Arsenic removal from contaminated soil via biovolatilization by genetically engineered bacteria under laboratory conditions

In Rhodopseudomonas palustris, an arsM gene, encoding bacterial and archaeal homologues of the mammalian Cytl9 As(III) S-adenosylmethionine methytransferase, was regulated by arsenicals. An expression of arsM was introduced into strains for the methylation of arsenic. When arsM was expressed in Sphingomonas desiccabilis and Bacillus idriensis, it had 10 folds increase of methyled arsenic gas compared to wild type in aqueous system. In soil system, about 2.2%–4.5% of arsenic was removed by biovolatilization during 30 days. This study demonstrated that arsenic could be removed through volatilization from the contaminated soil by bacteria which have arsM gene expressed. These results showed that it is possible to use microorganisms expressing arsM as an inexpensive, efficient strategy for arsenic bioremediation from contaminated water and soil.