Exploring metal effects and synergistic interactions of ferric stimulation on azo-dye decolorization by new indigenous Acinetobacter guillouiae Ax-9 and Rahnella aquatilis DX2b

The first-attempt study deciphered metal-interacting effects on dye-decolorizing capabilities of indigenous bioelectricity-generating strains, Acinetobacter guillouiae Ax-9 and Rahnella aquatilis DX2b. Most of the metallic ions were inhibitory to color removal capabilities of these strains. However, with supplementation of 5 mM ferric chloride, specific decolorization rate (SDR) of Ax-9 increased by 55.48 % compared to Fe³⁺-free conditions. In contrast, SDR of DX2b decreased 75.35 % due to the inhibition of ferric chloride. On the other hand, ferric citrate could stimulate SDR of DX2b for 21.5 % at same dosage. Enzymatic assay indicated that Fe reductase activity was consistent with synergistic effects of ferric chloride on Ax-9, and ferric citrate on DX2b. Protein analysis via SDS-PAGE and identification of Tandem MS/MS afterwards showed that outer membrane protein (Omp) primarily deals with decolorization as a channeling regulation. Moreover, molecular modeling and bioinformatics data also provided detailed evidences to confirm the biological significance of Omp.