Magnetospirillum (lat.) Is a genus of gram-negative , microaerophilic magnetosensitive bacteria that were first isolated from pond water by the microbiologist R.P. Blakemore in 1975. They are characterized by a spiral or helical shape, as well as the ability to move with the help of polar flagella at each end of the cell.
| Magnetospirillum |
Magnetospirillum magnetotacticum . The picture shows subtle chains of magnetosomes. |
| Scientific classification |
|---|
| Grade: | Alpha proteobacteria |
|
| International scientific name |
|---|
Magnetospirillum Schleifer et al. 1992 |
| Views [1] |
|---|
- Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense Schleifer et al. 1992 typus
- Magnetospirillum magnetotacticum (Maratea and Blakemore 1981) Schleifer et al. 1992
|
|
Content
A typical habitat for Magnetospirillum is shallow, clean reservoirs and bottom sediments with the low oxygen content necessary for growth. Therefore, it lives in the upper part of the deposition with a preferred oxygen concentration of about 1-3%.
Probably the most specific property of Magnetospirillum is the ability to take a certain position relative to the Earth’s magnetic field , that is, magnetotaxis . This is achieved due to the presence in the cytoplasm of the bacterium of special organelles - magnetosomes . Magnetospirillum is also capable of aerotaxis , due to which it constantly remains in an environment with a suitable concentration of O 2 . When a bacterium assimilates iron , its proteins interact with it, forming tiny crystals of magnetite , the most powerful ferromagnet among the Earth’s minerals [2] .
Magnetotactic bacteria are natural compasses that orient along the direction of the Earth’s magnetic field . Due to the fact that they respond to weak fields with a strength of the order of 0.5 Oersted, they are used in high-speed, highly sensitive methods for visualizing the domain structure of magnets (for example, for testing transformer steel ). When magnetotactic bacteria are placed on a magnetic surface, in a few seconds they move along the lines of force to the poles and accumulate near them. Methods using magnetotactic bacteria give a better contrast than the classic Bitter method or wall contrast . A natural limitation of their resolution is the size of the bacteria: about one micrometer. [3]
