Search Menu
DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information
Search Scholarly Publications

Title: Insights Into the Mineralogy and Surface Chemistry of Extracellular Biogenic S0 Globules Produced by Chlorobaculum tepidum

Journal Article · · Frontiers in Microbiology
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [6];  [5]
  1. Niagara Univ., Lewiston, NY (United States); Univ. of Delaware, Newark, DE (United States)
  2. Delaware Biotechnology Inst., Newark, DE (United States)
  3. Univ. of Delaware, Newark, DE (United States)
  4. Carnegie Inst. of Science, Washington, DC (United States)
  5. Delaware Biotechnology Inst., Newark, DE (United States); Univ. of Delaware, Newark, DE (United States)
  6. SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations

Elemental sulfur (S0) is produced and degraded by phylogenetically diverse groups of microorganisms. For Chlorobaculum tepidum, an anoxygenic phototroph, sulfide is oxidized to produce extracellular S0 globules, which can be further oxidized to sulfate. While some sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (e.g., Allochromatium vinosum) are also capable of growth on commercial S0 as an electron donor, C. tepidum is not. Even colloidal sulfur sols, which appear indistinguishable from biogenic globules, do not support the growth of C. tepidum. Here, we investigate the properties that make biogenic S0 globules distinct from abiotic forms of S0. We found that S0 globules produced by C. tepidum and abiotic S0 sols are quite similar in terms of mineralogy and material properties, but the two are distinguished primarily by the properties of their surfaces. C. tepidum’s globules are enveloped by a layer of organics (protein and polysaccharides), which results in a surface that is fundamentally different from that of abiotic S0 sols. The organic coating on the globules appears to slow the aging and crystallization of amorphous sulfur, perhaps providing an extended window of time for microbes in the environment to access the more labile forms of sulfur as needed. Overall, our results suggest that the surface of biogenic S0 globules may be key to cell–sulfur interactions and the reactivity of biogenic S0 in the environment.

Research Organization:
SLAC National Accelerator Lab.(SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-76SF00515
OSTI ID:
1506230
Journal Information:
Frontiers in Microbiology, Journal Name: Frontiers in Microbiology Vol. 10; ISSN 1664-302X
Publisher:
Frontiers Research FoundationCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (64)

