Skip to main content
Log in

Magnetic Inclusions in Prokaryotic Cells

  • Published:
Microbiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Prokaryotic cells may contain one of two types of magnetic intracellular structures, either crystalline magnetosomes or noncrystalline magnetic inclusions. In a magnetic field, the locomotor behavior of cells containing magnetosomes is categorized as magnetotaxis, whereas noncrystalline magnetic inclusions cause a passive attraction of cells containing such inclusions to a magnet. This review considers the distribution, structure, and function of both types of magnetic particles in prokaryotic cells.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  1. Skiles, D.D., Geomagnetic Field, Its Nature, History, and Significance in Biology, Magnetite Biomineralization and Magnetoreception in Organisms: A New Biomagnetism, Kirschvink, J.L. et al., Eds., Plenum, 1985, Translated under the title Biogennyi magnetit i magnitoretseptsiya: Novoe o biomagnetizme, Moscow: Mir, 1989, vol. 1, pp. 64-144.

  2. Diebel, C.E., Proksch, R., Green, C.R., Neilson, P., and Walker, M.M., Magnetite Defines a Vertebrate Magnetoreceptor, Nature (London), 2000, vol. 406, pp. 299-302.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Shcherbakov, V.P. and Winklhofer, M., The Osmotic Magnetometer: A New Model for Magnetite-Based Magnetoreceptors in Animals, Eur. Biophys. J., 1999, vol. 28, pp. 380-392.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Dunn, J.R., Fuller, M., Zoeger, J., Dobson, J., Heller, F., Hammann, J., Caine, E., and Moskowitz, B.M., Magnetic Material in the Human Hippocampus, Brain Res. Bull., 1995, vol. 6, pp. 149-153.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Higashi, T., Yamagishi, A., Takeuchi, T., and Date, M., Effects of Static Magnetic Fields on Erythrocyte Rheology, Bioelectrochem. Bioenerg., 1995, vol. 36, pp. 101-108.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Blakemore, R., Magnetotactic Bacteria, Science, 1975, vol. 190,no. 4212, pp. 377-379.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Vainshtein, M.B., Suzina, N.E., and Sorokin, V.V., A New Type of Magnet-Sensitive Inclusions in Cells of Photosynthetic Purple Bacteria, Syst. Appl. Microbiol., 1997, vol. 20, pp. 182-186.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Zavarzin, G.A., The Rise of the Biosphere, Mikrobiologiya, 1997, vol. 66,no. 6, pp. 725-734.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Pavlovich, S.A., Magnitnaya vospriimchivost' organizmov (The Magnetic Susceptibility of Organisms), Minsk: Nauka Tekhnika, 1985.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Verkhovtseva, N.V., The Transformation of Iron Compounds by Heterotrophic Bacteria, Mikrobiologiya, 1995, vol. 64,no. 4, pp. 473-478.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Schuler, D., Formation of Magnetosomes in Magnetotactic Bacteria, J. Mol. Microbiol. Biotechnol., 1999, vol. 1, pp. 79-86.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Spring, S. and Schleifer, K.-H., Diversity of Magnetotactic Bacteria, Syst. Appl. Microbiol., 1995, vol. 18, pp. 147-153.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Rodgers, F.G., Blakemore, R.P., Blakemore, N.A., Frankel, R.B., Bazylinski, D.A., Maratea, D., and Rodgers, C., Intercellular Structure in a Many-Celled Magnetotactic Prokaryote, Arch. Microbiol., 1990, vol. 154, pp. 18-22.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Frankel, R.B. and Bazylinski, D.A., Magnetotaxis in Bacteria, www.calpoly.edu/~rfrankel/magbac101.html.

  15. Schuler, D., Spring, S., and Bazylinski, D.A., Improved Technique for the Isolation of Magnetotactic Spirilla from a Freshwater Sediment and Their Phylogenetic Characterization, Syst. Appl. Microbiol., 1999, vol. 22, pp. 466-471.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Sakagushi, T., Burgess, J.G., and Matsunaga, T., Magnetite Formation by a Sulphate-reducing Bacterium, Nature (London), 1993, vol. 365, pp. 47-49.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Moskowitz, B.M., Biomineralization of Magnetic Minerals, Rev. Geophys., 1995, vol. 33, pp. 123-128.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Thornhill, R.H., Burgess, J.G., Sakaguchi, T., and Matsunaga, T., A Morphological Classification of Bacteria Containing Bullet-Shaped Magnetic Particles, FEMS Microbiol. Lett., 1994, vol. 115, pp. 169-176.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Bazylinski, D.A., Frankel, R.B., Heywood, B.R., Mann, S., King, J.W., Donaghay, P.L., and Hanson, A.K., Controlled Biomineralization of Magnetite (Fe3O4) and Greigite (Fe3S4) in a Magnetotactic Bacterium, Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 1995, vol. 61, pp. 3232-3239.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Spring, S., Lins, U., Amann, R., Schleifer, K.-H., Ferreira, L.C.S., Esquivel, D.M.S., and Farina, M., Phylogenetic Affiliation and Ultrastructure of Uncultured Magnetic Bacteria with Unusually Large Magnetosomes, Arch. Microbiol., 1998, vol. 169, pp. 136-147.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Stolz, J.F., Magnetosomes, J. Gen. Microbiol., 1993, vol. 139,no. 8, pp. 1663-1670.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Schueler, D. and Frankel, R.B., Bacterial Magnetosomes: Microbiology, Biomineralization, and Biotechnological Applications, Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol., 1999, vol. 52, pp. 464-473.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Garrity, G.M. and Holt, J.G., The Road Map to the Manual, Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, 2nd ed., Boone, D.R. et al., Eds., New York: Springer, 2001, vol. 1, pp. 155-166.

    Google Scholar 

  24. DeLong, E.F., Frankel, R.B., and Bazylinski, D.A., Multiple Evolutionary Origins of Magnetotaxis in Bacteria, Science, 1993, vol. 259, pp. 803-806.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Kawaguchi, R., Burgess, J.G., Sakaguchi, T., Takeyama, H., Thornhill, R.H., and Matsunaga, T., Phylogenetic Analysis of a Novel Sulfate-reducing Magnetic Bacterium, RS-1, Demonstrates Its Membership of the Delta-Proteobacteria, FEMS Microbiol. Lett., 1995, vol. 126, pp. 277-282.

    Google Scholar 

  26. Friedmann, E.I., Wierzchosy, J., Ascasospara, C., and Winklhofer, M., Chains of Magnetite Crystals in the Meteorite ALH84001: Evidence of Biological Origin, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 2001, vol. 98, pp. 2176-2181.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Vainshtein, M.B., Suzina, N.E., Kudryashova, N.E., Ariskina, E.V., and Sorokin, V.V., On the Diversity of Magnetotactic Bacteria, Mikrobiologiya, 1998, vol. 67, pp. 807-814.

    Google Scholar 

  28. Vainshtein, M., Kudryashova, E., Suzina, N., Ariskina, E., and Sorokin, V., On Functions of Non-Crystal Magnetosomes in Bacteria, SPIE Proc., 1998, vol. 3441, pp. 280-288.

    Google Scholar 

  29. Vainshtein, M., Suzina, N., Kudryashova, E., and Ariskina, E., New Magnet-Sensitive Structures in Bacterial and Archaeal Cells, Biol. Cell, 2002, vol. 94,no. 1, pp. 29-35.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ariskina, E.V. Magnetic Inclusions in Prokaryotic Cells. Microbiology 72, 251–258 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024231512124

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024231512124

Navigation