Magnetic sense in microbes

Abstract

The aquatic bacterium Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense synthesizes unique organelles. They consist of membrane-enveloped crystals of the iron mineral magnetite, and are used like a compass needle to align the cell along the Earth’s magnetic field lines. Magnetotactic bacteria are a fascinating model-object to study biomineralization and microbial cell biology. Moreover, due to their remarkable properties they have recently attracted considerable interest as producers of magnetic nanoparticles for biotechnological and biomedical applications.