Proteomic analysis of Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34 in copper contaminated and remediated soils

Soil proteomic is receiving increasing attention as it can provide information on soil functionality and may lead to the discovery of protein biomarkers of soil pollution and efficiency of specific remediation options. Development of soil proteomics is hampered by the complex fate of the proteins in the soil environment, as proteins can be hydrolysed, denatured or adsorbed onto clay minerals or entrapped into organo-mineral complexes. We studied the proteome responses of the metal resistant bacterium Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34 inoculated into a Cu contaminated soil, and remediated by incorporation of organic matter (OM) and dolomitic limestone (DL) and the mixed treatment (OMDL), by two dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and mass spectrometry (MS). The results showed that the extraction and purification protocol were efficient. The protein patterns obtained from the untreated and treated soil were significantly different, possibly reflecting the effects of the adopted phytoremediation approach. We conclude that soil proteomics can be an useful approach to study the effects of soil trace element pollution and those of various phytoremediation options.