Artículo
Guanine crystal formation by bacteria
Pavan, María Elisa; Movilla, Federico
; Pavan, Esteban E.; Di Salvo, Florencia
; López, Nancy Irene
; Pettinari, María Julia
Fecha de publicación:
12/2023
Editorial:
BioMed Central
Revista:
Bmc Biology
ISSN:
1741-7007
Idioma:
Inglés
Tipo de recurso:
Artículo publicado
Clasificación temática:
Resumen
Background: Guanine crystals are organic biogenic crystals found in many organisms. Due to their exceptionally high refractive index, they contribute to structural color and are responsible for the reflective effect in the skin and visual organs in animals such as fish, reptiles, and spiders. Occurrence of these crystals in animals has been known for many years, and they have also been observed in eukaryotic microorganisms, but not in prokaryotes. Results: In this work, we report the discovery of extracellular crystals formed by bacteria and reveal that they are composed of guanine monohydrate. This composition differs from that of biogenic guanine crystals found in other organisms, mostly composed of β anhydrous guanine. We demonstrate the formation of these crystals by Aeromonas and other bacteria and investigate the metabolic traits related to their synthesis. In all cases studied, the presence of the bacterial guanine crystals correlates with the absence of guanine deaminase, which could lead to guanine accumulation providing the substrate for crystal formation. Conclusions: Our finding of the hitherto unknown guanine crystal occurrence in prokaryotes extends the range of organisms that produce these crystals to a new domain of life. Bacteria constitute a novel and more accessible model to study the process of guanine crystal formation and assembly. This discovery opens countless chemical and biological questions, including those about the functional and adaptive significance of their production in these microorganisms. It also paves the road for the development of simple and convenient processes to obtain biogenic guanine crystals for diverse applications.
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Articulos(INQUIMAE)
Articulos de INST.D/QUIM FIS D/L MATERIALES MEDIOAMB Y ENERGIA
Articulos de INST.D/QUIM FIS D/L MATERIALES MEDIOAMB Y ENERGIA
Articulos(IQUIBICEN)
Articulos de INSTITUTO DE QUIMICA BIOLOGICA DE LA FACULTAD DE CS. EXACTAS Y NATURALES
Articulos de INSTITUTO DE QUIMICA BIOLOGICA DE LA FACULTAD DE CS. EXACTAS Y NATURALES
Citación
Pavan, María Elisa; Movilla, Federico; Pavan, Esteban E.; Di Salvo, Florencia; López, Nancy Irene; et al.; Guanine crystal formation by bacteria; BioMed Central; Bmc Biology; 21; 1; 12-2023; 1-9
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