Molecular Mechanism of Magnetic Crystal Formation in Magnetotactic Bacteria

Magnetotactic bacteria are a group of microorganism producing nano-sized magnetic particles. The bacterial cells accumulate a large amount of iron ion from aquatic environment and synthesize single-crystal magnetic nano-particles under ambient conditions. The size, shape, and composition of the magnetic nano-particles are precisely regulated in individual bacterial cell types. Thus, the understanding of molecular mechanism should provide ideas to design and create magnetic nano-materials with environmentally friendly synthetic routes. This chapter describes the molecular mechanism of magnetic nano-particle formation that has been clarified based on comprehensive molecular analyses of magnetotactic bacteria. Identified proteins from the basic studies are shown to be available for the development of novel magnetic nano-materials. The strategy and fundamental technologies that are useful for the understanding of biomineralization mechanisms are also introduced.