Hydraulic retention time affects bacterial community structure in an As-rich acid mine drainage (AMD) biotreatment process.

Arsenic removal consecutive to biological iron oxidation and precipitation is an effective process for treating As-rich acid mine drainage (AMD). We studied the effect of hydraulic retention time (HRT)-from 74 to 456 min-in a bench-scale bioreactor exploiting such process. The treatment efficiency was monitored during 19 days, and the final mineralogy and bacterial communities of the biogenic precipitates were characterized by X-ray absorption spectroscopy and high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The percentage of Fe(II) oxidation (10-47%) and As removal (19-37%) increased with increasing HRT. Arsenic was trapped in the biogenic precipitates as As(III)-bearing schwertmannite and amorphous ferric arsenate, with a decrease of As/Fe ratio with increasing HRT. The bacterial community in the biogenic precipitate was dominated by Fe-oxidizing bacteria whatever the HRT. The proportion of Gallionella and Ferrovum genera shifted from respectively 65 and 12% at low HRT to 23 and 51% at high HRT, in relation with physicochemical changes in the treated water. aioA genes and Thiomonas genus were detected at all HRT although As(III) oxidation was not evidenced. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence of the role of HRT as a driver of bacterial community structure in bioreactors exploiting microbial Fe(II) oxidation for AMD treatment

Biological attenuation of arsenic and iron in a continuous flow bioreactor treating acid mine drainage (AMD)

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Study of diversity using next generation sequencing.

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Release of arsenite, arsenate and methyl-arsenic species from streambed sediment affected by acid mine drainage : a microcosm study

The (bio-)geochemical processes driving As mobilisation from streambed sediments affected by acid mine drainage (AMD) were investigated, and the structure of the bacterial community associated with the sediments was characterised. Microcosm experiments were set up to determine the effect of oxygen, temperature (4 and 20 degrees C) and microbial activity on As mobilisation from contrasting sediments collected during high- (November 2011) and low- (March 2012) flow conditions in the Amous River, that received AMD. Distinct bacterial communities thrived in the two sediments, dominated by Rhodobacter spp., Polaromonas spp. and Sphingomonads. These communities included only few bacteria known for their capacity to interact directly with As, whereas biogeochemical processes appeared to control As cycling. Major As mobilisation occurred in the As-III form at 20 degrees C in anoxic conditions, from both November and March sediments, as the result of successive biotic reductive dissolution of Mn- and Fe-oxyhydroxides. The later process may be driven by Mn- and Fe-reducing bacteria such as Geobacter spp. and possibly occurred in combination with microbially mediated As-V reduction. The involvement of other bacteria in these redox processes is not excluded. Biomethylation occurred only with the sediments collected at low-flow during oxic and anoxic conditions, although no bacteria characterised so far for its ability to methylate As was identified. Finally, sorption equilibrium of As-V onto the sediment appeared to be the main process controlling As-V concentration in oxic conditions. Comparison with field data shows that the later process, besides biomethylation, may be of relevance to the As fate in AMD-affected streams

Spatial Distribution of Eukaryotic Communities Using High-Throughput Sequencing Along a Pollution Gradient in the Arsenic-Rich Creek Sediments of Carnoulès Mine, France

International audienceMicroscopic eukaryotes play a key role in ecosystem functioning, but their diversity remains largely unexplored in most environments. To advance our knowledge of eukaryotic microorganisms and the factors that structure their communities, high-throughput sequencing was used to characterize their diversity and spatial distribution along the pollution gradient of the acid mine drainage at Carnoulès (France). A total of 16,510 reads were retrieved leading to the identification of 323 OTUs after normalization. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a quite diverse eukaryotic community characterized by a total of eight high-level lineages including 37 classes. The majority of sequences were clustered in four main groups: Fungi, Stramenopiles, Alveolata and Viridiplantae. The Reigous sediments formed a succession of distinct ecosystems hosting contrasted eukaryotic communities whose structure appeared to be at least partially correlated with sediment mineralogy. The concentration of arsenic in the sediment was shown to be a significant factor driving the eukaryotic community structure along this continuum

Processus d'oxydation biologique et d'élimination du fer et de l'arsenic dans des eaux de Drainage Minier Acide (DMA) : expériences à l'échelle d'un pilote de laboratoire

International audienceObjectif de la thèse : Développer un système de bioremédiation des DMA arséniés par oxydation biologiqu

Implication of microorganisms in rehabilitation of mining sites.

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Spatio-Temporal Detection of the Thiomonas Population and the Thiomonas Arsenite Oxidase Involved in Natural Arsenite Attenuation Processes in the Carnoulès Acid Mine Drainage

International audienceThe acid mine drainage (AMD) impacted creek of the Carnoulès mine (Southern France) is characterized by acid waters with a high heavy metal content. The microbial community inhabiting this AMD was extensively studied using isolation, metagenomic and metaproteomic methods, and the results showed that a natural arsenic (and iron) attenuation process involving the arsenite oxidase activity of several Thiomonas strains occurs at this site. A sensitive quantitative Selected Reaction Monitoring (SRM)-based proteomic approach was developed for detecting and quantifying the two subunits of the arsenite oxidase and RpoA of two different Thiomonas groups. Using this approach combined with 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis based on pyrosequencing and FISH, it was established here for the first time that these Thiomonas strains are ubiquitously present in minor proportions in this AMD and that they express the key enzymes involved in natural remediation processes at various locations and time points. In addition to these findings, this study also confirms that targeted proteomics applied at the community level can be used to detect weakly abundant proteins in situ

Agrin-signaling is necessary for the integration of newly generated neurons in the adult olfactory bulb.

In the adult forebrain, new interneurons are continuously generated and integrated into the existing circuitry of the olfactory bulb (OB). In an attempt to identify signals that regulate this synaptic integration process, we found strong expression of agrin in adult generated neuronal precursors that arrive in the olfactory bulb after their generation in the subventricular zone. While the agrin receptor components MuSK and Lrp4 were below detection level in neuron populations that represent synaptic targets for the new interneurons, the alternative receptor α3-Na(+)K(+)-ATPase was strongly expressed in mitral cells. Using a transplantation approach, we demonstrate that agrin-deficient interneuron precursors migrate correctly into the OB. However, in contrast to wild-type neurons, which form synapses and survive for prolonged periods, mutant neurons do not mature and are rapidly eliminated. Using in vivo brain electroporation of the olfactory system, we show that the transmembrane form of agrin alone is sufficient to mediate integration and demonstrate that excess transmembrane agrin increases the number of dendritic spines. Last, we provide in vivo evidence that an interaction between agrin and α3-Na(+)K(+)-ATPase is of functional importance in this system