Magnetosomes Are Cell Membrane Invaginations Organized by the Actin-Like Protein MamK

Magnetosomes are membranous bacterial organelles sharing many features of eukaryotic organelles. Using electron cryotomography, we found that magnetosomes are invaginations of the cell membrane flanked by a network of cytoskeletal filaments. The filaments appeared to be composed of MamK, a homolog of the bacterial actin-like protein MreB, which formed filaments in vivo. In a mamK deletion strain, the magnetosome-associated cytoskeleton was absent and individual magnetosomes were no longer organized into chains. Thus, it seems that prokaryotes can use cytoskeletal filaments to position organelles within the cell.

Magnetically actuated propulsion at low Reynolds numbers: towards nanoscale control

Significant progress has been made in the fabrication of micron and sub-micron structures whose motion can be controlled in liquids under ambient conditions. The aim of many of these engineering endeavors is to be able to build and propel an artificial micro-structure that rivals the versatility of biological swimmers of similar size, e.g. motile bacterial cells. Applications for such artificial "micro-bots" are envisioned to range from microrheology to targeted drug delivery and microsurgery, and require full motion-control under ambient conditions. In this Mini-Review we discuss the construction, actuation, and operation of several devices that have recently been reported, especially systems that can be controlled by and propelled with homogenous magnetic fields. We describe the fabrication and associated experimental challenges and discuss potential applications.

Comparative genome analysis of four magnetotactic bacteria reveals a complex set of group-specific genes implicated in magnetosome biomineralization and function

Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) are a heterogeneous group of aquatic prokaryotes with a unique intracellular organelle, the magnetosome, which orients the cell along magnetic field lines. Magnetotaxis is a complex phenotype, which depends on the coordinate synthesis of magnetosomes and the ability to swim and orient along the direction caused by the interaction with the Earth's magnetic field. Although a number of putative magnetotaxis genes were recently identified within a conserved genomic magnetosome island (MAI) of several MTB, their functions have remained mostly unknown, and it was speculated that additional genes located outside the MAI might be involved in magnetosome formation and magnetotaxis. In order to identify genes specifically associated with the magnetotactic phenotype, we conducted comparisons between four sequenced magnetotactic Alphaproteobacteria including the nearly complete genome of Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense strain MSR-1, the complete genome of Magnetospirillum magneticum strain AMB-1, the complete genome of the magnetic coccus MC-1, and the comparative-ready preliminary genome assembly of Magnetospirillum magnetotacticum strain MS-1 against an in-house database comprising 426 complete bacterial and archaeal genome sequences. A magnetobacterial core genome of about 891 genes was found shared by all four MTB. In addition to a set of approximately 152 genus-specific genes shared by the three Magnetospirillum strains, we identified 28 genes as group specific, i.e., which occur in all four analyzed MTB but exhibit no (MTB-specific genes) or only remote (MTB-related genes) similarity to any genes from nonmagnetotactic organisms and which besides various novel genes include nearly all mam and mms genes previously shown to control magnetosome formation. The MTB-specific and MTB-related genes to a large extent display synteny, partially encode previously unrecognized magnetosome membrane proteins, and are either located within (18 genes) or outside (10 genes) the MAI of M. gryphiswaldense. These genes, which represent less than 1% of the 4,268 open reading frames of the MSR-1 genome, as yet are mostly of unknown functions but are likely to be specifically involved in magnetotaxis and, thus, represent prime targets for future experimental analysis.

Molecular mechanisms of magnetosome formation

Magnetotactic bacteria are a diverse group of microorganisms with the ability to use geomagnetic fields for direction sensing. This unique feat is accomplished with the help of magnetosomes, nanometer-sized magnetic crystals surrounded by a lipid bilayer membrane and organized into chains via a dedicated cytoskeleton within the cell. Because of the special properties of these magnetic crystals, magnetotactic bacteria have been exploited for a variety of applications in diverse disciplines from geobiology to biotechnology. In addition, magnetosomes have served as a powerful model system for the study of biomineralization and cell biology in bacteria. This review focuses on recent advances in understanding the molecular mechanisms of magnetosome formation and magnetite biomineralization.

