title: Heavy metal capture by autochthonous yeasts from a volcanic influenced environment of Patagonia.
abstract: Heavy metals at elevated concentrations are a major threat to agricultural and human health. Typically, human activities tend to release these metals to the environment in aqueous solutions, generating high levels of pollution due to the mobility of the heavy metals. The aim of the present work was to assess heavy metal tolerance in yeasts isolated from Río Agrio - Lake Caviahue volcanic acidic aquatic environment and to evaluate the capacity of selected strains to capture metals in acidic culture media conditions. The ability of three yeast species, Cryptococcus agrionensis, Cryptococcus sp. 2, and Coniochaeta fodinicola, to tolerate and capture metals in live cultures has been evaluated. These three yeast species showed high tolerance to low pH and elevated concentrations of metals, thus implying their autochthonous status. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) for growth obtained for these isolates showed elevated tolerance to the six heavy metals evaluated and were significantly higher than those registered for other microorganisms. C. agrionensis was able to capture 15.80 mg (g biomass)-1of Cu2+(MIC: 0.22 g L-1), Cryptococcus sp. 2 was able to capture 36.25 and 65.28 mg (g biomass)-1of Ni2+and Zn2+, respectively (MIC: 0.56 and 1.68, respectively), and C. fodinicola was able to capture 67.11 mg (g biomass)-1of Zn2+(MIC: 3.75). This work reported the ability of yeasts to capture metals in acidic conditions for the first time. We hope that it represents the step-stone for future researches in the ability and metabolism of yeasts form acidic aquatic environment related to metal tolerance and capture.
authors.affiliation: Centro Científico Tecnológico Patagonia Norte (CCT-Patagonia Norte), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), San Carlos de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina.
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Microbiología Aplicada, Biotecnología y Bioinformática de Levaduras, Instituto Andino-Patagónico de Tecnologías Biológicas y Geoambientales (IPATEC), CONICET - UNComahue (CRUB), Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina.
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Libkind
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Microbiología Aplicada, Biotecnología y Bioinformática de Levaduras, Instituto Andino-Patagónico de Tecnologías Biológicas y Geoambientales (IPATEC), CONICET - UNComahue (CRUB), Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina.
authors.forename: María Rosa
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Giraudo
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación y Transferencia Catamarca (CITCa), Universidad Nacional de Catamarca, CONICET, San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, Catamarca, Argentina.
authors.forename: Osvaldo Daniel
authors.initials: OD
authors.lastname: Delgado
mesh_terms: D001118:Argentina; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D018533:Biomass; D003454:Cryptococcus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D018707:Volcanic Eruptions; D015003:Yeasts / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy
keywords: Acidic aquatic environments; Bioremediation; Heavy metals; Yeasts; pH