Engineering Wired Life: Synthetic Biology for Electroactive Bacteria.

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Bioengineering
• Synthetic Biology

Background:

• Electroactive bacteria utilize extracellular electron transfer (EET) for energy and biogeochemical cycling.
• EET pathways involve redox-active proteins and biomolecules, enabling diverse biotechnological applications.
• Controlling EET is key to advancing microbial electrochemical technologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements in genetic tools for manipulating electroactive bacteria.
• To explore the control of extracellular electron transfer (EET) pathways.
• To highlight opportunities for bioengineering microbes in electrochemical applications.

Main Methods:

• Review of genetic tools for manipulating native electroactive bacteria.
• Analysis of EET pathways in naturally occurring electroactive organisms.
• Examination of EET pathway introduction into *Escherichia coli*.

Main Results:

• Recent genetic tools offer enhanced control over electroactive bacteria.
• Understanding native EET pathways informs synthetic biology approaches.
• Successful transfer of EET pathways into *E. coli* demonstrates feasibility.

Conclusions:

• Bioengineering and synthetic biology are crucial for controlling EET.
• Further research can expand microbial applications in electrochemistry.
• Challenges remain in optimizing engineered microbial systems for practical use.