-
Nature Communications Sep 2019Spin wave logic circuits using quantum oscillations of spins (magnons) as carriers of information have been proposed for next generation computing with reduced energy...
Spin wave logic circuits using quantum oscillations of spins (magnons) as carriers of information have been proposed for next generation computing with reduced energy demands and the benefit of easy parallelization. Current realizations of magnonic devices have micrometer sized patterns. Here we demonstrate the feasibility of biogenic nanoparticle chains as the first step to truly nanoscale magnonics at room temperature. Our measurements on magnetosome chains (ca 12 magnetite crystals with 35 nm particle size each), combined with micromagnetic simulations, show that the topology of the magnon bands, namely anisotropy, band deformation, and band gaps are determined by local arrangement and orientation of particles, which in turn depends on the genotype of the bacteria. Our biomagnonic approach offers the exciting prospect of genetically engineering magnonic quantum states in nanoconfined geometries. By connecting mutants of magnetotactic bacteria with different arrangements of magnetite crystals, novel architectures for magnonic computing may be (self-) assembled.
Topics: Anisotropy; Computer Simulation; Crystallization; Genotype; Magnetics; Magnetosomes; Magnetospirillum; Mutation; Nanoparticles; Particle Size; Quantum Theory; Spin Labels
PubMed: 31554798
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12219-0 -
Microbiological Research Oct 2017Bacterial magnetosome, synthetized by magnetosome-producing microorganisms including magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) and some non-magnetotactic bacteria (Non-MTB), is a new... (Review)
Review
Bacterial magnetosome, synthetized by magnetosome-producing microorganisms including magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) and some non-magnetotactic bacteria (Non-MTB), is a new type of material comprising magnetic nanocrystals surrounded by a phospholipid bilayer. Because of the special properties such as single magnetic domain, excellent biocompatibility and surface modification, bacterial magnetosome has become an increasingly attractive for researchers in biology, medicine, paleomagnetism, geology and environmental science. This review briefly describes the general feature of magnetosome-producing microorganisms. This article also highlights recent advances in the understanding of the biochemical and magnetic characteristics of bacterial magnetosome, as well as the magnetosome formation mechanism including iron ions uptake, magnetosome membrane formation, biomineralization and magnetosome chain assembly. Finally, this review presents the potential applications of bacterial magnetosome in biomedicine, wastewater treatment, and the significance of mineralization of magnetosome in biology and geology.
Topics: Cell Membrane; Ferrosoferric Oxide; Iron; Magnetic Fields; Magnetosomes; Magnetospirillum; Sulfides
PubMed: 28754204
DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2017.06.005 -
Marine Drugs Jan 2015Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) produce intracellular organelles called magnetosomes which are magnetic nanoparticles composed of magnetite (Fe3O4) or greigite (Fe3S4)... (Review)
Review
Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) produce intracellular organelles called magnetosomes which are magnetic nanoparticles composed of magnetite (Fe3O4) or greigite (Fe3S4) enveloped by a lipid bilayer. The synthesis of a magnetosome is through a genetically controlled process in which the bacterium has control over the composition, direction of crystal growth, and the size and shape of the mineral crystal. As a result of this control, magnetosomes have narrow and uniform size ranges, relatively specific magnetic and crystalline properties, and an enveloping biological membrane. These features are not observed in magnetic particles produced abiotically and thus magnetosomes are of great interest in biotechnology. Most currently described MTB have been isolated from saline or brackish environments and the availability of their genomes has contributed to a better understanding and culturing of these fastidious microorganisms. Moreover, genome sequences have allowed researchers to study genes related to magnetosome production for the synthesis of magnetic particles for use in future commercial and medical applications. Here, we review the current information on the biology of MTB and apply, for the first time, a genome mining strategy on these microorganisms to search for secondary metabolite synthesis genes. More specifically, we discovered that the genome of the cultured MTB Magnetovibrio blakemorei, among other MTB, contains several metabolic pathways for the synthesis of secondary metabolites and other compounds, thereby raising the possibility of the co-production of new bioactive molecules along with magnetosomes by this species.
