Euglena Sensitivity to Toxic Environments: Varying Arsenite and Antibiotic Concentrations to Classify Mechanism of Protection in Euglena
Abstract
Euglena mutabilis and Euglena gracilis are single celled protists that are found in lakes and ponds; they also live in harsher environments, such as acid mine drainage sites, which are often enriched in heavy metals. The tools employed by Euglena to thrive in toxic settings are poorly understood and studying variances between similar species of Euglena can provide information on key differences in processing and provide possible future remediation techniques of polluted sites. Two laboratory strains, SG6, closely related to the gliding E. mutabilis, and G12, closely related to E. gracilis, were isolated from a lake in Northern Idaho. Antibiotic resistance in E. gracilis, E. mutabilis, G12 and SG6 was tested for on solid media. All Euglena were also plated on minimal acidic medium and a more enriched medium with varying concentrations of arsenite. Unlike E. mutabilis, the closely related SG6 strain is abnormally sensitive to arsenite, whereas both E. gracilis and G12 display higher tolerance of this toxin. Further research will address whether SG6 euglena can adapt to be resistant to arsenite and if E. mutabilis can be modified to an increased state of sensitivity to arsenite.
Euglena Sensitivity to Toxic Environments: Varying Arsenite and Antibiotic Concentrations to Classify Mechanism of Protection in Euglena
Euglena mutabilis and Euglena gracilis are single celled protists that are found in lakes and ponds; they also live in harsher environments, such as acid mine drainage sites, which are often enriched in heavy metals. The tools employed by Euglena to thrive in toxic settings are poorly understood and studying variances between similar species of Euglena can provide information on key differences in processing and provide possible future remediation techniques of polluted sites. Two laboratory strains, SG6, closely related to the gliding E. mutabilis, and G12, closely related to E. gracilis, were isolated from a lake in Northern Idaho. Antibiotic resistance in E. gracilis, E. mutabilis, G12 and SG6 was tested for on solid media. All Euglena were also plated on minimal acidic medium and a more enriched medium with varying concentrations of arsenite. Unlike E. mutabilis, the closely related SG6 strain is abnormally sensitive to arsenite, whereas both E. gracilis and G12 display higher tolerance of this toxin. Further research will address whether SG6 euglena can adapt to be resistant to arsenite and if E. mutabilis can be modified to an increased state of sensitivity to arsenite.