A novel yeast strain Geotrichum sp. CS-67 capable of accumulating heavy metal ions

Abstract

Bioremediation, which has several advantages over traditional methods, represents an alternative means of dealing with heavy metal pollution. We screened for microorganisms showing heavy metal tolerance in polluted mangrove soils. A novel yeast, Geotrichum sp. CS-67, was discovered and tested for tolerance of Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, and Ni²⁺. Zn²⁺ was the most efficiently sequestered by Geotrichum sp. CS-67 followed by Ni²⁺ and Cu²⁺. Zn²⁺ and Ni²⁺ were actively taken up into the cell, while Cu²⁺ was adsorbed to the cell wall. We used RNA-Seq to show that a large number of genes involved in the physiological and biochemical processing of heavy metals were differentially expressed in this yeast when it was subjected to Zn²⁺ and Ni²⁺ stress. From this panel, we selected the SED1, GDI1 and ZRT1 genes for validation by qRT-PCR and discovered that, during Zn²⁺ and Ni²⁺ stress, SED1 and GDI1 were upregulated, while ZRT1 was downregulated, which was consistent with the RNA-Seq results and the biochemical function of these genes. In conclusion, the novel yeast Geotrichum sp. CS-67 has a marked ability to accumulate heavy metal ions, making it of great interest as a possible microbial agent for heavy metal pollution remediation in the future.