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

IMPORTANCE

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.