Common ancestry of iron oxide- and iron-sulfide-based biomineralization in magnetotactic bacteria.

ABSTRACT: Magnetosomes are prokaryotic organelles produced by magnetotactic bacteria that consist of nanometer-sized magnetite (Fe(3)O(4)) or/and greigite (Fe(3)S(4)) magnetic crystals enveloped by a lipid bilayer membrane. In magnetite-producing magnetotactic bacteria, proteins present in the magnetosome membrane modulate biomineralization of the magnetite crystal. In these microorganisms, genes that encode for magnetosome membrane proteins as well as genes involved in the construction of the magnetite magnetosome chain, the mam and mms genes, are organized within a genomic island. However, partially because there are presently no greigite-producing magnetotactic bacteria in pure culture, little is known regarding the greigite biomineralization process in these organisms including whether similar g

SUBMITTER: Abreu F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3176509 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature