title: Learning from magnetotactic bacteria: A review on the synthesis of biomimetic nanoparticles mediated by magnetosome-associated proteins.
abstract: Much interest has gained the biomineralization process carried out by magnetotactic bacteria. These bacteria are ubiquitous in natural environments and share the ability to passively align along the magnetic field lines and actively swim along them. This ability is due to their magnetosome chain, each magnetosome consisting on a magnetic crystal enveloped by a lipid bilayer membrane to which very unique proteins are associated. Magnetotactic bacteria exquisitely control magnetosome formation, making the magnetosomes the ideal magnetic nanoparticle of potential use in many technological applications. The difficulty to scale up magnetosome production has triggered the research on the in vitro production of biomimetic (magnetosome-like) magnetite nanoparticles. In this context, magnetosome proteins are being used to mediate such in vitro magnetite precipitation experiments. The present work reviews the knowledgement on the magnetosome proteins thought to have a role on the in vivo formation of magnetite crystals in the magnetosome, and the recombinant magnetosome proteins used in vitro to form biomimetic magnetite. It also summarizes the data provided in the literature on the biomimetic magnetite nanoparticles obtained from those in vitro experiments.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Campus Fuentenueva, s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Peigneux
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Campus Fuentenueva, s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Valverde-Tercedor
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Campus Fuentenueva, s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: López-Moreno
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Campus Fuentenueva, s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pérez-González
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Campus Fuentenueva, s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Fernández-Vivas
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Campus Fuentenueva, s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain. Electronic address: cjl@ugr.es.
authors.forename: Concepción
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jiménez-López
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D032701:Biomimetics; D052203:Ferrosoferric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism; D055944:Magnetosomes / Q000737:chemistry*; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D052203:Ferrosoferric Oxide
keywords: Biomimetics; Magnetite; Magnetosome proteins; Magnetosomes; Magnetotactic bacteria