Chapter 3
Manganese Oxidation by Bacteria:
Biogeochemical Aspects
P.P. Sujith and P.A. Loka Bharathi
Contents
3.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . 49
3.2 Importance of Manganese . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
3.3 Biogeochemistry of Manganese . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
3.4 Effect of Salinity on Manganese Oxidation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
3.5 Toxicity of Manganese in the Presence of Other Metals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
3.6 Manganese Oxidation by Marine Bacteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
3.7 Manganese Oxidation by Freshwater Bacteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
3.8 Manganese Oxidation: A Genomic Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
3.9 Manganese Oxidation: A Proteomic Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
3.10 Molecular Biomineralization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
3.11 Biotechnological Applications of Manganese Oxidation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
3.12 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Abstract Manganese is an essential trace metal that is not as readily oxidizable
like iron. Several bacterial groups posses the ability to oxidize Mn effectively
competing with chemical oxidation. The oxides of Mn are the strongest of the
oxidants, next to oxygen in the aquatic environment and therefore control the fate of
several elements. Mn oxidizing bacteria have a suit of enzymes that not only help to
scavenge Mn but also other associated elements, thus playing a crucial role in
biogeochemical cycles. This article reviews the importance of manganese and its
interaction with microorganisms in the oxidative Mn cycle in aquatic realms.
P.A. Loka Bharathi (*)
National Institute of Oceanography (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research), Dona Paula,
Goa 403 004, India
e-mail: loka@nio.org
W.E.G. M€ uller (ed.), Molecular Biomineralization, Progress in Molecular
and Subcellular Biology 52, DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-21230-7_3,
# Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011
49
Manganese Oxidation by Bacteria:
Biogeochemical Aspects
P.P. Sujith and P.A. Loka Bharathi
Contents
3.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . 49
3.2 Importance of Manganese . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
3.3 Biogeochemistry of Manganese . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
3.4 Effect of Salinity on Manganese Oxidation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
3.5 Toxicity of Manganese in the Presence of Other Metals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
3.6 Manganese Oxidation by Marine Bacteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
3.7 Manganese Oxidation by Freshwater Bacteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
3.8 Manganese Oxidation: A Genomic Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
3.9 Manganese Oxidation: A Proteomic Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
3.10 Molecular Biomineralization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
3.11 Biotechnological Applications of Manganese Oxidation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
3.12 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Abstract Manganese is an essential trace metal that is not as readily oxidizable
like iron. Several bacterial groups posses the ability to oxidize Mn effectively
competing with chemical oxidation. The oxides of Mn are the strongest of the
oxidants, next to oxygen in the aquatic environment and therefore control the fate of
several elements. Mn oxidizing bacteria have a suit of enzymes that not only help to
scavenge Mn but also other associated elements, thus playing a crucial role in
biogeochemical cycles. This article reviews the importance of manganese and its
interaction with microorganisms in the oxidative Mn cycle in aquatic realms.
P.A. Loka Bharathi (*)
National Institute of Oceanography (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research), Dona Paula,
Goa 403 004, India
e-mail: loka@nio.org
W.E.G. M€ uller (ed.), Molecular Biomineralization, Progress in Molecular
and Subcellular Biology 52, DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-21230-7_3,
# Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011
49