Seeing is believing: novel imaging techniques help clarify microbial nanowire structure and function
Abstract
Summary Novel imaging approaches have recently helped to clarify the properties of ‘microbial nanowires’. G eobacter sulfurreducens pili are actual wires. They possess metallic‐like conductivity, which can be attributed to overlapping pi‐pi orbitals of key aromatic amino acids. Electrostatic force microscopy recently confirmed charge propagation along the pili, in a manner similar to carbon nanotubes. The pili are essential for long‐range electron transport to insoluble electron acceptors and interspecies electron transfer. Previous claims that S hewanella oneidensis also produce conductive pili have recently been recanted, based on novel live‐imaging studies. The putative pili are, in fact, long extensions of the cytochrome‐rich outer membrane and periplasm that, when dried, collapse to form filaments with dimensions similar to pili. It has yet to be demonstrated whether the cytochrome‐to‐cytochrome electron hopping documented in the dried membrane extensions takes place in intact hydrated membrane extensions or whether the membrane extensions enhance electron transport to insoluble electron acceptors such as F e( III ) oxides or electrodes. These findings demonstrate that G . sulfurreducens conductive pili and the outer membrane extensions of S . oneidensis are fundamentally different in composition, mechanism of electron transport and physiological role. New methods for evaluating filament conductivity will facilitate screening themore »
- Authors:
-
- Department of Microbiology University of Massachusetts Amherst MA USA
- Department of Microbiology University of Massachusetts Amherst MA USA, Department of Physics University of Massachusetts Amherst MA USA
- Publication Date:
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1464531
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1464532
- Resource Type:
- Published Article
- Journal Name:
- Environmental Microbiology
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Name: Environmental Microbiology Journal Volume: 17 Journal Issue: 7; Journal ID: ISSN 1462-2912
- Publisher:
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Country of Publication:
- United Kingdom
- Language:
- English
Citation Formats
Lovley, Derek R., and Malvankar, Nikhil S. Seeing is believing: novel imaging techniques help clarify microbial nanowire structure and function. United Kingdom: N. p., 2015.
Web. doi:10.1111/1462-2920.12708.
Lovley, Derek R., & Malvankar, Nikhil S. Seeing is believing: novel imaging techniques help clarify microbial nanowire structure and function. United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.12708
Lovley, Derek R., and Malvankar, Nikhil S. Tue .
"Seeing is believing: novel imaging techniques help clarify microbial nanowire structure and function". United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.12708.
@article{osti_1464531,
title = {Seeing is believing: novel imaging techniques help clarify microbial nanowire structure and function},
author = {Lovley, Derek R. and Malvankar, Nikhil S.},
abstractNote = {Summary Novel imaging approaches have recently helped to clarify the properties of ‘microbial nanowires’. G eobacter sulfurreducens pili are actual wires. They possess metallic‐like conductivity, which can be attributed to overlapping pi‐pi orbitals of key aromatic amino acids. Electrostatic force microscopy recently confirmed charge propagation along the pili, in a manner similar to carbon nanotubes. The pili are essential for long‐range electron transport to insoluble electron acceptors and interspecies electron transfer. Previous claims that S hewanella oneidensis also produce conductive pili have recently been recanted, based on novel live‐imaging studies. The putative pili are, in fact, long extensions of the cytochrome‐rich outer membrane and periplasm that, when dried, collapse to form filaments with dimensions similar to pili. It has yet to be demonstrated whether the cytochrome‐to‐cytochrome electron hopping documented in the dried membrane extensions takes place in intact hydrated membrane extensions or whether the membrane extensions enhance electron transport to insoluble electron acceptors such as F e( III ) oxides or electrodes. These findings demonstrate that G . sulfurreducens conductive pili and the outer membrane extensions of S . oneidensis are fundamentally different in composition, mechanism of electron transport and physiological role. New methods for evaluating filament conductivity will facilitate screening the microbial world for nanowires and elucidating their function.},
doi = {10.1111/1462-2920.12708},
journal = {Environmental Microbiology},
number = 7,
volume = 17,
place = {United Kingdom},
year = {Tue Jan 27 00:00:00 EST 2015},
month = {Tue Jan 27 00:00:00 EST 2015}
}
https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.12708
Web of Science
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