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Updated: May 12, 2026
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Characterizing Electron Transport through Living Biofilms
Published on: June 1, 2018
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Nonelectroactive clostridium obtains extracellular electron transfer-capability after forming chimera with Geobacter
Xing Liu1, Yin Ye1, Naiming Yang1
1Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Health and Regulation, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China.
ISME Communications
|May 21, 2024
Summary
Gram-positive bacteria rarely perform extracellular electron transfer (EET). A novel chimera formed between Clostridium intestinale and Geobacter sulfurreducens enabled EET for ethanol metabolism, revealing new microbial interaction insights.
Area of Science:
- Microbial metabolism and biogeochemical cycling
- Electromicrobiology and geomicrobiology
- Microbial community interactions
Background:
- Extracellular electron transfer (EET) is crucial for microbial metabolism and nutrient cycling in anaerobic environments.
- Gram-positive bacteria generally lack EET capabilities due to their cell wall structure.
- Understanding EET mechanisms and organismal capabilities is fundamental to electromicrobiology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate a novel mechanism for enabling extracellular electron transfer (EET) in Gram-positive bacteria.
- To explore the potential for interspecies cooperation in microbial metabolism.
- To analyze the integration of metabolic pathways in a bacterial chimera.
Main Methods:
- Formation of a chimera between Gram-positive Clostridium intestinale and electroactive Geobacter sulfurreducens.
- Analysis of cell fusion and its impact on metabolic capabilities.
- Investigation of integrated ethanol metabolism and extracellular electron acceptor reduction.
Main Results:
- Clostridium intestinale acquired EET capability for ethanol metabolism through cell fusion with Geobacter sulfurreducens.
- The chimera integrated the ethanol metabolism pathway of C. intestinale with the EET pathway of G. sulfurreducens.
- Ethanol oxidation was coupled to extracellular electron acceptor reduction in the coculture.
Conclusions:
- Bacterial cell fusion offers a new strategy to confer EET capability to Gram-positive bacteria.
- This study suggests a potentially wider prevalence of EET in the microbial world than previously thought.
- Findings provide insights into energetic coupling and interspecies mutualism in microbial ecosystems.
Keywords:
Gram-positive bacteriaelectroactive bacteriaenergetic couplingenergy metabolismextracellular electron transferinterspecies electron transferinterspecies mutualismMore Related Videos
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