Origin of magnetosome membrane: Proteomic analysis of magnetosome membrane and comparison with cytoplasmic membrane

Prokaryotes are known to have evolved one or more unique organelles. Although several hypotheses have been proposed concerning the biogenesis of these intracellular components, the majority of these proposals remains unclear. Magnetotactic bacteria synthesize intracellular magnetosomes that are enclosed by lipid bilayer membranes. From the identification and characterization of several surface and transmembrane magnetosome proteins, we have postulated that magnetosomes are derived from the cytoplasmic membrane (CM). To confirm this hypothesis, a comparative proteomic analysis of the magnetosome membrane (MM) and CM of the magnetotactic bacterium, Magnetospirillum magneticum AMB-1, was undertaken. Based on the whole genome sequence of M. magneticum AMB-1, 78 identified MM proteins were also found to be prevalent in the CM, several of which are related to magnetosome biosynthesis, such as Mms13, which is tightly bound on the magnetite surface. Fatty acid analysis was also conducted, and showed a striking similarity between the CM and MM profiles. These results suggest that the MM is derived from the CM.

Molecular analysis of magnetotactic bacteria and development of functional bacterial magnetic particles for nano-biotechnology

Biomineralization is an elaborate process that produces complex nano-structures consisting of organic and inorganic components of uniform size and highly ordered morphology that self-assemble into structures in a hierarchical manner. Magnetotactic bacteria synthesize nano-sized magnetite crystals that are highly consistent in size and morphology within bacterial species; each particle is surrounded by a thin organic membrane, which facilitates their use for various biotechnological applications. Recent molecular studies, including mutagenesis, whole genome, transcriptome and comprehensive proteome analyses, have elucidated the processes important to bacterial magnetite formation. Some of the genes and proteins identified from these studies have enabled us, through genetic engineering, to express proteins efficiently, with their activity preserved, onto bacterial magnetic particles, leading to the simple preparation of functional protein-magnetic particle complexes. This review describes the recent advances in the fundamental analysis of bacterial magnetic particles and the development of surface-protein-modified magnetic particles for biotechnological applications.

Visualizing implanted tumors in mice with magnetic resonance imaging using magnetotactic bacteria

PURPOSE

To determine if magnetotactic bacteria can target tumors in mice and provide positive contrast for visualization using magnetic resonance imaging.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

The ability of the magnetotactic bacterium, Magnetospirillum magneticum AMB-1 (referred to from here as AMB-1), to confer positive magnetic resonance imaging contrast was determined in vitro and in vivo. For the latter studies, AMB-1 were injected either i.t. or i.v. Bacterial growth conditions were manipulated to produce small (approximately 25-nm diameter) magnetite particles, which were observed using transmission electron microscopy. Tumor targeting was confirmed using 64Cu-labeled bacteria and positron emission tomography and by determination of viable cell counts recovered from different organs and the tumor.

RESULTS

We show that AMB-1 bacteria with small magnetite particles generate T1-weighted positive contrast, enhancing in vivo visualization by magnetic resonance imaging. Following i.v. injection of 64Cu-labeled AMB-1, positron emission tomography imaging revealed increasing colonization of tumors and decreasing infection of organs after 4 hours. Viable cell counts showed that, by day 6, the bacteria had colonized tumors but were cleared completely from other organs. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a 1.22-fold (P = 0.003) increased positive contrast in tumors on day 2 and a 1.39-fold increase (P = 0.0007) on day 6.

CONCLUSION

Magnetotactic bacteria can produce positive magnetic resonance imaging contrast and colonize mouse tumor xenografts, providing a potential tool for improved magnetic resonance imaging visualization in preclinical and translational studies to track cancer.

