Open AccessBiosynthesis of micro‐ and nanocrystals of Pb ( II ), Hg ( II ) and Cd ( II ) sulfides in four Candida species: a comparative study of in vivo and in vitro approaches
Author(s) -
CuéllarCruz Mayra,
LucioHernández Daniela,
MartínezÁngeles Isabel,
Demitri Nicola,
Polentarutti Maurizio,
RosalesHoz María J.,
Moreno Abel
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
microbial biotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.287
H-Index - 74
ISSN - 1751-7915
DOI - 10.1111/1751-7915.12485
Subject(s) - in vivo , biosynthesis , chemistry , in vitro , agarose , extracellular , biochemistry , nuclear chemistry , biology , enzyme , microbiology and biotechnology
Summary Nature produces biominerals (biogenic minerals) that are synthesized as complex structures, in terms of their physicochemical properties. These biominerals are composed of minerals and biological macromolecules. They are produced by living organisms and are usually formed through a combination of chemical, biochemical and biophysical processes. Microorganisms like Candida in the presence of heavy metals can biomineralize those metals to form microcrystals ( MC s) and nanocrystals ( NC s). In this work, MC s and NC s of PbS, HgS or HgCl 2 as well as CdS are synthesized both in vitro (gels) and in vivo by four Candida species. Our in vivo results show that, in the presence of Pb 2+ , Candida cells are able to replicate and form extracellular PbS MC s, whereas in the presence of Hg 2+ and Cd 2+ , they did synthesize intercellular MC s from HgS or HgCl 2 and CdS NC s respectively. The MC s and NC s biologically obtained in Candida were compared with those PbS, HgS and CdS crystals synthetically obtained in vitro through the gel method (grown either in agarose or in sodium metasilicate hydrogels). This is, to our knowledge, the first time that the biosynthesis of the various MC s and NC s (presented in several species of Candida ) has been reported. This biosynthesis is differentially regulated in each of these pathogens, which allows them to adapt and survive in different physiological and environmental habitats.