Department of Microbiology, University of Georgia , Athens, Georgia 30602, United States.
Environ Sci Technol. 2014;48(1):681-8. doi: 10.1021/es404098z. Epub 2013 Dec 17.
Antimony (Sb) is a metalloid that has been exploited by humans since the beginning of modern civilization. The importance of Sb to such diverse industries as nanotechnology and health is underscored by the fact that it is currently the ninth-most mined metal worldwide. Although its toxicity mirrors that of its Group 15 neighbor arsenic, its environmental chemistry is very different, and, unlike arsenic, relatively little is known about the fate and transport of Sb, especially with regard to biologically mediated redox reactions. To further our understanding of the interactions between microorganisms and Sb, we have isolated a bacterium that is capable of using antimonate [Sb(V)] as a terminal electron acceptor for anaerobic respiration, resulting in the precipitation of antimonite [Sb(III)] as microcrystals of antimony trioxide. The bacterium, designated strain MLFW-2, is a sporulating member of a deeply branching lineage within the order Bacillales (phylum Firmicutes). This report provides the first unequivocal evidence that a bacterium is capable of conserving energy for growth and reproduction from the reduction of antimonate. Moreover, microbiological antimonate reduction may serve as a novel route for the production of antimony trioxide microcrystals of commercial significance to the nanotechnology industry.
锑（Sb）是一种类金属，自现代文明开始以来就一直被人类开发利用。锑对纳米技术和健康等多种行业的重要性，突出体现在它是目前全球第九大开采量最大的金属。尽管它的毒性与同属第 15 族的砷相似，但它的环境化学性质却大不相同，而且，与砷不同，人们对锑的归宿和迁移知之甚少，特别是关于生物介导的氧化还原反应。为了进一步了解微生物与锑之间的相互作用，我们分离到一种能够将锑酸盐 [Sb(V)] 用作厌氧呼吸的末端电子受体的细菌，从而导致锑化亚锑 [Sb(III)] 作为三氧化二锑的微晶沉淀。该细菌被命名为 MLFW-2 菌株，是芽孢杆菌目（Firmicutes 门）中一个分支很深的谱系中的一个有芽孢形成的成员。本报告首次明确证明了一种细菌能够从锑酸盐的还原中为生长和繁殖保存能量。此外，微生物还原锑酸盐可能是一种生产具有商业意义的三氧化二锑微晶的新途径，对纳米技术产业具有重要意义。