Topics: Biological Products; Magnetic Phenomena; Magnetosomes; Rhodospirillaceae
PubMed: 25603340
DOI: 10.3390/md13010389 -
The Journal of Biological Chemistry Jun 2005
Topics: Acetobacter; Biochemistry; Enterobacter aerogenes; History, 20th Century; Microbiology; Mutation; United States
PubMed: 15840567
DOI: 10.1074/jbc.X500003200 -
Microbiological Reviews Jun 1978
Review
Topics: Bacteriochlorophylls; Bacteriocins; Bacteriophages; Biological Evolution; Conjugation, Genetic; DNA, Bacterial; Electron Transport; Mutation; Plasmids; Rhodospirillaceae; Species Specificity; Transformation, Bacterial
PubMed: 353480
DOI: 10.1128/mr.42.2.357-384.1978 -
World Journal of Microbiology &... Jun 2022Gluconobacter oxydans is a well-known acetic acid bacterium that has long been applied in the biotechnological industry. Its extraordinary capacity to oxidize a variety... (Review)
Review
Gluconobacter oxydans is a well-known acetic acid bacterium that has long been applied in the biotechnological industry. Its extraordinary capacity to oxidize a variety of sugars, polyols, and alcohols into acids, aldehydes, and ketones is advantageous for the production of valuable compounds. Relevant G. oxydans industrial applications are in the manufacture of L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C), miglitol, gluconic acid and its derivatives, and dihydroxyacetone. Increasing efforts on improving these processes have been made in the last few years, especially by applying metabolic engineering. Thereby, a series of genes have been targeted to construct powerful recombinant strains to be used in optimized fermentation. Furthermore, low-cost feedstocks, mostly agro-industrial wastes or byproducts, have been investigated, to reduce processing costs and improve the sustainability of G. oxydans bioprocess. Nonetheless, further research is required mainly to make these raw materials feasible at the industrial scale. The current shortage of suitable genetic tools for metabolic engineering modifications in G. oxydans is another challenge to be overcome. This paper aims to give an overview of the most relevant industrial G. oxydans processes and the current strategies developed for their improvement.
Topics: Acetic Acid; Biotechnology; Fermentation; Gluconobacter oxydans; Metabolic Engineering
PubMed: 35688964
DOI: 10.1007/s11274-022-03310-8 -
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces May 2022Biocatalysis in flow reactor systems is of increasing importance for the transformation of the chemical industry. However, the necessary immobilization of biocatalysts...
Biocatalysis in flow reactor systems is of increasing importance for the transformation of the chemical industry. However, the necessary immobilization of biocatalysts remains a challenge. We here demonstrate that biogenic magnetic nanoparticles, so-called magnetosomes, represent an attractive alternative for the development of nanoscale particle formulations to enable high and stable conversion rates in biocatalytic flow processes. In addition to their intriguing material characteristics, such as high crystallinity, stable magnetic moments, and narrow particle size distribution, magnetosomes offer the unbeatable advantage over chemically synthesized nanoparticles that foreign protein "cargo" can be immobilized on the enveloping membrane via genetic engineering and thus, stably presented on the particle surface. To exploit these advantages, we develop a modular connector system in which abundant magnetosome membrane anchors are genetically fused with SpyCatcher coupling groups, allowing efficient covalent coupling with complementary SpyTag-functionalized proteins. The versatility of this approach is demonstrated by immobilizing a dimeric phenolic acid decarboxylase to SpyCatcher magnetosomes. The functionalized magnetosomes outperform similarly functionalized commercial particles by exhibiting stable substrate conversion during a 60 h period, with an average space-time yield of 49.2 mmol L h. Overall, our results demonstrate that SpyCatcher magnetosomes significantly expand the genetic toolbox for particle surface functionalization and increase their application potential as nano-biocatalysts.
