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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 20: Cell adhesion, mechanics and migration I
BP 20.5: Talk
Tuesday, April 1, 2014, 14:15–14:30, HÜL 386
Magneto-aerotaxis in different strains of Magnetotactic bacteria — •Livnat Landau1,2, Christopher T. Lefèvre1, Mathieu Benneta1, Peter Vach1, Dennis A. Bazylinski3, Richard B. Frankel4, Stefan Klumpp2, and Damien Faivre1 — 1Department of Biomaterials, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, 14424 Potsdam, Germany — 2Department of Theory and Bio-Systems, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, 14424 Potsdam, Germany — 3University of Nevada at Las Vegas, School of Life Sciences, Las Vegas, Nevada 89154-4004 USA — 4Department of Physics, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California 93407, USA
Magnetotactic bacteria align and swim along magnetic field lines in order to facilitate positioning at an optimal oxygen concentration. Magnetic navigation is accomplished through special magnetic organelles, the magnetosomes, biomineralized, membrane-coated magnetic nanoparticles. We have characterized the magneto-aerotactic behavior of twelve magnetotactic bacteria with various morphologies, phylogenies, physiologies and flagellar apparatus. We have observed five different magneto-aerotactic behaviors that can be described as a combination of distinct mechanisms. Finally, we adapted a model for bacterial aerotaxis to describe magneto-aerotaxis with several different sensing mechanisms. Different sensing mechanisms lead to different behaviors in the presence of conflicting information, i.e. when the magnetic field points in a different direction relative to the oxygen gradient than in the natural environment.