Lead resistant bacteria: Lead resistance mechanisms, their applications in lead bioremediation and biomonitoring

Aquaculture is emerging as one of the most viable and promising enterprises for keeping pace with the surging need for animal protein, providing nutritional and food security to humans, particularly those residing in regions where livestock is relatively scarce. With every step toward intensification of aquaculture practices, there is an increase in the stress level in the animal as well as the environment. Hence, disease outbreak is being increasingly recognized as one of the most important constraints to aquaculture production in many countries, including India. Conventionally, the disease control in aquaculture has relied on the use of chemical compounds and antibiotics. The development of non-antibiotic and environmentally friendly agents is one of the key factors for health management in aquaculture. Consequently, with the emerging need for environmentally friendly aquaculture, the use of alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters in fish nutrition is now widely accepted. In recent years, probiotics have taken center stage and are being used as an unconventional approach that has numerous beneficial effects in fish and shellfish culture: improved activity of gastrointestinal microbiota and enhanced immune status, disease resistance, survival, feed utilization and growth performance. As natural products, probiotics have much potential to increase the efficiency and sustainability of aquaculture production. Therefore, comprehensive research to fully characterize the intestinal microbiota of prominent fish species, mechanisms of action of probiotics and their effects on the intestinal ecosystem, immunity, fish health and performance is reasonable. This review highlights the classifications and applications of probiotics in aquaculture. The review also summarizes the advancement and research highlights of the probiotic status and mode of action, which are of great significance from an ecofriendly, sustainable, intensive aquaculture point of view.

Probiotics in fish and shellfish culture: immunomodulatory and ecophysiological responses.

Environmental selection of antibiotic resistance may be caused by either antibiotic residues or coselecting agents. Using a strictly controlled experimental design, we compared the ability of metals (Cu or Zn) and tetracycline to (co)select for tetracycline resistance in bacterial communities. Soil microcosms were established by amending agricultural soil with known levels of Cu, Zn, or tetracycline known to represent commonly used metals and antibiotics for pig farming. Soil bacterial growth dynamics and bacterial community-level tetracycline resistance were determined using the [3H]leucine incorporation technique, whereas soil Cu, Zn, and tetracycline exposure were quantified by a panel of whole-cell bacterial bioreporters. Tetracycline resistance increased significantly in soils containing environmentally relevant levels of Cu (≥365 mg kg–1) and Zn (≥264 mg kg–1) but not in soil spiked with unrealistically high levels of tetracycline (up to 100 mg kg–1). These observations were consistent with biorepor...

Comparison of Metals and Tetracycline as Selective Agents for Development of Tetracycline Resistant Bacterial Communities in Agricultural Soil

Heavy metal pollution and co-selection for antibiotic resistance: A microbial palaeontology approach.

Using recombinant DNA technology, various whole-cell biosensors have been developed for detection of environmental pollutants, including heavy metal ions. Whole-cell biosensors have several advantages: easy and inexpensive cultivation, multiple assays, and no requirement of any special techniques for analysis. In the era of synthetic biology, cutting-edge DNA sequencing and gene synthesis technologies have accelerated the development of cell-based biosensors. Here, we summarize current technological advances in whole-cell heavy metal biosensors, including the synthetic biological components (bioparts), sensing and reporter modules, genetic circuits, and chassis cells. We discuss several opportunities for improvement of synthetic cell-based biosensors. First, new functional modules must be discovered in genome databases, and this knowledge must be used to upgrade specific bioparts through molecular engineering. Second, modules must be assembled into functional biosystems in chassis cells. Third, heterogeneity of individual cells in the microbial population must be eliminated. In the perspectives, the development of whole-cell biosensors is also discussed in the aspects of cultivation methods and synthetic cells.

Synthetic biology for microbial heavy metal biosensors

Whole-cell bacterial bioreporters represent a convenient testing method for quantifying the bioavailability of contaminants in environmental samples. Despite the fact that several bioreporters have been constructed for measuring heavy metals, their application to environmental samples has remained minimal. The major drawbacks of the available bioreporters include a lack of sensitivity and specificity. Here, we report an improvement in the limit of detection of bacterial bioreporters by interfering with the natural metal homeostasis system of the host bacterium. The limit of detection of a Pseudomonas putida KT2440-based Zn/Cd/Pb-biosensor was improved by a factor of up to 45 by disrupting four main efflux transporters for Zn/Cd/Pb and thereby causing the metals to accumulate in the cell. The specificity of the bioreporter could be modified by changing the sensor element. A Zn-specific bioreporter was achieved by using the promoter of the cadA1 gene from P. putida as a sensor element. The constructed transporter-deficient P. putida reporter strain detected Zn(2+) concentrations about 50 times lower than that possible with other available Zn-bioreporters. The achieved detection limits were significantly below the permitted limit values for Zn and Pb in water and in soil, allowing for reliable detection of heavy metals in the environment.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.4161/bbug.1.2.10902

Karmen Tõnismann

Papers

Improving the sensitivity of bacterial bioreporters for heavy metals.