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Abstract
The microbial transformation and mobilization of arsenic can have a significant impact on the quality of aquifers and other water sources. In an effort to provide a means for the rapid identification of arsenic-respiring bacteria in the environment, a biochemical probe based on the 30 kDa fragment of the arsenate reductase from Sulfurospirillum barnesii was developed. A BLAST search of currently available databases including 29 bacterial genomes near completion showed that the protein sequence of the 30 kDa fragment was unique. Polyclonal antibodies were raised in a New Zealand White rabbit and ELISA tests showed a high titer of antibody in the sera. Western blot analysis revealed the presence of the 30 kDa polypeptide in cells of S. barnesii grown on arsenate, selenate, fumarate, nitrate, and thiosulfate as well as in cells of S. deleyianum and S. arsenophilum. Whole and permeabilized cells were readily labeled and distinguishable from other non-Sulfurospirillum arsenate-respiring bacteria as shown by immunofluorescence microscopy.
