Dynamic of active microorganisms inhabiting a bioleaching industrial heap of low-grade copper sulfide ore monitored by real-time PCR and oligonucleotide prokaryotic acidophile microarray.
The bioleaching of metal sulfide has developed into a very important industrial process and understanding the microbial dynamic is key to advancing commercial bioleaching operations. Here we report the first quantitative description of the dynamic of active communities in an industrial bioleaching heap. Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans was the most abundant during the first part of the leaching cycle, while the abundance of Leptospirillum ferriphilum and Ferroplasma acidiphilum increased with age of the heap. Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans kept constant throughout the leaching cycle, and Firmicutes group showed a low and a patchy distribution in the heap. The Acidiphilium-like bacteria reached their highest abundance corresponding to the amount of autotrophs. The active microorganisms in the leaching system were determined using two RNA-based sensitive techniques. In most cases, the 16S rRNA copy numbers of At. ferrooxidans, L. ferriphilum, At. thiooxidans and F. acidiphilum, was concomitant with the DNA copy numbers, whereas Acidiphilium-like bacteria and some Firmicutes members did not show a clear correlation between 16S rRNA accumulation and DNA copy numbers. However, the prokaryotic acidophile microarray (PAM) analysis showed active members of Alphaproteobacteria in all samples and of Sulfobacillus genus in older ones. Also, new active groups such as Actinobacteria and Acidobacterium genus were detected by PAM. The results suggest that changes during the leaching cycle in chemical and physical conditions, such as pH and Fe(3+)/Fe(2+) ion rate, are primary factors shaping the microbial dynamic in the heap.
Biotechnology Center, Universidad Católica del Norte, Avenida Angamos 0610, Antofagasta, Chile. Biotecnor Ltda., Antofagasta, Chile.
Francisco
F
Remonsellez
Felipe
F
Galleguillos
Mercedes
M
Moreno-Paz
Víctor
V
Parro
Mauricio
M
Acosta
Cecilia
C
Demergasso
D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D044822:Biodiversity; D003300:Copper / Q000378:metabolism*; D046228:Microarray Analysis; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D013440:Sulfides / Q000378:metabolism*
D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D013440:Sulfides; D003300:Copper
J Appl Microbiol. 2007 Oct;103(4):1227-38
17897227
Curr Opin Microbiol. 2003 Jun;6(3):288-94
12831906
Biotechnol Bioeng. 2006 Jun 5;94(2):330-6
16508994
Biotechnol Bioeng. 2002 Nov 5;80(3):280-8
12226860
Biotechnol Bioeng. 2008 Nov 1;101(4):739-50
18496880
Environ Microbiol. 2007 Feb;9(2):298-307
17222129
Appl Environ Microbiol. 2000 Feb;66(2):499-508
10653710
Annu Rev Microbiol. 2002;56:65-91
12142493
Microbiology (Reading). 2007 Feb;153(Pt 2):315-324
17259603
Curr Microbiol. 2008 Sep;57(3):239-44
18592308
Appl Environ Microbiol. 1995 Aug;61(8):2930-5
16535096
Nucleic Acids Res. 1997 Sep 1;25(17):3389-402
9254694
Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2003 Dec;63(3):239-48
14566432
Appl Environ Microbiol. 1999 Apr;65(4):1548-55
10103249
Appl Environ Microbiol. 1999 Jan;65(1):319-21
9872800
Environ Microbiol. 2007 Jul;9(7):1761-71
17564609
Microbiology (Reading). 1999 Jan;145 ( Pt 1):5-13
10206710
Adv Appl Microbiol. 2001;49:37-84
11757351
Environ Microbiol. 2007 Feb;9(2):453-64
17222143
Environ Microbiol. 2006 Jun;8(6):1064-73
16689727
Extremophiles. 2008 Nov;12(6):789-98
18719854
Microb Ecol. 2006 Aug;52(2):159-75
16897303
Res Microbiol. 2003 Sep;154(7):466-73
14499932
Microbiology (Reading). 2002 Jan;148(Pt 1):257-266
11782518
Appl Environ Microbiol. 2004 Jun;70(6):3618-23
15184165
Appl Environ Microbiol. 2000 Nov;66(11):4962-71
11055950
Extremophiles. 2008 Mar;12(2):225-34
18157706
Appl Environ Microbiol. 1997 Apr;63(4):1344-8
16535570
Appl Environ Microbiol. 1993 Mar;59(3):695-700
7683183
J Microbiol Methods. 2007 Jul;70(1):165-78
17543401
Appl Environ Microbiol. 1994 May;60(5):1614-21
7517131
Appl Environ Microbiol. 2006 Sep;72(9):6288-98
16957256
Environ Microbiol. 2008 Apr;10(4):836-50
18248453
Appl Environ Microbiol. 2001 Dec;67(12):5780-90
11722935
Nature. 2005 Feb 24;433(7028):861-4
15729341
Appl Environ Microbiol. 2006 Mar;72(3):2022-30
16517651
Appl Environ Microbiol. 1996 Sep;62(9):3424-31
16535406
Appl Environ Microbiol. 2008 Aug;74(16):5211-9
18586975
Appl Environ Microbiol. 2000 Nov;66(11):5066-72
11055964
Environ Microbiol. 2006 Jul;8(7):1251-60
16817933
Appl Environ Microbiol. 2002 Jul;68(7):3243-50
12089000