idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Nachrichten, Termine, Experten

Grafik: idw-Logo
Science Video Project
idw-Abo

idw-News App:

AppStore

Google Play Store



Instanz:
Teilen: 
08.07.2024 21:00

Bacterial glitter: New findings open up possibilities for sustainable color technologies

Juliane Seeber Abteilung Hochschulkommunikation/Bereich Presse und Information
Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena

    An international team of researchers of the Cluster of Excellence ‘Balance of the Microverse' at the University of Jena has investigated the mechanism that makes some types of bacteria reflect light without using pigments. The researchers were interested in the genes responsible and discovered important ecological connections. These findings were published in the current issue of the renowned journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

    The iridescent colors known from peacock feathers or butterfly wings are created by tiny structures that reflect light in a special way. Some bacterial colonies form similar glittering structures. In collaboration with the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Utrecht University, University of Cambridge, and the Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, the scientists sequenced the DNA of 87 structurally colored bacteria and 30 colorless strains and identified genes that are responsible for these fascinating colonies. These findings could lead to the development of environmentally friendly dyes and materials, a key interest of the collaborating biotechnology company Hoekmine BV.

    Predictions with artificial intelligence

    The researchers trained an artificial intelligence model to predict which bacteria produce iridescent colors based on their DNA. “With this model, we analyzed over 250,000 bacterial genomes and 14,000 environmental samples from international open science repositories”, says Prof. Bas E. Dutilh, Professor of Viral Ecology at the University of Jena and researcher in the Cluster of Excellence ‘Balance of the Microverse’. “We discovered that the genes responsible for structural color are mainly found in oceans, freshwater, and special habitats such as intertidal zones and deep-sea areas. In contrast, microbes in host-associated habitats such as the human microbiome displayed very limited structural color.”

    Ecological significance and future applications

    The study results indicate that the colorful bacterial colony structures are not only used to reflect light. Surprisingly, these genes are also found in bacteria that live in deep oceans without sunlight. This could imply that the colors could reflect deeper processes of cell organization with important functions, such as protecting the bacteria from viruses, or efficiently colonizing floating food particles. These findings could inspire new, sustainable technologies based on these natural structures.

    Excellent collaborative research

    The international research project exemplifies how two profile lines of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, LIFE and LIGHT, can find each other. It also addresses the goals of the Cluster of Excellence “Balance of the Microverse”, where Prof. Dutilh has held one of four ‘Microverse Professorships’ as an Alexander von Humboldt Professor since 2021. The cluster investigates the complex relationships within microbial communities, and the role of colony structure in microbial interaction is one of the key research questions.


    Wissenschaftliche Ansprechpartner:

    Prof. Dr Bas E. Dutilh
    Cluster of Excellence 'Balance of the Microverse'
    Friedrich Schiller University Jena
    Phone: +49 3641 9-49783
    Email: b.e.dutilh@uni-jena.de


    Originalpublikation:

    Zomer A, Ingham CJ, von Meijenfeldt FAB et al. Structural color in the bacterial domain: The ecogenomics of a 2-dimensional optical phenotype, PNAS 2024, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2309757121


    Bilder

    The colours of the marine bacterium Marinobacter alginolytica are due to ordered bacterial cells forming a photonic crystal, producing colour by interference effects.
    The colours of the marine bacterium Marinobacter alginolytica are due to ordered bacterial cells for ...
    Picture: Colin Ingham


    Merkmale dieser Pressemitteilung:
    Journalisten, Wissenschaftler
    Biologie
    überregional
    Forschungsergebnisse, Wissenschaftliche Publikationen
    Englisch


     

    The colours of the marine bacterium Marinobacter alginolytica are due to ordered bacterial cells forming a photonic crystal, producing colour by interference effects.


    Zum Download

    x

    Hilfe

    Die Suche / Erweiterte Suche im idw-Archiv
    Verknüpfungen

    Sie können Suchbegriffe mit und, oder und / oder nicht verknüpfen, z. B. Philo nicht logie.

    Klammern

    Verknüpfungen können Sie mit Klammern voneinander trennen, z. B. (Philo nicht logie) oder (Psycho und logie).

    Wortgruppen

    Zusammenhängende Worte werden als Wortgruppe gesucht, wenn Sie sie in Anführungsstriche setzen, z. B. „Bundesrepublik Deutschland“.

    Auswahlkriterien

    Die Erweiterte Suche können Sie auch nutzen, ohne Suchbegriffe einzugeben. Sie orientiert sich dann an den Kriterien, die Sie ausgewählt haben (z. B. nach dem Land oder dem Sachgebiet).

    Haben Sie in einer Kategorie kein Kriterium ausgewählt, wird die gesamte Kategorie durchsucht (z.B. alle Sachgebiete oder alle Länder).