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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2002, p. 280-288, Vol. 68, No. 1
0099-2240/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.68.1.280-288.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Homology of Escherichia coli R773 arsA, arsB, and arsC Genes in Arsenic-Resistant Bacteria Isolated from Raw Sewage and Arsenic-Enriched Creek Waters

Chad W. Saltikov{dagger} and Betty H. Olson*

University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California 92697

Received 30 April 2001/ Accepted 24 October 2001

The occurrence and diversity of the Escherichia coli R773 ars operon were investigated among arsenic-resistant enteric and nonenteric bacteria isolated from raw sewage and arsenic-enriched creek waters. Selected isolates from each creek location were screened for ars genes by colony hybridization and PCR. The occurrence of arsA, arsB, and arsC determined by low-stringency colony hybridization (31 to 53% estimated mismatch) was 81, 87, and 86%, respectively, for 84 bacteria isolated on arsenate- and arsenite-amended media from three locations. At moderate stringency (21 to 36% estimated mismatch), the occurrence decreased to 42, 56, and 63% for arsA, arsB, and arsC, respectively. PCR results showed that the ars operon is conserved in some enteric bacteria isolated from creek waters and raw sewage. The occurrence of the arsBC genotype was about 50% in raw sewage enteric bacteria, while arsA was detected in only 9.4% of the isolates (n = 32). The arsABC and arsBC genotypes occurred more frequently in enteric bacteria isolated from creek samples: 71.4 and 85.7% (n = 7), respectively. Average sequence divergence within arsB for six creek enteric bacteria was 20% compared to that of the E. coli R773 ars operon. Only 1 of 11 pseudomonads screened by PCR was positive for arsB. The results from this study suggest that significant divergence has occurred in the ars operon among As-resistant E. coli strains and in Pseudomonas spp.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Environmental Analysis and Design, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697. Phone: (949) 824-5281. Fax: (949) 824-2056. E-mail: bholson{at}uci.edu.

{dagger} Present address: Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2002, p. 280-288, Vol. 68, No. 1
0099-2240/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.68.1.280-288.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Lage, C. R., Nayak, A., Kim, C. H. (2006). Arsenic ecotoxicology and innate immunity. Integr. Comp. Biol. 46: 1040-1054 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Saltikov, C. W., Cifuentes, A., Venkateswaran, K., Newman, D. K. (2003). The ars Detoxification System Is Advantageous but Not Required for As(V) Respiration by the Genetically Tractable Shewanella Species Strain ANA-3. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69: 2800-2809 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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