Blomineral Compartmentalization in Uncultured Magnetic Bacteria

Abstract

Magnetic bacteria are a group of motile microorganisms that orient to magnetic field lines because of membrane-bound organelles called magnetosomes. Magnetic bacteria precipitate magnetite (Fe₃O₄) or greigite (Fe₃S₄) in their magnetosomes. The ability of uncultured magnetic bacteria of accumulating minerals in different cell compartments is still poorly understood. We have been studying natural enrichments of magnetic bacteria from the Itaipu and Rodrigo de Freitas lagoons, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Here, we have used energy-filtering transmission electron microscopy to study the element distribution in biocomposites found in magnetic bacteria from both lagoons. in Itaipu lagoon, electron microscopy and phylogenetic position determination by 16S rRNA genes sequencing identified at least four morphotypes of magnetic bacteria. Typical structures found in all gram-negative bacteria, in addition to some internal compartments were observed (Fig. la). Amorphous granules (Fig. la) and magnetosomes (Fig. lb) were the two well-defined compartments that accumulated significant amounts of minerals.