Unlocking the Potential of Magnetotactic Bacteria as Magnetic Hyperthermia Agents

Magnetotactic bacteria are aquatic microorganisms that internally biomineralize chains of magnetic nanoparticles (called magnetosomes) and use them as a compass. Here it is shown that magnetotactic bacteria of the strain Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense present high potential as magnetic hyperthermia agents for cancer treatment. Their heating efficiency or specific absorption rate is determined using both calorimetric and AC magnetometry methods at different magnetic field amplitudes and frequencies. In addition, the effect of the alignment of the bacteria in the direction of the field during the hyperthermia experiments is also investigated. The experimental results demonstrate that the biological structure of the magnetosome chain of magnetotactic bacteria is perfect to enhance the hyperthermia efficiency. Furthermore, fluorescence and electron microscopy images show that these bacteria can be internalized by human lung carcinoma cells A549, and cytotoxicity studies reveal that they do not affect the viability or growth of the cancer cells. A preliminary in vitro hyperthermia study, working on clinical conditions, reveals that cancer cell proliferation is strongly affected by the hyperthermia treatment, making these bacteria promising candidates for biomedical applications.

Cell biology of prokaryotic organelles

Mounting evidence in recent years has challenged the dogma that prokaryotes are simple and undefined cells devoid of an organized subcellular architecture. In fact, proteins once thought to be the purely eukaryotic inventions, including relatives of actin and tubulin control prokaryotic cell shape, DNA segregation, and cytokinesis. Similarly, compartmentalization, commonly noted as a distinguishing feature of eukaryotic cells, is also prevalent in the prokaryotic world in the form of protein-bounded and lipid-bounded organelles. In this article we highlight some of these prokaryotic organelles and discuss the current knowledge on their ultrastructure and the molecular mechanisms of their biogenesis and maintenance.

Dynamics of magnetotactic bacteria in a rotating magnetic field

The dynamics of the motile magnetotactic bacterium Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense in a rotating magnetic field is investigated experimentally and analyzed by a theoretical model. These elongated bacteria are propelled by single flagella at each bacterial end and contain a magnetic filament formed by a linear assembly of approximately 40 ferromagnetic nanoparticles. The movements of the bacteria in suspension are analyzed by consideration of the orientation of their magnetic dipoles in the field, the hydrodynamic resistance of the bacteria, and the propulsive force of the flagella. Several novel features found in experiments include a velocity reversal during motion in the rotating field and an interesting diffusive wandering of the trajectory curvature centers. A new method to measure the magnetic moment of an individual bacterium is proposed based on the theory developed.

Inactivation of the flagellin gene flaA in Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense results in nonmagnetotactic mutants lacking flagellar filaments

Magnetotactic bacteria synthesize magnetosomes, which cause them to orient and migrate along magnetic field lines. The analysis of magnetotaxis and magnetosome biomineralization at the molecular level has been hindered by the unavailability of genetic methods, namely the lack of a means to introduce directed gene-specific mutations. Here we report a method for knockout mutagenesis by homologous recombination in Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense. Multiple flagellin genes, which are unlinked in the genome, were identified in M. gryphiswaldense. The targeted disruption of the flagellin gene flaA was shown to eliminate flagella formation, motility, and magnetotaxis. The techniques described in this paper will make it possible to take full advantage of the forthcoming genome sequences of M. gryphiswaldense and other magnetotactic bacteria.

Influence of magnetic fields on magneto-aerotaxis

The response of cells to changes in their physico-chemical micro-environment is essential to their survival. For example, bacterial magnetotaxis uses the Earth's magnetic field together with chemical sensing to help microorganisms move towards favoured habitats. The studies of such complex responses are lacking a method that permits the simultaneous mapping of the chemical environment and the response of the organisms, and the ability to generate a controlled physiological magnetic field. We have thus developed a multi-modal microscopy platform that fulfils these requirements. Using simultaneous fluorescence and high-speed imaging in conjunction with diffusion and aerotactic models, we characterized the magneto-aerotaxis of Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense. We assessed the influence of the magnetic field (orientation; strength) on the formation and the dynamic of a micro-aerotactic band (size, dynamic, position). As previously described by models of magnetotaxis, the application of a magnetic field pointing towards the anoxic zone of an oxygen gradient results in an enhanced aerotaxis even down to Earth's magnetic field strength. We found that neither a ten-fold increase of the field strength nor a tilt of 45° resulted in a significant change of the aerotactic efficiency. However, when the field strength is zeroed or when the field angle is tilted to 90°, the magneto-aerotaxis efficiency is drastically reduced. The classical model of magneto-aerotaxis assumes a response proportional to the cosine of the angle difference between the directions of the oxygen gradient and that of the magnetic field. Our experimental evidence however shows that this behaviour is more complex than assumed in this model, thus opening up new avenues for research.

