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Efficient long-range conduction in cable bacteria through nickel protein wires.
Henricus T S Boschker1,2, Perran L M Cook3, Lubos Polerecky4
1Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands. h.t.s.boschker@tudelft.nl.
Nature Communications
|June 29, 2021
Summary
Cable bacteria conduct electricity over centimeters using protein fibers. These fibers have a conductive nickel-containing core and an insulating shell, revealing a novel biological electron transport mechanism.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Biophysics
- Electrochemistry
Background:
- Filamentous cable bacteria are known for long-range electron transport.
- They generate electrical currents via a network of cell envelope fibers.
- The conductivity is high for biological material, but structure and mechanism are unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the chemical structure and electron transport mechanism of cable bacterium conductive fibers.
- To investigate the role of specific components in their high conductivity.
Main Methods:
- High-resolution microscopy
- Spectroscopy
- Chemical imaging on individual cable bacterium filaments
Main Results:
- Periplasmic wires comprise a conductive protein core and an insulating protein shell.
- The core contains a sulfur-ligated nickel cofactor.
- Conductivity diminishes upon nickel oxidation or removal.
Conclusions:
- Nickel is the active metal driving biological conduction in cable bacteria.
- This suggests a novel electron transport mechanism for efficient conduction in centimeter-long protein structures.
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