title: Mercury induced community tolerance in microbial biofilms is related to pollution gradients in a long-term polluted river.
abstract: The net toxicity of different forms of mercury, in the long-term during their transformation processes, leads to the selection of resistant bacterial cells and this result in community tolerance which is pollution induced. Accordingly, based on profiles of a bacterial community structure, analysis of Hg resistant culturable bacteria and quantification of merA genes, we assessed development of pollution induced community tolerance in a mercury-polluted gradient in the Idrijca River. TTGE analysis did not show effects of mercury pollution to bacterial community diversity, while quantification of merA genes showed that merA genes can be correlated precisely (R(2)=0.83) with the total concentration of mercury in the biofilm microbial communities in the pollution gradient.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Microbial Sciences and Technologies Ltd., Askerceva 59, 1230 Domzale, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Manca
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kovac Virsek
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hubad
authors.forename: Ales
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lapanje
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D044822:Biodiversity; D018441:Biofilms / Q000187:drug effects*; D004361:Drug Tolerance; D018628:Gene Dosage / Q000235:genetics; D008628:Mercury / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D045483:Rivers / Q000382:microbiology*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D010088:Oxidoreductases; D008628:Mercury
keywords: Biofilm; Mercury pollution gradient; Pollution induced community tolerance (PICT); Real-time PCR; merA