses and prions. It publishes reviews, research papers and communications. Our aim is to encourage scientists to publish their experimental and theoretical results in as much detail as possible. There is no restriction on the length of the papers. The full experimental details must be provided so that the results can be reproduced. Electronic files and software regarding the full details of the calculation or experimental procedure, if unable to be published in a normal way, can be deposited as supplementary electronic material.