Calcification by Escherichia coli

Abstract

Escherichia coli K-12, grown in a synthetic medium containing metastable calcium phosphate, formed intracellular biological apatite crystals.

A microbiological study of dental calculus

“…Microradiographic and electron microscopic study of in vivo formed calculus has shown that calcification is associated with a variety of morphologically different microorganisms (Selvig 1969). In in vitro studies of bacterial calcification both Gram-positive and Gram-negative species became calcified when immersed in a metastable calcium phosphate solution (Wasserman, Mandel & Levy 1958, Ennever 1960, Ennever, Vogel & Brown 1972, Ennever, Vogel & Streckfuss 1974, Ennever & Summers 1975, Rizzo et al 1962, 1967, Bowen & Gilmour 1961, Rosen & Weisenstein 1964, Keefe 1976 and where X-ray diffraction analysis of the deposits was recorded, the form of calcium phosphate found was usually hydroxyapatite.…”

A microbiological study of dental calculus.

“…Two oral speeies, Veiiionella alcalescens and a Neisseria sp. were calcified in the experiments of Rizzo and co-workers (1967) and several species belonging to the family Enlerobacleriaceae have produced deposits of calcium phosphate identified by X-ray diffraction analysis and located within the cell by electron microscopy (Ennever et al 1972, Ennever, Vogel & Streckfuss 1974, Keefe 1976. This study has shown that in addition to Veiiionella and Neisseria, species of genera found regularly in dental plaque i.e.…”

Phosphatized tungsten‐metabolizing coccoid microbes interpreted from oil shale of an Eocene lake, Green River Formation, Utah, USA

“…The concentric structure of μCFA in the globules provides the first line of evidence. Initially, as well as P sourced from organic material being degraded both physiochemically and by living biota, dissolved P may be released from nucleic acids (DNA, RNA), membrane phospholipids, and in some cases teichoic acid of anionic cell walls, by both living bacteria and archaea (e.g., Benzerara, Menguy et al, 2004;Beveridge et al, 1983;Ennever et al, 1974). Under oxic conditions, it has also been shown that polyphosphate may be stored as intracellular inclusions by SOB, including the large coccoid Thiomargarita, later to be released as orthophosphate particularly during more anoxic, sulfidic conditions (Brock & Schulz-Vogt, 2011;Goldhammer et al, 2010;Omelon et al, 2013;Schulz & Schulz, 2005).…”

“…Mineralization of bacterial cell walls is known to begin within hours of lysis, as anionic organic polymers present within cell envelopes can act as preferential nucleation sites for metallic precipitates. Ennever et al (1974) have reported radial needles of Ca-apatite forming within bacterial cells, whereas Beveridge et al (1983) and Benzerara, Menguy, et al (2004) among others noted multi-stage precipitation of various phosphates on, and within, the cells. For example, the latter authors recorded nanometer-scale poorly crystalline CFA forming first and tangentially in the periplasm of a Gram-negative bacterium, followed inside the cell by nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite, with c axes preferentially oriented perpendicular to the cell surface (Figure 8b,c).…”

“…Precipitation may occur abiogenically, but there are also numerous examples of extant microbes that are known to modify their surroundings causing phosphate minerals to form external to the cell, and other microbes that precipitate phosphate within or on their cell wall (Ehrlich, 1999). Most bio-phosphates are initially amorphous precursor species (Konhauser, Fyfe, Schultze-Lam, Ferris, & Beveridge, 1994) but crystalline phosphates, including the apatite minerals, also have been identified (e.g., Arning et al, 2009;Bailey et al, 2013;Beveridge, Meloche, Fyfe, & Murray, 1983;Beveridge & Fyfe, 1985;Benzerara, Yoon, et al, 2004;Benzerara, Menguy et al, 2004;Blakemore & Frankel, 1989;Brock & Schulz-Vogt, 2011;Ennever, Vogel, & Streckfuss, 1974;Goldhammer et al, 2010;González-Muñoz et al, 2010;Hirschler, Lucas, & Hubert, 1990;Konhauser et al, 1994;Lovley & Phillips, 1988;Macaskie, Empson, Cheetham, Grey, & Skarnulis, 1992;Rivadeneyra, Pérez-García, & Ramos-Cormenzana, 1992;Rivadeneyra, Martín-Algarra, Sánchez-Navas, & Martín-Ramos, 2006;Schulz & Schulz, 2005). However, the range of abiogenic and biogenic conditions for such bioprecipitation remains poorly understood (Rivadeneyra et al, 2006).…”