A comparison of methods to measure the magnetic moment of magnetotactic bacteria through analysis of their trajectories in external magnetic fields

Magnetotactic bacteria possess organelles called magnetosomes that confer a magnetic moment on the cells, resulting in their partial alignment with external magnetic fields. Here we show that analysis of the trajectories of cells exposed to an external magnetic field can be used to measure the average magnetic dipole moment of a cell population in at least five different ways. We apply this analysis to movies of Magnetospirillum magneticum AMB-1 cells, and compare the values of the magnetic moment obtained in this way to that obtained by direct measurements of magnetosome dimension from electron micrographs. We find that methods relying on the viscous relaxation of the cell orientation give results comparable to that obtained by magnetosome measurements, whereas methods relying on statistical mechanics assumptions give systematically lower values of the magnetic moment. Since the observed distribution of magnetic moments in the population is not sufficient to explain this discrepancy, our results suggest that non-thermal random noise is present in the system, implying that a magnetotactic bacterial population should not be considered as similar to a paramagnetic material.

Characterization of bacterial magnetotactic behaviors by using a magnetospectrophotometry assay

Magnetotactic bacteria have the unique capacity of synthesizing intracellular single-domain magnetic particles called magnetosomes. The magnetosomes are usually organized in a chain that allows the bacteria to align and swim along geomagnetic field lines, a behavior called magnetotaxis. Two mechanisms of magnetotaxis have been described. Axial magnetotactic cells swim in both directions along magnetic field lines. In contrast, polar magnetotactic cells swim either parallel to the geomagnetic field lines toward the North Pole (north seeking) or antiparallel toward the South Pole (south seeking). In this study, we used a magnetospectrophotometry (MSP) assay to characterize both the axial magnetotaxis of "Magnetospirillum magneticum" strain AMB-1 and the polar magnetotaxis of magneto-ovoid strain MO-1. Two pairs of Helmholtz coils were mounted onto the cuvette holder of a common laboratory spectrophotometer to generate two mutually perpendicular homogeneous magnetic fields parallel or perpendicular to the light beam. The application of magnetic fields allowed measurements of the change in light scattering resulting from cell alignment in a magnetic field or in absorbance due to bacteria swimming across the light beam. Our results showed that MSP is a powerful tool for the determination of bacterial magnetism and the analysis of alignment and swimming of magnetotactic bacteria in magnetic fields. Moreover, this assay allowed us to characterize south-seeking derivatives and non-magnetosome-bearing strains obtained from north-seeking MO-1 cultures. Our results suggest that oxygen is a determinant factor that controls magnetotactic behavior.

Swimming behaviour and magnetotaxis function of the marine bacterium strain MO-1

Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) have the unique capacity to align and swim along the geomagnetic field lines downward to the oxic-anoxic interface in chemically stratified water columns and sediments. They are most abundant within the first few centimetres of sediments below the water-sediment interface. It is unknown how MTB penetrate into the sediment layer and swim in the pocket water, while their movements are restricted by the alignment along the magnetic field lines. Here we characterized the swimming behaviour of the marine fast-swimming magnetotactic ovoid bacterium MO-1.We found that it rotates around and translates along its short body axis to the magnetic north (northward). MO-1 cells swim forward constantly for a minimum of 1770 μm without apparent stopping. When encountering obstacles, MO-1 cells squeeze through or swim southward to circumvent the obstacles. The distance of southward swimming is short and inversely proportional to the magnetic field strength. Using a magnetic shielding device, we provide direct evidence that magnetotaxis is beneficial to MO-1 growth and becomes essential at low cell density. Environmental implications of the fast-swimming magnetotactic behaviour of magnetococci are discussed.

