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“Trade-off” in Antarctic bacteria: limnetic psychrotrophs concede multiple enzyme expressions for multiple metal resistance

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Abstract

The present study examines the metal and antibiotic resistant bacteria in ice and water from lakes east and west of the Indian base camp (Maitri) in Antarctica. The isolates from western and eastern lakes showed distinct geographical differences in properties like metal resistance and enzyme expression. This may be attributed to high organic loading in the lakes on the west of Maitri. However, there was no marked geopraphical distinction in antibiotic resistance between the lakes. Bacteria from the lakes on the eastern side showed resistance to three or more metals including mercury while, those from the western were resistant to only 1–2 metals excluding mercury. Multiple enzyme expression was more pronounced in the lakes on the western side. On the eastern side multiple metal resistance was encountered in bacterial isolates associated with fewer enzyme expressions suggesting a “trade-off”. Thus these Antarctic isolates from the east trade their ability to express multiple enzymes for developing resistance to multiple metals including mercury.

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Acknowledgements

PAL thanks the leader and members of the 13th Antarctic expedition for all the help rendered during the expedition. Dr. V.K. Dargalkar’s able assistance in the strategic collection of water samples from freshwater lakes in and around the Indian base camp–Maitri is acknowledged. NIO no. 4215.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Microbiology Laboratory, National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa, 403 004, India

    Maria-Judith De Souza, P. A. Loka Bharathi, Shanta Nair & D. Chandramohan

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  1. Maria-Judith De Souza
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  2. P. A. Loka Bharathi
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  3. Shanta Nair
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  4. D. Chandramohan
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Correspondence to Maria-Judith De Souza.

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De Souza, MJ., Loka Bharathi, P.A., Nair, S. et al. “Trade-off” in Antarctic bacteria: limnetic psychrotrophs concede multiple enzyme expressions for multiple metal resistance. Biometals 20, 821–828 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10534-006-9045-8

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