The FtsZ-Like Protein FtsZm of Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense Likely Interacts with Its Generic Homolog and Is Required for Biomineralization under Nitrate Deprivation

Midcell selection, septum formation, and cytokinesis in most bacteria are orchestrated by the eukaryotic tubulin homolog FtsZ. The alphaproteobacterium Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense (MSR-1) septates asymmetrically, and cytokinesis is linked to splitting and segregation of an intracellular chain of membrane-enveloped magnetite crystals (magnetosomes). In addition to a generic, full-length ftsZ gene, MSR-1 contains a truncated ftsZ homolog (ftsZm) which is located adjacent to genes controlling biomineralization and magnetosome chain formation. We analyzed the role of FtsZm in cell division and biomineralization together with the full-length MSR-1 FtsZ protein. Our results indicate that loss of FtsZm has a strong effect on microoxic magnetite biomineralization which, however, could be rescued by the presence of nitrate in the medium. Fluorescence microscopy revealed that FtsZm-mCherry does not colocalize with the magnetosome-related proteins MamC and MamK but is confined to asymmetric spots at midcell and at the cell pole, coinciding with the FtsZ protein position. In Escherichia coli, both FtsZ homologs form distinct structures but colocalize when coexpressed, suggesting an FtsZ-dependent recruitment of FtsZm. In vitro analyses indicate that FtsZm is able to interact with the FtsZ protein. Together, our data suggest that FtsZm shares key features with its full-length homolog but is involved in redox control for magnetite crystallization.     

Iron-limited growth and kinetics of iron uptake in Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense

Growth and magnetite formation in Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense MSR-1 were found close to the maximum at an extracellular iron concentration of 15–20 μM. Ferrous iron was incorporated by a slow, diffusion-like process. Several iron chelators including various microbial siderophores were unable to promote transport of iron into the cells. In contrast, spent culture fluids stimulated the uptake of ferric iron in iron-depleted cells at a high rate, whereas fresh medium and transport buffer were unable to promote iron uptake. However, no siderophore-like compound could be detected in spent culture fluids by the Chrome Azurol S assay. Ferric iron uptake followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics with a K _m of 3 μM and a V _max of 0.86 nmol min^–1 (mg dry weight)^–1, suggesting a comparatively low-affinity, but high-velocity transport system. Iron incorporation was sensitive to 2,4-dinitrophenol and carbonylcyanide-m-chlorophenylhydrazone, indicating an energy-dependent transport process. Received: 21 May 1996 / Accepted: 7 August 1996     

Biochemical and proteomic analysis of the magnetosome membrane in Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense

We analyzed the biochemical composition of the magnetosome membrane (MM) in Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense. Isolated magnetosomes were associated with phospholipids and fatty acids which were similar to phospholipids and fatty acids from other subcellular compartments (i.e., outer and cytoplasmic membranes) but were present in different proportions. The binding characteristics of MM-associated proteins were studied by selective solubilization and limited proteolysis. The MM-associated proteins were further analyzed by various proteomic approaches, including one- and two-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by Edman and mass spectrometric (electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry-mass spectrometry) sequencing, as well as capillary liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-mass spectrometry of total tryptic digests of the MM. At least 18 proteins were found to constitute the magnetosome subproteome, and most of these proteins are novel for M. gryphiswaldense. Except for MM22 and Mms16, all bona fide MM proteins (MMPs) were encoded by open reading frames in the mamAB, mamDC, and mms6 clusters in the previously identified putative magnetosome island. Eight of the MMPs display homology to known families, and some of them occur in the MM in multiple homologues. Ten of the MMPs have no known homologues in nonmagnetic organisms and thus represent novel, magnetotactic bacterium-specific protein families. Several MMPs display repetitive or highly acidic sequence patterns, which are known from other biomineralizing systems and thus may have relevance for magnetite formation.     

Reduced inorganic sulfur oxidation supports autotrophic and mixotrophic growth of Magnetospirillum strain J10 and Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense

Magnetotactic bacteria are present at the oxic–anoxic transition zone where opposing gradients of oxygen and reduced sulfur and iron exist. Growth of non‐magnetotactic lithoautotrophic Magnetospirillum strain J10 and its close relative magnetotactic Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense was characterized in microaerobic continuous culture. Both strains were able to grow in mixotrophic (acetate + sulfide) and autotrophic (sulfide or thiosulfate) conditions. Autotrophically growing cells completely converted sulfide or thiosulfate to sulfate and produced 7.5 g dry weight per mol substrate at a maximum observed growth rate of 0.09 h^?1 for strain J10 and 0.07 h^?1 for M. gryphiswaldense. The respiratory activity for acetate was repressed in autotrophic and also in mixotrophic cultures, suggesting acetate was used as C‐source in the latter. We have estimated the proportions of substrate used for assimilatory processes and evaluated the biomass yields per mol dissimilated substrate. The yield for lithoheterotrophic growth using acetate as the C‐source was approximately twice the autotrophic growth yield and very similar to the heterotrophic yield, showing the importance of reduced sulfur compounds for growth. In the draft genome sequence of M. gryphiswaldense homologues of genes encoding a partial sulfur‐oxidizing (Sox) enzyme system and reverse dissimilatory sulfite reductase (Dsr) were identified, which may be involved in the oxidation of sulfide and thiosulfate. Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense is the first freshwater magnetotactic species for which autotrophic growth is shown.     

Biochemical and Proteomic Analysis of the Magnetosome Membrane in Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense

We analyzed the biochemical composition of the magnetosome membrane (MM) in Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense. Isolated magnetosomes were associated with phospholipids and fatty acids which were similar to phospholipids and fatty acids from other subcellular compartments (i.e., outer and cytoplasmic membranes) but were present in different proportions. The binding characteristics of MM-associated proteins were studied by selective solubilization and limited proteolysis. The MM-associated proteins were further analyzed by various proteomic approaches, including one- and two-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by Edman and mass spectrometric (electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry-mass spectrometry) sequencing, as well as capillary liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-mass spectrometry of total tryptic digests of the MM. At least 18 proteins were found to constitute the magnetosome subproteome, and most of these proteins are novel for M. gryphiswaldense. Except for MM22 and Mms16, all bona fide MM proteins (MMPs) were encoded by open reading frames in the mamAB, mamDC, and mms6 clusters in the previously identified putative magnetosome island. Eight of the MMPs display homology to known families, and some of them occur in the MM in multiple homologues. Ten of the MMPs have no known homologues in nonmagnetic organisms and thus represent novel, magnetotactic bacterium-specific protein families. Several MMPs display repetitive or highly acidic sequence patterns, which are known from other biomineralizing systems and thus may have relevance for magnetite formation.     

Cytochrome cd1 Nitrite Reductase NirS Is Involved in Anaerobic Magnetite Biomineralization in Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense and Requires NirN for Proper d1 Heme Assembly

The alphaproteobacterium Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense synthesizes magnetosomes, which are membrane-enveloped crystals of magnetite. Here we show that nitrite reduction is involved in redox control during anaerobic biomineralization of the mixed-valence iron oxide magnetite. The cytochrome cd₁-type nitrite reductase NirS shares conspicuous sequence similarity with NirN, which is also encoded within a larger nir cluster. Deletion of any one of these two nir genes resulted in impaired growth and smaller, fewer, and aberrantly shaped magnetite crystals during nitrate reduction. However, whereas nitrite reduction was completely abolished in the ΔnirS mutant, attenuated but significant nitrite reduction occurred in the ΔnirN mutant, indicating that only NirS is a nitrite reductase in M. gryphiswaldense. However, the ΔnirN mutant produced a different form of periplasmic d₁ heme that was not noncovalently bound to NirS, indicating that NirN is required for full reductase activity by maintaining a proper form of d₁ heme for holo-cytochrome cd₁ assembly. In conclusion, we assign for the first time a physiological function to NirN and demonstrate that effective nitrite reduction is required for biomineralization of wild-type crystals, probably by contributing to oxidation of ferrous iron under oxygen-limited conditions.     

Controlled Biomineralization of Magnetite (Fe(inf3)O(inf4)) and Greigite (Fe(inf3)S(inf4)) in a Magnetotactic Bacterium

A slowly moving, rod-shaped magnetotactic bacterium was found in relatively large numbers at and below the oxic-anoxic transition zone of a semianaerobic estuarine basin. Unlike all magnetotactic bacteria described to date, cells of this organism produce single-magnetic-domain particles of an iron oxide, magnetite (Fe(inf3)O(inf4)), and an iron sulfide, greigite (Fe(inf3)S(inf4)), within their magnetosomes. The crystals had different morphologies, being arrowhead or tooth shaped for the magnetite particles and roughly rectangular for the greigite particles, and were coorganized within the same chain(s) in the same cell with their long axes along the chain direction. Because the two crystal types have different crystallochemical characteristics, the findings presented here suggest that the formation of the crystal types is controlled by separate biomineralization processes and that the assembly of the magnetosome chain is controlled by a third ultrastructural process. In addition, our results show that in some magnetotactic bacteria, external environmental conditions such as redox and/or oxygen or hydrogen sulfide concentrations may affect the composition of the nonmetal part of the magnetosome mineral phase.     

Availability of O2 as a Substrate in the Cytoplasm of Bacteria under Aerobic and Microaerobic Conditions

The growth rates of Pseudomonas putida KT2442 and mt-2 on benzoate, 4-hydroxybenzoate, or 4-methylbenzoate showed an exponential decrease with decreasing oxygen tensions (partial O₂ tension [pO₂] values). The oxygen tensions resulting in half-maximal growth rates were in the range of 7 to 8 mbar of O₂ (corresponding to 7 to 8 μM O₂) (1 bar = 10⁵ Pa) for aromatic compounds, compared to 1 to 2 mbar for nonaromatic compounds like glucose or succinate. The decrease in the growth rates coincided with excretion of catechol or protocatechuate, suggesting that the activity of the corresponding oxygenases became limiting. The experiments directly establish that under aerobic and microaerobic conditions (about 10 mbar of O₂), the diffusion of O₂ into the cytoplasm occurs at high rates sufficient for catabolic processes. This is in agreement with calculated O₂ diffusion rates. Below 10 mbar of O₂, oxygen became limiting for the oxygenases, probably due to their high K_m values, but the diffusion of O₂ into the cytoplasm presumably should be sufficiently rapid to maintain ambient oxygen concentrations at oxygen tensions as low as 1 mbar of O₂. The consequences of this finding for the availability of O₂ as a substrate or as a regulatory signal in the cytoplasm of bacterial cells are discussed.     

趋磁螺菌遗传操作体系的建立及磁小体缺失突变株的筛选

由于MagnetospirillumgryphiswaldenseMSR 1缺少简便有效的遗传操作体系和对常见抗生素的抗性 ,致使对该菌磁小体生物合成的机制等研究工作进展缓慢。为此建立了一套比较简便有效的遗传操作体系 ,其中包括 :以平板封膜培养技术获得单菌落、在选择性培养液中进行接合转移遗传因子 ,以液体培养和磁铁吸附技术筛选突变子。利用此体系 ,通过接合转座诱变技术 ,获得了 2个磁小体缺失突变株 ,为研究该菌磁小体合成的分子遗传学提供了技术支撑     

Cellulase immobilization on Fe3O4 and characterization

A successful procedure for attaching cellulase to 45 mum iron oxide particles with a high-molecular-weight (1000) ligand has been developed. Mass and activity balances were calculated for immobilized enzymes with different loadings. The highest specific activity of the immobilized enzyme was 5.9 mmol glucose/g bound protein/h. The efficacy of retaining enzymatic activity was 128%. The optimum pH was 5.5 compared to 4.0 of the free enzyme. The half-life of the IMC was extended to 272 h compared to 0.77 h of the free enzyme.     

A hypervariable 130-kilobase genomic region of Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense comprises a magnetosome island which undergoes frequent rearrangements during stationary growth

Genes involved in magnetite biomineralization are clustered in the genome of the magnetotactic bacterium Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense. We analyzed a 482-kb genomic fragment, in which we identified an approximately 130-kb region representing a putative genomic "magnetosome island" (MAI). In addition to all known magnetosome genes, the MAI contains genes putatively involved in magnetosome biomineralization and numerous genes with unknown functions, as well as pseudogenes, and it is particularly rich in insertion elements. Substantial sequence polymorphism of clones from different subcultures indicated that this region undergoes frequent rearrangements during serial subcultivation in the laboratory. Spontaneous mutants affected in magnetosome formation arise at a frequency of up to 10(-2) after prolonged storage of cells at 4 degrees C or exposure to oxidative stress. All nonmagnetic mutants exhibited extended and multiple deletions in the MAI and had lost either parts of or the entire mms and mam gene clusters encoding magnetosome proteins. The mutations were polymorphic with respect to the sites and extents of deletions, but all mutations were found to be associated with the loss of various copies of insertion elements, as revealed by Southern hybridization and PCR analysis. Insertions and deletions in the MAI were also found in different magnetosome-producing clones, indicating that parts of this region are not essential for the magnetic phenotype. Our data suggest that the genomic MAI undergoes frequent transposition events, which lead to subsequent deletion by homologous recombination under physiological stress conditions. This can be interpreted in terms of adaptation to physiological stress and might contribute to the genetic plasticity and mobilization of the magnetosome island.     

