Magnetic organelle gene clusters enable bacterial growth and ATP homeostasis under oxidizing conditions

Abstract

Biological organisms can produce magnetic nanoparticles made of magnetite to detect the Earth's magnetic field for orientation. The evolutionary mechanisms that led to the acquisition of this capacity remain unknown. The most ancient organisms known to perform magnetic orientation are magnetotactic bacteria. Under tight genetic control, they produce chains of magnetite nanoparticles in dedicated organelles to allow efficient navigation in aquatic environments containing molecular oxygen. Yet, these bacteria have been proposed to emerge before molecular oxygen became abundant on Earth, at a time when this navigation system could not have served its current function. Here, we show that gene clusters responsible of magnetite formation and organization enable resistance against hydrogen peroxide, a toxic oxygen-derived compound that was produced during the early stages of Earth's oxygenation when iron oxidation consumed molecular oxygen. Characterization of the nanoparticle's oxidation state supported the involvement of magnetite in resistance to hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress. These findings are compatible with an early emergence of magnetotactic bacteria, before natural waters became oxygenated. We propose a conceptual framework to explain the origin of magnetic orientation in bacteria, and offer tools to identify the initiation of Earth's oxygenation in a time-resolved manner.

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BibTeX

@misc{kojadinovicsirinelli2026magnetic,
  title = {{Magnetic organelle gene clusters enable bacterial growth and ATP homeostasis under oxidizing conditions}},
  author = {M. Kojadinovic-Sirinelli and M. Garry and J. Wan and A. Dumont and R. Egli and J. Carlut and L. Modolo and D. M. Chevrier and L. Marcano and F. Choueikani and C. Gatel and I. M. Andersen and E. Scoppola and C. Li and C. Brutesco and M. Nonnon and E. Gachon and G. Yvert and A. Piazza and D. Faivre and A. Komeili and M. Amor},
  howpublished = {bioRxiv},
  year = {2026},
  month = nov,
  doi = {10.64898/2026.11.06.764584},
  url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.11.06.764584v1},
  note = {CC BY},
}

RIS

TY  - UNPB
TI  - Magnetic organelle gene clusters enable bacterial growth and ATP homeostasis under oxidizing conditions
AU  - M. Kojadinovic-Sirinelli
AU  - M. Garry
AU  - J. Wan
AU  - A. Dumont
AU  - R. Egli
AU  - J. Carlut
AU  - L. Modolo
AU  - D. M. Chevrier
AU  - L. Marcano
AU  - F. Choueikani
AU  - C. Gatel
AU  - I. M. Andersen
AU  - E. Scoppola
AU  - C. Li
AU  - C. Brutesco
AU  - M. Nonnon
AU  - E. Gachon
AU  - G. Yvert
AU  - A. Piazza
AU  - D. Faivre
AU  - A. Komeili
AU  - M. Amor
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/11/06
PB  - bioRxiv
DO  - 10.64898/2026.11.06.764584
UR  - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.11.06.764584v1
AB  - Biological organisms can produce magnetic nanoparticles made of magnetite to detect the Earth's magnetic field for orientation. The evolutionary mechanisms that led to the acquisition of this capacity remain unknown. The most ancient organisms known to perform magnetic orientation are magnetotactic bacteria. Under tight genetic control, they produce chains of magnetite nanoparticles in dedicated organelles to allow efficient navigation in aquatic environments containing molecular oxygen. Yet, these bacteria have been proposed to emerge before molecular oxygen became abundant on Earth, at a time when this navigation system could not have served its current function. Here, we show that gene clusters responsible of magnetite formation and organization enable resistance against hydrogen peroxide, a toxic oxygen-derived compound that was produced during the early stages of Earth's oxygenation when iron oxidation consumed molecular oxygen. Characterization of the nanoparticle's oxidation state supported the involvement of magnetite in resistance to hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress. These findings are compatible with an early emergence of magnetotactic bacteria, before natural waters became oxygenated. We propose a conceptual framework to explain the origin of magnetic orientation in bacteria, and offer tools to identify the initiation of Earth's oxygenation in a time-resolved manner.
ER  -

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