King
Midas is remembered in Greek mythology for his ability to turn objects he
touched into gold. Surprisingly, his strange ability is shared in reality by a
certain species of bacteria called Cupriavidus
metallidurans.
Cupriavidus metallidurans strain CH34 (renamed from Ralstonia metallidurans and previously known as Ralstonia eutropha and Alcaligenes eutrophus) is a nonspore-forming, Gram-negative bacterium which is adapted to survive several forms of heavy metal stress. Therefore, it is an ideal subject to study heavy metal disturbance of cellular processes. This bacterium shows a unique combination of advantages not present in this form in other bacteria.
Cupriavidus metallidurans strain CH34 (renamed from Ralstonia metallidurans and previously known as Ralstonia eutropha and Alcaligenes eutrophus) is a nonspore-forming, Gram-negative bacterium which is adapted to survive several forms of heavy metal stress. Therefore, it is an ideal subject to study heavy metal disturbance of cellular processes. This bacterium shows a unique combination of advantages not present in this form in other bacteria.
This
bacterium extracts gold from heavy metal compounds in the environment, forming
tiny gold nano-nuggets. A team of researchers from Germany and Australia led by
Frank Reith from the University of Adelaide and Dietrich H. Nies from
Martin-Luther-Universistat Halle-Wittenberg identified the enzymes involved in
this “gold cycle,” and reported their findings in the journal Metallomics.
C. metallidurans is normally found in industrial sediments or wastes which contain high heavy metal concentrations. C. metallidurans was initially isolated from the wastewater of a zinc factory in Liège, Belgium. Later, this bacterium was found in another unusual place; it was the dominant organism present in biofilms on gold grains found in the Prophet gold mine in Queensland, Australia.
C. metallidurans is normally found in industrial sediments or wastes which contain high heavy metal concentrations. C. metallidurans was initially isolated from the wastewater of a zinc factory in Liège, Belgium. Later, this bacterium was found in another unusual place; it was the dominant organism present in biofilms on gold grains found in the Prophet gold mine in Queensland, Australia.
C. metallidurans—whose name means
“metal-enduring”—is a unique species of bacteria that survives in environments
with high heavy metal concentrations, which would be toxic to other bacteria. C. metallidurans is often found in
industrial waste sites or mining locations, and especially in gold nuggets in
Australia.
Posted by Dr. Tim Sandle