Nanobacteria, HIV and Magic Bullets – Update of Perspectives 2005

Sommer, Andrei P.; Milánkovits, Márton; Mester, Á.

doi:10.1159/000092475

Cited by 9 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…They are thought to react with a bacterial porin-like protein synthesized by these nanoentities (3). Surprisingly, experiments attempting to identify the exact nature of this antigenic reactivity have never been reported, and yet the same antibodies were used in past studies to affirm the presence of nanobacteria (3,5,7). We first observed that antibody 8D10 reacted with NLP obtained after pelleting the material from 1-month-old culture (Fig.…”

Section: Nanobacteria-specific Antibodies React With Human Serum Albuminmentioning

confidence: 92%

Purported nanobacteria in human blood as calcium carbonate nanoparticles

Martel

Young

2008

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

130

155

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Recent evidence suggests a role for nanobacteria in a growing number of human diseases, including renal stone formation, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. This large body of research studies promotes the view that nanobacteria are not only alive but that they are associated with disease pathogenesis. However, it is still unclear whether they represent novel life forms, overlooked nanometer-size bacteria, or some other primitive self-replicating microorganisms. Here, we report that CaCO 3 precipitates prepared in vitro are remarkably similar to purported nanobacteria in terms of their uniformly sized, membrane-delineated vesicular shapes, with cellular division-like formations and aggregations in the form of colonies. The gradual appearance of nanobacteria-like particles in incubated human serum as well as the changes seen with their size and shape can be influenced and explained by introducing varying levels of CO 2 and NaHCO 3 as well as other conditions known to influence the precipitation of CaCO 3 . Western blotting reveals that the monoclonal antibodies, claimed to be specific for nanobacteria, react in fact with serum albumin. Furthermore, nanobacteria-like particles obtained from human blood are able to withstand high doses of γ-irradiation up to 30 kGy, and no bacterial DNA is found by performing broad-range PCR amplifications. Collectively, our results provide a more plausible abiotic explanation for the unusual properties of purported nanobacteria.

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Section: Nanobacteria-specific Antibodies React With Human Serum Albuminmentioning

confidence: 92%

Purported nanobacteria in human blood as calcium carbonate nanoparticles

Martel

Young

2008

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

130

155

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“…Our interest in NPs was triggered by a vast amount of literature surrounding the so-called primitive life-forms known as nanobacteria (NB) that have been described as the smallest living symbionts on earth [15]–[22], with claimed implications for a number of disease processes that include Alzheimer’s disease [23], atherosclerosis [24], calciphylaxis [25], cancer [26]–[28], co-infection with HIV [29], ectopic calcification [22], [24], [30]–[37], male infertility [38], periodontal disease [39], polycystic kidney disease [40], prostatitis [41], [42], arthritis [43], [44], and renal stone formation [17]–[21], [45], [46]. NB have also been implicated as potential worldwide airborne pathogens [47], as potential contaminants in vaccines [48], and as infectious agents of disease transmissible through intravenous injection and other forms of inoculation [34].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bions: A Family of Biomimetic Mineralo-Organic Complexes Derived from Biological Fluids

Young²,

Young³

et al. 2013

PLoS ONE

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Mineralo-organic nanoparticles form spontaneously in human body fluids when the concentrations of calcium and phosphate ions exceed saturation. We have shown previously that these mineralo-organic nanoparticles possess biomimetic properties and can reproduce the whole phenomenology of the so-called nanobacteria—mineralized entities initially described as the smallest microorganisms on earth. Here, we examine the possibility that various charged elements and ions may form mineral nanoparticles with similar properties in biological fluids. Remarkably, all the elements tested, including sodium, magnesium, aluminum, calcium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, strontium, and barium form mineralo-organic particles with bacteria-like morphologies and other complex shapes following precipitation with phosphate in body fluids. Upon formation, these mineralo-organic particles, which we term bions, invariably accumulate carbonate apatite during incubation in biological fluids; yet, the particles also incorporate additional elements and thus reflect the ionic milieu in which they form. Bions initially harbor an amorphous mineral phase that gradually converts to crystals in culture. Our results show that serum produces a dual inhibition-seeding effect on bion formation. Using a comprehensive proteomic analysis, we identify a wide range of proteins that bind to these mineral particles during incubation in medium containing serum. The two main binding proteins identified, albumin and fetuin-A, act as both inhibitors and seeders of bions in culture. Notably, bions possess several biomimetic properties, including the possibility to increase in size and number and to be sub-cultured in fresh culture medium. Based on these results, we propose that bions represent biological, mineralo-organic particles that may form in the body under both physiological and pathological homeostasis conditions. These mineralo-organic particles may be part of a physiological cycle that regulates the function, transport and disposal of elements and minerals in the human body.

