Bioprospecting in the Berkeley pit: Bio active metabolites from acid mine waste extremophiles

摘要: Abstract The Berkeley Pit Lake system in Butte, Montana is part of the largest EPA Superfiind site North America. It includes Lake, an abandoned open-pit copper mine, 1300 feet deep and one mile across. During its thirty years operation surrounding shaft mines were dewatered through constant pumping. On Earth Day 1982 pumps turned off for last time, began to evolve into acid mine waste lake. As infiltrating ground water continually seeps Pit, rich veins pyrite other minerals dissolve, generating process. There are currently 30 billion gallons with inflow rate 4 million gallons/day. acidic (pH 2.5 - 2.7) contaminated high concentrations metal sulfates including iron, copper, aluminum, cadmium zinc. Unfortunately, sits at headwaters Clark Fork River, a major tributary Columbia River. If rises another 200 feet, it will reach critical overflow level. At current rise, level be reached approximately ten years. Although chemical dynamics possible remediation strategies have been studied twenty years, microbial ecology was neglected. With low pH content, considered too toxic support life. Since 1995, however, colleague Grant Mitman, we isolated over sixty fungi, protists, algae, protozoans bacteria. conditions within System “normal” aquatic biota, these same represent ideal environment extremophiles. This hostile may also select new species that produce novel secondary metabolites. can challenge isolating culturing extremophiles, but unique drug discovery find methods targeting bioactive components organisms.