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Extremophilic Magnetotactic Bacteria

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Polyextremophiles

Part of the book series: Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology ((COLE,volume 27))

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Abstract

Magnetotactic bacteria represent a diverse group of motile prokaryotes that biomineralize intracellular, membrane-bounded, and tens-of-nanometer-sized crystals of a magnetic mineral, either magnetite (Fe3O4) or greigite (Fe3S4). These structures are called magnetosomes and cause cells to align along the Earth’s geomagnetic field lines as they swim, a trait called magnetotaxis. Magnetotactic bacteria are known to mainly inhabit the oxic-anoxic interface (OAI) of aquatic habitats, and it is currently thought that the magnetosomes function as a means of making chemotaxis more efficient in locating and maintaining an optimal position for growth and survival at the OAI. Until recently, no species of magnetotactic bacteria was ever found to be present in extreme environments. Recently, however, alkalophilic and moderately thermophilic magnetotactic bacteria were described and opened the possibility of the existence of magnetotactic bacteria in other extreme environments.

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Acknowledgements

Much of the work described here was supported by US National Science Foundation grant EAR-0920718 awarded to D.A.B. C.T.L. was the recipient of an award from the Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale FRM: SPF20101220993.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UMR7265 Biologie Végétale et Microbiologie Environnementales, Laboratoire de Bioénergétique Cellulaire, CNRS/CEA/Aix-Marseille Université, 13108, Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, France

    Christopher T. Lefèvre

  2. School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada at Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, 89154-4004, USA

    Dennis A. Bazylinski

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  1. Christopher T. Lefèvre
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  2. Dennis A. Bazylinski
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Correspondence to Christopher T. Lefèvre .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Hebrew Univ. of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

    Joseph Seckbach

  2. Dept. of Plant and Env. Sciences, Institute of Life Sciences The Hebrew Univ. of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

    Aharon Oren

  3. Dept. Mikrobiology, Universität Salzburg FB Molekulare Biologie, Salzburg, Austria

    Helga Stan-Lotter

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Lefèvre, C.T., Bazylinski, D.A. (2013). Extremophilic Magnetotactic Bacteria. In: Seckbach, J., Oren, A., Stan-Lotter, H. (eds) Polyextremophiles. Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology, vol 27. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6488-0_27

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