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The Characterization Of Two Diverse Magnetotactic Bacteria: Lems And Mms-1, Ulysses C. Pickard, Paul A. Howse, Dennis A. Bazylinski
The Characterization Of Two Diverse Magnetotactic Bacteria: Lems And Mms-1, Ulysses C. Pickard, Paul A. Howse, Dennis A. Bazylinski
Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)
Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) are a diverse group of prokaryotes that biomineralize membrane-bound magnetic crystals known as magnetosomes. The magnetosomes are aligned within the cell and consist of either magnetite (Fe3O4) or greigite (Fe3S4). The biomineralization of magnetosomes consists of several processes including: invagination of the cytoplasmic membrane, iron uptake into the cell and then into the magnetosome membrane vesicle, and crystallization of the mineral phase inside the vesicle. Mam genes control magnetosome biomineralization with most of the genes present in an island called a magnetosome island. Many of the mam genes are conserved between different species of MTB. The genes …