Deep in mines, bacteria emit proteins that sweep up metal nanoparticles into immobile clumps; microbial nanoglue? 07-192

Here’s a pollution-control tip from nature:

Deep inside a flooded mine in Wisconsin, scientists from several institutions including the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have discovered a world in which bacteria emit proteins that sweep up metal nanoparticles into immobile clumps. Their finding may lead to innovative ways to remediate subsurface metal toxins.

The research, which appears in the June 15, 2007 issue of the journal Science, reveals that the proteins travel far from the microbes that produce them, and then amass metal nanoparticles into piles that are too large to be swept away by underground currents. Precisely how and why the bacteria undertake this bit of housecleaning remains a mystery, but it suggests that proteins could play a key role in bioremediation strategies designed to trap harmful metals such as arsenic, lead, uranium, and plutonium.

“We have found, in the environment, that cells release proteins and polypeptides which promote the aggregation of nanoparticulate metals,” says John Moreau, lead author of the study and a former PhD student in UC Berkeley’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. “The intriguing discovery that biomolecules may shape nanoparticles into larger aggregates, which reduces the nanoparticles’ mobility, could have significant implications for bioremediation.”

To their surprise, researchers found proteins and polypeptides embedded within the zinc sulfide nanoparticles. Specifically, the nanoparticles were arranged like tree rings, and the proteins coated the particles’ surfaces and filled the gaps between them.

“We found that the mineral aggregates, which are produced as a consequence of microbial activity, actually contain a lot of protein,” say scientists. “This is very interesting because biomineralization has traditionally been thought of as a phenomenon that occurs within a cell, or in contact with it. But in this case, we see an intimate association of proteins and minerals that takes place as far as hundreds of microns away from the cell.”

Full story here>>[...]

© 2005-2007

Walter Derzko -"Changing the world, one idea at a time"©

Expert, Consultant and Keynote Speaker on Emerging Smart Technologies, Innovation, Strategic Foresight, Business Development, Lateral Creative Thinking and author of an upcoming book on the Smart Economy "

The Smart Technology Blog: The Smart Economy -- Read, enjoy, explore, speculate, comment !!

To arrange for an in house presentation or briefing on smart technology see here

To explore the opportunities and threats of any new smart technology in your industry - Contact Me or explore how we can work together

• ".....Strategy without action is a day-dream; action without strategy is a nightmare"-old Japanese proverb
• ".......Ours is the age that is proud of machines that think and suspicious of men who try to." -- H. Mumford Jones
• ".......Without changing our patterns of thought, we will not be able to solve the problems we created with our current pattern of thought."  --A. Einstein
• ".......Change is difficult, but complacency and stagnation are surefire showstoppers..." --Walter Derzko

• ".......Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."  -- Margaret Mead

• ".......Small minds discuss people; Average minds discuss events; Great minds discuss ideas; --Anon

P. S. if this is your first visit to my blog, please go to our Welcome page