Biogeochemistry and microbiology of microaerobic Fe(II) oxidation

2012 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 1211-1216 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Emerson

Today high Fe(II) environments are relegated to oxic–anoxic habitats with opposing gradients of O2 and Fe(II); however, during the late Archaean and early Proterozoic eons, atmospheric O2 concentrations were much lower and aqueous Fe(II) concentrations were significantly higher. In current Fe(II)-rich environments, such as hydrothermal vents, mudflats, freshwater wetlands or the rhizosphere, rusty mat-like deposits are common. The presence of abundant biogenic microtubular or filamentous iron oxyhydroxides readily reveals the role of FeOB (iron-oxidizing bacteria) in iron mat formation. Cultivation and cultivation-independent techniques, confirm that FeOB are abundant in these mats. Despite remarkable similarities in morphological characteristics between marine and freshwater FeOB communities, the resident populations of FeOB are phylogenetically distinct, with marine populations related to the class Zetaproteobacteria, whereas freshwater populations are dominated by members of the Gallionallaceae, a family within the Betaproteobacteria. Little is known about the mechanism of how FeOB acquire electrons from Fe(II), although it is assumed that it involves electron transfer from the site of iron oxidation at the cell surface to the cytoplasmic membrane. Comparative genomics between freshwater and marine strains reveals few shared genes, except for a suite of genes that include a class of molybdopterin oxidoreductase that could be involved in iron oxidation via extracellular electron transport. Other genes are implicated as well, and the overall genomic analysis reveals a group of organisms exquisitely adapted for growth on iron.

mBio ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica L. Keffer ◽  
Sean M. McAllister ◽  
Arkadiy I. Garber ◽  
Beverly J. Hallahan ◽  
Molly C. Sutherland ◽  
...  

Iron is practically ubiquitous across Earth’s environments, central to both life and geochemical processes, which depend heavily on the redox state of iron. Although iron oxidation, or “rusting,” can occur abiotically at near-neutral pH, we find neutrophilic iron-oxidizing bacteria (FeOB) are widespread, including in aquifers, sediments, hydrothermal vents, pipes, and water treatment systems.


2009 ◽  
Vol 75 (17) ◽  
pp. 5586-5591 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennyfer Miot ◽  
Karim Benzerara ◽  
Martin Obst ◽  
Andreas Kappler ◽  
Florian Hegler ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Iron oxidation at neutral pH by the phototrophic anaerobic iron-oxidizing bacterium Rhodobacter sp. strain SW2 leads to the formation of iron-rich minerals. These minerals consist mainly of nano-goethite (α-FeOOH), which precipitates exclusively outside cells, mostly on polymer fibers emerging from the cells. Scanning transmission X-ray microscopy analyses performed at the C K-edge suggest that these fibers are composed of a mixture of lipids and polysaccharides or of lipopolysaccharides. The iron and the organic carbon contents of these fibers are linearly correlated at the 25-nm scale, which in addition to their texture suggests that these fibers act as a template for mineral precipitation, followed by limited crystal growth. Moreover, we evidence a gradient of the iron oxidation state along the mineralized fibers at the submicrometer scale. Fe minerals on these fibers contain a higher proportion of Fe(III) at cell contact, and the proportion of Fe(II) increases at a distance from the cells. All together, these results demonstrate the primordial role of organic polymers in iron biomineralization and provide first evidence for the existence of a redox gradient around these nonencrusting, Fe-oxidizing bacteria.


