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Flavin Biosynthesis Enhances Extracellular Electron Transfer in Bioengineered Escherichia coli.

Mohammed Mouhib¹, Melania Reggente¹, Hanxuan Wang¹

¹Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland.

Advanced Science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)

|November 1, 2025

Summary

Engineered Escherichia coli now efficiently exchange electrical charge using both direct electron transfer and secreted flavins. This dual mechanism boosts microbial electrochemical applications in energy and synthesis.

Keywords:

bioelectrochemistry extracellular electron transfer microbial fuel cell redox mediator synthetic biology

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Published on: August 14, 2019

Area of Science:

Bioengineering
Microbial Electrochemistry
Synthetic Biology

Background:

Microbial electrochemical technologies (METs) harness microbial metabolism for energy, sensing, and synthesis.
Efficient charge transfer in engineered microbes like Escherichia coli is crucial for MET advancement.
Previous research focused on the metal-reducing (Mtr) pathway for direct electron transfer.

Purpose of the Study:

To engineer Escherichia coli for enhanced charge exchange by combining direct electron transfer with flavin-mediated transfer.
To investigate the synergistic effects of Mtr pathway and flavin secretion on microbial electrochemical performance.
To explore novel extracellular electron transfer (EET) mechanisms for multi-modal microbial applications.

Main Methods:

Engineered Escherichia coli strains by introducing flavin biosynthesis genes alongside the Mtr pathway.
Quantified flavin secretion (FMN and riboflavin) using spectrophotometry.
Measured electrical current generated by engineered strains in microbial electrochemical cells.

Main Results:

Engineered strains exhibited a 3-fold increase in total flavin secretion (FMN and riboflavin) compared to Mtr-only strains.
Concomitant flavin secretion increased current by ≈3.4-fold (vs. unmodified) and ≈1.5-fold (vs. Mtr-only).
Strains favoring riboflavin secretion showed the highest current generation.

Conclusions:

Co-expression of flavin secretion pathways complements the Mtr pathway for enhanced EET.
This dual-mode EET mechanism offers a robust and versatile approach for microbial electrochemical applications.
The engineered strains demonstrate potential for improved performance in energy harvesting, biosensing, and biomanufacturing.