Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Neha Mehta, Delphine Vantelon, Juliette Gaetan, Alejandro Fernandez-Martinez, Ludovic Delbes, Cynthia Travert, Karim Benzerara
Summary: The short-range order of bacterial intracellular amorphous calcium carbonates (ACC) remains largely unexplored. In this study, X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopies were used to investigate the calcium speciation and coordination environment in intact cells of diverse ACC-forming cyanobacteria. The findings reveal that XANES is effective in detecting ACC in intact cells and that the short-range order of cyanobacterial ACC is different from eukaryotic ACC, resembling monohydrocalcite. These results provide insights into the fate of cyanobacterial ACC and the role of ACC-forming cyanobacteria in the biogeochemical cycle of calcium.
Article
Spectroscopy
Neha Mehta, Juliette Gaetan, Paola Giura, Thierry Azais, Karim Benzerara
Summary: While the formation of intracellular amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) by organisms is common, it is challenging to detect ACC in prokaryotes due to its susceptibility to transformation or dissolution during sample preparation. This study identifies diagnostic spectral markers of ACC-forming prokaryotes that enable their detection in the environment.
SPECTROCHIMICA ACTA PART A-MOLECULAR AND BIOMOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Beibei Xie, Huichao Zhao, Yuan-Fu Ding, Ziyi Wang, Yan Wang, Cheng Gao, Ruibing Wang
Summary: Chemotherapy based on molecular drugs is commonly used for tumor therapy, but its lack of specificity, severe side effects, and tumor resistance hinder its applications. This study introduces a drug-free tumor therapy approach involving spermine-responsive intracellular biomineralization. By designing calcium carbonate nanoparticles capped with folic acid and supramolecular peptides, these nanoparticles can target tumor cells and self-aggregate into micron-sized CaCO3 aggregates in tumor cells with overexpressed spermine. The extended intracellular retention of CaCO3 aggregates can induce intracellular biomineralization and Ca2+ overload, leading to mitochondrial damage and cellular apoptosis, effectively inhibiting tumor growth without serious side effects seen in conventional chemotherapy.
JOURNAL OF CONTROLLED RELEASE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Neha Mehta, Jeremy Bougoure, Benjamin D. Kocar, Elodie Duprat, Karim Benzerara
Summary: It was discovered that the cyanobacterium Gleomargarita lithophora has the ability to strongly accumulate Ra-226 and form intracellular amorphous calcium carbonate mineral inclusions (iACC). Using high-resolution nanoscale secondary-ion mass spectrometry (Nano-SIMS), it was further found that sequestered Ra-226 is primarily associated with iACC and to a lesser degree within polyphosphate inclusions. This research provides important insights into the interactions between microorganisms and Ra-226, benefits the development of efficient bioremediation strategies, and presents a new frontier in mapping ultratrace elements in microbial samples using NanoSIMS.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Peiyu Liu, Yan Liu, Xinyi Ren, Zhifei Zhang, Xiang Zhao, Andrew P. Roberts, Yongxin Pan, Jinhua Li
Summary: The newly discovered magnetotactic spirillum XQGS-1 from Xingqinggong Lake in Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province, China, represents a novel genus of the Alphaproteobacteria class. In addition to forming magnetite crystals, XQGS-1 cells also biomineralize submicrometer calcium carbonate and calcium phosphate granules intracellularly, indicating that magnetotactic bacteria are an important microbial group for intracellular calcium carbonate and calcium phosphate biomineralization.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Neha Mehta, Margot Coutaud, Julien Bouchez, Kirsten van Zuilen, Harold J. Bradbury, Frederic Moynier, Caroline Gorge, Feriel Skouri-Panet, Karim Benzerara
Summary: The study reveals that the cyanobacterium Gloeomargarita lithophora can selectively enrich lighter isotopes of barium and strontium. The isotope fractionation observed in this biological process is distinct from abiogenic and other biogenic carbonate formation cases, suggesting the existence of a back reaction. It highlights the potential influence of bacteria forming intracellular amorphous carbonates on environmental records and emphasizes the overlooked role of these bacteria in barium and strontium biogeochemical cycles.
GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA
(2023)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Karim Benzerara, Elodie Duprat, Tristan Bitard-Feildel, Geraldine Caumes, Corinne Cassier-Chauvat, Franck Chauvat, Manuela Dezi, Seydina Issa Diop, Geoffroy Gaschignard, Sigrid Gorgen, Muriel Gugger, Purificacion Lopez-Garcia, Maxime Millet, Feriel Skouri-Panet, David Moreira, Isabelle Callebaut
Summary: A new gene and protein family associated with cyanobacterial intracellular amorphous calcium carbonate (iACC) biomineralization was identified through comparative genomics. The gene ccyA, when overexpressed, resulted in increased intracellular calcium content in iACC-lacking cyanobacteria. The presence of ccyA was correlated with genes involved in calcium or bicarbonate ion transport and homeostasis, suggesting a functional role in iACC biomineralization. The search for ccyA in publicly available genomes identified additional cyanobacterial strains forming iACC, expanding our understanding of the distribution of cyanobacterial iACC biomineralization.
