Abstract
Magnetotactic bacteria are a diverse group of motile prokaryotes that are ubiquitous in aquatic habitats and cosmopolitan in distribution. In this study, we collected magnetotactic bacteria from the Mediterranean Sea. A remarkable diversity of morphotypes was observed, including multicellular types that seemed to differ from those previously found in North and South America. Another interesting organism was one with magnetosomes arranged in a six-stranded bundle which occupied one third of the cell width. The magnetosome bundle was evident even under optic microscopy. These cells were connected together and swam as a linear entire unit. Magnetosomes did not always align up to form a straight linear chain. A chain composed of rectangle magnetosomes bent at a position with an oval crystal. High resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis of the crystal at the pivotal position suggested uncompleted formation of the crystal. This is the first report of Mediterranean magnetotactic bacteria, which should be useful for studies of biogeochemical cycling and geohistory of the Mediterranean Sea.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Balkwill, D. L., D. Maratea, and R. P. Blakemore, 1980. Ultrastructure of a magnetotactic spirillum. J. Bacteriol., 141(3): 1399–1408.
Bazylinski, D., R. Frankel, B. Heywood, S. Mann, J. King, et al., 1995. Controlled biomineralization of magnetite (Fe3O4) and greigite (Fe3S4) in a magnetotactic bacterium. Appl. Envir. Microbiol., 61(9): 3232–3239.
Bazylinski, D. A., and R. B. Frankel, 2000. Biologically Controlled Mineralization of Magnetic Iron Minerals by Magnetotactic Bacteria. Lovley, D. R., ed., ASM Press, Washington, D. C., 109–144.
Bazylinski, D. A., and R. B. Frankel, 2004. Magnetosome formation in prokaryotes. Nat. Rev. Microbiol., 2(3): 217–230.
Bazylinski, D. A., R. B. Frankel, A. J. Garratt-Reed, and S. Mann, 1988. Anaerobic production of magnetite by a marine magnetotactic bacterium. Nature, 334: 518–519.
Blakemore, R. P., 1975. Magnetotactic bacteria. Science, 190(4212): 377–379.
DeLong, E. F., R. B. Frankel, and D. A. Bazylinski, 1993. Multiple evolutionary origins of magnetotaxis in bacteria. Science, 259: 803–806.
Dinares-Turell, J., B. A. A. Hoogakker, A. P. Roberts, E. J. Rohling, and L. Sagnotti, 2003. Quaternary climatic control of biogenic magnetite production and eolian dust input in cores from the Mediterranean Sea. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 190: 195–209.
Fassbinder, J. W. E., H. Stanjek, and H. Vali, 1990. Occurrence of magnetic bacteria in soil. Nature, 343: 161–162.
Flies, C. B., J. Peplies, and D. Schüler, 2005. Combined approach for characterization of uncultivated magnetotactic bacteria from various aquatic environments. Appl. Envir. Microbiol., 71(5): 2723–2731.
Flies, C. B., H. M. Jonkers, D. de Beer, K. Bosselmann, M. E. Bottcher, et al., 2005. Diversity and vertical distribution of magnetotactic bacteria along chemical gradients in freshwater microcosms. FEMS Microbiol. Ecol., 52: 185–195.
Frankel, R. B., D. A. Bazylinski, M. S. Johnson, and B. L. Taylor, 1997. Magneto-aerotaxis in marine coccoid bacteria. Biophys. J., 73(2): 994–1000.
Haag, M., 2000. Reliability of relative palaeointensities of a sediment core with climatically-triggered strong magnetisation changes. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 180: 49–59.
Keim, C. N., F. Abreu, U. Lins, H. Lins de Barros, and M. Farina, 2004. Cell organization and ultrastructure of a magnetotactic multicellular organism. J. Struct. Biol., 145: 254–262.
Kirschvink, J. L., 1992. On the magnetostatic control of crystal orientation and iron accumulation in magnetosomes. Automedica, 14: 257–269.
Komeili, A., Z. Li, D. K. Newman, and G. J. Jensen, 2006. Magnetosomes are cell membrane invaginations organized by the actin-like protein MamK. Science, 311(5758): 242–245.
Lean, C. M. B., and I. N. McCave, 1998. Glacial to interglacial mineral magnetic and palaeoceanographic changes at Chatham Rise, SW Pacific Ocean. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 163: 247–260.
Maher, B. A., and R. M. Taylor, 1988. Formation of ultrafine-grained magnetite in soils. Nature, 336: 368–370.
Mann, S., N. H. Sparks, and R. G. Board, 1990. Magnetotactic bacteria: microbiology, biomineralization, palaeomagnetism and biotechnology. Adv. Microb. Physiol., 31: 125–181.
Petersen, N., T. V. Dobeneck, and H. Vali, 1986. Fossil bacterial magnetite in deep-sea sediments from the South Atlantic Ocean. Nature, 320: 611–615.
Saito, T., M. R. Wormald, and R. J. P. Williams, 1991. Some structural features of the iron-uptake regulation protein. Eur. J. Biochem., 197: 29–38.
Scheffel, A., M. Gruska, D. Faivre, A. Linaroudis, J. M. Plitzko et al., 2006. An acidic protein aligns magnetosomes along a filamentous structure in magnetotactic bacteria. Nature, 440(7080): 110–114.
Schüler, D., 2002. The biomineralization of magnetosomes in Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense. Int. Microbiol., 5(4): 209–214.
Schüler, D., 1999. Formation of magnetosomes in magnetotactic bacteria. J. Mol. Microbiol. Biotechnol., 1(1): 79–86.
Schüler, D., 2004. Molecular analysis of a subcellular compartment: the magnetosome membrane in Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense. Arch. Microbiol., 181: 1–7.
Schüler, D., and R. B. Frankel, 1999. Bacterial magnetosomes: microbiology, biomineralization and biotechnological applications. Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol., 52(4): 464–473.
Simmons, S. L., S. M. Sievert, R. B. Frankel, D. A. Bazylinski, and K. J. Edwards, 2004. Spatiotemporal distribution of marine magnetotactic bacteria in a seasonally stratified coastal salt pond. Appl. Envir. Microbiol., 70(10): 6230–6239.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lefèvre, C., Bernadac, A., Pradel, N. et al. Characterization of Mediterranean magnetotactic bacteria. J Ocean Univ. China 6, 355–359 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-007-0355-4
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-007-0355-4