Abstract
Mercury resistance of Clostridium cochlearium T-2P was found to be controlled by a different mechanism from those reported so far since no mercury-reducing activity was detected in this strain.
The H2S generating ability as well as the demethylating activity of this bacterium was eliminated by the treatment with acridine dye and recovered by the conjugation of the cured strain with the parent strain. In addition, the strain which lost their abilities to generate H2S and to decompose methylmercury, showed higher sensitivity to mercurials than the parent strain. From these results, the genes conferring both the activities seemed to reside on the plasmid and the mechanism of mercury resistance was probably based on a detoxification mechanism involving methylmercury decomposition and inactivation of the inorganic mercury with H2S.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- MMC:
-
methylmercuric chloride
- Rifs :
-
sensitive to rifampin
- Rfr :
-
resistant to rifampin
- MMC+ :
-
methylmercury-decomposing activity plus
- MMC:
-
methylmercury decomposing activity minus
References
Ashida J (1965) Adaptation of fungi to metal toxicants. Ann Rev Phytopathol 3:153–174
Ashida J, Higashi N, Kikuchi T (1963) An electron-microscopic study on copper precipitation by copper-resistant yeast cells. Protoplasma 57:27–32
Briaux S, Gerbaud G, Jaffe-Brachet A (1979) Studies of a plasmid coding for tetracycline resistance and hydrogen sulfide production incompatible with the prophage P1. Molec Gen Genet 170:319–325
Burkardt H, Mattes R, Schmid K, Schmitt R (1978) Properties of two conjugative plasmid mediating tetracyaline resistance, Raffinose catabolism and hydrogen sulfide production in Escherichia coli. Molec Gen Genet 166:75–84
Clark DK, Weiss AA, Silver S (1977) Mercury and organomercurial resistance determined by plasmid in Pseudomonas. J Bacteriol 132:186–196
Greenaway W (1972) Permeability of phenyl-Hg+-resistant and phenyl-Hg+-susceptible isolates of Pyrenophore avenae to the phenyl-Hg+ ion. J Gen Microbiol 73:251–255
Izaki K (1977) Enzymatic reduction of mercurous ions in Escherichia coli bearing R factor. J Bacteriol 131:696–698
Komura I, Izaki K (1971) Mechanism of mercuric chloride resistance in microorganisms. I. Vaporization of a mercury compound from mercuric chloride by multiple drug resistance strain of Escherichia coli. J Biochem 70:885–893
Kondo I, Ishikawa T, Nakahara H (1974) Mercury and cadmium resistance mediated by the penicillinase plasmid in Staphylococcus aureus. J Bacteriol 117:1–7
Layne P, Hu ASL, Balows A, Davis BR (1971) Extrachromosomal nature of hydrogen sulfide production in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol 106:1020–1030
Lautrop H, Ørskov I, Gaarsleu K (1971) Hydrogen sulfide producing variants of Escherichia coli. Acta Path Microbiol Scand Sec B 79:641–650
St Lorant I (1929) Über eine neue colorimetrische: Mikromethode zur Bestimmung des Schwefels in Sulfiden, Sulfaten usw. Z Physiol Chem 185:245–266
Novick RP, Roth C (1968) Plasmid-linked resistance to inorganic salts in Staphylococcus aureus. J Bacteriol 95:1335–1342
Nelsen JD, Blair W, Brinckman FE, Colwell RR, Iverson WP (1973) Biodegradation of phenylmercuric acetate by mercuric resistant bacteria. Appl Microbiol 26:321–326
Ørskov I, Ørskov F (1973) Plasmid-determined H2S character in Escherichia coli and its relation to plasmid-carried raffinose fermentation and tetracycline resistance characters. J Gen Microbiol 77:487–499
Olsen BH, Barkay T, Colwell RR (1979) Role of plasmids in mercury transformation by bacteria isolated from the aquatic environment. Appl Environ Microbiol 38:478–485
Pan-Hou HSK, Hosono M, Imura N (1980) Plasmid-controlled mercury biotransformation by Clostridium cochlearium T-2. Appl Environ Microbiol 40:1007–1011
Schottel J, Mandal A, Clark D, Silver S (1974) Volatilization of mercury and organomercurials determined by inducible R-factor in enteric bacteria. Nature 251:335–337
Schottel JL (1978) The mercuric and organomercurial detoxifying enzymes from a plasmid-bearing strain of Escherichia coli. J Biol Chem 253:4341–4349
Smith DH (1967) R-factors mediate resistance to mercury, nickel, and cobalt. Science 156:1114–1116
Summers AO, Sugarman LI (1974) Cell-free mercury (II)-reducing activity in a plasmid-bearing strain of Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol 119:243–249
Summers AO, Silver S (1972) Mercury resistance in a plasmid-bearing strain of Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol 112:1228–1236
Tezuka T, Tonomura K (1976) Purification and properties of an enzyme catalyzing the splitting of carbon-mercury linkages from mercury-resistant Pseudomonas K-62 strain. J Biochem 80:79–87
Weiss AA, Murphy SD, Silver S (1977) Mercury and organomercurial resistance determined by plasmid in Staphylococcus aureus. J Bacteriol 132:197–208
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pan-Hou, H.S.K., Imura, N. Role of hydrogen sulfide in mercury resistance determined by plasmid of Clostridium cochlearium T-2. Arch. Microbiol. 129, 49–52 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00417179
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00417179