Characterization of the Tellurite-Resistance Properties and Identification of the Core Function Genes for Tellurite Resistance in Pseudomonas citronellolis SJTE-3

Tellurite is highly toxic to bacteria and commonly used in the clinical screening for pathogens; it is speculated that there is a potential relationship between tellurite resistance and bacterial pathogenicity. Until now, the core function genes of tellurite resistance and their characteristics are still obscure. Pseudomonas citronellolis SJTE-3 was found able to resist high concentrations of tellurite (250 μg/mL) and formed vacuole-like tellurium nanostructures. The terZABCDE gene cluster located in the large plasmid pRBL16 endowed strain SJTE-3 with the tellurite resistance of high levels. Although the terC and terD genes were identified as the core function genes for tellurite reduction and resistance, the inhibition of cell growth was observed when they were used solely. Interestingly, co-expression of the terA gene or terZ gene could relieve the burden caused by the expression of the terCD genes and recover normal cell growth. TerC and TerD proteins commonly shared the conserved sequences and are widely distributed in many pathogenic bacteria, highly associated with the pathogenicity factors.

Diversity of the Tellurite Resistance Gene Operon in Escherichia coli

Tellurite is highly toxic to most bacteria owing to its strong oxidative ability. However, some bacteria demonstrate tellurite resistance. In particular, some Escherichia coli strains, including Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7, are known to be resistant to tellurite. This resistance is involved in ter operon, which is usually located on a prophage-like element of the chromosome. The characteristics of the ter operon have been investigated mainly by genome analysis of pathogenic E. coli; however, the distribution and structural characteristics of the ter operon in other E. coli are almost unknown. To clarify these points, we examined 106 E. coli strains carrying the ter operon from various animals. The draft genomes of 34 representative strains revealed that ter operons were clearly classified into four subtypes, ter-type 1–4, at the nucleotide sequence level. Complete genomic sequences revealed that operons belonging to three ter-types (1, 3, and 4) were located on the prophage-like elements on the chromosome, whereas the ter-type 2 operon was located on the IncHI2 plasmid. The positions of the tRNASer, tRNAMet, and tRNAPhe indicated the insertion sites of elements carrying the ter operons. Using the PCR method developed in this study, 106 strains were classified as type 1 (n = 66), 2 (n = 13), 3 (n = 8), and 4 (n = 17), and two strains carried both types 1 and 2. Furthermore, significant differences in the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of tellurite were observed between strains carrying ter-type 4 and the others (p < 0.05). The ter-type was also closely related to the isolation source, with types 2 and 4 associated with chickens and deer, respectively. This study provided new insights related not only to genetic characteristics of the ter operons, but also to phenotypic and ecological characteristics that may be related to the diversity of the operon.

Extreme Environments and High-Level Bacterial Tellurite Resistance

Bacteria have long been known to possess resistance to the highly toxic oxyanion tellurite, most commonly though reduction to elemental tellurium. However, the majority of research has focused on the impact of this compound on microbes, namely E. coli, which have a very low level of resistance. Very little has been done regarding bacteria on the other end of the spectrum, with three to four orders of magnitude greater resistance than E. coli. With more focus on ecologically-friendly methods of pollutant removal, the use of bacteria for tellurite remediation, and possibly recovery, further highlights the importance of better understanding the effect on microbes, and approaches for resistance/reduction. The goal of this review is to compile current research on bacterial tellurite resistance, with a focus on high-level resistance by bacteria inhabiting extreme environments.

Tellurite-dependent blackening of bacteria emerges from the dark ages

Environmental contextAlthough tellurium is a relatively rare element in the earth’s crust, its concentration in some niches can be naturally high owing to unique geology. Tellurium, as the oxyanion, is toxic to prokaryotes, and although prokaryotes have evolved resistance to tellurium, no universal mechanism exists. We review the interaction of tellurite with prokaryotes with a focus on those unique strains that thrive in environments naturally rich in tellurium. AbstractThe timeline of tellurite prokaryotic biology and biochemistry is now over 50 years long. Its start was in the clinical microbiology arena up to the 1970s. The 1980s saw the cloning of tellurite resistance determinants while from the 1990s through to the present, new strains were isolated and research into resistance mechanisms and biochemistry took place. The past 10 years have seen rising interest in more technological developments and considerable advancement in the understanding of the biochemical mechanisms of tellurite metabolism and biochemistry in several different prokaryotes. This research work has provided a list of genes and proteins and ideas about the fundamental metabolism of Te oxyanions. Yet the biomolecular mechanisms of the tellurite resistance determinants are far from established. Regardless, we have begun to see a new direction of Te biology beyond the clinical pathogen screening approaches, evolving into the biotechnology fields of bioremediation, bioconversion and bionanotechnologies and subsequent technovations. Knowledge on Te biology may still be lagging behind that of other chemical elements, but has moved beyond its dark ages and is now well into its renaissance.

Draft Genome Sequence of Escherichia coli KL53

ABSTRACT Here, we report the draft genome sequence of a clinical isolate of the uropathogenic strain Escherichia coli KL53. A total of 5,083,632 bp was de novo assembled into 170 contigs containing 89 RNAs and 5,034 protein-coding genes. Remarkable is the presence of the tellurite resistance ( ter ) operon on a plasmid.