Genomic Characterization of <i>Bacillus safensis</i> Isolated from Mine Tailings in Peru and Evaluation of Its Cyanide-Degrading Enzyme CynD
Santiago Justo Arévalo, Daniela Zapata Sifuentes, Andrea Cuba Portocarrero, Michella Brescia Reátegui, Claudia Monge, Layla Farage Martins, Paulo Marques Pierry, Carlos Morais Piroupo, Alcides Guerra Santa Cruz, Mauro Quiñones Aguilar, Chuck S. Farah, João Carlos Setúbal, Aline Maria da Silva
Abstract
Despite being of environmental concern around the world due to its toxicity, cyanide continues to be used in many important industrial processes. Thus, searching for cyanide bioremediation methods is a matter of societal concern and must be present on the political agenda of all governments. Here, we report the isolation, genome sequencing and characterization of cyanide degradation capacity of a bacterial strain isolated from an industrial mining site in Peru. We characterize a cyanide dehydratase (CynD) homolog from one of these bacteria, Bacillus safensis PER-URP-08.