Chemical transformation of toxic metals by a Pseudomonas strain from a toxic waste site

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Abstract
Pseudomonas maltophilia strain O‐2, isolated from soil at a toxic waste site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, catalyzed the transformation and precipitation of numerous toxic metal cations and oxyanions. When a viable inoculum (1%) of O‐2 was introduced into nutrient broth containing Hg(II), Cr(VI), Se(IV), Pb(II), Au(III), Cd(II), Te(IV), or Ag(I), effective removal of the toxic metal was complete within 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 4, 5, and 7 d, respectively. The NADPH‐dependent reduction of Hg(II) to Hg0 was catalyzed by an inducible mercuric reductase. The reduction of selenite and tellurite to their insoluble elemental forms appeared to be mediated by an intracellular glutathione reductase that utilized the spontaneously formed bis(glutathio)Se(II) or bis(glutathio)Te(II), respectively, as pseudosubstrates. The three‐electron reduction of hexavalent chromium was catalyzed by a membrane‐bound chromate reductase. The enzymatic basis for the remaining metal transformations was not immediately apparent. It is anticipated that Pseudomonas maltophilia and related organisms could eventually be exploited for the removal of toxic metal wastes from selected, heavily polluted sites.