Question

How do magnetotactic bacteria divide? I mean, how do they crack the magnet inside them? As I hear, most of them build a "chain" of magnetosomes.

Answer 1

I think that they don't contain a single magnet but a whole lot of smaller magnetic crystals which get distributed to the daughter cells along with everything else in the cytoplasm. The magnetosome is merely the specialized organelle where the magnetic crystals are formed.

Answer 2

but I read that the electromagnetic field of one magnetosome is not enough to influence the bacterium, that's why the magnetosomes built a chain and would be hold magnetically together. but maybe they are just pulled away from each other by microtubuli or smth shortly before cell division

Answer 3

That's likely it. I haven't done much reading about on this subject.

Answer 4

me neither. let's be honest: even under microbiologists, guys who would research something like that would be the geeks no one would want to talk to ^^

it just came to my mind - thanks for answering anyway =)

Answer 5

The cool one I found are magnetic proteins (big helical ones with lots of macrodipoles) which act as 'compasses' in migratory birds. For which the microbiologists would think I'm a geek.

Answer 6

yea they probably would ^^ I once read about bacterial colonies that digged holes into the ocean floor. now the one at the bottom digested the minerals and the ones at the top had the oxygen, so they built some kind of electrical network to exchange electrons...really sick, that was. and beautiful.

...but sick.