Sorption of Fe (hydr)oxides to the surface of Shewanella putrefaciens:: Cell-bound fine-grained minerals are not always formed de novo

Shewanella putrefaciens, a gram-negative, facultative anaerobe, is active in the cycling of iron through its interaction with Fe (hydr)oxides in natural environments. Fine-grained Fe precipitates that are attached to the outer membranes of many gram-negative bacteria have most often been attributed to precipitation and growth of the mineral at the cell surface. Our study, of the sorption of nonbiogenic Fe (hydr)oxides revealed, however, that large quantities of nanometer-scale ferrihydrite (hydrous ferric oxide), goethite (alpha -FeOOH), and hematite (alpha -Fe2O3) adhered to the cell surface. Attempts to separate suspensions of cells and minerals with an 80% glycerin cushion proved that the sorbed minerals were tightly attached to the bacteria. The interaction between minerals and cells resulted in the formation of mineral-cell aggregates, which increased biomass density and provided better sedimentation of mineral Fe compared to suspensions of minerals alone. Transmission electron microscopy observations of cells prepared by whole-mount, conventional embedding, and freeze-substitution methods confirmed the close association between cells and minerals and suggested that in some instances, the mineral crystals had even penetrated the outer membrane and peptidoglycan layers. Given the abundance of these mineral types in natural environments, the data suggest that not all naturally occurring cell surface-associated minerals are necessarily formed de novo on the cell wall.