Canadian Science Publishing, Canadian Journal of Microbiology, 1(56), p. 22-26, 2010
DOI: 10.1139/w09-106
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Boron (B) is toxic to living cells at levels above a certain threshold. We isolated several B-tolerant bacterial strains from soil samples and studied them for possible mechanisms of B tolerance. 16S rRNA gene sequencing and comparative phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the isolates belong to the following 6 genera: Arthrobacter , Rhodococcus , Lysinibacillus , Algoriphagus , Gracilibacillus , and Bacillus . These isolates exhibited B-tolerance levels of 80, 100, 150, 300, 450, and 450 mmol/L, respectively, whilst maintaining a significantly lower intracellular B concentration than in the medium. Statistical analysis showed a negative correlation between the protoplasmic B concentration and the degree of tolerance to a high external B concentration. The kinetic assays suggest that the high B efflux and (or) exclusion are the tolerance mechanisms against a high external B concentration in the isolated bacteria.