Linking Two Apparently Distant Worlds: Crystals and Microorganisms
A special issue of Crystals (ISSN 2073-4352). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomolecular Crystals".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 August 2022)
Special Issue Editors
Interests: marine microbial ecology; biotechnology; pharmaceutic; nutraceutic; cosmeceutic; bioremediation; symbiosis; bioprospecting
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: microbial ecology of polar environments; biotechnology of cold-adapted bacteria; bacterial associations with benthic filter feeders; relationships between prokaryotes and chemical contamination
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
With this Special Issue, we intend to stimulate your curiosity and resourcefulness by combining two apparently distant worlds, crystals and microorganisms, which actually have many meeting points. Crystals are extremely varied materials and attract a lot of attention because of their exclusive properties. Inorganic crystals have been proven to encase extremophiles, questioning extraterrestrial life implications. Biological crystals are a special class of crystals produced by living organisms, including microbes. As an example, magnetotactic bacteria are typically known for the synthesis of different types of magnetic mineral nanocrystals, and several marine microorganisms produce biomolecules (e.g., exopolysaccharides, biosurfactants, antibiotics), often possessing a crystalline structure. These aspects are really challenging in combinations with life in extreme and peculiar environments. The demand for such types of molecules is increasing, but knowledge of crystal structures must be improved to understand their action and to design genetically engineered enzymes with enhanced activity. It has been evidenced that some crystal materials could be used as additives to stimulate biosurfactant production by bacteria, and this could be extended to other types of molecules. Moreover, recently, researchers have discovered a kind of interesting crystal made of living bacteria.
Thus, a lot of interesting cues derive from the study of such type of materials, for which we would like to combine all the physical/chemical aspects of crystals and the biological world. A comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art and recent advances in all the following aspects are envisaged: microbial crystal production; synthesis conditions; taxonomical groups involved; life inside crystals; biological crystal applications; and use of crystal materials to enhance biomolecule production. We expect to collect a set of contributions on the chemical structure of biological crystals, and research on bacterial 2D crystal structures, their occurrence, and formation.
Dr. Carmen Rizzo
Dr. Angelina Lo Giudice
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Crystals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- Biological crystals
- Microorganisms
- Bacteria
- Biomolecules
- Extremophiles
- Crystal application
