Department of Biology, University of Pisa, SS12 Abetone e Brennero 4, 56127 Pisa, Italy.
Department of Microbiology, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany.
Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Apr 16;22(8):4126. doi: 10.3390/ijms22084126.
Magnetosomes are membrane-enclosed iron oxide crystals biosynthesized by magnetotactic bacteria. As the biomineralization of bacterial magnetosomes can be genetically controlled, they have become promising nanomaterials for bionanotechnological applications. In the present paper, we explore a novel application of magnetosomes as nanotool for manipulating axonal outgrowth via stretch-growth (SG). SG refers to the process of stimulation of axonal outgrowth through the application of mechanical forces. Thanks to their superior magnetic properties, magnetosomes have been used to magnetize mouse hippocampal neurons in order to stretch axons under the application of magnetic fields. We found that magnetosomes are avidly internalized by cells. They adhere to the cell membrane, are quickly internalized, and slowly degrade after a few days from the internalization process. Our data show that bacterial magnetosomes are more efficient than synthetic iron oxide nanoparticles in stimulating axonal outgrowth via SG.
磁小体是由趋磁细菌生物合成的被膜包裹的氧化铁晶体。由于细菌磁小体的生物矿化可以通过基因进行控制，因此它们已成为用于生物纳米技术应用的有前途的纳米材料。在本文中，我们探索了磁小体作为纳米工具的一种新应用，即通过拉伸生长（SG）来操纵轴突的生长。SG 是指通过施加机械力刺激轴突生长的过程。由于其优异的磁性能，磁小体已被用于对小鼠海马神经元进行磁化，以便在磁场的作用下拉伸轴突。我们发现磁小体被细胞强烈内化。它们附着在细胞膜上，被快速内化，并在几天的内化过程后缓慢降解。我们的数据表明，细菌磁小体比合成氧化铁纳米颗粒更有效地通过 SG 刺激轴突生长。
