Microorganisms

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Marisol Goñi-Urriza

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Guest Editor

Department of Microbial Ecology, Universite de Pau et des Pays de L'Adour, Pau, France
Interests: Microbial Ecology;mercury methylation;sulphate reducing bacteria;microbial mats

Dr. Bahia Khalfaoui-Hassani

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Biology, Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, Pau , France
Interests: Microbial Ecology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Metals play significant roles in cellular systems. They are critical for the structural stability and the activity of approximately one-third of all proteins and are thus essential for many cellular reactions. Although they are essential, an excess of metal ions can be harmful for the cell. In order to adapt to various metal concentrations, cells have developed diverse mechanisms to regulate metal contents, including transport and signalization. On the other hand, non-essential metals with unknown biological functions can be toxic, even at very low concentrations. The presence of heavy metals in natural environments induces various toxic effects. Studying how organisms acquire, utilize, and detoxify metals is thus critical to our understanding of biological processes and their relevance regarding natural environments, human health, and wildlife.

The aim of this Special Issue is to highlight current studies and knowledge regarding the molecular and cellular mechanisms of metal acquisition, regulation, biotransformation, and resistance carried out by microorganisms. This Special Issue also deals with the impact of metal at a higher biological scale of complexity since metals drive microbial community composition and dynamics. Studies on the role of metals in community structuration and the capacity of microbial communities to transform, sequester, and detoxify ecosystems are also welcome.

Dr. Marisol Goñi-Urriza
Dr. Bahia Khalfaoui-Hassani
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

metal acquisition
metal regulation
metal biotransformation
microbial communities
detoxify ecosystems

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 1956 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Arsenic Exposure Causes Global Changes in the Metalloproteome of Escherichia coli

by James Larson, Monika Tokmina-Lukaszewska, Hunter Fausset, Scott Spurzem, Savannah Cox, Gwendolyn Cooper, Valérie Copié and Brian Bothner

Microorganisms 2023, 11(2), 382; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11020382 - 02 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1961

Abstract

Arsenic is a toxic metalloid with differential biological effects, depending on speciation and concentration. Trivalent arsenic (arsenite, As^III) is more toxic at lower concentrations than the pentavalent form (arsenate, As^V). In E. coli, the proteins encoded by the arsRBC operon are the major arsenic detoxification mechanism. Our previous transcriptional analyses indicate broad changes in metal uptake and regulation upon arsenic exposure. Currently, it is not known how arsenic exposure impacts the cellular distribution of other metals. This study examines the metalloproteome of E. coli strains with and without the arsRBC operon in response to sublethal doses of As^III and As^V. Size exclusion chromatography coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SEC-ICPMS) was used to investigate the distribution of five metals (⁵⁶Fe, ²⁴Mg, ⁶⁶Zn, ⁷⁵As, and ⁶³Cu) in proteins and protein complexes under native conditions. Parallel analysis by SEC-UV-Vis spectroscopy monitored the presence of protein cofactors. Together, these data reveal global changes in the metalloproteome, proteome, protein cofactors, and soluble intracellular metal pools in response to arsenic stress in E. coli. This work brings to light one outcome of metal exposure and suggests that metal toxicity on the cellular level arises from direct and indirect effects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metals in Microorganisms: From Cellular Mechanisms to Microbial Communities)

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Review

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13 pages, 641 KiB

Open AccessReview

Copper Requirement and Acquisition by Marine Microalgae

by Liangliang Kong

Microorganisms 2022, 10(9), 1853; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10091853 - 16 Sep 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1814

Abstract

Copper is a critical metal nutrient required by marine microalgae but may be toxic when supplied in excess. Maintaining an optimal intracellular Cu content is thus fundamentally necessary for microalgae and relies on cellular regulatory metabolisms and the process of Cu uptake that buffers the variation in environmental Cu availability. In this article the current progress in understanding the Cu requirements and acquisition mechanisms of marine microalgae is reviewed. Cu requirement by microalgae is primarily determined by the amount of Cu-dependent enzymes involved in cellular metabolisms and can be adjusted by Cu-sparing pathways. Decrease in metabolic Cu quotas caused a decline in the abundance of cuproenzymes and the dependent cellular metabolisms, and an induction of Cu acquisition pathways. Conventional models of Cu uptake describe the dependence of Cu uptake rate on free Cu²⁺ ions or kinetically labile species. A reductive, high-affinity Cu uptake system in marine microalgae is identified which enables cells to directly utilize organically complexed Cu, highlighting the importance of cell surface Cu reduction in the marine Cu cycle. This review provides new insights into Cu uptake models that may update the existing knowledge of Cu availability in the ocean. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metals in Microorganisms: From Cellular Mechanisms to Microbial Communities)

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