Arsenic tolerance of cyanobacterial strains with potential use in biotechnology

The arsenic content of various water bodies in Argentina is higher than the acceptable levels for human and animal uses. Cyanobacteria are widely distributed in aquatic environments and can bioaccumulate arsenic (As). This study presents the response of indigenous cyanobacteria to As(III) and As(V), including the species Tolypothrix tenuis, Nostoc muscorum and Nostoc minutum, previously used with biotechnological purposes. As(III) resulted more toxic than As(V) in all cases, causing cell death in the range of 5-20 mg/l. T. tenuis growth was sensitive to As(V) with lethal inhibition at 625 mg/l, whereas the Noctoc species were stimulated. EC50 values found were 73.34 mg/l for N. muscorum and 989.3 mg/l for N. minutum. Batch cultures of N. minutum showed improvements in both growth parameters and photosynthetic pigment content in the presence of 1,000 mg/l As(V). Increases of 66.7%, 75.5%, 40% and 20.7% in cell productivity, chlorophyll a, total carotenoids and C-phycocyanin respectively were observed, reaching a bioaccumulated arsenic value of 37.4 ¼g/g at the stationary growth phase.