Dresden 2014 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 11: Posters: Cytoskeleton

BP 11.14: Poster

Tuesday, April 1, 2014, 09:30–12:30, P1

Magnetic interactions in the magnetosome chain of magnetotactic bacteria — •Bahareh Kiani and Stefan Klumpp — Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Potsdam, Germany

Magnetotactic bacteria are aquatic microorganisms that swim and orient in the direction of magnetic field due to the presence of the magnetosome chain, a chain of vesicle-enclosed magnetic nanoparticles that are aligned on a cytoskeletal filament [1]. Here we investigate magnetic interactions between the nanoparticles to study the contribution of magnetism to the persistence length of the chain. The calculation of the energy of a curved magnetosome chain shows that magnetic interactions contribute only little to the stiffness of the chain, which should be mostly attributed to the filament. Furthermore, magnetic interactions favor closed-ring chains, and attachment to the filament can stabilize the chain against ring closure.

[1] Dirk Schüler, *Magnetoreception and Magnetosomes in Bacteria* (Springer, 2006).