Biosynthesis of magnetic nanoparticles by human mesenchymal stem cells following transfection with the magnetotactic bacterial gene mms6

The use of stem cells to support tissue repair is facilitated by loading of the therapeutic cells with magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) enabling magnetic tracking and targeting. Current methods for magnetizing cells use artificial MNPs and have disadvantages of variable uptake, cellular cytotoxicity and loss of nanoparticles on cell division. Here we demonstrate a transgenic approach to magnetize human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). MSCs are genetically modified by transfection with the mms6 gene derived from Magnetospirillum magneticum AMB-1, a magnetotactic bacterium that synthesises single-magnetic domain crystals which are incorporated into magnetosomes. Following transfection of MSCs with the mms6 gene there is bio-assimilated synthesis of intracytoplasmic magnetic nanoparticles which can be imaged by MR and which have no deleterious effects on cell proliferation, migration or differentiation. The assimilation of magnetic nanoparticle synthesis into mammalian cells creates a real and compelling, cytocompatible, alternative to exogenous administration of MNPs.

Measurement of the magnetic moment of single Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense cells by magnetic tweezers

Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense is a helix-shaped magnetotactic bacterium that synthesizes iron-oxide nanocrystals, which allow navigation along the geomagnetic field. The bacterium has already been thoroughly investigated at the molecular and cellular levels. However, the fundamental physical property enabling it to perform magnetotaxis, its magnetic moment, remains to be elucidated at the single cell level. We present a method based on magnetic tweezers; in combination with Stokesian dynamics and Boundary Integral Method calculations, this method allows the simultaneous measurement of the magnetic moments of multiple single bacteria. The method is demonstrated by quantifying the distribution of the individual magnetic moments of several hundred cells of M. gryphiswaldense. In contrast to other techniques for measuring the average magnetic moment of bacterial populations, our method accounts for the size and the helical shape of each individual cell. In addition, we determined the distribution of the saturation magnetic moments of the bacteria from electron microscopy data. Our results are in agreement with the known relative magnetization behavior of the bacteria. Our method can be combined with single cell imaging techniques and thus can address novel questions about the functions of components of the molecular magnetosome biosynthesis machinery and their correlation with the resulting magnetic moment.

Cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of bacterial magnetosomes against human retinal pigment epithelium cells

A variety of nanomaterials have been developed for ocular diseases. The ability of these nanomaterials to pass through the blood-ocular barrier and their biocompatibility are essential characteristics that must be considered. Bacterial magnetosomes (BMs) are a type of biogenic magnetic nanomaterials synthesized by magnetotactic bacteria. Due to their unique biomolecular membrane shell and narrow size distribution of approximately 30 nm, BMs can pass through the blood-brain barrier. The similarity of the blood-ocular barrier to the blood-brain barrier suggests that BMs have great potential as treatments for ocular diseases. In this work, BMs were isolated from magnetotactic bacteria and evaluated in various cytotoxicity and genotoxicity studies in human retinal pigment epithelium (ARPE-19) cells. The BMs entered ARPE-19 cells by endocytosis after a 6-h incubation and displayed much lower cytotoxicity than chemically synthesized magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs). MNPs exhibited significantly higher genotoxicity than BMs and promoted the expression of Bax (the programmed cell death acceleration protein) and the induction of greater cell necrosis. In BM-treated cells, apoptosis tended to be suppressed via increased expression of the Bcl-2 protein. In conclusion, BMs display excellent biocompatibility and potential for use in the treatment of ocular diseases.

