Electroactivity of the magnetotactic bacteria Magnetospirillum magneticum AMB-1 and Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense MSR-1

Highlights

● The first study of electrochemically active magnetotactic bacteria.

● Two magnetotactic species are able to generate current in microbial fuel cells.

● Electron shuttle resazurin enables both species to reduce the crystalline Fe₂O₃.

● M. magneticum can reduce poorly crystalline iron oxide (FeOOH).

● Electroactivity might be common for magnetotactic bacteria.

Abstract

Magnetotactic bacteria reside in sediments and stratified water columns. They are named after their ability to synthesize internal magnetic particles that allow them to align and swim along the Earth’s magnetic field lines. Here, we show that two magnetotactic species, Magnetospirillum magneticum strain AMB-1 and Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense strain MSR-1, are electroactive. Both M. magneticum and M. gryphiswaldense were able to generate current in microbial fuel cells with maximum power densities of 27 and 11 µW/m², respectively. In the presence of the electron shuttle resazurin both species were able to reduce the crystalline iron oxide hematite (Fe₂O₃). In addition, M. magneticum could reduce poorly crystalline iron oxide (FeOOH). Our study adds M. magneticum and M. gryphiswaldense to the growing list of known electroactive bacteria, and implies that electroactivity might be common for bacteria within the Magnetospirillum genus.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Magnetotactic bacteria / Magnetospirillum magneticum / Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense / Extracellular electron transfer / Microbial fuel cells

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the Carlsberg Foundation Distinguished Fellowships (No. CF18-0084), the Research Grant (No. 00023110) from VILLUM FONDEN, and the Independent Research Fund Denmark (DFF-Project 1 No. 1032-00028B).

Conflict of Interests

Yifeng Zhang is a guest editor of Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering. The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Funding Note

Open access funding provided by Technical University of Denmark.

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