Suchergebnisse

The impact of metals (Cd, Cr, Cu and Zn) on growth, cell volume and cell division of the freshwater alga Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata exposed over a period of 72 h was investigated. The algal cells were exposed to three nominal concentrations of each metal: low (closed to 72 h-EC10 values), intermediate (closed to 72 h-EC50 values) and high (upper than 72 h-EC90 values). The exposure to low metal concentrations resulted in a decrease of cell volume. On the contrary, for the highest metal concentrations an increase of cell volume was observed; this effect was particularly notorious for Cd and less pronounced for Zn. Two behaviours were found when algal cells were exposed to intermediate concentrations of metals: Cu(II) and Cr(VI) induced a reduction of cell volume, while Cd(II) and Zn(II) provoked an opposite effect. The simultaneous nucleus staining and cell image analysis, allowed distinguishing three phases in P. subcapitata cell cycle: growth of mother cell; cell division, which includes two divisions of the nucleus; and, release of four autospores. The exposure of P. subcapitata cells to the highest metal concentrations resulted in the arrest of cell growth before the first nucleus division [for Cr(VI) and Cu(II)] or after the second nucleus division but before the cytokinesis (release of autospores) when exposed to Cd(II). The different impact of metals on algal cell volume and cell-cycle progression, suggests that different toxicity mechanisms underlie the action of different metals studied. The simultaneous nucleus staining and cell image analysis, used in the present work, can be a useful tool in the analysis of the toxicity of the pollutants, in P. subcapitata, and help in the elucidation of their different modes of action. ; The authors thank the Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT) through the Portuguese Government for their financial support of this work through the strategic project-LA23/2013-2014 to IBB. Manuela D. Machado gratefully acknowledges the post-doctoral grant from FCT ...

The present work describes the optimization of a short-term assay, based on the inhibition of the esterase activity of the alga Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata, in a microplate format. The optimization of the staining procedure showed that the incubation of the algal cells with 20 μmol L−1 fluorescein diacetate (FDA) for 40 min allowed discrimination between metabolic active and inactive cells. The short-term assay was tested using Cu as toxicant. For this purpose, algal cells, in the exponential or stationary phase of growth, were exposed to the heavy metal in growing conditions. After 3 or 6 h, cells were subsequently stained with FDA, using the optimized procedure. For Cu, the 3- and 6-h EC50 values, based on the inhibition of the esterase activity of algal cells in the exponential phase of growth, were 209 and 130 μg L−1, respectively. P. subcapitata cells, in the stationary phase of growth, displayed higher effective concentration values than those observed in the exponential phase. The 3- and 6-h EC50 values for Cu, for cells in the stationary phase, were 443 and 268 μg L−1, respectively. This short-term microplate assay showed to be a rapid endpoint for testing toxicity using the alga P. subcapitata. The small volume required, the simplicity of the assay (no washing steps), and the automatic reading of the fluorescence make the assay particularly well suited for the evaluation of the toxicity of a high number of environmental samples. ; The authors thank the Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT) through the Portuguese Government for their financial support of this work through the grant PEST-OE/EQB/LA0023/2011 to IBB. Manuela D. Machado gratefully acknowledges the postdoctoral grant from FCT ...

Lead is an important environmental pollutant. The role of vacuole, in Pb detoxification, was studied using a vacuolar protein sorting mutant strain (vps16Δ), belonging to class C mutants. Cells disrupted in VPS16 gene, did not display a detectable vacuolar-like structure. Based on the loss of cell proliferation capacity, it was found that cells from vps16Δ mutant exhibited a hypersensitivity to Pb-induced toxicity, compared to wild type (WT) strain. The function of vacuolar H+-ATPase (V-ATPase), in Pb detoxification, was evaluated using mutants with structurally normal vacuoles but defective in subunits of catalytic (vma1Δ or vma2Δ) or membrane domain (vph1Δ or vma3Δ) of V-ATPase. All mutants tested, lacking a functional V-ATPase, displayed an increased susceptibility to Pb, comparatively to cells from WT strain. Modification of vacuolar morphology, in Pb-exposed cells, was visualized using a Vma2p-GFP strain. The treatment of yeast cells with Pb originated the fusion of the medium size vacuolar lobes into one enlarged vacuole. In conclusion, it was found that vacuole plays an important role in the detoxification of Pb in Saccharomyces cerevisiae; in addition, a functional V-ATPase was required for Pb compartmentalization. ; The authors thank the Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT) through the Portuguese Government for their financial support of this work through the grant PEST-OE/EQB/LA0023/2011 to ...