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“…As agents of transmissible infectivity, NB are said to fulfill either in part or completely the classic Koch's postulates [6]–[8], [28], [36]–[39]. On these same grounds, NB have been proposed as a potential global health hazard [16], [17], [40], [41]. NB are thus unusual in that they are seen by some [25] not only as primitive symbionts and precursors of biological life but also as infectious agents of disease—extraordinary claims in themselves that have led to intense debate and skepticism.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fetuin-A/Albumin-Mineral Complexes Resembling Serum Calcium Granules and Putative Nanobacteria: Demonstration of a Dual Inhibition-Seeding Concept

et al. 2009

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Serum-derived granulations and purported nanobacteria (NB) are pleomorphic apatite structures shown to resemble calcium granules widely distributed in nature. They appear to be assembled through a dual inhibitory-seeding mechanism involving proteinaceous factors, as determined by protease (trypsin and chymotrypsin) and heat inactivation studies. When inoculated into cell culture medium, the purified proteins fetuin-A and albumin fail to induce mineralization, but they will readily combine with exogenously added calcium and phosphate, even in submillimolar amounts, to form complexes that will undergo morphological transitions from nanoparticles to spindles, films, and aggregates. As a mineralization inhibitor, fetuin-A is much more potent than albumin, and it will only seed particles at higher mineral-to-protein concentrations. Both proteins display a bell-shaped, dose-dependent relationship, indicative of the same dual inhibitory-seeding mechanism seen with whole serum. As ascertained by both seeding experiments and gel electrophoresis, fetuin-A is not only more dominant but it appears to compete avidly for nanoparticle binding at the expense of albumin. The nanoparticles formed in the presence of fetuin-A are smaller than their albumin counterparts, and they have a greater tendency to display a multi-layered ring morphology. In comparison, the particles seeded by albumin appear mostly incomplete, with single walls. Chemically, spectroscopically, and morphologically, the protein-mineral particles resemble closely serum granules and NB. These particles are thus seen to undergo an amorphous to crystalline transformation, the kinetics and completeness of which depend on the protein-to-mineral ratios, with low ratios favoring faster conversion to crystals. Our results point to a dual inhibitory-seeding, de-repression model for the assembly of particles in supersaturated solutions like serum. The presence of proteins and other inhibitory factors tend to block apatite nuclei formation or to stabilize the nascent nuclei as amorphous or semi-crystalline spherical nanoparticles, until the same inhibitory influences are overwhelmed or de-repressed, whereby the apatite nuclei grow in size to coalesce into crystalline spindles and films—a mechanism that may explain not only the formation of calcium granules in nature but also normal or ectopic calcification in the body.

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Nanobacteria, HIV and Magic Bullets – Update of Perspectives 2005

Cited by 9 publications

References 20 publications

Purported nanobacteria in human blood as calcium carbonate nanoparticles

Purported nanobacteria in human blood as calcium carbonate nanoparticles

Bions: A Family of Biomimetic Mineralo-Organic Complexes Derived from Biological Fluids

Fetuin-A/Albumin-Mineral Complexes Resembling Serum Calcium Granules and Putative Nanobacteria: Demonstration of a Dual Inhibition-Seeding Concept

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