Geochemical and metagenomics study of a metal-rich, green-turquoise-coloured stream in the southern Swiss Alps.
The Swiss Alpine environments are poorly described from a microbiological perspective. Near the Greina plateau in the Camadra valley in Ticino (southern Swiss Alps), a green-turquoise-coloured water spring streams off the mountain cliffs. Geochemical profiling revealed naturally elevated concentrati...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2021-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0248877 |
| _version_ | 1818929550118092800 |
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| author | Antoine Buetti-Dinh Michela Ruinelli Dorota Czerski Cristian Scapozza Agathe Martignier Samuele Roman Annapaola Caminada Mauro Tonolla |
| author_facet | Antoine Buetti-Dinh Michela Ruinelli Dorota Czerski Cristian Scapozza Agathe Martignier Samuele Roman Annapaola Caminada Mauro Tonolla |
| author_sort | Antoine Buetti-Dinh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Swiss Alpine environments are poorly described from a microbiological perspective. Near the Greina plateau in the Camadra valley in Ticino (southern Swiss Alps), a green-turquoise-coloured water spring streams off the mountain cliffs. Geochemical profiling revealed naturally elevated concentrations of heavy metals such as copper, lithium, zinc and cadmium, which are highly unusual for the geomorphology of the region. Of particular interest, was the presence of a thick biofilm, that was revealed by microscopic analysis to be mainly composed of Cyanobacteria. A metagenome was further assembled to detail the genes found in this environment. A multitude of genes for resistance/tolerance to high heavy metal concentrations were indeed found, such as, various transport systems, and genes involved in the synthesis of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). EPS have been evoked as a central component in photosynthetic environments rich in heavy metals, for their ability to drive the sequestration of toxic, positively-charged metal ions under high regimes of cyanobacteria-driven photosynthesis. The results of this study provide a geochemical and microbiological description of this unusual environment in the southern Swiss Alps, the role of cyanobacterial photosynthesis in metal resistance, and the potential role of such microbial community in bioremediation of metal-contaminated environments. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T03:46:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-77ec449e8a6b460288dd37496c95850b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T03:46:35Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-77ec449e8a6b460288dd37496c95850b2022-12-21T19:54:35ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032021-01-01163e024887710.1371/journal.pone.0248877Geochemical and metagenomics study of a metal-rich, green-turquoise-coloured stream in the southern Swiss Alps.Antoine Buetti-DinhMichela RuinelliDorota CzerskiCristian ScapozzaAgathe MartignierSamuele RomanAnnapaola CaminadaMauro TonollaThe Swiss Alpine environments are poorly described from a microbiological perspective. Near the Greina plateau in the Camadra valley in Ticino (southern Swiss Alps), a green-turquoise-coloured water spring streams off the mountain cliffs. Geochemical profiling revealed naturally elevated concentrations of heavy metals such as copper, lithium, zinc and cadmium, which are highly unusual for the geomorphology of the region. Of particular interest, was the presence of a thick biofilm, that was revealed by microscopic analysis to be mainly composed of Cyanobacteria. A metagenome was further assembled to detail the genes found in this environment. A multitude of genes for resistance/tolerance to high heavy metal concentrations were indeed found, such as, various transport systems, and genes involved in the synthesis of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). EPS have been evoked as a central component in photosynthetic environments rich in heavy metals, for their ability to drive the sequestration of toxic, positively-charged metal ions under high regimes of cyanobacteria-driven photosynthesis. The results of this study provide a geochemical and microbiological description of this unusual environment in the southern Swiss Alps, the role of cyanobacterial photosynthesis in metal resistance, and the potential role of such microbial community in bioremediation of metal-contaminated environments.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0248877 |
| spellingShingle | Antoine Buetti-Dinh Michela Ruinelli Dorota Czerski Cristian Scapozza Agathe Martignier Samuele Roman Annapaola Caminada Mauro Tonolla Geochemical and metagenomics study of a metal-rich, green-turquoise-coloured stream in the southern Swiss Alps. PLoS ONE |
| title | Geochemical and metagenomics study of a metal-rich, green-turquoise-coloured stream in the southern Swiss Alps. |
| title_full | Geochemical and metagenomics study of a metal-rich, green-turquoise-coloured stream in the southern Swiss Alps. |
| title_fullStr | Geochemical and metagenomics study of a metal-rich, green-turquoise-coloured stream in the southern Swiss Alps. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Geochemical and metagenomics study of a metal-rich, green-turquoise-coloured stream in the southern Swiss Alps. |
| title_short | Geochemical and metagenomics study of a metal-rich, green-turquoise-coloured stream in the southern Swiss Alps. |
| title_sort | geochemical and metagenomics study of a metal rich green turquoise coloured stream in the southern swiss alps |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0248877 |
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