2013 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Mercurial-resistance determinants in Pseudomonas strain K-62 plasmid pMR68

Research Project

Project/Area Number	24790128
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Research Field	Environmental pharmacy
Research Institution	Kitasato University
Principal Investigator	SONE YUKA 北里大学, 薬学部, 助教 (60550035)
Project Period (FY)	2012-04-01 – 2014-03-31
Keywords	Pseudomonas K-62 / 水銀耐性遺伝子 / pMR68
Research Abstract	We report the complete nucleotide sequence of plasmid pMR68, isolated from Pseudomonas strain K-62, two plasmids contribute to broad-spectrum mercury resistance and that the mer operon from one of them (pMR26) has been previously characterized. The plasmid (pMR68) was 71,020 bp in length. Three mer gene clusters were identified. The first comprised merR-orf4-orf5-merT1-merP1-merF-merA-merB1, which confers bacterial resistance to mercuric ions and organomercury. The second and third clusters comprised merT2-merP2, which encodes a mercury transport system, and merB2, which encodes an organomercurial lyase, respectively. Escherichia coli cells carrying pMKY12 (containing merR-orf4-orf5-merT1-merP1-merF-merA-merB1 cloned from pMR68) were more resistant to, and volatilized more, mercury from mercuric ions and phenylmercury than the control cells. The novel mer gene identified in pMR68 may help us to design new strategies aimed at the bioremediation of mercurials.

(4 results)