title: Engineering of Deinococcus radiodurans R1 for bioprecipitation of uranium from dilute nuclear waste.
abstract: Genetic engineering of radiation-resistant organisms to recover radionuclides/heavy metals from radioactive wastes is an attractive proposition. We have constructed a Deinococcus radiodurans strain harboring phoN, a gene encoding a nonspecific acid phosphatase, obtained from a local isolate of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi. The recombinant strain expressed an approximately 27-kDa active PhoN protein and efficiently precipitated over 90% of the uranium from a 0.8 mM uranyl nitrate solution in 6 h. The engineered strain retained uranium bioprecipitation ability even after exposure to 6 kGy of 60Co gamma rays. The PhoN-expressing D. radiodurans offers an effective and eco-friendly in situ approach to biorecovery of uranium from dilute nuclear waste.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Biology Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai 400 085, India.
authors.forename: Deepti
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Appukuttan
authors.forename: Amara Sambasiva
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: Shree Kumar
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Apte
mesh_terms: D000135:Acid Phosphatase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods; D011232:Chemical Precipitation; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D034301:Deinococcus / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D005818:Genetic Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D011850:Radioactive Waste; D012485:Salmonella typhi / Q000201:enzymology*; D014501:Uranium / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D011850:Radioactive Waste; D014501:Uranium; D000135:Acid Phosphatase