Nanobacteria

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As nanobacteria or ultra-micro bacterial particles are referred to, the first in 1994 cell cultures and later in the blood of mammals were found. It is controversial whether these are actually cocoid (spherical) bacteria with their own metabolism. Their size should be between 80 and 600  nm . This would make them smaller than the smallest bacteria known to date.

history

As early as the early 1990s, the geologist Robert L. Folk from the University of Texas reported round structures in limestone that looked to him like microorganisms. Such structures were later found in meteorites as well. It is said to be a class of bacteria of its own, possibly among the oldest forms of life on earth. None of these assumptions have yet been confirmed. A scientific paper from 2008 suggests that the nanobacteria are (inanimate) calcium carbonate particles that look similar to small bacteria.

features

Little is known about the structure of nanobacteria. These should be spherical to oval microorganisms with a diameter of 200–600 nm. They would therefore be of the order of magnitude of viruses that reach 20–400 nm in diameter. The main objection to the thesis that it is living bacteria revolves around these facts. Many scientists doubt that there is still enough space in such a small organism to accommodate DNA and other structures that are essential for metabolism and reproduction. It is therefore also discussed whether nanobacteria have to be surrounded by mammalian cells in order to survive.

The very resistant nanobacteria should have a thick cell wall and be surrounded by a mucous membrane. Their reproduction is significantly slower than that of bacteria . DNA has not yet been detected.

For example, you should be able to synthesize apatite . The involvement of nanobacteria in the development of kidney stones , gallstones and arteriosclerosis is currently being discussed . This would expose other chronic diseases as infectious diseases after the development of gastric ulcers .

Jan Martel from Chang Chun University in Taiwan and John Young from Rockefeller University used blood serum and calcium carbonate to create nanoparticles that could not be distinguished from the controversial nanobacteria under the microscope . In the experiment, however, they demonstrated that the particles are not alive. Firstly, they did not show any traces of DNA or RNA , secondly, they were present in the same concentration even after an extremely high dose of radiation and, moreover, remained optically unchanged, the two report in the " Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ". "I'm pretty sure that will end the debate about possible living mechanisms in nanobacteria," Young told Nature's news service , but admits that the nanoparticles are actually dividing. “They seem to grow, multiply and divide. One would swear that they are living beings - but they are not. ”Young and Chun also discovered that the nanoparticles (or bacteria) are not just small pieces of lime. They are apparently surrounded by proteins and other organic molecules that stop their growth and give them a round, cell-like shape. The organic shell is probably the reason why some researchers have so far been deceived in this regard, says John Cisar of the National Institutes of Health : "The simplest explanation is that they are not alive."

Kumon and colleagues from Okayama University were able to prove that the nanoparticles in a kidney stone preparation were made from oxidized lipids. In addition, they generated such nanoparticles by gamma irradiating blood serum. In addition, the localization of antibodies against the particles in hyperlipidemic mice with atherosclerosis indicated that nanoparticles are more of a by-product than a trigger for the inflammatory process.

literature

Web links

References

  1. ↑ Lisa Zyga: Nanobacteria - Are They Alive? April 23, 2008, accessed February 13, 2012 .
  2. ^ A b c Jan Martel, John Ding-E. Young: Purported nanobacteria in human blood as calcium carbonate nanoparticles . In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . tape 105 , no. 14 , April 8, 2008, p. 5549-5554 , doi : 10.1073 / pnas.0711744105 .
  3. ↑ Hiromi Kumon, Eiji Matsuura et al. a .: Ectopic calcification: importance of common nanoparticle scaffolds containing oxidized acidic lipids. In: Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine. 2013, S., doi: 10.1016 / j.nano.2013.08.010 .