Metal Reduction and Iron Biomineralization by a Psychrotolerant Fe(III)-Reducing Bacterium, Shewanella sp. Strain PV-4

A marine psychrotolerant, dissimilatory Fe(III)-reducing bacterium, Shewanella sp. strain PV-4, from the microbial mat at a hydrothermal vent of Loihi Seamount in the Pacific Ocean has been further characterized, with emphases on metal reduction and iron biomineralization. The strain is able to reduce metals such as Fe(III), Co(III), Cr(VI), Mn(IV), and U(VI) as electron acceptors while using lactate, formate, pyruvate, or hydrogen as an electron donor. Growth during iron reduction occurred over the pH range of 7.0 to 8.9, a sodium chloride range of 0.05 to 5%, and a temperature range of 0 to 37°C, with an optimum growth temperature of 18°C. Unlike mesophilic dissimilatory Fe(III)-reducing bacteria, which produce mostly superparamagnetic magnetite (<35 nm), this psychrotolerant bacterium produces well-formed single-domain magnetite (>35 nm) at temperatures from 18 to 37°C. The genome size of this strain is about 4.5 Mb. Strain PV-4 is sensitive to a variety of commonly used antibiotics except ampicillin and can acquire exogenous DNA (plasmid pCM157) through conjugation.     

Semicontinuous culture of Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense MSR-1 cells in an autofermentor by nutrient-balanced and isosmotic feeding strategies

An improved strategy was developed for the high-density culture of Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense strain MSR-1 and large-scale magnetosome production in both 7.5- and 42-liter autofermentors. By using a nutrient-balanced feeding strategy and the replacement of carbon and nitrogen sources to reduce accumulation of Na(+) and Cl(-) ions, we reduced the factors that tend to inhibit cell growth, particularly the increase of osmotic potential. Semicontinuous culture was thereby achieved in the autofermentor for the first time. When the cells were harvested at 36 and 73 h, magnetosome yields (dry weight) as high as 168.3 and 83.5 mg/liter/day, respectively, were achieved. These values were, respectively, approximately 10 and 5 times higher than the yields achieved in previous studies and represent a significant improvement in magnetosome production efficiency.     

Effects of Aerobic and Microaerobic Conditions on Anaerobic Ammonium-Oxidizing (Anammox) Sludge

The anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox) process is a promising novel option for removing nitrogen from wastewater. In this study it was shown that the Anammox process was inhibited reversibly by the presence of oxygen. Furthermore, aerobic nitrifiers were shown not to play an important role in the Anammox process.     

Lipophilic Proteins of Mitochondria from Microaerobic and Aerobic Continuous Cultures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Products of the mitochondrial protein-synthesizing system have been labeled in vivo in the presence of cycloheximide in microaerobic cells and in cells from glucose-limited and glucose-repressed aerobic continuous cultures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Lipophilic proteins were extracted from labeled mitochondrial membranes with aqueous methanol and neutral and acidic chloroform-methanol solvents. In glucose-limited aerobic and microaerobic cells, about half of the total mitochondrial products were soluble in organic solvents; in contrast, almost all of the labeled products were extracted from glucose-repressed mitochondria. Only trace amounts of labeled product were formed in mitochondrial membranes of a petite mutant. Lipophilic proteins were examined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under dissociating conditions. Most of the label was associated with components of apparent molecular weights 12,000, 14,000 and 16,000. The relative proportions of these species in mitochondrial membranes are dependent on the concentrations of oxygen and glucose in which the cells are grown.     

Fe3O4/ 生物可降解复合材料研究

磁性氧化铁纳米粒子因具有尺寸小、低毒性和超顺磁性等特点,已经引起了生物化工、医药工业领域的广泛关注。生物可降解高分子材料是生物医用高分子研究中最活跃的领域之一,已广泛用于外科手术缝合线,植入体材料及药物释放载体等。将Fe3O4和生物可降解高分子材料进行复合,可以扩大两者的应用范围,达到理想的治疗效果,并有望开创临床治疗的新时代。本文介绍了磁性四氧化三铁粒子的化学制备方法,包括共沉淀法、溶胶-凝胶法、微乳液法,并对各种方法的优缺点进行了比较;重点阐述了磁性壳聚糖,磁性聚乳酸,磁性PEG,磁性PCL复合材料的制备,及它们在酶的固定化、磁靶向药物及基因载体等医学领域的应用,显示了Fe3O4/生物可降解复合材料在医学领域的广阔应用前景;最后对复合材料走向临床应用所面临的问题及发展前景进行了讨论。