Takeshi Ikeda, Yukihide Nakasugi, Miki Nakagawa, Shun-Ichi Matsuura, Takuji Ikeda, Takenori Ishida, Hisakage Funabashi, Ryuichi Hirota, Akio Kuroda
Biosilicification is the process by which organisms incorporate soluble, monomeric silicic acid, Si(OH)4 , in the form of polymerized insoluble silica, SiO2 . Although the mechanisms underlying eukaryotic biosilicification have been intensively investigated, prokaryotic biosilicification has only recently begun to be studied. We previously reported that biosilicification occurs in the gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium Bacillus cereus, and that silica is intracellularly deposited on the spore coat as a protective coating against acids, although the underlying mechanism is not yet fully understood...
February 10, 2024: Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering