Genome Editing Method for the Anaerobic Magnetotactic Bacterium Desulfovibrio magneticus RS-1
Abstract
Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) are a group of organisms that form intracellular nanometer-scale magnetic crystals though a complex process involving lipid and protein scaffolds. These magnetic crystals and their lipid membranes, termed magnetosomes, are model systems for studying bacterial cell biology and biomineralization and are potential platforms for biotechnological applications. Due to a lack of genetic tools and unculturable representatives, the mechanisms of magnetosome formation in phylogenetically deeply branching MTB remain unknown. These MTB contain elongated bullet-/tooth-shaped magnetite and greigite crystals that likely form in a manner distinct from that of the cubooctahedral-shaped magnetite crystals of the genetically tractable MTB within the Alphaproteobacteria . Here, we present a method for genome editing in Desulfovibrio magneticus RS-1, a cultured representative of the deeply branching MTB of the class Deltaproteobacteria . This marks a crucial step in developing D. magneticus as a model for studying diverse mechanisms of magnetic particle formation by MTB.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Nov 15, 2018
- Source ID
- 10.1128/aem.01724-18
Entities
People
- Arash Komeili
- Carly R. Grant
- Kristen N. Legault
- Lilah Rahn-lee
Organizations
- National Institutes of Health
- National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka
- Office of Naval Research