Molecular Characterization of Copper and Cadmium Resistance Determinants in the Biomining Thermoacidophilic Archaeon Sulfolobus metallicus
Author
dc.contributor.author
Orell, Álvaro
Author
dc.contributor.author
Remonsellez, Francisco
es_CL
Author
dc.contributor.author
Arancibia, Rafaela
es_CL
Author
dc.contributor.author
Jerez Guevara, Carlos
es_CL
Admission date
dc.date.accessioned
2014-01-30T15:02:31Z
Available date
dc.date.available
2014-01-30T15:02:31Z
Publication date
dc.date.issued
2013
Cita de ítem
dc.identifier.citation
Archaea Volume 2013, Article ID 289236, 16 pages
en_US
Identifier
dc.identifier.uri
https://repositorio.uchile.cl/handle/2250/119740
General note
dc.description
Artículo de publicación ISI
en_US
Abstract
dc.description.abstract
Sulfolobus metallicus is a thermoacidophilic crenarchaeon used in high-temperature bioleaching processes that is able to grow
under stressing conditions such as high concentrations of heavy metals. Nevertheless, the genetic and biochemical mechanisms
responsible for heavy metal resistance in S. metallicus remain uncharacterized. Proteomic analysis of S. metallicus cells exposed to
100mM Cu revealed that 18 out of 30 upregulated proteins are related to the production and conversion of energy, amino acids
biosynthesis, and stress responses. Ten of these last proteins were also up-regulated in S. metallicus treated in the presence of 1mM
Cd suggesting that at least in part, a common general response to these two heavy metals. The S. metallicus genome contained
two complete cop gene clusters, each encoding a metallochaperone (CopM), a Cu-exporting ATPase (CopA), and a transcriptional
regulator (CopT). Transcriptional expression analysis revealed that copM and copA from each cop gene cluster were cotranscribed
and their transcript levels increased when S. metallicus was grown either in the presence of Cu or using chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) as
oxidizable substrate. This study shows for the first time the presence of a duplicated version of the cop gene cluster in Archaea and
characterizes some of the Cu and Cd resistance determinants in a thermophilic archaeon employed for industrial biomining.