Overexpression of the sulfate transporter‐encoding SULTR2 increases chromium accumulation in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Abstract

AbstractHexavalent chromium [Cr(Ⅵ)] is a highly toxic contaminant in aquatic systems, and microalgae represent promising bioremediators of metal‐containing wastewater. However, the metal‐binding capacity of algal cells is limited. Therefore, we improved the cellular Cr(Ⅵ) biosorption capacity of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii by overexpressing the sulfate transporter gene SULTR2. SULTR2 was predominantly located in the cytoplasm of the cell, and few proteins mobilized to the cell membrane as a Cr transporter under Cr stress conditions. Intracellular Cr accumulation was almost doubled in SULTR2‐overexpressing transgenic strains after exposure to 30 μM K2Cr2O7 for 4 d. Alginate‐based immobilization increased the rate of Cr removal from 43.81% to 88.15% for SULTR2‐overexpressing transgenic strains after exposure to 10 μM K2Cr2O7 for 6 d. The immobilized cells also displayed a significant increase in nutrient removal efficiency compared to that of free‐swimming cells. Therefore, SULTR2 overexpression in algae has a great potential for the bioremediation of Cr(Ⅵ)‐containing wastewater.