title: Cyanide degradation by an Escherichia coli strain.
abstract: Chemical formation of a glucose-cyanide complex was necessary for metabolic degradation of cyanide at concentrations up to 50.0 mg/L by a strain of Escherichia coli isolated from gold extraction circuit liquids. Ammonia accumulating during the culture log phase as the sole nitrogen by-product was further utilized for bacterial growth. Washed (intact) cells, harvested at different periods of bacterial growth on cyanide, consumed oxygen in presence of cyanide. These findings suggest that metabolism of cyanide involved a dioxygenase enzyme that converted cyanide directly to ammonia, without the formation of cyanate.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Engenharia Metalúrgica, Escola de Engenharia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Figueira
authors.forename: V S
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Ciminelli
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: de Andrade
authors.forename: V R
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Linardi
mesh_terms: D000641:Ammonia / Q000378:metabolism; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D002617:Chemical Industry; D003486:Cyanides / Q000378:metabolism*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D006046:Gold; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D003486:Cyanides; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D006046:Gold; D000641:Ammonia; D005947:Glucose