Characteristics of Cadmium-Resistant Bacillus subtilis DT134

Bacillus subtilis DT134의 카드뮴 저항성

Bacillus subtilis DT134 was resistant to 50-fold higher concentration of cadmium ions (Cd2+) than cadmium-sensitive B. subtilis BD224 in Luria Broth (LB) medium. Minimal inhibition concentration test in LB agar plates also showed similar results. The elevated cadmium resistance of B. subtilis DT134 strongly suggested a possible existence of cadmium resistance gene in it. Southern blot with Staphylococcus aureus cadA gene fragment (757 bp NlaIV-XmnI cadA DNA fragment) as probe was carried out to test the existence and similarity of the gene. In high stringency condition, there was no detectable signal, but in low stringency, a strong signal specific to the cadA probe could be detected. These results strongly suggested that there was some similarity between total DNA of B. subtilis DT134 and S. aureus pl258 in terms of cadmium resistance gene and the resistance mechanism might be an efflux mechanism. The subsequent efflux experiment showed that the cadmium resistance mechanism of B. subtilis DT134 was also due to the efflux of cadmium.