The importance of the bacterial cell wall in uranium(VI) biosorption.

The bacterial cell envelope, in particular the cell wall, is considered the main controlling factor in the biosorption of aqueous uranium(vi) by microorganisms. However, the specific roles of the cell wall, associated biomolecules, and other components of the cell envelope are not well defined. Here we report findings on the biosorption of uranium by isolated cell envelope components and associated biomolecules, with P. putida 33015 and B. subtilis 168 investigated as representative strains for the differences in Gram-negative and Gram-positive cell envelope architecture, respectively. The cell wall and cell surface membrane were isolated from intact cells and characterised by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FT-IR) spectroscopy; revealing variations in the abundance of functional moieties and biomolecules associated with components of the cell envelope. Uranium biosorption was investigated as a function of cell envelope component and pH, comparing with intact cells. The isolated cell wall from both strains exhibited the greatest uranium biosorption capacity. Deprotonation of favourable functional groups on the biomass as the pH increased from 3 to 5.5 increased their uranium biosorption capacity by approximately 3 fold. The results from ATR-FT-IR indicated that uranium(vi) biosorption was mediated by phosphate and carboxyl groups associated with proteins and phosphorylated biopolymers of the cell envelope. This includes outer membrane phospholipids and LPS of Gram-negative bacteria and teichoic acids, surface proteins and peptidoglycan from Gram-positive bacteria. As a result, the biosorption process of uranium(vi) to microorganisms is controlled by surface interactions, resulting in higher accumulation of uranium in the cell envelope. This demonstrates the importance of bacterial cell wall as the key mediator of uranium biosorption with microorganisms.

Fluorescence Spectroscopy Analysis of the Bacteria-Mineral Interface: Adsorption of Lipopolysaccharides to Silica and Alumina.

We present here a quantification of the sorption process and molecular conformation involved in the attachment of bacterial cell wall lipopolysaccharides (LPSs), extracted from Escherichia coli, to silica (SiO2) and alumina (Al2O3) particles. We propose that interfacial forces govern the physicochemical interactions of the bacterial cell wall with minerals in the natural environment, and the molecular conformation of LPS cell wall components depends on both the local charge at the point of binding and hydrogen bonding potential. This has an effect on bacterial adaptation to the host environment through adhesion, growth, function, and ability to form biofilms. Photophysical techniques were used to investigate adsorption of fluorescently labeled LPS onto mineral surfaces as model systems for bacterial attachment. Adsorption of macromolecules in dilute solutions was studied as a function of pH and ionic strength in the presence of alumina and silica via fluorescence, potentiometric, and mass spectrometry techniques. The effect of silica and alumina particles on bacterial growth as a function of pH was also investigated using spectrophotometry. The alumina and silica particles were used to mimic active sites on the surface of clay and soil particles, which serve as a point of attachment of bacteria in natural systems. It was found that LPS had a high adsorption affinity for Al2O3 while adsorbing weakly to SiO2 surfaces. Strong adsorption was observed at low pH for both minerals and varied with both pH and mineral concentration, likely in part due to conformational rearrangement of the LPS macromolecules. Bacterial growth was also enhanced in the presence of the particles at low pH values. This demonstrates that at a molecular level, bacterial cell wall components are able to adapt their conformation, depending on the solution pH, in order to maximize attachment to substrates and guarantee community survival.

The role of extracellular DNA in uranium precipitation and biomineralisation.

Bacterial extra polymeric substances (EPS) have been associated with the extracellular precipitation of uranium. Here we report findings on the biomineralisation of uranium, with extracellular DNA (eDNA) used as a model biomolecule representative of EPS. The complexation and precipitation of eDNA with uranium were investigated as a function of pH, ionic strength and varying concentrations of reactants. The role of phosphate moieties in the biomineralisation mechanism was studied by enzymatically releasing phosphate (ePO4) from eDNA compared to abiotic phosphate (aPO4). The eDNA-uranium precipitates and uranium minerals obtained were characterised by Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FT-IR) spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive X-Ray analysis (SEM-EDX), X-Ray Powder Diffraction (XRD) and X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). ATR-FT-IR showed that at pH 5, the eDNA-uranium precipitation mechanism was predominantly mediated by interactions with phosphate moieties from eDNA. At pH 2, the uranium interactions with eDNA occur mainly through phosphate. The solubility equilibrium was dependent on pH with the formation of precipitate reduced as the pH increased. The XRD data confirmed the formation of a uranium phosphate precipitate when synthesised using ePO4. XPS and SEM-EDX studies showed the incorporation of carbon and nitrogen groups from the enzymatic orthophosphate hydrolysis on the obtained precipitated. These results suggested that the removal of uranium from solution occurs via two mechanisms: complexation by eDNA molecules and precipitation of a uranium phosphate mineral of the type (UO2HPO4)·xH2O by enzymatic orthophosphate hydrolysis. This demonstrated that eDNA from bacterial EPS is a key contributor to uranium biomineralisation.

