Tag: iron

Enhanced rice could address iron deficiencies around the world

Enhanced rice could address iron deficiencies around the world

Rice is one of the most consumed foods in world: “In places like Bangladesh, almost 80 per cent of the calories that people consume come from rice.”

“About two billion people are suffering from iron deficiency, which makes people sick and can even cause death,” says Felipe Ricachenevsky, a professor with the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil.

He and colleagues in Brazil, Italy, Chile, and Germany are working to increase the amount of iron in rice, one of the most consumed foods in the world. “In places like Bangladesh, almost 80 per cent of the calories that people consume come from rice. So, if there isn’t enough iron in rice, then people aren’t getting enough iron,” he explains.Video: Enhanced rice could address iron deficiencies around the world

Studies have shown it is possible to increase iron content in rice by modifying an individual gene in the plant. Building on this work, Ricachenevsky and colleagues altered two similar genes in the same plant, hoping it would produce an even greater increase in iron content. 

They then used the Canadian Light Source (CLS) at the University of Saskatchewan to analyze their modified rice. The team also imaged their samples at the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory (SIRIUS) in Campinas, Brazil. 

Read more on the CLS website

Image: Felipe Ricachenevsky, centre, with the research team

Credit: CLS

Iron under the ARPES Lens: how spin and magnetism shape the metal’s surface state

Iron under the ARPES Lens: how spin and magnetism shape the metal’s surface state

Researchers from the Jerzy Haber Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Kraków have carried out advanced experiments using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). They discovered a new surface state of iron Fe(001), whose symmetry changes depending on the magnetization direction of the layer. The results of their study have been published in the prestigious New Journal of Physics.

The electronic band structure of iron has been investigated for decades, but earlier studies were limited by experimental constraints. Today, with access to high-resolution ARPES facilities, such as the Phelix beamline at the Solaris synchrotron in Kraków, scientists can explore the electronic states of materials with unprecedented precision.

For the first time, the existence of a surface state on Fe(001) was unambiguously demonstrated in the epitaxial Fe/Au(001) system. Moreover, the Kraków team was the first to map this state across the full range of energy and momentum. Previous experiments, for example on Fe(001)/W(001), had been restricted to only a few high-symmetry directions or normal emission. By examining the surface state throughout the Brillouin zone, the researchers identified specific regions where spin–orbit coupling modifies the surface electronic states depending on the magnetization direction.

Read more on the SOLARIS website

Image: Surface state of Fe(001)/Au(001) within entire Brillouin zone and Rashba effect at the zone boudary

Unraveling iron uptake and magnetosome formation in magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense

Unraveling iron uptake and magnetosome formation in magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense

Diamond Light Source sheds light on bacterial biomineralisation processes

Iron plays several essential roles in bacteria, making it a crucial element for their survival and function. In magnetotactic bacteria like Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense, iron plays a central role in the formation of magnetosomes. These peculiar bacteria possess the capability to orient themselves along the Earth’s magnetic field lines, thanks to the presence of a very specific type of intracellular magnetic nanoparticles called magnetosomes. Magnetosomes are mainly composed of magnetite crystals (Fe3O4) enveloped in a lipidic membrane. Some mechanisms such as the internalisation and the transformation of iron into magnetite crystals are still poorly understood. In an article recently published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, a team of researchers from Aston University investigated the formation of these magnetosomes in bacteria by finely tuning the concentration of oxygen and iron. They performed CryoSIM and CryoSXT experiments on the B24 beamline. The team were also the first to exploit the recent development of the beamline to measure X-ray absorption data at the Iron L3 edge to aid visualisation of the magnetsomes.

Advancing understanding of bacterial magnetosome formation

Magnetosome formation in magnetotactic bacteria is a complex process influenced by environmental factors such as iron concentration and oxygen levels. Prior studies provided foundational knowledge but lacked the resolution to observe these processes at the single-cell level under near-native conditions. Given the small size of magnetosomes, which can range from 30 nm to 120 nm across different species, electron microscopy is one of the most common used imaging techniques. However, this approach does not enable simultaneous tracking of intracellular iron content alongside magnetosome content to understand better how the biomineralisation process works. This research aimed to bridge that gap by employing an integrated approach combining correlative light and X-ray microscopy with other analytical techniques.

