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Updated: Oct 8, 2026

Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Siderophore Production from Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Published on: March 15, 2024
Intracellular nickel accumulation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and its chemical nature
1Department of Botany, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. sarpinaki@yahoo.com
Aims:
To investigate intracellular localization of nickel and its chemical nature in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Methods And Results:
Transmission electron micrographs of Ni-loaded bacteria exhibited a darkened electron opaque zone throughout the cell periphery. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis confirmed the deposition of metallic nickel. Cell fractionation revealed that 88% of the accumulated nickel was restricted to the periplasm and membrane. X-ray diffraction patterns ascertained the chemical nature of cellular Ni as phosphide (Ni5P4, NiP2 and Ni12P5) and carbide (Ni3C) crystals.
Conclusion:
Pseudomonas aeruginosa accumulated nickel as its phosphide and carbide crystal mostly in the cell envelope region, indicating the predominant role of phosphoryl and carboxyl/carbonyl groups of cell wall/membrane components in cation sequestration.
Significance And Impact Of The Study:
The data contribute significantly to a better understanding of bacteria-metal interaction and will be useful in developing biotechnological strategies for toxic metal bioremediation.
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