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Removal of Arsenic Using a Cationic Polymer Gel Impregnated with Iron Hydroxide

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Published on: June 28, 2019

Arsenics as bioenergetic substrates.

Robert van Lis¹, Wolfgang Nitschke, Simon Duval

¹Laboratoire de Bioénergétique et Ingénierie des Protéines UMR 7281 CNRS/AMU, FR3479, F-13402 Marseille Cedex 20, France.

Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta

|September 18, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Prokaryotes utilize toxic arsenic compounds for energy through respiration. This review highlights the diversity of these arsenic bioenergetic pathways and suggests a key role for arsenite oxidation in early life.

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Determination of Inorganic Arsenic in a Wide Range of Food Matrices using Hydride Generation - Atomic Absorption Spectrometry.

Determination of Inorganic Arsenic in a Wide Range of Food Matrices using Hydride Generation - Atomic Absorption Spectrometry.

Published on: September 1, 2017

Area of Science:

Microbiology
Biogeochemistry
Evolutionary Biology

Background:

Arsenic compounds, though toxic, are naturally occurring geological constituents.
Certain prokaryotes metabolize arsenic compounds for energy, using them as electron donors or acceptors.
Arsenic bioenergetic metabolisms, involving arsenate respiration and arsenite oxidation, are more widespread than previously thought.

Purpose of the Study:

To document the distribution and diversity of microbial arsenic bioenergetic pathways.
To perform an evolutionary analysis of these diverse metabolic pathways.
To propose the significance of arsenite oxidation in early life forms.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature on arsenic-metabolizing enzymes and microbial pathways.
Phylogenetic analysis of arsenic-metabolizing enzymes and their relatives.
Integration of palaeogeochemical data to infer evolutionary roles.

Main Results:

Arsenic bioenergetic metabolisms are widespread and diverse among prokaryotes.
Arsenate respiration and arsenite oxidation pathways are utilized by numerous microbial groups.
Phylogenetic and geochemical data support an ancient origin for these pathways.

Conclusions:

Arsenic bioenergetic pathways are not exotic but are integral to microbial ecology.
Arsenite oxidation, mediated by arsenite oxidase, likely played a critical role in the evolution of primordial life.
Understanding these pathways provides insights into early life and biogeochemical cycling.