Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Copper accumulation by sulfate-reducing bacterial biofilms.

C White1, G M Gadd

  • 1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK.

FEMS Microbiology Letters
|February 17, 2000
PubMed
Summary

Sulfate-reducing bacterial biofilms accumulate copper (Cu) sulfides on their surface. This process involves Cu sulfide precipitation and entrapment by exopolymers, particularly at higher Cu concentrations.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

First Measurement of Time-Dependent CP Violation in the Flavor-Changing Neutral-Current Decay B^{0}→K_{S}^{0}μ^{+}μ^{-}.

Physical review letters·2026
Same author

Measurement of the Top-Quark Production Cross Section and Charge Asymmetry at LHCb.

Physical review letters·2026
Same author

Searches for B^{0}→K^{+}π^{-}τ^{+}τ^{-} and B_{s}^{0}→K^{+}K^{-}τ^{+}τ^{-} Decays.

Physical review letters·2026
Same author

First Evidence of the B_{s}^{0}→K^{-}π^{+}γ Decay.

Physical review letters·2026
Same author

Precision Measurement of CP Violation and Branching Fractions in B^{±}→K_{S}^{0}h^{±} (h=π, K) Decays and Search for the Rare Decay B_{c}^{±}→K_{S}^{0}K^{±}.

Physical review letters·2026
Same author

Occupational Therapy and Psychotherapy in Canada: Exploring Perspectives and Practices.

Canadian journal of occupational therapy. Revue canadienne d'ergotherapie·2026

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Environmental Science
  • Biogeochemistry

Background:

  • Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) form biofilms crucial in various environments.
  • Understanding metal-microbe interactions is vital for bioremediation and environmental monitoring.
  • Copper (Cu) is a metal with significant environmental and biological implications.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate copper accumulation by sulfate-reducing bacterial biofilms.
  • To determine the form and location of accumulated copper within biofilms.
  • To elucidate the role of biofilm exopolymers in copper uptake.

Main Methods:

  • Continuous culture of SRB biofilms.
  • Exposure to varying copper concentrations (20 and 200 microM).
  • Energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDXA) for elemental composition and mapping.

Main Results:

  • Biofilms accumulated copper when exposed to copper-containing medium.
  • Copper was primarily found as sulfides within the biofilm.
  • EDXA mapping revealed non-uniform copper and sulfur distribution, concentrated at the biofilm surface.
  • Higher copper concentrations (200 microM) led to increased carbohydrate and protein accumulation in biofilms.

Conclusions:

  • Copper accumulation in SRB biofilms occurs via precipitation of copper sulfides.
  • The exopolymer matrix plays a role in entrapping precipitated copper sulfides.
  • Copper uptake is influenced by concentration, affecting biofilm composition.

Related Experiment Videos