Journal article
Organic stabilization of extracellular elemental sulfur in a Sulfurovum-rich biofilm: a new role for extracellular polymeric substances?
- Abstract:
- This work shines light on the role of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) in the formation and preservation of elemental sulfur biominerals produced by sulfur-oxidizing bacteria. We characterized elemental sulfur particles produced within a Sulfurovum-rich biofilm in the Frasassi Cave System (Italy). The particles adopt spherical and bipyramidal morphologies, and display both stable (α-S8) and metastable (β-S8) crystal structures. Elemental sulfur is embedded within a dense matrix of EPS, and the particles are surrounded by organic envelopes rich in amide and carboxylic groups. Organic encapsulation and the presence of metastable crystal structures are consistent with elemental sulfur organomineralization, i.e., the formation and stabilization of elemental sulfur in the presence of organics, a mechanism that has previously been observed in laboratory studies. This research provides new evidence for the important role of microbial EPS in mineral formation in the environment. We hypothesize that the extracellular organics are used by sulfur-oxidizing bacteria for the stabilization of elemental sulfur minerals outside of the cell wall as a store of chemical energy. The stabilization of energy sources (in the form of a solid electron acceptor) in biofilms is a potential new role for microbial EPS that requires further investigation.
- Publication status:
- Published
- Peer review status:
- Peer reviewed
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(Preview, Version of record, 6.1MB, Terms of use)
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- Publisher copy:
- 10.3389/fmicb.2021.720101
Authors
- Publisher:
- Frontiers Media
- Journal:
- Frontiers in Microbiology More from this journal
- Volume:
- 12
- Article number:
- 720101
- Publication date:
- 2021-08-06
- Acceptance date:
- 2021-07-15
- DOI:
- EISSN:
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1664-302X
- Pmid:
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34421879
- Language:
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English
- Keywords:
- Pubs id:
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1193342
- Local pid:
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pubs:1193342
- Deposit date:
-
2021-09-27
Terms of use
- Copyright holder:
- Cron et al.
- Copyright date:
- 2021
- Rights statement:
- Copyright © 2021 Cron, Macalady and Cosmidis. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
- Licence:
- CC Attribution (CC BY)
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