Topics: Biocatalysis; Genetic Engineering; Magnetosomes; Magnetospirillum; Nanoparticles
PubMed: 35508355
DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c03337 -
Journal of Basic Microbiology Aug 2015For centuries, the Acetobacteraceae is known as a family that harbors many species of organisms of biotechnological importance for industry. Nonetheless, since 1988... (Review)
Review
For centuries, the Acetobacteraceae is known as a family that harbors many species of organisms of biotechnological importance for industry. Nonetheless, since 1988 representatives of this family have also been described as nitrogen fixing bacteria able to plant growth promotion by a variety of mechanisms. Nitrogen fixation is a biological process that guarantees that the atmospheric N2 is incorporated into organic matter by several bacterial groups. Most representatives of this group, also known as diazotrophic, are generally associated with soil rhizosphere of many plants and also establishing a more specific association living inside roots, leaves, and others plants tissues as endophyte. Their roles as plant growth-promoting microorganisms are generally related to increase in plant biomass, phosphate and other mineral solubilization, and plant pathogen control. Here, we report many of these plant growth-promoting processes related to nitrogen fixing species already described in Acetobacteraceae family, especially Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus and their importance to agriculture. In addition, a brief review of the state of art of the phylogenetics, main physiological and biochemical characteristics, molecular and functional genomic data of this group of Acetobacteraceae is presented.
Topics: Acetobacteraceae; Agriculture; Biomass; Endophytes; Gluconacetobacter; Nitrogen Fixation; Phylogeny; Plant Leaves; Plant Roots; Rhizosphere; Soil Microbiology
PubMed: 25736602
DOI: 10.1002/jobm.201400898 -
Proceedings of the National Academy of... Feb 2022Bacteria are efficient colonizers of a wide range of secluded microhabitats, such as soil pores, skin follicles, or intestinal crypts. How the structural diversity of...
Bacteria are efficient colonizers of a wide range of secluded microhabitats, such as soil pores, skin follicles, or intestinal crypts. How the structural diversity of these habitats modulates microbial self-organization remains poorly understood, in part because of the difficulty to precisely manipulate the physical structure of microbial environments. Using a microfluidic device to grow bacteria in crypt-like incubation chambers of systematically varied lengths, we show that small variations in the physical structure of the microhabitat can drastically alter bacterial colonization success and resistance against invaders. Small crypts are uncolonizable; intermediately sized crypts can stably support dilute populations, while beyond a second critical length scale, populations phase separate into a dilute region and a jammed region. The jammed state is characterized by extreme colonization resistance, even if the resident strain is suppressed by an antibiotic. Combined with a flexible biophysical model, we demonstrate that colonization resistance and associated priority effects can be explained by a crowding-induced phase transition, which results from a competition between proliferation and density-dependent cell leakage. The emerging sensitivity to scale underscores the need to control for scale in microbial ecology experiments. Systematic flow-adjustable length-scale variations may serve as a promising strategy to elucidate further scale-sensitive tipping points and to rationally modulate the stability and resilience of microbial colonizers.
Topics: Acetobacter; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacteriological Techniques; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Lab-On-A-Chip Devices; Tetracycline
PubMed: 35145031
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2115496119 -
The Journal of Physical Chemistry. B Apr 2022Defining chemical properties of intracellular organelles is necessary to determine their function(s) as well as understand and mimic the reactions they host. However,...
Defining chemical properties of intracellular organelles is necessary to determine their function(s) as well as understand and mimic the reactions they host. However, the small size of bacterial and archaeal microorganisms often prevents defining local intracellular chemical conditions in a similar way to what has been established for eukaryotic organelles. This work proposes to use magnetite (FeO) nanocrystals contained in magnetosome organelles of magnetotactic bacteria as reporters of elemental composition, pH, and redox potential of a hypothetical environment at the site of formation of intracellular magnetite. This methodology requires combining recent single-cell mass spectrometry measurements together with elemental composition of magnetite in trace and minor elements. It enables a quantitative characterization of chemical disequilibria of 30 chemical elements between the intracellular and external media of magnetotactic bacteria, revealing strong transfers of elements with active influx or efflux processes that translate into elemental accumulation (Mo, Se, and Sn) or depletion (Sr and Bi) in the bacterial internal medium of up to seven orders of magnitude relative to the extracellular medium. Using this concept, we show that chemical conditions in magnetosomes are compatible with a pH of 7.5-9.5 and a redox potential of -0.25 to -0.6 V.
Topics: Bacteria; Ferrosoferric Oxide; Gram-Negative Bacteria; Magnetosomes; Magnetospirillum
PubMed: 35362974
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c00752