Magnetite (Fe3O4) and Greigite (Fe3S4) Crystals in Multicellular Magnetotactic Prokaryotes

Authors: Lins, Ulysses¹; Keim, Carolina¹; Evans, Flávia¹; Farina, Marcos²; Buseck, Peter³

Source: Geomicrobiology Journal, Volume 24, Number 1, January 2007 , pp. 43-50(8)

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Abstract:

Magnetotactic bacteria produce iron oxides, iron sulfides or both in organelles called magnetosomes. Most of these bacteria are unicellular and biomineralize magnetite (Fe3O4). In contrast, multicellular magnetotactic prokaryotes (MMPs) consisting of several gram-negative cells have only been known to crystallize the magnetic iron sulfide greigite (Fe3S4). In this work, we describe MMPs that mineralize magnetite in bullet-shaped crystals. Another unusual aspect is that magnetite occurs either as the only crystals or together with greigite crystals. MMPs containing only greigite in the magnetosomes occur in the same environment. These findings show that morphology, ultrastructure, and behavior are the main characteristics of the MMPs, not the type of magnetic crystal biomineralized in the magnetosomes.

Keywords: biomineralization; greigite; magnetite; magnetosome; magnetotactic bacteria; magnetotactic multicellular organism; multicellular magnetotactic prokaryote; manycelled magnetotactic prokaryote; MMP

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1080/01490450601134317

Affiliations: 1: Departamento de Microbiologia Geral, Instituto de Microbiologia Professor Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Janeiro, RJ, Brazil 2: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Janeiro, RJ, Brazil 3: Departments of Geological Sciences and Chemistry/Biochemistry, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA