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Signal transduction is an important mode of algae-bacteria interaction, in which bacterial quorum sensing (QS) may affect microalgal growth and metabolism. Currently, little is known whether acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs) released by bacteria can affect the pollutant removal by algae-bacteria consortia (ABC). In this study, we constructed ABC using Chlorella vulgaris (Cv) with two AHLs-producing bacteria and investigated their performance in the removal of multiple pollutants, including chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), phosphorus (P), and cadmium (Cd). The AHLs-producing bacteria, namely Agrobacterium sp. (Ap) and Ensifer adherens (Ea), were capable of forming a symbiosis with C. vulgaris. Consortia of Cv and Ap with ratio of 2:1 (Cv2-Ap1) showed the optimal growth promotion and higher removal of Cd, COD, TN, and P compared to the C. vulgaris monoculture. Cv2-Ap1 ABC removed 36.1-47.5% of Cd, 94.5%-94.6% COD, 37.1%-56.0% TN, and 90.4%-93.5% P from the culture medium. In addition, increase of intracellular neutral lipids and extracellular protein, as well as the types of functional groups on cell surface contributed to Cd removal and tolerance in the Cv2-Ap1 ABC. Six AHLs were detected in the Cv2-Ap1 culture. Among these, 3OC8-HSL and 3OC12-HSL additions promoted the ABC growth and enhanced their Cd accumulation. These findings may contribute to further understanding of AHL-mediated communication between algae and bacteria and provide support bioremediation efforts of metal-containing wastewater., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Algae-bacteria consortia have been proven effective in the removal of metal pollutants, but the effects of algal-bacterial ratio in the metal accumulation and resistance by this symbiotic system have not been systematically investigated. In this study, we set up consortia with various ratios of Chlorella salina-Bacillus subtilis, determined their growth, Cd accumulation, levels of intracellular glutathione (GSH), extracellular polysaccharide, phosphorus (P) in the culture medium, and functional groups of consortia after Cd treatments (0.1, 0.5, 1 mg L -1 ) for 7 days. With the addition of B. subtilis in the C. salina culture, the dry weight and specific growth rate of the consortia significantly increased compared with C. salina alone, reaching 68.33 mg and 0.382 (mg L -1 ) d -1 respectively at the 1:4 algal-bacterial ratio with 1 mg L -1 Cd treatment. Maximum Cd removal (51.66%) was also observed upon the same Cd exposure and algal-bacterial ratio. Cadmium was mostly taken up into cells at 1 mg L -1 Cd whereas its adsorption dominated the accumulation when Cd was 0.1 and 0.5 mg L -1 . The amounts of extracellular polysaccharides, GSH, and P of the symbiotic system were also increased by the bacterial addition. Besides, Fouriertransform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis showed that functional groups like N-H, O-H, and P-O-C were involved in the Cd complexation. Taken together, a higher bacterial ratio promoted the Cd accumulation and detoxification by the C. salina-B. subtilis consortia through intra- and extracellular processes., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The bioavailability of cadmium (Cd) to rice may be complicated by chemical and biological factors in the rhizosphere. The aim of this work is to investigate how soil iron (Fe) redox transformations and low-molecular-weight organic acid (LMWOA) exudation from root affect Cd accumulation in rice. Two soils (a paddy soil and a saline soil) with different physicochemical properties were used in this study. Soil redox conditions were changed by flooding and addition of organic matter (OM). Two days after the soil treatments, rice seedlings were transplanted in a vermiculite-soil system and grown for 10 days. We measured pH and Eh, LMWOA, Fe and Cd contents in rice, and their fractions in the soils and vermiculite. Cadmium accumulation in rice declined in both soils upon the flooding and OM treatment. Iron dissolution in the paddy soil and its deposition in the rhizosphere significantly increased upon the OM addition, but the concentration of Fe plaque on the rice root significantly declined. Conversely, although Fe transformed into less active fractions in the saline soil, Fe accumulation on the surface and in the tissue of root was considerably enhanced. The secretion of LMWOA was remarkably induced when the OM was amended in the saline soil, but the same effect was not observed in the paddy soil. Reduction of Cd uptake by rice could be attributed to different factors in the two soils. For the paddy soil, the lowered Cd bioavailability was likely due to the competition of Fe and Cd for the binding sites on the vermiculite surface. For the saline soil, however, rice responded to the low Fe mobility through more LMWOA exudation and Fe plaque formation, and their increases could explain the decrease of rice Cd.

