Arsenic biomethylation by the microorganismapiotrichum humicola in the presence of l-methionine-methyl-d3

Abstract

The microorganism Apiotrichum humicola (previously known as Candida humicola) grown in the presence of either arsenate, arsenite, methylarsonic acid or dimethylarsinic acid, produces arsenic-containing metabolites in the growth medium. When L-methionine-methyl-d3 is added to the cultures, the CD3 label is incorporated intact into the metabolites to a considerable extent to form deuterated dimethylarsenic and trimethyl-arsenic species, indicating that S-adenosylmethionine, or some related sulphonium compound, is involved in the biological methylation. Conclusive evidence of CD3 incorporation in the arsenicals found in the growth medium was provided by using a specially developed hydride generation-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry system (HG–GC–MS).