Pseudo-Biomineralization:Complex Mineral StructuresShaped by Microbes
2019
Biomineralization
is an active, biologically governed process
of mineral formation, established early on in the history of life.
The appearance of biomineralizing organisms heavily influenced the
course of evolution, leading to the development of the large diversity
of the extant taxa. Yet, we are still only beginning to grasp the
intricate, genetically regulated mechanisms involved. Since prokaryotic
organisms were the first to emerge from the primordial environments,
we investigated bacteria–mineral interactions using titration
and gas diffusion systems adapted to emulate conditions, which may
have facilitated the development of biomineralization initially. By
screening the minerals and bacteria from titration experiments with
scanning electron microscopy, we discovered a broad spectrum of behavioral
strategies employed by bacteria confronted with calcification, which
fell into three main categories: (1) evasion of mineralization by
the formation of the biofilm, (2) random embedding into the mineral,
and (3) control over the mineral shape during its formation. The latter
phenomenon we termed pseudo-biomineralization. Our experiments indicate
that pseudo-biomineralization is an active process obligatorily reliant
on the external calcifying conditions and allowing considerable degree
of control over mineral shape, thus producing structures reminiscent
of true biominerals. Here, we describe this notion for the first time,
thus providing vital insight into the genesis of a transitional stage
to calcium carbonate-based biomineralization systems.
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