Nanoparticle-Regulated Semiartificial Magnetotactic Bacteria with Tunable Magnetic Moment and Magnetic Sensitivity

Micro-/nanomotors are widely used in micro-/nanoprocessing, cargo transportation, and other microscale tasks because of their ability to move independently. Many biological hybrid motors based on bacteria have been developed. Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) have been employed as motors in biological systems because of their good biocompatibility and magnetotactic motion in magnetic fields. However, the magnetotaxis of MTB is difficult to control due to the lack of effective methods. Herein, a strategy that enables control over the motion of MTB is presented. By depositing synthetic Fe₃ O₄ magnetic nanoparticles on the surface of MTB, semiartificial magnetotactic bacteria (SAMTB) are produced. The overall magnetic properties of SAMTB, including saturation magnetization, residual magnetization, and blocking temperature, are regulated in a multivariate and multilevel fashion, thus regulating the magnetic sensitivity of SAMTB. This strategy provides a feasible method to manoeuvre MTB for applications in complex fluid environments, such as magnetic drug release systems and real-time tracking systems. Furthermore, this concept and methodology provide a paradigm for controlling the mobility of micro-/nanomotors based on natural small organisms.

Angle sensing in magnetotaxis of Magnetospirillum magneticum AMB-1

The mechanism of how magnetotactic bacteria navigate along the magnetic field has been a puzzle. Two main models disagree on whether the magnetotactic behavior results from passive alignment with the magnetic field or active sensing of the magnetic force. Here, we quantitatively studied the swimming patterns of Magnetospirillum magneticum AMB-1 cells to understand the origin of their magnetotactic behaviors. Single-cell tracking and swimming pattern analysis showed that the cells follow a mixed run-reverse-tumble pattern. The average run time decreased with the angle between the cell's moving velocity and the external magnetic field. For mutant cells without the methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein (MCP) Amb0994, such dependence disappeared and bacteria failed to align with magnetic field lines. This dysfunction was recovered by complementary Amb0994 on a plasmid. At high magnetic field (>5 mT), all strains with intact magnetosome chains (including the Δamb0994-0995 strains) showed alignment with the external magnetic field. These results suggested that the mechanism for magnetotaxis is magnetic field dependent. Due to the magnetic dipole moment of the cell, the external magnetic field exerts a torque on the cell. In high magnetic fields, this torque is large enough to overcome the random re-orientation of the cell, and the cells align passively with the external magnetic field, much like a compass. In smaller (and biologically more relevant) external fields, the external force alone is not strong enough to align the cell mechanically. However, magnetotactic behaviors persist due to an active sensing mechanism in which the cell senses the torque by Amb0994 and actively regulates the flagella bias accordingly to align its orientation with the external magnetic field. Our results reconciled the two putative models for magnetotaxis and revealed a key molecular component in the underlying magneto-sensing pathway.

Magnetotactic Bacteria: Magnetism Beyond Magnetosomes

Magnetotactic bacteria are a group of organisms deeply studied in the last years due to their interesting magnetic behavior and potential applications in nanometrology, hyperthermia, and biosensor devices. One intrinsic common characteristic is the presence, inside the bacteria, of magnetic nanoparticles called magnetosomes. The role of magnetosomes as bacterial tools to orient the bacteria and find new habitats is universally accepted, but the way they develop still is not fully understood. A strain of Magnetospirillum magnetotacticum was grown and investigated at the nanoscale using transmission electron microscopy and atomic/magnetic force microscopy techniques. Magnetosomes were observed as well as long filaments with magnetic response that could be associated to the actin-like filaments being crucial to allow the nanoparticles orientation and magnetosomes formation. To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the first to visualize these reproducible long-range size magnetic crystalline structures.

Magnetotaxis Enables Magnetotactic Bacteria to Navigate in Flow

Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) play an important role in Earth's biogeochemical cycles by transporting minerals in aquatic ecosystems, and have shown promise for controlled transport of microscale objects in flow conditions. However, how MTB traverse complex flow environments is not clear. Here, using microfluidics and high-speed imaging, it is revealed that magnetotaxis enables directed motion of Magnetospirillum magneticum over long distances in flow velocities ranging from 2 to 1260 µm s^-1 , corresponding to shear rates ranging from 0.2 to 142 s^-1 -a range relevant to both aquatic environments and biomedical applications. The ability of MTB to overcome a current is influenced by the flow, the magnetic field, and their relative orientation. MTB can overcome 2.3-fold higher flow velocities when directed to swim perpendicular to the flow as compared to upstream, as the latter orientation induces higher drag. The results indicate a threshold drag of 9.5 pN, corresponding to a flow velocity of 550 µm s^-1 , where magnetotaxis enables MTB to overcome counterdirectional flow. These findings bring new insights into the interactions of MTB with complex flow environments relevant to aquatic ecosystems, while suggesting opportunities for in vivo applications of MTB in microbiorobotics and targeted drug delivery.

