Bifunctional protein ArsR(M) contributes to arsenite methylation and resistance in Brevundimonas sp. M20

BACKGROUND: Arsenic (As) with various chemical forms, including inorganic arsenic and organic arsenic, is the most prevalent water and environmental toxin. This metalloid occurs worldwide and many of its forms, especially arsenite [As(III)], cause various diseases including cancer. Organification of arsenite is an effective way for organisms to cope with arsenic toxicity. Microbial communities are vital contributors to the global arsenic biocycle and represent a promising way to reduce arsenite toxicity. METHODS: Brevundimonas sp. M20 with arsenite and roxarsone resistance was isolated from aquaculture sewage. The arsHRNBC cluster and the metRFHH operon of M20 were identified by sequencing. The gene encoding ArsR/methyltransferase fusion protein, arsR(M), was amplified and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3), and this strain showed resistance to arsenic in the present of 0.25–6 mM As(III), aresenate, or pentavalent roxarsone. The methylation activity and regulatory action of ArsR(M) were analyzed using Discovery Studio 2.0, and its functions were confirmed by methyltransferase activity analysis and electrophoretic mobility shift assays. RESULTS: The minimum inhibitory concentration of the roxarsone resistant strain Brevundimonas sp. M20 to arsenite was 4.5 mM. A 3,011-bp arsenite resistance ars cluster arsHRNBC and a 5649-bp methionine biosynthesis met operon were found on the 3.315-Mb chromosome. Functional prediction analyses suggested that ArsR(M) is a difunctional protein with transcriptional regulation and methyltransferase activities. Expression of ArsR(M) in E. coli increased its arsenite resistance to 1.5 mM. The arsenite methylation activity of ArsR(M) and its ability to bind to its own gene promoter were confirmed. The As(III)-binding site (ABS) and S-adenosylmethionine-binding motif are responsible for the difunctional characteristic of ArsR(M). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that ArsR(M) promotes arsenite methylation and is able to bind to its own promoter region to regulate transcription. This difunctional characteristic directly connects methionine and arsenic metabolism. Our findings contribute important new knowledge about microbial arsenic resistance and detoxification. Future work should further explore how ArsR(M) regulates the met operon and the ars cluster. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12866-023-02876-z.