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Genetic Analysis of Magnetosome Biomineralization

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Book cover Magnetoreception and Magnetosomes in Bacteria

Part of the book series: Microbiology Monographs ((MICROMONO,volume 3))

Abstract

Magnetite crystals produced by magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) have uniform species–specific morphologies and sizes, which are mostly unknown from inorganic systems. This indicates that biomineralization in magnetosomes is a process with genetic control over the accumulation of iron, the deposition of the magnetic crystal within a specific compartment, as well as their intracellular assembly and alignment into chain-like structures. Our understanding of the molecular and genetic basis of magnetosome formation has substantially improved during the last few years due to the progress in genome analysis and the development of advanced genetic techniques to study MTB.

In this review, we describe the methods and systems, which have become available for genetic analysis of MTB. In addition, we summarize the current knowledge of genes and proteins controlling magnetosome formation, and give an overview over genomic analysis of MTB with emphasis on the structure and organization of genomic “magnetosome islands” identified in several strains of MTB.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge our students, colleagues, and numerous collaborators. Research in the author's lab is supported by the Max Planck Society, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and the German BMBF.

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  1. Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celciusstrasse 1, 28359, Bremen, Germany

    Christian Jogler & Dirk Schüler

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  1. Christian Jogler
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Jogler, C., Schüler, D. (2006). Genetic Analysis of Magnetosome Biomineralization. In: Schüler, D. (eds) Magnetoreception and Magnetosomes in Bacteria. Microbiology Monographs, vol 3. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg . https://doi.org/10.1007/7171_041

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