Absence of detectable arsenate in DNA from arsenate-grown GFAJ-1 cells.

Publication Year
2012

Type

Journal Article
Abstract

A strain of Halomonas bacteria, GFAJ-1, has been claimed to be able to use arsenate as a nutrient when phosphate is limiting and to specifically incorporate arsenic into its DNA in place of phosphorus. However, we have found that arsenate does not contribute to growth of GFAJ-1 when phosphate is limiting and that DNA purified from cells grown with limiting phosphate and abundant arsenate does not exhibit the spontaneous hydrolysis expected of arsenate ester bonds. Furthermore, mass spectrometry showed that this DNA contains only trace amounts of free arsenate and no detectable covalently bound arsenate.

Journal
Science
Volume
337
Issue
6093
Pages
470-3
Date Published
07/2012
Alternate Journal
Science