Enrichment, Isolation and Characterization of Heavy Metal-Tolerant Bacteria from Polar Lacustrine Sediments

Polar areas are not exempt from anthropogenic pollution. Heavy metals have been detected in Arctic and Antarctic lakes. Bacteria, at the base of the food web, can possess the ability to adsorb or immobilize heavy metals in the environment and reduce their concentration in the water column. However,...

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Main Authors: Alessandro C. Rappazzo, Alessia Marchetta, Carmen Rizzo, Maurizio Azzaro, Warren R. L. Cairns, Angelina Lo Giudice, Maria Papale
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Microorganisms
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/2/389
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author Alessandro C. Rappazzo
Alessia Marchetta
Carmen Rizzo
Maurizio Azzaro
Warren R. L. Cairns
Angelina Lo Giudice
Maria Papale
author_facet Alessandro C. Rappazzo
Alessia Marchetta
Carmen Rizzo
Maurizio Azzaro
Warren R. L. Cairns
Angelina Lo Giudice
Maria Papale
author_sort Alessandro C. Rappazzo
collection DOAJ
description Polar areas are not exempt from anthropogenic pollution. Heavy metals have been detected in Arctic and Antarctic lakes. Bacteria, at the base of the food web, can possess the ability to adsorb or immobilize heavy metals in the environment and reduce their concentration in the water column. However, several gaps exist in our knowledge of bacterial tolerance to heavy metals in polar systems, especially in lakes. Heavy metal-tolerant bacteria from polar lacustrine sediments were selectively enriched and subsequently isolated and identified. Their growth at increasing concentrations of different heavy metals (iron, copper, and mercury) was evaluated. Selected isolates were tested for sequestration of iron and mercury. A total of 101 bacterial isolates were obtained from metal-enriched cultures. Gammaproteobacteria and Actinomycetota isolates were most abundant in Arctic and Antarctic enrichments, respectively. Iron was the most tolerated metal. Mercury and iron were sequestered by the isolates by up to 14.2 and 13.4%, respectively. The results from this study contribute to our understanding of heavy metal-tolerant bacteria from cold environments and their potential use in biotechnological applications.
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spelling doaj-art-2c651ad2e87c40ce9b5643d790fe42692025-08-20T02:44:43ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072025-02-0113238910.3390/microorganisms13020389Enrichment, Isolation and Characterization of Heavy Metal-Tolerant Bacteria from Polar Lacustrine SedimentsAlessandro C. Rappazzo0Alessia Marchetta1Carmen Rizzo2Maurizio Azzaro3Warren R. L. Cairns4Angelina Lo Giudice5Maria Papale6Institute of Polar Sciences, National Research Council, 98122 Messina, ItalyDepartment of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, 98166 Messina, ItalyInstitute of Polar Sciences, National Research Council, 98122 Messina, ItalyInstitute of Polar Sciences, National Research Council, 98122 Messina, ItalyDepartment of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, 30172 Mestre, ItalyInstitute of Polar Sciences, National Research Council, 98122 Messina, ItalyInstitute of Polar Sciences, National Research Council, 98122 Messina, ItalyPolar areas are not exempt from anthropogenic pollution. Heavy metals have been detected in Arctic and Antarctic lakes. Bacteria, at the base of the food web, can possess the ability to adsorb or immobilize heavy metals in the environment and reduce their concentration in the water column. However, several gaps exist in our knowledge of bacterial tolerance to heavy metals in polar systems, especially in lakes. Heavy metal-tolerant bacteria from polar lacustrine sediments were selectively enriched and subsequently isolated and identified. Their growth at increasing concentrations of different heavy metals (iron, copper, and mercury) was evaluated. Selected isolates were tested for sequestration of iron and mercury. A total of 101 bacterial isolates were obtained from metal-enriched cultures. Gammaproteobacteria and Actinomycetota isolates were most abundant in Arctic and Antarctic enrichments, respectively. Iron was the most tolerated metal. Mercury and iron were sequestered by the isolates by up to 14.2 and 13.4%, respectively. The results from this study contribute to our understanding of heavy metal-tolerant bacteria from cold environments and their potential use in biotechnological applications.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/2/389heavy metal tolerance<i>Pseudomonas</i>lacustrine sedimentsbacterial isolatesbiosequestration
spellingShingle Alessandro C. Rappazzo
Alessia Marchetta
Carmen Rizzo
Maurizio Azzaro
Warren R. L. Cairns
Angelina Lo Giudice
Maria Papale
Enrichment, Isolation and Characterization of Heavy Metal-Tolerant Bacteria from Polar Lacustrine Sediments
Microorganisms
heavy metal tolerance
<i>Pseudomonas</i>
lacustrine sediments
bacterial isolates
biosequestration
title Enrichment, Isolation and Characterization of Heavy Metal-Tolerant Bacteria from Polar Lacustrine Sediments
title_full Enrichment, Isolation and Characterization of Heavy Metal-Tolerant Bacteria from Polar Lacustrine Sediments
title_fullStr Enrichment, Isolation and Characterization of Heavy Metal-Tolerant Bacteria from Polar Lacustrine Sediments
title_full_unstemmed Enrichment, Isolation and Characterization of Heavy Metal-Tolerant Bacteria from Polar Lacustrine Sediments
title_short Enrichment, Isolation and Characterization of Heavy Metal-Tolerant Bacteria from Polar Lacustrine Sediments
title_sort enrichment isolation and characterization of heavy metal tolerant bacteria from polar lacustrine sediments
topic heavy metal tolerance
<i>Pseudomonas</i>
lacustrine sediments
bacterial isolates
biosequestration
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/13/2/389
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