Author(s):  
David L. Kirchman

Geomicrobiology, the marriage of geology and microbiology, is about the impact of microbes on Earth materials in terrestrial systems and sediments. Many geomicrobiological processes occur over long timescales. Even the slow growth and low activity of microbes, however, have big effects when added up over millennia. After reviewing the basics of bacteria–surface interactions, the chapter moves on to discussing biomineralization, which is the microbially mediated formation of solid minerals from soluble ions. The role of microbes can vary from merely providing passive surfaces for mineral formation, to active control of the entire precipitation process. The formation of carbonate-containing minerals by coccolithophorids and other marine organisms is especially important because of the role of these minerals in the carbon cycle. Iron minerals can be formed by chemolithoautotrophic bacteria, which gain a small amount of energy from iron oxidation. Similarly, manganese-rich minerals are formed during manganese oxidation, although how this reaction benefits microbes is unclear. These minerals and others give geologists and geomicrobiologists clues about early life on Earth. In addition to forming minerals, microbes help to dissolve them, a process called weathering. Microbes contribute to weathering and mineral dissolution through several mechanisms: production of protons (acidity) or hydroxides that dissolve minerals; production of ligands that chelate metals in minerals thereby breaking up the solid phase; and direct reduction of mineral-bound metals to more soluble forms. The chapter ends with some comments about the role of microbes in degrading oil and other fossil fuels.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
pp. 153303382092096
Author(s):  
Hongzhi Sun ◽  
Bo Zhang ◽  
Haijun Li

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma has extremely high malignancy and patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma have dismal prognosis. The failure of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma treatment is largely due to the tumor microenvironment, which is featured by ample stromal cells and complicated extracellular matrix. Recent genomic analysis revealed that pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma harbors frequently mutated genes including KRAS, TP53, CDKN2A, and SMAD4, which can widely alter cellular processes and behaviors. As shown by accumulating studies, these mutant genes may also change tumor microenvironment, which in turn affects pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma progression. In this review, we summarize the role of such genetic mutations in tumor microenvironment regulation and potential mechanisms.


2021 ◽  
pp. 34-43
Author(s):  
Evgeniia A. Grigoreva ◽  
Valentina S. Gordova ◽  
Valentina E. Sergeeva ◽  
Alina T. Smorodchenko

The article presents data on the long-term effect (nine months) of a silicon compound supplied with drinking water – nonahydrate sodium metasilicate (10 mg/l in terms of silicon), on CD68-positive macrophages in the liver and spleen of laboratory rats. Changes in the morphological characteristics of this cell population were found. There was a decrease in the average cell area (in the liver of the control group of rats, the average macrophage area was 179.23±5.94 microns2, and in the group receiving silicon with drinking water – 117.04±3.35 microns2; in the spleen-136.02±3.93 microns2 and 103.44±2.8 microns2, respectively). Macrophages in the liver preparations of the experimental group of rats had a fewer processes and a darker cytoplasmic membrane. The number of macrophages in the liver per unit area was comparable, for the control group of rats it was 18.78±1.24, and for the rats that received with water with the addition of silicon – 19.41±0.75 cells. CD68+ macrophages of the red splenic pulp in laboratory rats that received silicon also underwent the following morphological changes: they were located in a denser way and had fewer processes, while the number of macrophages per unit area was 73.7±2.3 for the control group, 91.6±5.0-for the experimental group, respectively. The distance between them did not change. There was a change in the intensity of CD68 expression on the surface of the cytoplasmic membrane and in the cytoplasm of liver and spleen macrophages. These changes can be interpreted as the adaptive ability of liver and spleen macrophages to silicon introduced with drinking water. Given the heterogeneity of the macrophage population in the liver and spleen, further studies using markers for different subpopulations of macrophages are needed to clarify their role in the response of tissues to silicon supplied with drinking water.


1990 ◽  
Vol 258 (2) ◽  
pp. L1-L12 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. E. Warner ◽  
J. D. Brain

Pulmonary intravascular macrophages (PIMs) are an extensive population of mature phagocytic cells adherent to the pulmonary capillary endothelium in selected species. They are not prevalent in lungs of commonly studied laboratory animals, such as rodents, and thus have only been recently appreciated. However, their potential role in host defense and acute lung injury has attracted interest, since a number of studies have demonstrated pulmonary localization of circulating particles, microbes, and endotoxin by PIMs. Those animal species, such as ruminants, that provide useful models of pathogen (or endotoxin)-induced acute lung injury demonstrate rapid pulmonary uptake of bacteria by PIMs. Inflammatory mediators released by activated PIMs may initiate the process and provoke accumulation of neutrophils and platelets. This review summarizes the morphological characteristics of PIMs and their species distribution. The role of these members of the mononuclear phagocyte system, both beneficial and potentially pathogenic, is reviewed. The question of whether PIMs have a role in acute lung injury in humans is also discussed.


