title: Pb2+Effects on Growth, Lipids, and Protein and DNA Profiles of the Thermophilic Bacterium Thermus Thermophilus.
abstract: Extremophiles are organisms able to thrive in extreme environmental conditions and some of them show the ability to survive high doses of heavy metals thanks to defensive mechanisms provided by primary and secondary metabolic products, i.e., extremolytes, lipids, and extremozymes. This is why there is a growing scientific and industrial interest in the use of thermophilic bacteria in a host of tasks, from the environmental detoxification of heavy metal to industrial activities, such as bio-machining and bio-metallurgy. In this workThermus thermophiluswas challenged against increasing Pb2+concentrations spanning from 0 to 300 ppm in order to ascertain the sensitiveness of this bacteria to the Pb environmental pollution and to give an insight on its heavy metal resistance mechanisms. Analysis of growth parameters, enzyme activities, protein profiles, and lipid membrane modifications were carried out. In addition, genotyping analysis of bacteria grown in the presence of Pb2+, using random amplified polymorphic DNA-PCR and DNA melting evaluation, were also performed. A better knowledge of the response of thermophilic bacteria to the different pollutants, as heavy metals, is necessary for optimizing their use in remediation or decontamination processes.
authors.affiliation: Council National Research (C.N.R), Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry (ICB), via Campi Flegrei 34, Pozzuoli 80078, Italy. bnicolaus@icb.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nicolaus
authors.affiliation: Council National Research (C.N.R), Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry (ICB), via Campi Flegrei 34, Pozzuoli 80078, Italy. apoli@icb.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Annarita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Poli
authors.affiliation: Council National Research (C.N.R), Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry (ICB), via Campi Flegrei 34, Pozzuoli 80078, Italy. paola.didonato@icb.cnr.it.|Department of Sciences and Technologies Parthenope, University of Naples, Centro Direzionale-Isola C4, Naples 80143, Italy. paola.didonato@icb.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Di Donato
authors.affiliation: Council National Research (C.N.R), Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry (ICB), via Campi Flegrei 34, Pozzuoli 80078, Italy. iromano@icb.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Ida
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Romano
authors.affiliation: Council National Research (C.N.R), Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry (ICB), via Campi Flegrei 34, Pozzuoli 80078, Italy. giusi-lae@libero.it.
authors.forename: Giusi
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Laezza
authors.affiliation: Council National Research (C.N.R), Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry (ICB), via Campi Flegrei 34, Pozzuoli 80078, Italy. alessia.gioiello@unina.it.
authors.forename: Alessia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gioiello
authors.affiliation: Department of Sciences and Technologies Parthenope, University of Naples, Centro Direzionale-Isola C4, Naples 80143, Italy. sergio.ulgiati@uniparthenope.it.
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ulgiati
authors.affiliation: Council National Research (C.N.R), Institute of Food Science (ISA), via Roma, 64, Avellino 83100, Italy. fratianni@isa.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Florinda
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fratianni
authors.affiliation: Council National Research (C.N.R), Institute of Food Science (ISA), via Roma, 64, Avellino 83100, Italy. mena@isa.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Filomena
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nazzaro
authors.affiliation: Council National Research (C.N.R), Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems (ISASI), via Campi Flegrei 34, Pozzuoli 80078, Italy. p.orlando@isasi.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Pierangelo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Orlando
authors.affiliation: Department of Sciences and Technologies Parthenope, University of Naples, Centro Direzionale-Isola C4, Naples 80143, Italy. stefano.dumontet@uniparthenope.it.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dumontet
keywords: DNA melting; Pb2+ contamination; Pb2+ resistance; Thermus thermophilus; lead toxicity; lipids; protein profile; thermophilic bacteria