Premium
Grazing protozoa and magnetosome dissolution in magnetotactic bacteria
Author(s) -
Martins Juliana L.,
Silveira Thaís S.,
Abreu Fernanda,
Silva Karen T.,
Da SilvaNeto Inácio D.,
Lins Ulysses
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
environmental microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.954
H-Index - 188
eISSN - 1462-2920
pISSN - 1462-2912
DOI - 10.1111/j.1462-2920.2007.01389.x
Subject(s) - magnetosome , magnetotactic bacteria , ciliate , biology , vacuole , protozoa , multicellular organism , bacteria , microbiology and biotechnology , cytoplasm , ecology , biochemistry , paleontology , gene
Summary Magnetotactic bacteria show an ability to navigate along magnetic field lines because of magnetic particles called magnetosomes. All magnetotactic bacteria are unicellular except for the multicellular prokaryote (recently named ‘ Candidatus Magnetoglobus multicellularis’), which is formed by an orderly assemblage of 17–40 prokaryotic cells that swim as a unit. A ciliate was used in grazing experiments with the M. multicellularis to study the fate of the magnetosomes after ingestion by the protozoa. Ciliates ingested M. multicellularis , which were located in acid vacuoles as demonstrated by confocal laser scanning microscopy. Transmission electron microscopy and X‐ray microanalysis of thin‐sectioned ciliates showed the presence of M. multicellularis and magnetosomes inside vacuoles in different degrees of degradation. The magnetosomes are dissolved within the acidic vacuoles of the ciliate. Depending on the rate of M. multicellularis consumption by the ciliates the iron from the magnetosomes may be recycled to the environment in a more soluble form.