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Reduction of Hexavalent Chromium by Cell-Free Extract of Bacillus sphaericus AND 303 Isolated from Serpentine Soil

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Abstract

Cell-free extracts (CFEs) of chromium-resistant bacterium Bacillus sphaericus AND 303 isolated from serpentine soil of Andaman, India reduced Cr(VI) in in vitro condition, and the reductase activity was solely localized in the soluble cell-fractions (S12, S32, and S150). The enzyme was constitutive as the CFEs from cells grown in Cr(VI)-free and Cr(VI)-containing media reduced a more or less equal amount of Cr(VI). Optimum Cr(VI) reductase activity was obtained at an enzyme (S150) concentration equivalent to 4.56 mg protein/mL, 300 μM Cr(VI) and pH 6.0 after 30 min incubation at 30°C. The enzyme was heat labile; 80% of its activity was lost when exposed at 70°C for 15 min. Kinetics of Cr(VI) reductase activity fit well with the linearized Lineweaver-Burk plot and showed a Vmax of 1.432 μmol Cr(VI)/mg protein/min and Km of 158.12 μM Cr(VI). The presence of additional electron donors accelerated Cr(VI) reductase activity of CFE, and an increase of 28% activity over control was recorded with 1.0 μM NADH. Heavy metal ions such as Ni(II), Cu(II), and Cd(II) were strong inhibitors of Cr(VI) reductase unlike that of 100 μM Co(II), which retained 93% activity over control.

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Acknowledgment

Financial assistance to one of us (A. Pal) from Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India, New Delhi is thankfully acknowledged.

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Correspondence to A.K. Paul.

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Pal, A., Dutta, S. & Paul, A. Reduction of Hexavalent Chromium by Cell-Free Extract of Bacillus sphaericus AND 303 Isolated from Serpentine Soil. Curr Microbiol 51, 327–330 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-005-0048-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-005-0048-4

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