1995 ◽  
Vol 95 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 63-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alena Gábelová ◽  
Mária Dušinská ◽  
Darina Slameňová

Geosciences ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 480 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremiah Shuster ◽  
Maria Rea ◽  
Barbara Etschmann ◽  
Joël Brugger ◽  
Frank Reith

Terraced iron formations (TIFs) are laminated structures that cover square meter-size areas on the surface of weathered bench faces and tailings piles at the Mount Morgan mine, which is a non-operational open pit mine located in Queensland, Australia. Sampled TIFs were analyzed using molecular and microanalytical techniques to assess the bacterial communities that likely contributed to the development of these structures. The bacterial community from the TIFs was more diverse compared to the tailings on which the TIFs had formed. The detection of both chemolithotrophic iron-oxidizing bacteria, i.e., Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and Mariprofundus ferrooxydans, and iron-reducing bacteria, i.e., Acidobacterium capsulatum, suggests that iron oxidation/reduction are continuous processes occurring within the TIFs. Acidophilic, iron-oxidizing bacteria were enriched from the TIFs. High-resolution electron microscopy was used to characterize iron biomineralization, i.e., the association of cells with iron oxyhydroxide mineral precipitates, which served as an analog for identifying the structural microfossils of individual cells as well as biofilms within iron oxyhydroxide laminations—i.e., alternating layers containing schwertmannite (Fe16O16(OH)12(SO4)2) and goethite (FeO(OH)). Kinetic modeling estimated that it would take between 0.25–2.28 years to form approximately one gram of schwertmannite as a lamination over a one-m2 surface, thereby contributing to TIF development. This length of time could correspond with seasonable rainfall or greater than average annual rainfall. In either case, the presence of water is critical for sustaining microbial activity, and subsequently iron oxyhydroxide mineral precipitation. The TIFs from the Mount Morgan mine also contain laminations of gypsum (CaSO·2H2O) alternating with iron oxyhydroxide laminations. These gypsum laminations likely represented drier periods of the year, in which millimeter-size gypsum crystals presumably precipitated as water gradually evaporated. Interestingly, gypsum acted as a substrate for the attachment of cells and the growth of biofilms that eventually became mineralized within schwertmannite and goethite. The dissolution and reprecipitation of gypsum suggest that microenvironments with circumneutral pH conditions could exist within TIFs, thereby supporting iron oxidation under circumneutral pH conditions. In conclusion, this study highlights the relationship between microbes for the development of TIFs and also provides interpretations of biogeochemical processes contributing to the preservation of bacterial cells and entire biofilms under acidic conditions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 384-392
Author(s):  
Hai Nguyen Tien ◽  
Dang Vu Hai ◽  
Phuc La The ◽  
Ha Nguyen Thai

On the basis of morphological characteristics and erosion - accumulation of sediment, it is possible to divide the stretch of the Gianh River from Co Cang to Cua Gianh (about 54km in length) into 3 sections as follows: Meandering channel (from Co Cang to Tien Xuan Isles): the length of the channel is 27.69km and the width of the channel is 80-250m. The channel is in the form of a meandering, narrow riverbed, flow plays a dominant role, deposition activities develop strongly at the convex side, while erosion occurs strongly in the concave side (cut side); Braided channel (from Tien Xuan Isles to Quang Phu): the length of the channel is 17.06km and the width of the channel is 800-2,200m. The channel is straight, the river bed is large and the depth of the river bed is 2-11m. Sedimentation occurs mainly at the bottom of the channel and creates bar in the middle of the channel; Straight channel (from Quang Phu to Cua Gianh): the length of the channel is 9.23km and the width of the channel is 800-1,000m. The channel is straight and the depth of the river bed is 8-12.5m. In addition to the role of river flow, it is strongly influenced by marine dynamics. The erosion and accretion activities occur mainly in estuaries. The results above show trend of river development: i) Meandering channel is the most vulnerable to changes for morphology of channel by erosion and accretion of sediment and can create 1-2 horseshoe pools by the river change line; ii) Braided channel mainly changes in the bottom of channel by the formation of channel bar; iii) Straight channel mainly changes in the estuary (the mouth of the river can be moved, enlarged or narrowed).


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