Construction of bioluminescent cyanobacterial reporter strains for detection of nickel, cobalt and zinc

Peca, L. and Kós, P. B. and Máté, Z. and Farsang, Andrea and Vass, Imre (2008) Construction of bioluminescent cyanobacterial reporter strains for detection of nickel, cobalt and zinc. FEMS MICROBIOLOGY LETTERS, 2008 (289). pp. 258-264. ISSN 0378-1097

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Abstract

Two whole-cell bioluminescent reporters were constructed by fusing the reporter genes luxAB with the Co(2+) and Zn(2+) inducible coaT promoter or the Ni(2+)-inducible nrsBACD promoter, respectively, in the genome of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. The obtained reporters, designated coaLux and nrsLux, respectively, responded quantitatively to metal ions. After 3 h incubation at 40 mu mol m(-2) s(-1) visible light, the detection range of coaLux was 0.3-6 mu M for Co(2+) and 1-3 mu M for Zn(2+). Incubation in darkness increased the detection range by about four times. The nrsLux reporter was specific to Ni(2+), with a detection range of 0.2-6 mu M. However, its activity was inhibited by Zn(2+) with a half maximal inhibitory concentration c. 6 mu M, and totally inhibited by darkness. This is the first whole-cell Ni(2+)-specific reporter with a clear dose-signal relationship. In a soil-like mixture of different chemical and oil industry wastes, the coaLux reporter strain detected about 90% of the zinc content of the sample. This study demonstrates the potential for development of a rapid, simple and economical field assay for nickel, cobalt and zinc detection using the coaLux and nrsLux reporters.

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