Adsorption of poly acrylic acid onto the surface of calcite: an experimental and simulation study.

Macromolecular binding to minerals is of great importance in the formation of biofilms, and carboxylate functional groups have been found to play a pivotal role in the functioning of these macromolecules. Here we present both fluorescence time-resolved anisotropy measurements and simulation data on the conformational behaviour and binding of a poly acrylic acid polymer. In solution the polymer exhibits a pH dependent behaviour, with a coiled conformation at a low pH and extended conformation at higher pH values. The polymer is readily adsorbed on the surface of calcite, preferring to bind in an extended conformation, with the strength of the adsorption dependent on the pH and presence of counter ions. We discuss the reasons why the calculated adsorption free energy differs from that obtained from a Langmuir isotherm analysis, showing that they refer to different quantities. The enhanced binding of the extended conformations shows the importance of flexibility in the binding of macromolecules.

Real-time gamma imaging of technetium transport through natural and engineered porous materials for radioactive waste disposal.

We present a novel methodology for determining the transport of technetium-99m, a γ-emitting metastable isomer of (99)Tc, through quartz sand and porous media relevant to the disposal of nuclear waste in a geological disposal facility (GDF). Quartz sand is utilized as a model medium, and the applicability of the methodology to determine radionuclide transport in engineered backfill cement is explored using the UK GDF candidate backfill cement, Nirex Reference Vault Backfill (NRVB), in a model system. Two-dimensional distributions in (99m)Tc activity were collected at millimeter-resolution using decay-corrected gamma camera images. Pulse-inputs of ~20 MBq (99m)Tc were introduced into short (<10 cm) water-saturated columns at a constant flow of 0.33 mL min(-1). Changes in calibrated mass distribution of (99m)Tc at 30 s intervals, over a period of several hours, were quantified by spatial moments analysis. Transport parameters were fitted to the experimental data using a one-dimensional convection-dispersion equation, yielding transport properties for this radionuclide in a model GDF environment. These data demonstrate that (99)Tc in the pertechnetate form (Tc(VII)O4(-)) does not sorb to cement backfill during transport under model conditions, resulting in closely conservative transport behavior. This methodology represents a quantitative development of radiotracer imaging and offers the opportunity to conveniently and rapidly characterize transport of gamma-emitting isotopes in opaque media, relevant to the geological disposal of nuclear waste and potentially to a wide variety of other subsurface environments.

Evolution of trees and mycorrhizal fungi intensifies silicate mineral weathering.

Forested ecosystems diversified more than 350 Ma to become major engines of continental silicate weathering, regulating the Earth's atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration by driving calcium export into ocean carbonates. Our field experiments with mature trees demonstrate intensification of this weathering engine as tree lineages diversified in concert with their symbiotic mycorrhizal fungi. Preferential hyphal colonization of the calcium silicate-bearing rock, basalt, progressively increased with advancement from arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) to later, independently evolved ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi, and from gymnosperm to angiosperm hosts with both fungal groups. This led to 'trenching' of silicate mineral surfaces by AM and EM fungi, with EM gymnosperms and angiosperms releasing calcium from basalt at twice the rate of AM gymnosperms. Our findings indicate mycorrhiza-driven weathering may have originated hundreds of millions of years earlier than previously recognized and subsequently intensified with the evolution of trees and mycorrhizas to affect the Earth's long-term CO(2) and climate history.

Analysis of bacteria on steel surfaces using reflectance micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.

Reflectance micro-Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) analysis has been applied to characterize biofilm formation of Aquabacterium commune, a common microorganism present on drinking water distribution systems, onto the increasingly popular pipe material stainless steel EN1.4307. The applicability of the reflectance micro-FT-IR technique for analyzing the bacterial functional groups is discussed, and the results are compared to spectra obtained using more conventional FT-IR techniques: transmission micro-FT-IR, attenuated transmitted reflectance (ATR), and KBr pellets. The differences between the infrared spectra of wet and dried bacteria, as well as free versus attached bacteria, are also discussed. The spectra obtained using reflectance micro-FT-IR spectroscopy were comparable to those obtained using other FT-IR techniques. The absence of sample preparation, the potential to analyze intact samples, and the ability to characterize opaque and thick samples without the need to transfer the bacterial samples to an infrared transparent medium or produce a pure culture were the main advantages of reflectance micro-FT-IR spectroscopy.

