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Category: Environmental Microbiology
Molecular Techniques for the Study of Toxic Metal Resistance Mechanisms in Bacteria, Page 1 of 2
< Previous page | Next page > /docserver/preview/fulltext/10.1128/9781555815882/9781555813796_Chap96-1.gif /docserver/preview/fulltext/10.1128/9781555815882/9781555813796_Chap96-2.gifAbstract:
Many toxic metals appear to be able to enter cells by import systems for essential elements or molecules, and although chromosomally encoded homeostasis systems for essential metals are widespread, in bacteria many toxic metal resistance genes are found on mobile genetic elements such as plasmids and transposons. Highthroughput methods in DNA sequencing, metagenomics, and the postgenomic technologies are going to revolutionize our understanding of toxic metal-bacterial cell interactions and the diversity of toxic metal(loid) resistances. With this in mind, this chapter talks about the options and potential workflows open to researchers wishing to use molecular techniques for the study of these resistance genes. Most of the techniques discussed in the chapter are equally applicable to the study of other nonmetal resistance phenotypes of environmental bacteria, because the techniques are generic. The chapter, however, focuses on and discusses the merits of molecular biology techniques that can be used to investigate bacterial resistance mechanisms. The outline of the experimental procedure and primary purpose of this technique is to culture toxic-metal-resistant bacteria, so that the genetic and biochemical basis for their resistance mechanisms can be further investigated. Although we are now entering a new phase in molecular research into toxic metal resistances, the techniques described in this chapter still have a valuable place in describing new metal-resistant bacteria.
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Diagrammatic representation of some metal resistance operons from bacteria: mer ( 9 , 19 , 56 , 57 ), pco ( 96 ), sil ( 103 ), ars ( 100 ), cad ( 24 ), chr ( 60 ), and czc ( 76 , 81 ).
(a) Isolation and molecular techniques for the analysis of culturable toxic-metal-resistant bacteria. (b) Isolation and molecular techniques for the analysis of toxic metal resistance genes isolated directly from environmental samples. Modified from references 41 and 53 with permission.
PCR primers used to amplify specific resistance genes from toxic-metal-resistant bacteria a