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Published October 15, 2004 | public
Journal Article

arrA Is a Reliable Marker for As(V) Respiration

Abstract

Arsenate [As(V)]-respiring bacteria affect the speciation and mobilization of arsenic in the environment. This can lead to arsenic contamination of drinking water supplies and deleterious consequences for human health. Using molecular genetics, we show that the functional gene for As(V) respiration, arrA, is highly conserved; that it is required for As(V) reduction to arsenite when arsenic is sorbed onto iron minerals; and that it can be used to identify the presence and activity of As(V)-respiring bacteria in arsenic-contaminated iron-rich sediments. The expression of arrA thus can be used to monitor sites in which As(V)-respiring bacteria may be controlling arsenic geochemistry.

Additional Information

© 2004 American Association for the Advancement of Science. Received 6 July 2004; accepted 16 August 2004. We thank R. Oremland, F. Rosenzweig, and C. House for sending us strains. All new arrA gene sequences have been deposited in GenBank. Accession numbers are available in supporting online material. Supported by the Luce and Packard Foundations (D.K.N.) and NSF award nos. BES-0201888 (J.G.H.) and DBI-0200145 (C.W.S.).

Additional details

Created:
August 22, 2023
Modified:
October 23, 2023