Regensburg 2013 – scientific programme
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 10: Posters: Imaging
BP 10.6: Poster
Monday, March 11, 2013, 17:30–19:30, Poster B2
Researches on iron containing bacteria with PEEM — •Christoph Keutner1, Ulf Berges1, Philipp Espeter1, Alex von Bohlen2, David J. Keavney3, Claus M. Schneider4, and Carsten Westphal1 — 1DELTA/Experimentelle Physik I, TU Dortmund — 2ISAS Dortmund — 3APS, Argonne National Laboratory — 4PGI-6, FZ Jülich
Members of the polyphyletic group of magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) are forming chains of membrane-encapsulated particles by the natural process of biomineralisation. These so-called magnetosome chains consist of greigite or iron oxides, and are used for an oriented navigation along the Earth’s magnetic field. This is very important for the bacteria since they seek the oxic-anoxic transition zone which is their optimal living environment. In technological, medical, and environmental applications these magnetosomes are considered as a perspective material due to their narrow size and shape distribution.
In this work experiments on imaging the MTB species Magnetospirillum magnetotacticum with photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM) were continued. Now, an improved preparation procedure yielded a significantly higher MTB concentration on the sample surface. At the same time the residuals of the culture medium could drastically be decreased by this new procedure. We present first photoelectron emission microscopy data recorded at the Advanced Photon Source, Chicago (USA). The measurements show an element-specific detailed structure of the bacteria, including a clear signature of the iron oxides within the bacteria.