The rhizosphere plays an important role in altering cadmium (Cd) solubility in paddy soils and Cd accumulation in rice. However, more studies are needed to elucidate the mechanism controlling rice Cd solubility and bioavailability under different rhizosphere conditions to explain the discrepancy of previous studies. A rice culture with nutrient solution and vermiculite was conducted to assess the effects of pH, Eh, and iron (Fe) concentration on Cd, Fe fractions on the vermiculite/root surface and their uptake by rice. The solution pH was set from 4.5 to 7.5, with additions of Fe (30 and 50 mg L(-1)) and Cd (0.5 and 0.9 mg L(-1)). At pH 5.5, the Eh in the rice rhizosphere was higher whereas transpiration, Cd(2+), and Fe(2+) adsorption on the vermiculite/root surface and accumulation in rice were lower than the other pH treatments. Cadmium addition had no impact on pH and Eh in rice rhizosphere while Fe addition decreased pH and increased Eh significantly. Compared with control, Fe addition resulted in the decrease of rhizosphere Cd, Fe solubility and bioavailability. Higher redox potential in the rice rhizosphere resulted in the decline of transpiration, Cd, and Fe accumulation in the rice tissues, suggesting that the transfer of two elements from soil to rice was depressed when the rhizosphere was more oxidized.

The relationship between plant species coexistence and soil microbial communities under heavy metal pollution has attracted much attention in ecology. However, whether plant species coexistence could offset the impacts of heavy metal combined pollution on soil microbial community structure and soil enzymes activities is not well studied. The modified ecological dose model and PCR-RAPD method were used to assess the effects of two plant species coexistence on soil microbial community and enzymes activities subjected to Cd and Pb combined stress. The results indicated that monoculture and mixed culture would increased microbe populations under Cd and Pb combined stress, and the order of sensitivity of microbial community responding to heavy metal stress was: actinomycetes > bacteria > fungi. The respirations were significantly higher in planted soil than that in unplanted soil. The plant species coexistence could enhance soil enzyme activities under Cd and Pb combined. Furthermore, planted soil would be helpful to enhance soil genetic polymorphisms, but Cd and Pb pollution would cause a decrease on soil genetic polymorphisms. Mixed culture would increase the ecological dose 50% (EDs50) values, and the ED50 values for soil enzyme activities decreased with increasing culture time. The dehydrogenase was most sensitive to metal addition and easily loses activity under low dose of heavy metal. However, it was difficult to fully inhibit the phoshpatase activity, and urease responded similarly with phosphatase.

The rhizosphere plays an important role in altering cadmium (Cd) solubility in paddy soils and Cd accumulation in rice. However, more studies are needed to elucidate the mechanism controlling rice Cd solubility and bioavailability under different rhizosphere conditions to explain the discrepancy of previous studies. A rice culture with nutrient solution and vermiculite was conducted to assess the effects of pH, Eh, and iron (Fe) concentration on Cd, Fe fractions on the vermiculite/root surface and their uptake by rice. The solution pH was set from 4.5 to 7.5, with additions of Fe (30 and 50 mg L −1) and Cd (0.5 and 0.9 mg L −1). At pH 5.5, the Eh in the rice rhizosphere was higher whereas transpiration, Cd 2+, and Fe 2+ adsorption on the vermiculite/root surface and accumulation in rice were lower than the other pH treatments. Cadmium addition had no impact on pH and Eh in rice rhizosphere while Fe addition decreased pH and increased Eh significantly. Compared with control, Fe addition resulted in the decrease of rhizosphere Cd, Fe solubility and bioavailability. Higher redox potential in the rice rhizosphere resulted in the decline of transpiration, Cd, and Fe accumulation in the rice tissues, suggesting that the transfer of two elements from soil to rice was depressed when the rhizosphere was more oxidized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hydroponic experiment was conducted to investigate the dynamic variations of cadmium (Cd) uptake and transport, non-protein thiols (NPT) and glutathione (GSH) concentrations, glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity and lipid peroxidation under Cd stress in order to clarify the role of NPT and GST in reducing Cd toxicity and translocation in rice ( Oryza sativa L.). Cadmium accumulation was initially fast and then slowed down with increasing time of Cd exposure. However, the rice growth inhibition and lipid peroxidation were not intense until 5d after Cd treatment, even