Convenient method to prepare neutral sulfide solution for cultivation of phototrophic sulfur bacteria journal September 1984
The role of the sulfur globule proteins of Allochromatium vinosum: mutagenesis of the sulfur globule protein genes and expression studies by real-time RT-PCR journal August 2004
Molecular genetic evidence for extracytoplasmic localization of sulfur globules in Chromatium vinosum journal April 1998
Solubility of cyclooctasulfur in pure water and sea water at different temperatures journal October 2009
Dynamics of zero-valent sulfur species including polysulfides at seep sites on intertidal sand flats (Wadden Sea, North Sea) journal August 2010
Raman spectroscopic and laser scanning confocal microscopic analysis of sulfur in living sulfur-precipitating marine bacteria journal October 2001
Sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy for determining the chemical speciation of sulfur in biological systems journal December 1998
Analysis of Sulfur Biochemistry of Sulfur Bacteria Using X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy † journal July 2001
Zero-Valent Sulfur and Metal Speciation in Sediment Porewaters of Freshwater Lakes journal October 2009
Mechanism for the Formation of Elemental Sulfur from Aqueous Sulfide in Chemical and Microbiological Desulfurization Processes journal January 1996
Self-assembly of biomorphic carbon/sulfur microstructures in sulfidic environments journal September 2016
Bacterial nanowires: conductive as silicon, soft as polymer journal January 2011
Nanoindentation studies of full and empty viral capsids and the effects of capsid protein mutations on elasticity and strength journal April 2006
Solubility of Elemental Sulfur in Water at 298 K journal September 1978
Nanoindentation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacterial biofilm using atomic force microscopy journal December 2014
Quantitative speciation of sulfur in bacterial sulfur globules: X-ray absorption spectroscopy reveals at least three different species of sulfur journal January 2002
Mechanisms of extracellular S0 globule production and degradation in Chlorobaculum tepidum via dynamic cell–globule interactions journal July 2016
Utilization of solid 'elemental' sulfur by the phototrophic purple sulfur bacterium Allochromatium vinosum: a sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy study journal April 2007
A genomic region required for phototrophic thiosulfate oxidation in the green sulfur bacterium Chlorobium tepidum (syn. Chlorobaculum tepidum) journal March 2008
Size and mechanical stability of norovirus capsids depend on pH: a nanoindentation study journal June 2010
Polysulfides as Intermediates in the Oxidation of Sulfide to Sulfate by Beggiatoa spp. journal November 2013
In Situ Characterization of Differences in the Viscoelastic Response of Individual Gram-Negative and Gram-Positive Bacterial Cells journal July 2009
X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy as a Probe of Microbial Sulfur Biochemistry: the Nature of Bacterial Sulfur Globules Revisited journal August 2008
X-Ray Diffraction Studies of the Sulfur Globules Accumulated by Chromatium Species journal February 1970
Microcrystalline structure and surface area of elemental sulphur as factors influencing its oxidation by Thiobacillus albertis journal March 1986
The Molecular Nature of the Hydrophilic Sulfur Prepared from Aqueous Sulfide and Sulfite (Selmi Sulfur Sol) journal May 1989
Thermodynamics and Kinetics of Sulfide Oxidation by Oxygen: A Look at Inorganically Controlled Reactions and Biologically Mediated Processes in the Environment journal January 2011
The Role of Lipid Domains in Bacterial Cell Processes journal February 2013
Convenient method to prepare neutral sulfide solution for cultivation of phototrophic sulfur bacteria journal September 1984
The role of the sulfur globule proteins of Allochromatium vinosum: mutagenesis of the sulfur globule protein genes and expression studies by real-time RT-PCR journal August 2004
Molecular genetic evidence for extracytoplasmic localization of sulfur globules in Chromatium vinosum journal April 1998
Raman spectroscopic and laser scanning confocal microscopic analysis of sulfur in living sulfur-precipitating marine bacteria journal October 2001
Sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy for determining the chemical speciation of sulfur in biological systems journal December 1998
In situ analysis of sulfur in the sulfur globules of phototrophic sulfur bacteria by X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy journal August 1999
Solubility of cyclooctasulfur in pure water and sea water at different temperatures journal October 2009
Dynamics of zero-valent sulfur species including polysulfides at seep sites on intertidal sand flats (Wadden Sea, North Sea) journal August 2010
Comparative analysis of Beggiatoa from hypersaline and marine environments journal July 2010
Elasticity of Membrane Vesicles Isolated from Pseudomonas a eruginosa journal December 2003
Analysis of Sulfur Biochemistry of Sulfur Bacteria Using X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy † journal July 2001
Zero-Valent Sulfur and Metal Speciation in Sediment Porewaters of Freshwater Lakes journal October 2009
Mechanism for the Formation of Elemental Sulfur from Aqueous Sulfide in Chemical and Microbiological Desulfurization Processes journal January 1996
Bacteria Survive Multiple Puncturings of Their Cell Walls journal April 2009
Self-assembly of biomorphic carbon/sulfur microstructures in sulfidic environments journal September 2016
Bacterial nanowires: conductive as silicon, soft as polymer journal January 2011
Nanoindentation studies of full and empty viral capsids and the effects of capsid protein mutations on elasticity and strength journal April 2006
Solubility of Elemental Sulfur in Water at 298 K journal September 1978
Nanoindentation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacterial biofilm using atomic force microscopy journal December 2014
Quantitative speciation of sulfur in bacterial sulfur globules: X-ray absorption spectroscopy reveals at least three different species of sulfur journal January 2002
Mechanisms of extracellular S0 globule production and degradation in Chlorobaculum tepidum via dynamic cell–globule interactions journal July 2016
Utilization of solid 'elemental' sulfur by the phototrophic purple sulfur bacterium Allochromatium vinosum: a sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy study journal April 2007
A genomic region required for phototrophic thiosulfate oxidation in the green sulfur bacterium Chlorobium tepidum (syn. Chlorobaculum tepidum) journal March 2008
Size and mechanical stability of norovirus capsids depend on pH: a nanoindentation study journal June 2010
C hlorobaculum tepidum growth on biogenic S(0) as the sole photosynthetic electron donor journal August 2015
Polysulfides as Intermediates in the Oxidation of Sulfide to Sulfate by Beggiatoa spp. journal November 2013
In Situ Characterization of Differences in the Viscoelastic Response of Individual Gram-Negative and Gram-Positive Bacterial Cells journal July 2009
X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy as a Probe of Microbial Sulfur Biochemistry: the Nature of Bacterial Sulfur Globules Revisited journal August 2008
X-Ray Diffraction Studies of the Sulfur Globules Accumulated by Chromatium Species journal February 1970
Phosphatidyl Glycerol in Thiobacillus thiooxidans journal January 1965
Microcrystalline structure and surface area of elemental sulphur as factors influencing its oxidation by Thiobacillus albertis journal March 1986
Elemental sulfur coarsening kinetics journal August 2014
SIXPack a Graphical User Interface for XAS Analysis Using IFEFFIT journal January 2005
The Molecular Nature of the Hydrophilic Sulfur Prepared from Aqueous Sulfide and Sulfite (Selmi Sulfur Sol) journal May 1989
Thermodynamics and Kinetics of Sulfide Oxidation by Oxygen: A Look at Inorganically Controlled Reactions and Biologically Mediated Processes in the Environment journal January 2011
The Role of Lipid Domains in Bacterial Cell Processes journal February 2013

Similar Records

Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
biomineralization
elemental sulfur
green sulfur bacteria
microbe-mineral interactions
sulfur cycling