Mineralization of bacterial surfaces
TL;DR: Bacteria are very small (∼ 1.5 μm3) but have the largest surface area to volume ratio of any life form as mentioned in this paper, which is mainly due to the overall anionic charge of bacterial surfaces imparted by the macromolecules which make up their fabric.
About: This article is published in Chemical Geology.The article was published on 1996-10-30. It has received 321 citations till now.
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TL;DR: Three groups of materials-biomaterials, ceramics, and semiconductors-have been selected to illustrate the concept of organic manipulators as used by nature and by synthetic laboratories exploring its potential in materials technology.
Abstract: Organic molecules can alter inorganic microstructures, offering a very powerful tool for the design of novel materials. In biological systems, this tool is often used to create microstructures in which the organic manipulators are a minority component. Three groups of materials-biomaterials, ceramics, and semiconductors-have been selected to illustrate this concept as used by nature and by synthetic laboratories exploring its potential in materials technology. In some of nature's biomaterials, macromolecules such as proteins, glycoproteins, and polysaccharides are used to control nucleation and growth of mineral phases and thus manipulate microstructure and physical properties. This concept has been used synthetically to generate apatite-based materials that can function as artificial bone in humans. Synthetic polymers and surfactants can also drastically change the morphology of ceramic particles, impart new functional properties, and provide new processing methods for the formation of useful objects. Interesting opportunities also exist in creating semiconducting materials in which molecular manipulators connect quantum dots or template cavities, which change their electronic properties and functionality.
775 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the general mechanism of microbial carbonate precipitation is reviewed and an alternative view on the role of calciummetabolism in this process, as well as on theoccurrence of species- and environment-specific calcification.
Abstract: This paper reviews the general mechanismsof microbial carbonate precipitation and offersan alternative view on the role of calciummetabolism in this process, as well as on theoccurrence of species- and environment-specificcalcification.
632 citations
Cites background from "Mineralization of bacterial surface..."
...electronegative nature of the cell membranes (possible crystal nucleation sites), the latter can create a unique precipitation environment on micro-scale ( Schultze-Lam et al. 1996 )....
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TL;DR: In this paper, the formation, properties, fate, and environmental implications of nano-to microphase hydroxy-sulfates of Fe and Al that are precipitated from acid sulfate waters are described.
Abstract: Acid sulfate waters are produced mostly by the oxidation of common sulfide minerals such as pyrite, chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite, and marcasite in rocks, soils, sediments, and industrial wastes. This spontaneous process of mineral weathering plays a fundamental role in the supergene alteration of ore deposits, the formation of acid sulfate soils, and the mobilization and release of acidity and metals to surface and ground waters. The purely natural process of “acid rock drainage” is often intensified by human activities related to mining, mineral processing, construction, soil drainage, and dredging. Geochemical reaction rates are accelerated because physical disturbance gives greater exposure of mineral surfaces to air and water, and to microbes that catalyze the reaction process. Large quantities of reactive sulfides are also concentrated and exposed to air as a result of mining and mineral processing. Acid sulfate waters produce a number of fairly insoluble hydroxysulfate and oxyhydroxide minerals that precipitate during oxidation, hydrolysis, and neutralization. The objective of this chapter is to describe the formation, properties, fate, and environmental implications of the nano- to microphase hydroxy-sulfates of Fe and Al that are precipitated from acid sulfate waters. These minerals are commonly of poor crystallinity and difficult to characterize. Much remains to be learned about their occurrence, formation, and properties.
### Mine drainage
The best known examples of acid sulfate waters are those released from mines where coal and metallic sulfide ores have been exploited (Ash et al. 1951, Barton 1978, Nordstrom 1982a, Rose and Cravotta 1998, Nordstrom and Alpers 1999). There may be as many as 500,000 inactive or abandoned mine sites in the United States alone (Lyon et al. 1993). Although most of these pose no immediate water-quality problem, Kleinmann (1989) estimated that about 19,300 km of streams and more than 72,000 ha of lakes and reservoirs have been …
624 citations
TL;DR: It is reported that Myxococcus xanthus-induced calcium carbonate precipitation efficiently protects and consolidates porous ornamental limestone and forms new carbonate crystals that are more stress resistant than the calcite grains of the original stone.
Abstract: Increasing environmental pollution in urban areas has been endangering the survival of carbonate stones in monuments and statuary for many decades. Numerous conservation treatments have been applied for the protection and consolidation of these works of art. Most of them, however, either release dangerous gases during curing or show very little efficacy. Bacterially induced carbonate mineralization has been proposed as a novel and environmentally friendly strategy for the conservation of deteriorated ornamental stone. However, the method appeared to display insufficient consolidation and plugging of pores. Here we report that Myxococcus xanthus-induced calcium carbonate precipitation efficiently protects and consolidates porous ornamental limestone. The newly formed carbonate cements calcite grains by depositing on the walls of the pores without plugging them. Sonication tests demonstrate that these new carbonate crystals are strongly attached to the substratum, mostly due to epitaxial growth on preexisting calcite grains. The new crystals are more stress resistant than the calcite grains of the original stone because they are organic-inorganic composites. Variations in the phosphate concentrations of the culture medium lead to changes in local pH and bacterial productivity. These affect the structure of the new cement and the type of precipitated CaCO3 polymorph (vaterite or calcite). The manipulation of culture medium composition creates new ways of controlling bacterial biomineralization that in the future could be applied to the conservation of ornamental stone.
