Skip to main content
Log in

Studies on the mercury volatilizing enzymes in nitrogen-fixing Beijerinckia mobilis

  • Research Paper
  • Published:
World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Beijerinckia mobilis KDr2, a broad-spectrum, mercury-resistant nitrogen-fixing organism, possesses multiple metal-resistance properties. Mercuric reductase and organomercurial lyase activities of this bacterial strain were determined using different mercury compounds and heavy metal salts of copper, nickel, cobalt, cadmium, silver, zinc, lead and arsenate as inducers and substrates. Mercuric reductase was partially purified and the effect of some enzyme inhibitors and heavy metal ions on the enzyme activity was studied. The enzyme activity was completely inhibited by CdCl2, Bi(NO3)3 and KCN at 10-5 M and by AgNO3, CoCl2 and CuSO4 at 10-4 M.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Begley, P.T., Walts, A.E. & Walsh, C.T. 1986 Bacterial organomercurial lyase: overproduction, isolation and characterization. Biochemistry 25, 7186–7192.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fox, B. & Walsh, C.T. 1982 Mercuric reductase: purification and characterization of a transposon-encoded flavoprotein containing an oxidation reduction active disulfide. Journal of Biological Chemistry 25, 2498–2503.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gopinath, E., Kaaret, T.W. & Bruice, T.C. 1989 Mechanism of mercury (II) reductase and influence of ligation on the reduction of mercury (II) by a water soluble 1,5-dihydro flavin. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the United States of America 86, 3041–3044.

    Google Scholar 

  • Izaki, K., Tashiro, Y. & Funaba, T. 1974 Mechanism of mercuric chloride resistance in microorganisms. III. Purification properties of a mercuric ion reducing enzyme from Escherichia coli bearing R Factor. Journal of Biochemistry 75, 591–599.

    Google Scholar 

  • O'Halloran, T.V., Frantz, B., Shin, M.K., Ralston, D.M. & Wright, J.G. 1989 The Mer R heavy metal receptor mediates positive activation in a topologically novel transcription complex. Cell 56, 119–129.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ray, S., Gachhui, R., Chaudhuri, J. & Mandal, A. 1989a Mercury resistance in nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Journal of General and Applied Microbiology 35, 83–94.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ray, S., Gachhui, R., Pahan, K., Chaudhuri, J. & Mandal, A. 1989b Detoxification of mercury and organomercurials by nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria. Journal of Bioscience 14, 173–182.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schottel, J. 1978 The mercuric and organomercurial detoxifying enzymes from a plasmid-bearing strain of Escherichia coli. Journal of Biological Chemistry 12, 4341–4349.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schottel, J., Mondal, A., Toth, K., Clark, D. & Silver, S. 1974 Mercury and mercurial resistance determined by plasmids in Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Transport of Persistent Chemicals in Aquatic Ecosystem, pp. 65–71.

  • Summers, A.O. & Silver, S. 1978 Microbial transformation of metals. Annual Review of Microbiology 32, 637–672.

    Google Scholar 

  • Summers, A.O. & Sugarman, I.L. 1974 Cell free mercury (II) reducing activity in a plasmid bearing strain of Escherichia coli. Journal of Bacteriology 119, 242–249.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tezuka, T. & Tonomura, K. 1978 Purification and properties of a second enzyme catalysing the splitting of carbon-mercury linkages from mercury-resistant Pseudomonas K-62. Journal of Bacteriology 135, 138–143.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ray, S., Pahan, K., Gachhui, R. et al. Studies on the mercury volatilizing enzymes in nitrogen-fixing Beijerinckia mobilis . World J Microbiol Biotechnol 9, 184–186 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00327833

Download citation

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00327833

Key words

Navigation