In the present work, the influence of the competitive effect of inorganic ligands (carbonates, chlorides, fluorides, phosphates, nitrates and sulphates), which can be present in real multi-metal electroplating effluents, on the biosorption of chromium, copper, nickel and zinc ions by yeast cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was rationally examined. Additionally, chemical speciation studies allowed optimizing the amount of yeast biomass to be used in the treatment of effluents contaminated with nickel. The applicability of chemical simulation studies was tested using two simulated effluents and validated using one real electroplating effluent, all containing high concentrations of nickel (about 303 μmol l−1). For nickel removal, heat-killed biomass of a brewing flocculent strain of S. cerevisiae was used, in a batch mode. After the implementation of the bioremediation process (12 g dry weight l−1 of yeast cells), the concentration of nickel in the real effluent (34 μmol l−1) reached the quality criteria for industrial effluents discharge, after the second or third batch according to the U.S.-Environmental Protection Agency and Portuguese law, respectively. This corresponded to a removal of nickel of 89%. ; The authors thank to the "Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia" (FCT) from Portuguese Government for the financial support of this work with FEDER founds, by the Project POCTI/CTA/47875/2002. Manuela D. Machado is also gratefully acknowledged for a grant scholarship financed under the same project and another grant from FCT ...

The use of buffers to maintain the pH within a desired range is a very common practice in chemical, biochemical and biological studies. Among them, zwitterionic N-substituted aminosulfonic acids, usually known as Good's buffers, although widely used, can complex metals and interact with biological systems. The present work reviews, discusses and updates the metal complexation characteristics of thirty one commercially available buffers. In addition, their impact on biological systems is also presented. The influences of these buffers on the results obtained in biological, biochemical and environmental studies, with special focus on their interaction with metal ions, are highlighted and critically reviewed. Using chemical speciation simulations, based on the current knowledge of the metal-buffer stability constants, a proposal of the most adequate buffer to employ for a given metal ion is presented. ; This work has been supported by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), from the Portuguese Government, through the grants Strategic project-LA23/2013-2014 (IBB) and PEST-C/EQB/ LA0006/2011 (REQUIMTE). Soares EV also thanks the Project "BioInd-Biotechnology and Bioengineering for improved Industrial and Agro-Food processes", REF. NORTE-07-0124-FEDER- 000028 Co-funded by the Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (ON.2 – O Novo Norte), QREN, ...

Siderophore production by Bacillus megaterium was detected, in an iron-deficient culture medium, during the exponential growth phase, prior to the sporulation, in the presence of glucose; these results suggested that the onset of siderophore production did not require glucose depletion and was not related with the sporulation. The siderophore production by B. megaterium was affected by the carbon source used. The growth on glycerol promoted the very high siderophore production (1,182 μmol g−1 dry weight biomass); the opposite effect was observed in the presence of mannose (251 μmol g−1 dry weight biomass). The growth in the presence of fructose, galactose, glucose, lactose, maltose or sucrose, originated similar concentrations of siderophore (546–842 μmol g−1 dry weight biomass). Aeration had a positive effect on the production of siderophore. Incubation of B. megaterium under static conditions delayed and reduced the growth and the production of siderophore, compared with the incubation in stirred conditions. ; The authors thank Porto University/Totta Bank for their financial support through the project "Microbiological production of chelating agents" (Ref: 180). The authors also thank the Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT) through the Portuguese Government for their financial support of this work through the grants Strategic project-LA23/2013-2014 (IBB) and PEST-C/EQB/LA0006/2011 (REQUIMTE). Manuela D. Machado gratefully acknowledges the postdoctoral (SFRH/BPD/72816/2010) grant from ...