Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, North-Eastern Hill University, Umshing, Shillong, Meghalaya, India.
PLoS One. 2012;7(10):e48199. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0048199. Epub 2012 Oct 25.
Uranium (U) tolerant aerobic heterotrophs were isolated from the subsurface soils of one of the pre-mined U-rich deposits at Domiasiat located in the north-eastern part of India. On screening of genomic DNA from 62 isolates exhibiting superior U and heavy metal tolerance, 32 isolates were found to be positive for P(IB)-type ATPase genes. Phylogenetic incongruence and anomalous DNA base compositions revealed the acquisition of P(IB)-type ATPase genes by six isolates through horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Three of these instances of HGT appeared to have occurred at inter-phylum level and the other three instances indicated to have taken place at intra-phylum level. This study provides an insight into one of the possible survival strategies that bacteria might employ to adapt to environments rich in uranium and heavy metals.
从印度东北部多马斯蒂亚特（Domasiat）一个富铀预先开采矿床的地下土壤中分离出了耐铀需氧异养菌。在对 62 株表现出较强铀和重金属耐受性的基因组 DNA 进行筛选后，发现有 32 株菌的 P(IB)-型 ATP 酶基因呈阳性。系统发育不一致和异常的 DNA 碱基组成表明，有 6 株菌通过水平基因转移（HGT）获得了 P(IB)-型 ATP 酶基因。其中 3 个 HGT 事件似乎发生在门间水平，另外 3 个事件则表明发生在门内水平。本研究为细菌可能采用的一种可能的生存策略提供了一个深入的了解，以适应富含铀和重金属的环境。