Biosorption and Biomineralization of U(VI) by the marine bacterium Idiomarina loihiensis MAH1: effect of background electrolyte and pH.

The main goal of this study is to compare the effects of pH, uranium concentration, and background electrolyte (seawater and NaClO4 solution) on the speciation of uranium(VI) associated with the marine bacterium Idiomarina loihiensis MAH1. This was done at the molecular level using a multidisciplinary approach combining X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS), Time-Resolved Laser-Induced Fluorescence Spectroscopy (TRLFS), and High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM). We showed that the U(VI)/bacterium interaction mechanism is highly dependent upon pH but also the nature of the used background electrolyte played a role. At neutral conditions and a U concentration ranging from 5·10(-4) to 10(-5) M (environmentally relevant concentrations), XAS analysis revealed that uranyl phosphate mineral phases, structurally resembling meta-autunite [Ca(UO2)2(PO4)2 2-6H2O] are precipitated at the cell surfaces of the strain MAH1. The formation of this mineral phase is independent of the background solution but U(VI) luminescence lifetime analyses demonstrated that the U(VI) speciation in seawater samples is more intricate, i.e., different complexes were formed under natural conditions. At acidic conditions, pH 2, 3 and 4.3 ([U] = 5·10(-4) M, background electrolyte  = 0.1 M NaClO4), the removal of U from solution was due to biosorption to Extracellular Polysaccharides (EPS) and cell wall components as evident from TEM analysis. The LIII-edge XAS and TRLFS studies showed that the biosorption process observed is dependent of pH. The bacterial cell forms a complex with U through organic phosphate groups at pH 2 and via phosphate and carboxyl groups at pH 3 and 4.3, respectively. The differences in the complexes formed between uranium and bacteria on seawater compared to NaClO4 solution demonstrates that the actinide/microbe interactions are influenced by the three studied factors, i.e., the pH, the uranium concentration and the chemical composition of the solution.

The applicability of reflectance micro-Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy for the detection of synthetic microplastics in marine sediments.

Synthetic microplastics (≤5-mm fragments) are globally distributed contaminants within coastal sediments that may transport organic pollutants and additives into food webs. Although micro-Fourier-transform infrared (micro-FT-IR) spectroscopy represents an ideal method for detecting microplastics in sediments, this technique lacks a standardized operating protocol. Herein, an optimized method for the micro-FT-IR analysis of microplastics in vacuum-filtered sediment retentates was developed. Reflectance micro-FT-IR analyses of polyethylene (PE) were compared with attenuated total reflectance FT-IR (ATR-FT-IR) measurements. Molecular mapping as a precursor to the imaging of microplastics was explored in the presence and absence of 150-µm PE fragments, added to sediment at concentrations of 10, 100, 500 and 1000ppm. Subsequently, polymer spectra were assessed across plastic-spiked sediments from fifteen offshore sites. While all spectra obtained of evenly shaped plastics were typical to PE, reflectance micro-FT-IR measurements of irregularly shaped materials must account for refractive error. Additionally, we provide the first evidence that mapping successfully detects microplastics without their visual selection for characterization, despite this technique relying on spectra from small and spatially separated locations. Flotation of microplastics from sediments only enabled a fragment recovery rate of 61 (±31 S.D.) %. However, mapping 3-mm(2) areas (within 47-mm filters) detected PE at spiking concentrations of 100ppm and above, displaying 69 (±12 S.D.) % of the fragments in these locations. Additionally, mapping detected a potential PE fragment in a non-spiked retentate. These data have important implications for research into the imaging of microplastics. Specifically, the sensitivity and spatial resolution of the present protocol may be improved by visualizing the entire filter with high-throughput detection techniques (e.g., focal plane array-based imaging). Additionally, since micro-FT-IR analyses depend on methods of sample collection, our results emphasize the urgency of developing efficient and reproducible techniques to separate microplastics from sediments.

Characterization of the cell surface and cell wall chemistry of drinking water bacteria by combining XPS, FTIR spectroscopy, modeling, and potentiometric titrations.