GENOME BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Hadas Peled-Zehavi, Assaf Gal
Summary: Some microorganisms, like coccolithophores, produce intricate exoskeletons made of inorganic solids. Recent studies have shown that intracellular compartments store high concentrations of calcium and phosphorous, suggesting a dominant role in mineralization. Fluorescent labeling experiments reveal a variety of organelles with distinct signatures, but surprisingly no changes in ion pools were observed during the calcification process. This suggests that the mechanism behind coccolithophores' ability to sustain intracellular calcification remains elusive.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Sara Mandera, Ismael Coronado, Lurdes Fernandez-Diaz, Maciej Mazur, Juncal A. Cruz, Bartlomiej Januszewicz, Esperanza Fernandez-Martinez, Pedro Cozar, Jaroslaw Stolarski
Summary: This study investigates the formation and transformation processes of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) particles produced by earthworms. In the presence of trace amounts of manganese, the formation and transformation of the particles are more stable. A new model of biocrystallization of earthworm-produced carbonate granules is proposed, highlighting the sensitivity of this process to environmental chemical changes.
ACTA BIOMATERIALIA
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Agathe Martignier, Montserrat Filella, Jean-Michel Jaquet, Mathieu Coster, Daniel Ariztegui
Summary: This study describes intracellular inclusions of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) in unicellular organisms and identifies Sr- and Ba-enriched micropearls containing measurable amounts of As. Different types of As-bearing micropearls were found and the chemical composition and sources of micropearls from Lake Geneva and Lake Titicaca were studied.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Oleg S. Vereshchagin, Olga V. Frank-Kamenetskaya, Dmitry Yu. Vlasov, Marina S. Zelenskaya, Oksana A. Rodina, Irina A. Chernyshova, Dmitry E. Himelbrant, Irina S. Stepanchikova, Sergey N. Britvin
Summary: Microorganisms play a vital role in settlement and biomineralization under extreme conditions. In this study, we examined biofilms in the extreme environment of Tolbachik Volcano area and identified microbial biomineralization. Our findings show that lichens promote oxalate biomineralization in an acidic environment, while cyanobacteria suppress carbonate biomineralization. Calcium and copper oxalates were found in lichen biofilms, with the intensity of biomineralization varying with lichen age. These results highlight the abundance of biomineralization in terrestrial environments and provide insights into microbial biomineralization mechanisms.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Guoquan Zeng, Suyu Qiao, Xitong Wang, Mingping Sheng, Mingyang Wei, Qun Chen, Heng Xu, Fei Xu
Summary: The addition of 10 mM Ca2+ during the Microbially induced phosphate precipitation (MIPP) process significantly increased the removal ratio of Cd, potentially through the formation of a solid solution to remove the heavy metal cadmium.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tilman A. Grunewald, Stefano Checchia, Hamadou Dicko, Gilles Le Moullac, Manaarii Sham Koua, Jeremie Vidal-Dupiol, Julien Duboisset, Julius Nouet, Olivier Grauby, Marco Di Michiel, Virginie Chamard
Summary: This study utilizes nanobeam X-ray total scattering and reverse Monte Carlo modeling to spatially resolve the amorphous calcium carbonate compounds in mollusc shells. Three distinct amorphous compounds were discovered, and the presence of magnesium in the shell and its role in the amorphous-to-crystal transition were demonstrated. The findings contribute to the understanding of biomineralization and provide insights for bioinspired synthetic strategies.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ahmed Salama
Summary: Researchers are increasingly focusing on the development of unique materials from sustainable and renewable resources, with chitosan and its derivatives being versatile candidates for preparing attractive materials. Various preparation strategies for chitosan/calcium phosphate composites have been discussed and are widely applied in the biomedical and environmental fields.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Marine
Christos Kanellopoulos, Vasiliki Lamprinou, Artemis Politi, Panagiotis Voudouris, Ioannis Iliopoulos, Maria Kokkaliari, Leonidas Moforis, Athena Economou-Amilli
Summary: This study investigates a small open cave with hot springs and stalactites in Greece using an interdisciplinary approach. The research reveals that the main mineral phase in the cave is calcite, and it interacts with Cyanobacteria species to form speleothem deposits. The findings are significant for understanding biomineralization processes in these unique environments.
JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Caroline L. Monteil, Karim Benzerara, Nicolas Menguy, Cecile C. Bidaud, Emmanuel Michot-Achdjian, Romain Bolzoni, Francois P. Mathon, Margot Coutaud, Beatrice Alonso, Camille Garau, Didier Jezequel, Eric Viollier, Nicolas Ginet, Magali Floriani, Sufal Swaraj, Martin Sachse, Vincent Busigny, Elodie Duprat, Francois Guyot, Christopher T. Lefevre
Summary: Bacteria can synthesize a variety of non-biological precipitates with different chemical compositions and structures within cells, including magnetic particles and calcium carbonate granules. Research has shown that the amorphous calcium carbonate granules formed by these bacteria are contained within membrane-delimited vesicles. Analysis of a new genus of Alphaproteobacteria revealed atypical structure of the magnetosome gene cluster, and the bacteria consume energy to maintain an environment suitable for calcium carbonate granule formation.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Celine Delestrain, Abdel Aissat, Stephanie Simon, Agathe Tarze, Elodie Duprat, Elodie Nattes, Bruno Costes, Valerie Delattre, Stephanie Finet, Pascale Fanen, Ralph Epaud
Summary: Twins with SP-C gene mutation underwent successful GC treatment, leading to improved proSP-C processing in BALF analysis and a decrease in SFTPC mRNA expression with splicing changes, resulting in the expression of a less stable proSP-C isoform.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Karim Benzerara, Romain Bolzoni, Caroline Monteil, Olivier Beyssac, Olivier Forni, Beatrice Alonso, Maria P. Asta, Christopher Lefevre
Summary: The study on Achromatium cells revealed that the intracellular CaCO3 granules are predominantly composed of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC), similar to other cyanobacteria and a recently discovered magnetotactic alphaproteobacterium. The physiological and ecological implications of this finding are worth further investigation. Future studies on the crystallinity of CaCO3 granules in Achromatium cells from diverse environments worldwide should be cautious of potential pitfalls identified in this study.
Article
Microbiology
Vincent Busigny, Francois P. Mathon, Didier Jezequel, Cecile C. Bidaud, Eric Viollier, Gerard Bardoux, Jean-Jacques Bourrand, Karim Benzerara, Elodie Duprat, Nicolas Menguy, Caroline L. Monteil, Christopher T. Lefevre
Summary: Studying magnetotactic bacteria in Lake Pavin, utilizing various sampling methods, understanding their ecological niche, and efficiently collecting large volumes of water samples using an online pumping system. This research provides a foundation for further multidisciplinary investigations of magnetotactic bacteria populations in Lake Pavin and elsewhere, as well as chemical and isotopic analyses of their magnetosomes.
ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Karim Benzerara, Elodie Duprat, Tristan Bitard-Feildel, Geraldine Caumes, Corinne Cassier-Chauvat, Franck Chauvat, Manuela Dezi, Seydina Issa Diop, Geoffroy Gaschignard, Sigrid Gorgen, Muriel Gugger, Purificacion Lopez-Garcia, Maxime Millet, Feriel Skouri-Panet, David Moreira, Isabelle Callebaut
Summary: A new gene and protein family associated with cyanobacterial intracellular amorphous calcium carbonate (iACC) biomineralization was identified through comparative genomics. The gene ccyA, when overexpressed, resulted in increased intracellular calcium content in iACC-lacking cyanobacteria. The presence of ccyA was correlated with genes involved in calcium or bicarbonate ion transport and homeostasis, suggesting a functional role in iACC biomineralization. The search for ccyA in publicly available genomes identified additional cyanobacterial strains forming iACC, expanding our understanding of the distribution of cyanobacterial iACC biomineralization.