Firstly, the data obtained from these other analytical techniques suggested a potential correlation between the intracellular iron pool and magnetosome content. Specifically, increased iron availability under microaerobic conditions appeared to result in longer magnetosome chains and higher intracellular iron concentrations. To further investigate and validate this hypothesis at the single-cell level, the researchers conducted experiments at the B24 beamline at Diamond.

Utilising Diamond Light Source for advanced imaging

Cryo-SXT is a powerful technique used to observe the internal structure of biological samples in a near-native state. This technique uses soft-X rays to obtain three-dimensional (3D) tomograms of biological specimens with a resolution of up to 25 nm, without the need for traditional sample preparation methods that could damage cellular structures (such as drying, chemical fixation, staining). On B24, the team was able to observe internal compartments, including magnetosomes, using the preferential absorption of carbon atoms in the cell. With cryoSIM, they stained the bacteria with PG-SK, a green fluorophore that reacts with the intracellular iron. The strength of the B24 beamline is that scientists were able to analyse the same region of interest in the same samples with both CryoSIM and CryoSXT and correlate the data.

This approach provided compelling evidence of a correlation between the intracellular iron concentration and the number of magnetosomes. Another advantage of using soft X-ray microscopy at B24 is the ability to adjust the X-ray energy to the iron absorption edge. As iron atoms strongly absorb X-rays at this energy, it facilitates the observation of magnetosomes within the bacteria. By modifying the iron concentration during bacterial growth, the researchers demonstrated that these bacteria can tolerate high extracellular iron concentrations. They also identified an iron threshold beyond which increasing the extracellular iron concentration no longer leads to additional iron uptake or an increase in magnetosome production.

Read more on Diamond website

High-Power Laser Facility probes iron at the Earth’s core conditions

High-Power Laser Facility probes iron at the Earth’s core conditions

probe

Scientists have captured unprecedented detail of how iron behaves under extreme conditions approaching those of the core – advancing our understanding of planetary dynamics. Published in Physical Review Letters, these are the first experimental results from the new High-Power Laser Facility (HPLF) at the ESRF.

At the heart of our planet, Earth’s core comprises two distinct sections: a molten outer core that begins around 2,900 km beneath our feet, and a solid inner core starting around 5,150 km. Iron accounts for roughly 85% of the core by weight, combining with nickel and lighter elements to form alloys.

But uncertainties remain over the melting point of iron and its alloys under the extreme pressures of deep Earth. Debates also persist over how iron’s crystal structure may change with depth, which influences its physical and chemical properties at larger scales.

Shocked to the core

Fresh insights into these questions are revealed in new experimental work by Sofia Balugani, PhD student at the ESRF within the InnovaXN programme, in collaboration with the Ecole Polytechnique (LULI Laboratory, France), the First Light Fusion company (UK), and the HPLF team. The researchers “shocked” a tiny iron target (3.5 μm-thick) by firing it with a laser pulse, reaching a pressure of 240 GPa. By coupling the laser with X-rays, they recorded a bulk temperature measurement of 5,340K, the first of its kind for iron’s melting plateau under such extreme conditions. A melting point of 6200K was extrapolated for the even higher pressures of the inner core boundary (ICB).

“After three years of PhD research, this work fulfills my long-standing interest in planets, allowing me to study materials crucial to planets and their properties under extreme conditions, such as those on Earth,” says Balugani.

The research helps refine models of the Earth’s core’s behaviour. That’s because HPLF is optimised for this type of X-ray absorption experiment, which enabled the team to simultaneously track temperature alongside changes in the local order of iron. The findings rule out a transition in iron’s lattice structure to a high-temperature bcc (body-centred cubic) phase, which is observed in some other metals under shock compression such as copper and gold.

