Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Nov 21;9(11):2396.
doi: 10.3390/microorganisms9112396.

Biomineralization Induced by Cells of Sporosarcina pasteurii: Mechanisms, Applications and Challenges

Yang Wu  1 , Huimin Li  1 , Yang Li  1
Affiliations
Review

Biomineralization Induced by Cells of Sporosarcina pasteurii: Mechanisms, Applications and Challenges

Yang Wu et al. Microorganisms. .

Abstract

Biomineralization has emerged as a novel and eco-friendly technology for artificial mineral formation utilizing the metabolism of organisms. Due to its highly efficient urea degradation ability, Sporosarcina pasteurii(S. pasteurii) is arguably the most widely investigated organism in ureolytic biomineralization studies, with wide potential application in construction and environmental protection. In emerging, large-scale commercial engineering applications, attention was also paid to practical challenges and issues. In this review, we summarize the features of S. pasteurii cells contributing to the biomineralization reaction, aiming to reveal the mechanism of artificial mineral formation catalyzed by bacterial cells. Progress in the application of this technology in construction and environmental protection is discussed separately. Furthermore, the urgent challenges and issues in large-scale application are also discussed, along with potential solutions. We aim to offer new ideas to researchers working on the mechanisms, applications and challenges of biomineralization.

Keywords: Sporosarcina pasteurii; biomineralization; construction material; removal of heavy metals; urease.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic of microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP) catalyzed by S. pasteurii cells.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Relevant biological features and biomineralization functions of S. pasteurii cells.
Figure 3
Figure 3
ATP generation through the proton electrochemical potential induced by urea hydrolysis.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Applications of ureolytic biomineralization. Self-healing concrete (A) and bio-bricks (B) are representative cases in the construction field. Desert sand solidification (C) and disposal of harmful metals (D) are representative cases in the environmental protection field.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Zerfass C., Christie-Oleza J.A., Soyer O.S. Manganese Oxide Biomineralization Provides Protection against Nitrite Toxicity in a Cell-Density-Dependent Manner. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 2019;85:e02129-18. doi: 10.1128/AEM.02129-18. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Athanasiadou D., Carneiro K.M.M. DNA nanostructures as templates for biomineralization. Nat. Rev. Chem. 2021;5:93–108. doi: 10.1038/s41570-020-00242-5. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Zhang J., Tang L., Qi H., Zhao Q., Liu Y., Zhang Y. Dual Function of Magnesium in Bone Biomineralization. Adv. Health Mater. 2019;8:e1901030. doi: 10.1002/adhm.201901030. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Song X., Liu Z., Wang L., Song L. Recent Advances of Shell Matrix Proteins and Cellular Orchestration in Marine Molluscan Shell Biomineralization. Front. Mar. Sci. 2019;6 doi: 10.3389/fmars.2019.00041. - DOI
    1. Zaquin T., Malik A., Drake J.L., Putnam H.M., Mass T. Evolution of Protein-Mediated Biomineralization in Scleractinian Corals. Front. Genet. 2021;12:618517. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2021.618517. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources