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

Gene clusters for magnetite formation and organization in magnetotactic bacteria enable resistance to hydrogen peroxide, linking magnetite to oxidative stress defense under oxidizing conditions.

• Why it matters: The evolutionary origin of bacterial magnetite-based navigation is unclear, especially given proposals that magnetotactic bacteria arose before oxygen was abundant.
• What they did: The study characterizes magnetite oxidation state and tests how magnetite gene clusters affect survival under hydrogen peroxide, a toxic oxygen-derived compound.
• The result: Magnetite is supported as functionally involved in hydrogen peroxide resistance, enabling a framework for early emergence of magnetotactic bacteria and tools to time Earth's oxygenation.

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