Instead, iron remains in the denser hcp (hexagonal close-packed) phase. The results may interest astrophysicists searching for exoplanets, given the importance of the core in generating a geomagnetic field and driving plate tectonics – both of which are key to supporting habitable conditions on Earth.

Read more on ESRF website

Image: The High-Power Laser Facility at the ESRF.

Credit: S. Candé.

Dragons, Diamond and dinosaurs

Dragons, Diamond and dinosaurs

New research conducted at Diamond gives an insight into how Komodo dragons keep their teeth razor-sharp and may provide clues to how carnivorous dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus rex killed and ate their prey 

One of the coolest animals on the planet, just got cooler.  

If Komodo dragons weren’t fascinating enough already, it is now understood that the largest living predatory lizards have iron-clad teeth.  

This new finding, discovered as part of studies on Diamond’s I18 and B16 beamlines, explains why their serrated, blade-shaped teeth can stay sharp and lethal through their lifetime. Looking into the teeth characteristics of these “living fossils” may provide new ways to learn about the eating habits of carnivorous dinosaurs, which haven’t been previously available. 

A research team from King’s College London, led by Dr Aaron LeBlanc, aimed to discover what made the teeth of carnivorous dinosaurs so effective at cutting. They used Komodo dragons, the largest living lizards with small, blade-shaped teeth, as a modern comparison. The serrated teeth of Komodo make them a useful animal to study when trying to understand how the teeth of carnivorous dinosaurs. Dr LeBlanc’s team also looked at other serrated edged teeth from beavers, crocodiles and other reptiles.  

Advanced imaging revealed the teeth have a unique adaptation: orange, iron-enriched coatings on the serrations and tips, which help maintain their cutting edges.  

Iron teeth aren’t unique to reptiles – there are other animals with iron-infused enamel – but in Komodo dragons, the iron is concentrated along the cutting edges and tips of their teeth, staining them orange. This protective layer keeps the serrated edges of their teeth sharp and undamaged. On their teeth, iron is concentrated into a distinct coating of ferrihydrite, a type of iron oxide which bonds to crystalline structure of the enamel.  

This discovery is surprising because Komodo dragons have very thin enamel layers (only 15-20 micrometres thick) and they replace their teeth quite frequently. Typically, such thin enamel and rapid tooth replacement wouldn’t be expected to have such a distinct and durable iron coating.  

Dr LeBlanc, lecturer in Dental Biosciences at King’s College London, said:

Komodo dragons have curved, serrated teeth to rip and tear their prey just like those of meat-eating dinosaurs. We want to use this similarity to learn more about how carnivorous dinosaurs might have eaten and if they used iron in their teeth the same way as the Komodo dragon. 

Unfortunately, using the technology we have at the moment, we can’t see whether fossilised dinosaur teeth had high levels of iron or not. We think that the chemical changes which take place during the fossilisation process obscure how much iron was present to start with. 

With further analysis of the Komodo teeth we may be able to find other markers in the iron coating that aren’t changed during fossilisation. With markers like that, we would know with certainty whether dinosaurs also had iron-coated teeth and have a greater understanding of these ferocious predators.

Read more on Diamond website

#EBSstory How can iron in the moon and meteorites help to understand the origin of the Solar System?

#EBSstory How can iron in the moon and meteorites help to understand the origin of the Solar System?

Using ESRF-EBS, s​​​​​​cientists from Leibniz University Hannover are investigating the origins of the Solar System by studying samples from the moon and micrometeorites.

Meteorites are remnants of material from the early solar system. Our Earth accumulates on average 100 tons per day of these extraterrestrial samples, which largely exhibit spherical shapes. The presence of iron in them provides insights into the formation and composition of the solar system.

Equally, detecting the different forms of iron in moon samples can shed light on the geology of the moon, its history and how celestial bodies form in our solar system.

Regarding the moon, after the Apollo mission, back in the 70s scientists studied several samples and found that iron was very scarce. However, recent studies have found that iron and other metals are more abundant in certain zones in the moon, notably the darker zones, than in the Earth. This effectively disputes the hypothesis that the moon’s metal comes from the Earth’s debris after it collided with a Mars-sized planet called Theia, 4.5 billion years ago.

