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A Magnetospirillum strain WM-1 from a freshwater sediment with intracellular magnetosomes

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Summary

A helical shaped bacterium capable of producing magnetosomes, designated WM-1, was isolated from freshwater sediment through an improved isolated method that combined magnetic separation and the “race track” method. The strain WM-1 was Gram-negative, 0.2–0.4 μm in diameter and 3–4 μm in length. The strain WM-1 was identified as genus Magnetospirillum in the α-Proteobacteria according to the sequence analysis of the 16S rDNA, the morphology and physiological characteristics. The shape of the magnetosomes in WM-1was cuboidal by electron microscopy. Statistical analysis of WM-1 magnetosome crystals showed that the average number of magnetosomes in a WM-1 bacterium was 8 ± 3.4, and the average length was 54 ± 12.3 nm, and the average width was 43 ± 10.9 nm.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Life Science & Technology, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan, 430074, P.R. China

    Wenbing Li, Longjiang Yu, Pengpeng Zhou & Min Zhu

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  1. Wenbing Li
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  2. Longjiang Yu
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  3. Pengpeng Zhou
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  4. Min Zhu
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Correspondence to Longjiang Yu.

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Li, W., Yu, L., Zhou, P. et al. A Magnetospirillum strain WM-1 from a freshwater sediment with intracellular magnetosomes. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 23, 1489–1492 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-007-9380-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-007-9380-0

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