Bacterial Cell Biology: Managing Magnetosomes

Sensing of magnetic fields by living organisms -- magnetosensing -- is best understood in magnetotactic bacteria. Recently work has provided new insight into the biogenesis of bacterial magnetosomes, and links these organelles to a newly recognized prokaryotic cytoskeletal filament which organizes magnetosomes into a sensory structure capable of aligning cells with the geomagnetic field.

Chemotaxis in external fields: Simulations for active magnetic biological matter

The movement of microswimmers is often described by active Brownian particle models. Here we introduce a variant of these models with several internal states of the swimmer to describe stochastic strategies for directional swimming such as run and tumble or run and reverse that are used by microorganisms for chemotaxis. The model includes a mechanism to generate a directional bias for chemotaxis and interactions with external fields (e.g., gravity, magnetic field, fluid flow) that impose forces or torques on the swimmer. We show how this modified model can be applied to various scenarios: First, the run and tumble motion of E. coli is used to establish a paradigm for chemotaxis and investigate how it is affected by external forces. Then, we study magneto-aerotaxis in magnetotactic bacteria, which is biased not only by an oxygen gradient towards a preferred concentration, but also by magnetic fields, which exert a torque on an intracellular chain of magnets. We study the competition of magnetic alignment with active reorientation and show that the magnetic orientation can improve chemotaxis and thereby provide an advantage to the bacteria, even at rather large inclination angles of the magnetic field relative to the oxygen gradient, a case reminiscent of what is expected for the bacteria at or close to the equator. The highest gain in chemotactic velocity is obtained for run and tumble with a magnetic field parallel to the gradient, but in general a mechanism for reverse motion is necessary to swim against the magnetic field and a run and reverse strategy is more advantageous in the presence of a magnetic torque. This finding is consistent with observations that the dominant mode of directional changes in magnetotactic bacteria is reversal rather than tumbles. Moreover, it provides guidance for the design of future magnetic biohybrid swimmers.

In this paper, we propose a modified Active Brownian particle model to describe bacterial swimming behavior under the influence of external forces and torques, in particular of a magnetic torque. This type of interaction is particularly important for magnetic biohybrids (i.e. motile bacteria coupled to a synthetic magnetic component) and for magnetotactic bacteria (i.e. bacteria with a natural intracellular magnetic chain), which perform chemotaxis to swim along chemical gradients, but are also directed by an external magnetic field. The model allows us to investigate the benefits and disadvantages of such coupling between two different directionality mechanisms. In particular we show that the magnetic torque can speed chemotaxis up in some conditions, while it can hinder it in other cases. In addition to an understanding of the swimming strategies of naturally magnetotactic organisms, the results may guide the design of future biomedical devices.

Cloning and functional analysis of the sequences flanking mini-Tn5 in the magnetosomes deleted mutant NM4 of Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense MSR-1

A magnetosome deleted mutant NM4 of Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense MSR-1 was generated by mini-Tn5 transposon mutagenesis, and a 5045-bp fragment flanking mini-Tn5 in NM4 was cloned by Anchored PCR. Sequencing analysis showed that this fragment involved six putative open reading frames (ORFs); the mini-Tn5 was inserted into ORF4. Functional complementary test indicated that the 5045-bp fragment was required for biosynthesis of magnetosomes in M. gryphiswaldense MSR-1. The protein encoded by ORF4 had 25% of identity with the chemotaxis protein CheYIII of Caulobacter crescentus CB15, and the protein encoded by ORF4 contained a conserved signal receiver domain that can receive the signal from the sensor partner of the bacterial two-component systems. It was suggested that the protein encoded by ORF4 may take part in the signal transduction relating to biosynthesis of magnetosomes.