Nanobacteria Are Mineralo Fetuin Complexes

“Nanobacteria” are nanometer-scale spherical and ovoid particles which have spurred one of the biggest controversies in modern microbiology. Their biological nature has been severely challenged by both geologists and microbiologists, with opinions ranging from considering them crystal structures to new life forms. Although the nature of these autonomously replicating particles is still under debate, their role in several calcification-related diseases has been reported. In order to gain better insights on this calciferous agent, we performed a large-scale project, including the analysis of “nanobacteria” susceptibility to physical and chemical compounds as well as the comprehensive nucleotide, biochemical, proteomic, and antigenic analysis of these particles. Our results definitively ruled out the existence of “nanobacteria” as living organisms and pointed out the paradoxical role of fetuin (an anti-mineralization protein) in the formation of these self-propagating mineral complexes which we propose to call “nanons.” The presence of fetuin within renal calculi was also evidenced, suggesting its role as a hydroxyapatite nucleating factor.

‘纳米细菌’（Nanobacteria）是一类纳米级球形与卵圆形颗粒，曾引发现代微生物学界最具争议的学术议题之一。其生物学本质长期受到地质学家与微生物学家的强烈质疑，相关观点涵盖从将其视作晶体结构到认定其为新型生命形式的各类论调。尽管这类可自主复制颗粒的本质仍存在争议，但已有研究报道其与多种钙化相关疾病存在关联。为深入解析这类钙化相关病原体，我们开展了一项大规模研究项目，其中涵盖了‘纳米细菌’对各类理化因子的敏感性分析，以及对该类颗粒的全面核苷酸组学、生物化学、蛋白质组学与抗原组学分析。本研究结果明确否定了‘纳米细菌’作为生命体的存在，并指出胎球蛋白（fetuin，一种抗矿化蛋白）在这类自增殖矿化复合物形成过程中存在矛盾性的作用，我们提议将该复合物命名为‘nanons’。研究同时证实了胎球蛋白存在于肾结石中，提示其可作为羟基磷灰石的成核因子。