Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 27, 2026

Bioprospecting of Extremophilic Microorganisms to Address Environmental Pollution
Published on: December 30, 2021
The extremophile Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans possesses a c-di-GMP signalling pathway that could play a significant
L M Ruiz1, M Castro, A Barriga
1Laboratorio de Comunicaciones Bacterianas, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
Aims:
The primary goal of this study was to characterize the existence of a functional c-di-GMP pathway in the bioleaching bacterium Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans.
Methods And Results:
A bioinformatic search revealed that the genome sequence of At. ferrooxidans ATCC 23270 codes for several proteins involved in the c-di-GMP pathway, including diguanylate cyclases (DGC), phosphodiesterases and PilZ effector proteins. Overexpression in Escherichia coli demonstrated that four At. ferrooxidans genes code for proteins containing GGDEF/EAL domains with functional DGC activity. MS/MS analysis allowed the identification of c-di-GMP in nucleotide preparations obtained from At. ferrooxidans cells. In addition, c-di-GMP levels in cells grown on the surface of solid energetic substrates such as sulfur prills or pyrite were higher than those measured in ferrous iron planktonic cells.
Conclusions:
At. ferrooxidans possesses a functional c-di-GMP pathway that could play a key role in At. ferrooxidans biofilm formation during bioleaching processes.
Significance And Impact Of The Study:
This is the first global study about the c-di-GMP pathway in an acidophilic bacterium of great interest for the biomining industry. It opens a new way to explore the regulation of biofilm formation by biomining micro-organisms during the bioleaching process.
Related Concept Videos
Microbial Leaching
Microbial Nutrition
Microbes and Other Elemental Cycles
Acid Mine Drainage
Metabolism of Chemolithotrophs
Carbon-dioxide Fixation

