Project description:The effects of the aromatic hydrocarbons benzene and toluene on Nitrosomonas europaea, a nitrifying bacterium that plays an important role in the removal of nitrogen from wastewater treatment plants, were studied in batch reactors. Exposure to 20 M toluene and 40 M benzene resulted in a 50% reduction in nitrifying activity after 1 h. However, Affymetrix microarray experiments detected no significant changes in gene expression in toluene exposed cells. Cells exposed to benzene were found to up-regulate a gene cluster (NE 1545 - NE 1551). This gene cluster appears to be involved with fatty-acid metabolism, lipid and membrane protein biosynthesis. TEM experiments reveal that cells exposed to benzene decrease the thickness of their membrane and the membrane becomes more structured. Keywords: stress response, benzene, toluene
Project description:The physiological and transcriptional response of Nitrosomonas europaea biofilms to phenol and toluene was examined and compared to suspended cells. Biofilms were grown in Drip Flow Biofilm Reactors under continuous flow conditions of growth medium containing ammonia as growth substrate. The responses of N. europaea biofilms to the aromatic hydrocarbons phenol and toluene were determined during short-term (3 h) additions of each compound to the biofilms. Ammonia oxidation in the biofilms was inhibited 50% by 60 uM phenol and 100 uM toluene. These concentrations were chosen for microarray analysis of phenol- and toluene-exposed N. europaea biofilms. Liquid batch cultures of exponentially growing N. europaea cells were harvested alongside the biofilms to determine differential gene expression between attached and suspended growth of N. europaea.
Project description:The physiological and transcriptional response of Nitrosomonas europaea biofilms to phenol and toluene was examined and compared to suspended cells. Biofilms were grown in Drip Flow Biofilm Reactors under continuous flow conditions of growth medium containing ammonia as growth substrate. The responses of N. europaea biofilms to the aromatic hydrocarbons phenol and toluene were determined during short-term (3 h) additions of each compound to the biofilms. Ammonia oxidation in the biofilms was inhibited 50% by 60 uM phenol and 100 uM toluene. These concentrations were chosen for microarray analysis of phenol- and toluene-exposed N. europaea biofilms. Liquid batch cultures of exponentially growing N. europaea cells were harvested alongside the biofilms to determine differential gene expression between attached and suspended growth of N. europaea. Four sample groups of N. europaea cells were used in this study, with biological triplicates of each group. Groups were: Control (untreated) biofilms, phenol-exposed biofilms, toluene-exposed biofilms, and exponentially growing suspended cells. Biofilms were grown in Drip Flow Biofilm Reactors containing 4 independent growth channels and subject to 2 hour inhibition tests. During each experiment, 2 biofilm channels served as control with no inhibitor present and the other 2 biofilm channels were exposed to either 60 uM phenol or 100 uM toluene. Nitrite production was monitored throughout the experiment, and the given concentrations of phenol and toluene resulted in 50% inhibition of ammonia oxidation by the biofilms. Suspended cells were grown in batch reactors. Three 4-plex NimbleGen microarray chips were used, and each chip contained one sample from each experimental group. QC of samples was determined by spectrophotometric methods and using Agilent bioanalyzer traces to determine purity and integrity of RNA and cDNA. A sample tracking report was used to verify the correct hybridization of each sample to the intended array.
Project description:Pure cultures of ammonia oxidizing bacterium, Nitrosomonas europaea, are exposed to cyanide in pseudo-steady state batch reactor in presence of ammonia. Nitrosomonas europaea are generally regarded as the most sensitive organism to various inhibitors commonly encountered in the wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). To find stress genes of Nitrosomonas europaea to cyanide known as inhibitor of respiratory process, whole-genome transcript response to cyanide was determined in this research using microarray and qRT-PCR. When 1 uM NaCN inhibits nitrification about 50 %, transcript levels of 35 genes were increased while transcript levels of 29 genes were decreased, showing more than 2-fold in total 2460 genes. moeZ (NE2353), homologue with rhodanases related to detoxification of CN-, showed 7-fold up regulation and gene cluster including moeZ also showed significant up regulation. Keywords: cyanide, stress response, moeZ The 1 uM NaCN caused more than 50 % inhibition in physiological response for 1 hour incubation. Transcriptional levels of the cells inhibited by cyanide were compared with the cells under control condition.
Project description:Heavy metals have been postulated as significant nitrification inhibitor in wastewater treatment plant. The effect of heavy metals such as Cd2+, Cu2+ and Hg2+ to nitrifying bacterium, Nitrosomonas europaea, was studied in pseudo-steady state batch reactor. Under incubation of Nitrosomonas europaea with 1 ?M CdCl2 for 1 hour, transcripts for 66 of 2460 genes were found at high level, yet transcripts of 50 genes were found at low level. Mercury resistance genes (merACDPT) showed 277-fold up regulation. Keywords: cadmium, stress response, global transcription, mercury resistance genes, merA, The 1 uM CdCl2 caused more than 50 % inhibition in physiological response for 1 hour incubation. Transcriptional levels of the cells inhibited by cadmium were compared with the cells under control condition.
Project description:Pure cultures of ammonia oxidizing bacterium, Nitrosomonas europaea, are exposed to cyanide in pseudo-steady state batch reactor in presence of ammonia. Nitrosomonas europaea are generally regarded as the most sensitive organism to various inhibitors commonly encountered in the wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). To find stress genes of Nitrosomonas europaea to cyanide known as inhibitor of respiratory process, whole-genome transcript response to cyanide was determined in this research using microarray and qRT-PCR. When 1 uM NaCN inhibits nitrification about 50 %, transcript levels of 35 genes were increased while transcript levels of 29 genes were decreased, showing more than 2-fold in total 2460 genes. moeZ (NE2353), homologue with rhodanases related to detoxification of CN-, showed 7-fold up regulation and gene cluster including moeZ also showed significant up regulation. Keywords: cyanide, stress response, moeZ
Project description:Heavy metals have been postulated as significant nitrification inhibitor in wastewater treatment plant. The effect of heavy metals such as Cd2+, Cu2+ and Hg2+ to nitrifying bacterium, Nitrosomonas europaea, was studied in pseudo-steady state batch reactor. Under incubation of Nitrosomonas europaea with 1 ?M CdCl2 for 1 hour, transcripts for 66 of 2460 genes were found at high level, yet transcripts of 50 genes were found at low level. Mercury resistance genes (merACDPT) showed 277-fold up regulation. Keywords: cadmium, stress response, global transcription, mercury resistance genes, merA,
Project description:Nitrosomonas europaea is a Gram-negative obligate chemolithoautotroph that derives energy for growth through oxidation of ammonia and participates in the process of nitrification in global nitrogen cycling. The physiological, proteomic, and transcriptional responses of N. europaea to zinc stress were studied. The nitrite production rate and ammonia-dependent oxygen uptake rate of the cells exposed to 3.4 uM ZnCl2 decreased about 61 % and 69 % within 30 minutes, respectively. Two proteins were notably up regulated in zinc treatment and the mRNA levels of their encoding genes started to increase by one hour after the addition of zinc. A total of 27 genes were up regulated and 30 genes were down regulated. Up-regulated genes included mercury resistance genes (merACDPT), inorganic ion transport genes, oxidative stress genes, toxin-antitoxin genes (TA) and two-component signal transduction systems genes. The merACDPT was the highest up regulated operon (46-fold). Down-regulated genes included the RuBisCO operon (cbbO), carbohydrate transporter (mrsA and mnxG) and amino acid transporter. Keywords: zinc, stress response, global transcription, mercury resistance genes, inorganic ion transport genes, oxidative stress genes