Ecology, Diversity, and Evolution of Magnetotactic Bacteria

Diversity and ecology of and biomineralization by magnetotactic bacteria.

Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) biomineralize intracellular, membrane-bounded crystals of magnetite (Fe3 O4 ) and/or greigite (Fe3 S4 ) called magnetosomes. MTB play important roles in the geochemical cycling of iron, sulfur, nitrogen and carbon. Significantly, they also represent an intriguing model system not just for the study of microbial biomineralization but also for magnetoreception, prokar...

Life with compass: diversity and biogeography of magnetotactic bacteria.

Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) are unique in their ability to synthesize intracellular nano-sized minerals of magnetite and/or greigite magnetosomes for magnetic orientation. Thus, they provide an excellent model system to investigate mechanisms of biomineralization. MTB play important roles in bulk sedimentary magnetism and have numerous versatile applications in paleoenvironmental reconstructio...

Magnetotactic bacteria and magnetosomes.

uncultured magnetotactic bacteria

Magnetotactic bacteria produce magnetic crystals in organelles called magnetosomes. The bacterial cells may also have phosphorus-containing granules, sulfur globules, or polyhydroxyalkanoate inclusions. In the present study, the ultrastructure and elemental composition of intracellular inclusions from uncultured magnetotactic bacteria collected in a marine environment are described. Magnetosome...

Magnetic Properties of Magnetotactic Bacteria

This paper reports on the magnetic properties of magnetosomes in the freshwater magnetotactic bacterium Aquaspirillum nlllgnetOlaClicwn. The magnetosomes are well crystallized particles of magnetite with dimensions of 40 to 50 nm, which are arranged within cells in a single linear chain and are within the single-magnetic-domain (SO) size range for. magnetite. A variety of magnetic properties ha...