Giovanni Salazar-Ramírez

Mr. Giovanni Salazar-Ramírez

Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

7Years (2020-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

View All Publications
8 February 2020 in Microorganisms
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
GSGiovanni Salazar-Ramírez
Giovanni Salazar-Ramírez
RFRosario Flores-Vallejo
Rosario Flores-Vallejo
JRJulio César Rivera-Leyva
Julio César Rivera-Leyva
Efrain Tovar-SánchezEfrain Tovar-Sánchez
Efrain Tovar-Sánchez
ARAyixon Sanchez Reyes
Ayixon Sanchez Reyes
JFJorge Folch-Mallol
Jorge Folch-Mallol
Heavy metal pollution has become an environmental and health problem worldwide. With the aim of finding novel strategies for metal bioremediation, endophytic fungi from the heavy metal hyperaccumulator plant Vachellia farnesiana were isolated and characterized. The plants were growing in mine tailings, rich in Zn, Pb, and Cu. Morphological and phylogenetic analyses indicated that the fungal strains belonged to Neocosmospora and Aspergillus genera. The Neocosmospora isolate belongs to the Fusarium solani species complex (FSSC) that groups phytopathogen species. However, in this case the plants from which it was isolated did not show any signs of disease. Both fungal strains were able to remove significant amounts of heavy metals from liquid cultures, either in a mixture of the three metals or each metal in a single culture. In response to lead exposure, the Neocosmospora sp. strain secreted specific novel phenolic compounds other than anthraquinones or naphtoquinones, which have been described in similar situations. The Aspergillus sp. dropped the pH in the medium. High-performance liquid chromatography determinations indicated that this strain secreted mainly glutamic acid in response to lead, a novel mechanism, which has not been reported elsewhere. Malic and succinic acids were also produced in response to lead exposure. Possibly, glutamic and succinic acids (synthesized in the Krebs cycle) can be used to cope with metal toxicity due to the plant providing photosynthates to the fungus. These fungi showed the potential to be used for bioremediation or restoration of metal-polluted environments.