485 citations
TL;DR: It is shown that strain-specific calcification occurred during ureolytic microbial carbonate precipitation, mainly due to differences in urease expression and the response to calcium.
Abstract: During a study of ureolytic microbial calcium carbonate (CaCO3) precipitation by bacterial isolates collected from different environmental samples, morphological differences were observed in the large CaCO3 crystal aggregates precipitated within bacterial colonies grown on agar. Based on these differences, 12 isolates were selected for further study. We hypothesized that the striking differences in crystal morphology were the result of different microbial species or, alternatively, differences in the functional attributes of the isolates selected. Sequencing of 16S rRNA genes showed that all of the isolates were phylogenetically closely related to the Bacillus sphaericus group. Urease gene diversity among the isolates was examined by using a novel application of PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). This approach revealed significant differences between the isolates. Moreover, for several isolates, multiple bands appeared on the DGGE gels, suggesting the apparent presence of different urease genes in these isolates. The substrate affinities (Km) and maximum hydrolysis rates (Vmax) of crude enzyme extracts differed considerably for the different strains. For certain isolates, the urease activity increased up to 10-fold in the presence of 30 mM calcium, and apparently this contributed to the characteristic crystal formation by these isolates. We show that strain-specific calcification occurred during ureolytic microbial carbonate precipitation. The specificity was mainly due to differences in urease expression and the response to calcium.
428 citations
References
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TL;DR: It is established that trichomic cyanobacterium-like microorganisms were extant and morphologically diverse at least as early as ∼3465 million years ago and suggests that oxygen-producing photoautotrophy may have already evolved by this early stage in biotic history.
Abstract: Eleven taxa (including eight heretofore undescribed species) of cellularly preserved filamentous microbes, among the oldest fossils known, have been discovered in a bedded chert unit of the Early Archean Apex Basalt of northwestern Western Australia. This prokaryotic assemblage establishes that trichomic cyanobacteriumlike microorganisms were extant and morphologically diverse at least as early as about 3465 million years ago and suggests that oxygen-producing photoautotrophy may have already evolved by this early stage in biotic history.
1,243 citations
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10 Sep 1990
TL;DR: The Oceanic Carbonate System and Calcium Carbonate Accumulation in Deep Sea Sediments are discussed in this article, where the CO2-Carbonic Acid System and Solution Chemistry are discussed.
Abstract: Preface. The CO2-Carbonic Acid System and Solution Chemistry. Interactions Between Carbonate Minerals and Solutions. Coprecipitation Reactions and Solid Solutions of Carbonate Minerals. The Oceanic Carbonate System and Calcium Carbonate Accumulation in Deep Sea Sediments. Composition and Source of Shoal-Water Carbonate Sediments. Early Marine Diagenesis of Shoal-Water Carbonate Sediments. Early Non-Marine Diagenesis of Sedimentary Carbonates. Carbonates as Sedimentary Rocks in Subsurface Processes. Current Carbon Cycle and Human Impact. Sedimentary Carbonates in the Evolution of Earth's Surface Environment. References. Index.
1,151 citations
TL;DR: It is suggested that carboxyl groups provide the major site of metal deposition in the B. subtilis wall, whereas extraction of teichoic acid caused a stoichiometric reduction in levels.
Abstract: Amine and carboxyl groups of the cell wall of Bacillus subtilis were chemically modified individually to neutralize their electrochemical charge for determination of their contribution to the metal uptake process. Mild alkali treatment removed ca. 94% of the constituent teichoic acid (expressed as inorganic phosphorus) and allowed estimation of metal interaction with phosphodiester bonds. Chemical modifications of amine functions did not reduce the metal uptake values as compared to native walls, whereas extraction of teichoic acid caused a stoichiometric reduction in levels. In contrast, alteration of carboxyl groups severely limited metal deposition of most of the metals tested. X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy suggested, in this case, that the form and structure of the metal deposit could be different from that found in native walls. The observations suggest that carboxyl groups provide the major site of metal deposition in the B. subtilis wall.
984 citations
628 citations
TL;DR: Cellularly preserved filamentous and colonial fossil microorganisms have been discovered in bedded carbonaceous cherts from the Early Archean Apex Basalt and Towers Formation of northwestern Western Australia, suggesting that cyanobacteria, and therefore oxygen-producing photosynthesis, may have been extant as early as 3.3 billion to 3.5 billion years ago.
Abstract: Cellularly preserved filamentous and colonial fossil microorganisms have been discovered in bedded carbonaceous cherts from the Early Archean Apex Basalt and Towers Formation of northwestern Western Australia. The cell types detected suggest that cyanobacteria, and therefore oxygen-producing photosynthesis, may have been extant as early as 3.3 billion to 3.5 billion years ago. These fossils are among the oldest now known from the geologic record; their discovery substantiates previous reports of Early Archean microfossils in Warrawoona Group strata.
591 citations