ArticleThe ISME journal2011
Lithotrophic iron-oxidizing bacteria produce organic stalks to control mineral growth: implications for biosignature formation.
Article in The ISME journal, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 103 papers.
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Who cites it
103 citing papers in PubMed, 372 citations in OpenAlex.
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- Soft X-ray spectromicroscopic proof of a reversible oxidation/reduction of microbial biofilm structures using a novel microfluidic in situ electrochemical device.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Alleviation of cadmium uptake in rice (Oryza sativa L.) by iron plaque on the root surface generated by Providencia manganoxydans via Fe(II) oxidation.Archives of microbiology · 2024Article
- Ferriphaselus amnicola strain GF-20, a new iron- and thiosulfate-oxidizing bacterium isolated from a hard rock aquifer.FEMS microbiology ecology · 2024Article
- Label-Free In Situ Chemical Characterization of Amyloid Plaques in Human Brain Tissues.ACS chemical neuroscience · 2024Article
- Diversity and distribution of iron-oxidising bacteria belonging to Gallionellaceae in different sites of a hydroelectric power plant.Brazilian journal of microbiology : [publication of the Brazilian Society for Microbiology] · 2024Article
- Linking Zetaproteobacterial diversity and substratum type in iron-rich microbial mats from the Lucky Strike hydrothermal field (EMSO-Azores observatory).Applied and environmental microbiology · 2024Article
- Seafloor incubation experiments at deep-sea hydrothermal vents reveal distinct biogeographic signatures of autotrophic communities.FEMS microbiology ecology · 2024Article
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- Putative novel hydrogen- and iron-oxidizing sheath-producing Zetaproteobacteria thrive at the Fåvne deep-sea hydrothermal vent field.mSystems · 2023Article
- Aerobic iron-oxidizing bacteria secrete metabolites that markedly impede abiotic iron oxidation.PNAS nexus · 2023Article
- Spongin as a Unique 3D Template for the Development of Functional Iron-Based Composites Using Biomimetic Approach In Vitro.Marine drugs · 2023Article
43 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Neutrophilic Fe-oxidizing bacteria (FeOB) are often identified by their distinctive morphologies, such as the extracellular twisted ribbon-like stalks formed by Gallionella ferruginea or Mariprofundus ferrooxydans. Similar filaments preserved in silica are often identified as FeOB fossils in rocks. Although it is assumed that twisted iron stalks are indicative of FeOB, the stalk's metabolic role has not been established. To this end, we studied the marine FeOB M. ferrooxydans by light, X-ray and electron microscopy. Using time-lapse light microscopy, we observed cells excreting stalks during growth (averaging 2.2 μm h(-1)). Scanning transmission X-ray microscopy and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy show that stalks are Fe(III)-rich, whereas cells are low in Fe. Transmission electron microscopy reveals that stalks are composed of several fibrils, which contain few-nanometer-sized iron oxyhydroxide crystals. Lepidocrocite crystals that nucleated on the fibril surface are much larger (∼100 nm), suggesting that mineral growth within fibrils is retarded, relative to sites surrounding fibrils. C and N 1s NEXAFS spectroscopy and fluorescence probing show that stalks primarily contain carboxyl-rich polysaccharides. On the basis of these results, we suggest a physiological model for Fe oxidation in which cells excrete oxidized Fe bound to organic polymers. These organic molecules retard mineral growth, preventing cell encrustation. This model describes an essential role for stalk formation in FeOB growth. We suggest that stalk-like morphologies observed in modern and ancient samples may be correlated confidently with the Fe-oxidizing metabolism as a robust biosignature.
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