“Iron in the moon is a very valuable resource as it can be used to construct infrastructure and equipment, for example in the case of a potential lunar space station to carry out research”, explains Franz Renz, professor at Leibniz University Hannover (LUH) and leader of the team.

The team came to the ESRF with samples from both the moon and meteorites. They used the technique of Synchrotron Mössbauer Source to characterise the iron-rich microscopic meteorites, of a diameter of around 100 microns on average, collected from an up to 3.8-million-year-old continuous sedimentary record in the Atacama Desert in Chile. Because this desert is the oldest and driest temperate desert on Earth, it preserves the samples in optimal condition to monitor changes in flux, types and composition of extraterrestrial material over time.

Read more on ESRF website

Image: Lunar samples.

Credit: F. Renz.

Newly identified protein could help fight cancer

Newly identified protein could help fight cancer

Researchers from the University of British Columbia (UBC) have identified a new protein that helps an oral bacterium thrive in other locations around the body. The discovery could eventually lead to the development of new drugs that specifically target the protein.

“This bacterium is common in the mouths of humans and generally doesn’t cause disease in that location. However, it can travel through the bloodstream to other areas of the body, which leads to some pretty big health concerns,” says Dr. Kirsten Wolthers, Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Microbiology at UBC’s Okanagan Campus.

Most notably, this bacteria is prevalent in the tumors of colorectal cancer patients. The presence of the bacteria can contribute to tumor growth, spread of cancer to other sites in the body, and resistance to chemotherapy.

With the help of the CMCF beamline at the Canadian Light Source (CLS), located at the University of Saskatchewan, Wolthers and her colleagues determined that the new protein they identified enables the bacteria to take essential nutrients, such as iron, from our blood cells.

Read more on the CLS website

Image: Alexis Gauvin, inspecting a protein sample for particulate matter, using the glove box. Gauvin is a biochemistry student and a member of Dr. Kirsten Wolthers’s research group in the Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia (Okanagan Campus).

Environmental pollutants found incrusted in iron in endometriotic lesions

Environmental pollutants found incrusted in iron in endometriotic lesions

Scientists led by Istituto Di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), the Italian Research Hospital Burlo Garofolo in Trieste show that iron presence in endometriosis is associated to the accumulation of environmental metals, supporting the idea that the environment exposure to toxic chemicals plays a role in the disease.

Around 1 in 10 women in reproductive age around the world live with endometriosis, an inflammatory disease caused when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the womb, such as in the ovaries and fallopian tubes. This causes pain and, in many cases, infertility. Even if women have always been affected by endometriosis, it is only since recently that the scientific community has started looking into it. 

The factors that may lead to endometriosis go from genetic predisposition to autoimmune diseases and environmental triggers. Now a team from Institute for Maternal and Child health IRCCS Burlo Garofolo in Trieste (Italy) has found the presence of iron clustered with environmental metals, such as lead, aluminium or titanium, using beamlines ID21 and id16B at the ESRF.

The accumulation of iron in endometriosis was already well documented. Iron deposits are common in endometrial lesions, indicating an altered iron metabolism. “We knew that iron can create oxidative stress and hence, inflammation, as it does in other conditions, such as asbestosis, so we wanted to know more about what chemical form it takes, how it is distributed and whether there are other environmental pollutants with it”, explains Lorella Pascolo, leader of the study. 

Pascolo and her team came to the ESRF to compare iron nanoaggregates in endometrial lesions of patients with normal endometrium samples of the same patients. “The ESRF beamlines are exceptional instruments to get a clear picture of the role of iron and how it transforms into endometrial lesions”, explains Pascolo. 

They used X-ray fluorescence (XRF) on beamline ID21 to track the presence and distribution of iron and environmental pollutants, and ID16B to fine-tune the findings and reveal additional heavy metals at the nano level. They also used X-ray spectroscopy to reveal the chemical state of the iron. 

Read more on the ESRF website