Aquabacterium commune, a predominant member of European drinking water biofilms, was chosen as a model bacterium to study the role of functional groups on the cell surface that control the changes in the chemical cell surface properties in aqueous electrolyte solutions at different pH values. Cell surface properties of A. commune were examined by potentiometric titrations, modeling, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. By combining FTIR data at different pH values and potentiometric titration data with thermodynamic model optimization, the presence, concentration, and changes of organic functional groups on the cell surface (e.g., carboxyl, phosphoryl, and amine groups) were inferred. The pH of zero proton charge, pH(zpc) = 3.7, found from titrations of A. commune at different electrolyte concentrations and resulting from equilibrium speciation calculations suggests that the net surface charge is negative at drinking water pH in the absence of other charge determining ions. In situ FTIR was used to describe and monitor chemical interactions between bacteria and liquid solutions at different pH in real time. XPS analysis was performed to quantify the elemental surface composition, to assess the local chemical environment of carbon and oxygen at the cell wall, and to calculate the overall concentrations of polysaccharides, peptides, and hydrocarbon compounds of the cell surface. Thermodynamic parameters for proton adsorption are compared with parameters for other gram-negative bacteria. This work shows how the combination of potentiometric titrations, modeling, XPS, and FTIR spectroscopy allows a more comprehensive characterization of bacterial cell surfaces and cell wall reactivity as the initial step to understand the fundamental mechanisms involved in bacterial adhesion to solid surfaces and transport in aqueous systems.

The polymer physics and chemistry of microbial cell attachment and adhesion.

The attachment of microbial cells to solid substrata is a primary ecological strategy for the survival of species and the development of specific activity and function within communities. An hypothesis arising from a biological sciences perspective may be stated as follows: The attachment of microbes to interfaces is controlled by the macromolecular structure of the cell wall and the functional genes that are induced for its biological synthesis. Following logically from this is the view that diverse attached cell behaviour is mediated by the physical and chemical interactions of these macromolecules in the interfacial region and with other cells. This aspect can be reduced to its simplest form by treating physico-chemical interactions as colloidal forces acting between an isolated cell and a solid or pseudo solid substratum. These forces can be analysed by established methods rooted in DLVO (Derjaguin, Landau, Verwey and Overbeek) theory. Such a methodology provides little insight into what governs changes in the behaviour of the cell wall attached to surfaces, or indeed other cells. Nor does it shed any light on the expulsion of macromolecules that modify the interface such as formation of slime layers. These physical and chemical problems must be treated at the more fundamental level of the structure and behaviour of the individual components of the cell wall, for example biosurfactants and extracellular polysaccharides. This allows us to restate the above hypothesis in physical sciences terms: Cell attachment and related cell growth behaviour is mediated by macromolecular physics and chemistry in the interfacial environment. Ecological success depends on the genetic potential to favourably influence the interface through adaptation of the macromolecular structure, We present research that merges these two perspectives. This is achieved by quantifying attached cell growth for genetically diverse model organisms, building chemical models that capture the variations in interfacial structure and quantifying the resulting physical interactions. Experimental observations combine aqueous chemistry techniques with surface spectroscopy in order to elucidate the cell wall structure. Atomic force microscopy methods quantify the physical interactions between the solid substrata and key components of the cell wall such as macromolecular biosurfactants. Our current approach focuses on considering individually mycolic acids or longer chain polymers harvested from cells, as well as characterised whole cells. This approach allows us to use a multifactorial approach to address the relative impact of the individual components of the cell wall in contact with model surfaces. We then combine these components to increase complexity step-wise, while comparing with the behaviour of entire cells. Eventually, such an approach should allow us to estimate and understand the primary factors governing microbial cell adhesion. Although the work addresses the cell-mineral interface at a fundamental level, the research is driven by a range of technology needs. The initial rationale was improved prediction of contaminant degradation in natural environments (soils, sediments, aquifers) for environmental cleanup. However, this area of research addresses a wide range of biotechnology areas including improved understanding of pathogen survival (e.g., in surgical environments), better process intensification in biomanufacturing (biofilm technologies) and new product development.

Spectroscopic studies of the biosorption of gold(III) by dealginated seaweed waste.

Gold biosorption by dealginated seaweed waste has been studied to elucidate the mechanisms of metal uptake from solution. Dealginated seaweed was able to retain up to 1 mmol g(-1) of Au from solution at pH 3. FT-IR showed the presence of carboxylate groups on the surface of the biosorbent; however, the changes observed for the Au-bound samples suggested very little sorption to the carboxyl moieties. Colloidal Au formed on the surface of dealginated seaweed by reduction of Au(III) to Au(0) was observed using ESEM and four different types of particles were clearly identified. The Au distribution matched closely that obtained for S atoms indicating a possible link between these elements. EXAFS measurements showed that colloidal Au is present on the surface of the biosorbent. Evidence of gold reduction from Au(III) to Au(I) and Au(0) was also confirmed by the measured bond distances characteristic of the metal. The coordination number obtained by EXAFS indicated that approximately 75% of the Au on the sample was present in the colloidal form and the remaining Au was bound to S as nearest neighbor. The proposed mechanisms for Au removal from solution are reduction of Au species by components on the surface of the biosorbent to form colloidal metal followed by retention of the ionic Au(I) species at the sulfur containing sites. The results show that dealginated seaweed can be used for the cleanup of gold-containing effluents.