GENOME BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Cecile C. Bidaud, Caroline L. Monteil, Nicolas Menguy, Vincent Busigny, Didier Jezequel, Eric Viollier, Cynthia Travert, Feriel Skouri-Panet, Karim Benzerara, Christopher T. Lefevre, Elodie Duprat
Summary: Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) play an important role in biogeochemical cycles by biomineralizing or sequestering elements in aquatic environments. Lake Pavin, as a unique aqueous system, harbors diverse MTB populations with the capability to sequester various elements in different microenvironments. This study investigates the abundance and vertical stratification of MTB populations in relation to environmental parameters, and reveals a specific group of MTB capable of sequestering large amounts of polyphosphates below the oxic-anoxic transition zone. The results suggest a tight link between the sulfur and phosphorus metabolisms of these bacteria and provide insights into the role of MTB in the phosphorus cycle in stratified environmental conditions.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Martin Oliver, Laurent Le Corre, Melanie Poinsot, Michael Bosco, Hongwei Wan, Ana Amoroso, Bernard Joris, Ahmed Bouhss, Sandrine Calvet-Vitale, Christine Gravier-Pelletier
Summary: New inhibitors of bacterial transferase MraY were developed, and the most active compound showed strong inhibition against MraY activity. However, these compounds did not exhibit antibacterial activity. Docking and molecular dynamics studies revealed the interactions between the new linker and key amino acids.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Apolline Bruley, Tristan Bitard-Feildel, Isabelle Callebaut, Elodie Duprat
Summary: Order and disorder play important roles in protein functions, but the diversity of disorder makes it difficult to understand. Researchers developed an analytical tool called pyHCA, which estimates the foldability of a protein segment based on its amino acid sequence and the density of regular secondary structures associated with hydrophobic clusters. They applied pyHCA to protein sequences from various species and compared the results with AlphaFold2, providing guidance for mapping structural innovations at proteome and gene scales.
PROTEINS-STRUCTURE FUNCTION AND BIOINFORMATICS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Apolline Bruley, Jean-Paul Mornon, Elodie Duprat, Isabelle Callebaut
Summary: This study combines the predictions of AlphaFold2 (AF2) with the tool pyHCA to analyze the structural features of reference proteomes. The results show that the combination of AF2 and pyHCA can reveal hidden structural features in whole proteomes and optimize the prediction of different flavors of disorder.
Article
Microbiology
Juliette Gaetan, Sebastien Halary, Maxime Millet, Cecile Bernard, Charlotte Duval, Sahima Hamlaoui, Amandine Hecquet, Muriel Gugger, Benjamin Marie, Neha Mehta, David Moreira, Feriel Skouri-Panet, Cynthia Travert, Elodie Duprat, Julie Leloup, Karim Benzerara
Summary: The formation of intracellular amorphous calcium carbonates (iACC) by Microcystis is common in freshwater ecosystems, and has implications for understanding the biological function of Microcystis and the Calcium geochemical cycle in freshwater environments.
ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Laura Galezowski, Nadir Recham, Dominique Larcher, Jennyfer Miot, Feriel Skouri-Panet, Hania Ahouari, Francois Guyot
Summary: Mn(II)-oxidizing organisms can promote the formation of manganese oxides with specific textures, offering environmentally relevant routes to manganese oxide synthesis. In this study, a bacterium called Pseudomonas putida was used to produce manganese oxide in a biofilm. The biofilm was characterized using various techniques, and the results showed the formation of several minerals, including MnOx birnessite. Electrochemical measurements indicated the electroactivity of the biomineralized biofilm without any post-synthesis treatment, providing insights for designing new routes for electrode synthesis.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
J. Caumartin, K. Benzerara, R. Havas, C. Thomazo, P. Lopez-Garcia, E. Duprat
Summary: The debate over whether biological and/or physico-chemical variations have affected the abundance of microbialites over time remains unresolved. To better understand the conditions necessary for the formation of modern microbialites, a database of 140 aqueous environments where microbialites have been reported was analyzed. It was found that the solutions where microbialites form have high saturation with calcite, controlled by the solubility of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) or monohydrocalcite (MHC). Further analysis of two similar databases of continental aqueous systems suggests that only a small number of them have saturation with ACC/MHC, making them potential candidates for the discovery of overlooked microbialites.
GEOCHEMICAL PERSPECTIVES LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Neha Mehta, Delphine Vantelon, Juliette Gaetan, Alejandro Fernandez-Martinez, Ludovic Delbes, Cynthia Travert, Karim Benzerara
Summary: The short-range order of bacterial intracellular amorphous calcium carbonates (ACC) remains largely unexplored. In this study, X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopies were used to investigate the calcium speciation and coordination environment in intact cells of diverse ACC-forming cyanobacteria. The findings reveal that XANES is effective in detecting ACC in intact cells and that the short-range order of cyanobacterial ACC is different from eukaryotic ACC, resembling monohydrocalcite. These results provide insights into the fate of cyanobacterial ACC and the role of ACC-forming cyanobacteria in the biogeochemical cycle of calcium.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Elodie Muller, Magali Ader, Giovanni Aloisi, Cedric Bougeault, Christophe Durlet, Emmanuelle Vennin, Karim Benzerara, Eric C. Gaucher, Aurelien Virgone, Marco Chavez, Pierre Souquet, Emmanuelle Gerard
Summary: This study investigates the formation of modern carbonate microbialites in the hydrothermal system of Laguna Pastos Grandes in Bolivia, and discovers multiple modes of carbonate precipitation under different physicochemical conditions.