though Cd kept accumulating in root and shoot, suggesting that Cd may be effectively detoxified. The concentrations of NPT in root increased gradually until 5d after Cd stress, whereas those in shoot showed no significant changes. The concentration of shoot GSH was progressively enhanced upon Cd treatment, while it gradually declined in root after an initial increase. The GST activity varied similarly in root and shoot, reaching the maximum level on 3rd day, followed by a significant decrease 5 d after Cd application. Significant increases of lipid peroxidation and root-to-shoot translocation on 7th day indicate that the equilibrium in Cd-thiol interaction in rice might be disturbed upon the prolonged Cd exposure. In summary, our results suggest that Cd may be retained and detoxified in rice root through chelation with thiol compounds and subsequent sequestration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium (Cd) pollution poses serious risks to human health and the rice consumption is a major contribution to dietary intake of this toxic metal. In addition, Cd causes interference to iron (Fe) uptake by rice, leading to Fe deficiency, which is a common malnutrition worldwide. Sulfur (S) is essential for the rice yield and quality; however, the roles of S supply in the Cd and Fe absorption and distribution in rice have not been systematically investigated. Here, we conducted a hydroponic experiment to examine the effects of S application on the uptake and translocation of Cd and Fe in rice under Cd treatment (1.0 μM) combined with four S levels (0, 1.75, 3.5, 7.0 mM). Rice growth was suppressed by Cd but the toxicity was alleviated with S treatment, which also led to decline of Cd concentrations in rice roots, stems and leaves. In the case of low S (1.75 mM), the Fe plaque on the root surface did not decline in the presence of Cd, but it markedly decreased with the increase of S supply (3.5 and 7.0 mM). The Fe contents in rice roots and leaves consistently increased with the S provision regardless of Cd treatment. In addition, the Cd exposure and S supply significantly promoted syntheses of thiol molecules and nicotianamine (NA), but the NA levels in rice tissues decreased when the S addition reached 7.0 mM. Taken together, results of this study demonstrate that sufficient supply of S may augment Fe bioavailability and minimize Cd accumulation in rice under hydroponic conditions. Image 1 • Sulfur application reduced the Cd toxicity and accumulation in rice. • Iron uptake and translocation in rice increased with the S supply. • Syntheses of thiols and nicotianamine were enhanced by the S and Cd treatments. Adequate sulfur supply significantly alleviated the Cd toxicity, increased the thiol and NA syntheses, enhanced the Fe uptake and reduced the Cd accumulation by rice grown in hydroponic culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has been frequently investigated for its resistance to metals; however, few studies have systematically compared the intracellular and extracellular processes involved in the detoxification of Cd and Pb by this microalga. We found that C. reinhardtii was more tolerant to Pb (concentration for 50% of the maximal effect; EC50: 29.48 ± 8.83 mg L−1) than to Cd (EC50: 12.48 ± 1.30 mg L−1) after 96 h of exposure. Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), intracellular starch granules, lipid droplets, and glutathione were significantly increased under Cd and Pb treatments. Lead-containing particles were formed outside of the cells exposed to 30 mg L−1 of Pb, whereas no minerals were present when Cd was added. Various EPS functional groups, including –COOH, C–O–C (polysaccharides), and amide I and II (proteins), were involved in the interactions with Cd and Pb. The Pb removal rate (60.46–78.27%) by C. reinhardtii was higher than that of Cd (50.61–59.38%), and the microalgal cells with intact EPS bound more metals than those without EPS. Adsorption accounted for 79.62% of the total Cd accumulation in the low-Cd treatment, whereas absorption dominated the Pb accumulation at low Pb concentrations. The distributions of Cd and Pb in and out of the microalgal cells were reversed when the concentrations of the two metals increased. The detoxification strategies of C. reinhardtii for Cd and Pb were completely different, and these findings may assist in the phycoremediation of metal pollution in aquatic environments. [Display omitted] • Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was more tolerant to Pb than to Cd. • Generation of EPS, starch granules, lipid droplets, and GSH were induced by the two metals. • EPS enhanced the accumulation of Cd and Pb by C. reinhardtii. • Chlamydomonas reinhardtii had different detoxification strategies for Cd and Pb. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]