Phenomic and transcriptomic analyses reveal the sequential synthesis of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles in Acidithiobacillus...

As the most important non-magnetotactic magnetosome-producing bacteria, Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans only requires very mild conditions to produce Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles, thus conferring greater flexibility and potential application in biomagnetic nanoparticle production. However, the available information cannot explain the mechanism of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticle formation in A. ferrooxidans. In this study, we applied phenomic and transcriptomic analyses to reveal this mechanism. We found that different treatment condition factors notably affect the phenomic data of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticle in A. ferrooxidans. Using transcriptomic analyses, the gene network controlling/regulating Fe₃O₄ nanoparticle biogenesis in A. ferrooxidans was proposed, excavating the candidate hub genes for Fe₃O₄ nanoparticle formation in A. ferrooxidans. Based on this information, a sequential model for Fe₃O₄ nanoparticle synthesis in A. ferrooxidans was hypothesized. It lays the groundwork for further clarifying the feature of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticle synthesis.