McLean, Robert J. C.Brown, Erin T.2021-07-272021-07-272020-08-15McLean, R. J. C., & Brown, E. T. (2020). Potential influences of bacterial cell surfaces and nano-sized cell fragments on struvite biomineralization. Crystals, 10(8), 706.2073-4352https://hdl.handle.net/10877/14098Struvite (MgNH4PO4·6H2O) calculi are formed as a result of urinary tract infections by Proteus mirabilis and other urease-producing bacteria. During struvite formation, the bacteria grow as biofilms, and thus crystals are formed in close association with bacterial cell surfaces and biofilm matrix components. Small nano-sized objects (originally termed “nanobacteria”) have been described in association with urinary calculi including struvite calculi. A much more likely explanation of these nano-structures is outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) that can be produced by P. mirabilis and other Gram-negative bacteria. In this brief review, we describe the association of bacterial cell surfaces and biofilm matrix components with metal binding and the generation of chemical microenvironments during struvite formation; we propose potential mechanisms whereby OMVs can influence struvite crystal growth and biomineralization.Text10 pages1 file (.pdf)enbacterial cell surfacespolysaccharidesnanobacteriaouter membrane vesicleslipopolysaccharideproteus mirabilisbiofilmmicroenvironmentBiologyArticle© 2020 The Authors.https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst10080706This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.