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Characterizing Electron Transport through Living Biofilms
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Engineering electron conduits in bacteria for selective biointerfacing and enhanced energy transfer.

Alexander R Kelly1, Lorenzo Travaglini1, Dominic J Glover1

  • 1School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.

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Researchers engineered electrogenic bacteria for better bioelectricity. Surface protein modifications improved cell attachment to materials like electrodes, enhancing electrical current production for biosensing and microbial electrosynthesis.

Keywords:
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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Bioengineering
  • Electrochemistry

Background:

  • Electrogenic bacteria utilize specialized protein complexes for extracellular electron transfer across cell membranes.
  • These microbes have potential applications in bioelectricity generation, biosensing, and microbial electrosynthesis.
  • Efficient interfacing of these cells with functional materials is crucial for optimizing these applications.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To engineer the MtrC subunit of the MtrCAB complex in electrogenic bacteria for enhanced material attachment.
  • To enable selective covalent attachment of proteins to the bacterial surface for improved bioelectricity production.
  • To investigate the impact of surface modifications on electron export and current generation.

Main Methods:

  • Genetic engineering of the MtrC protein by incorporating SpyTag for bioconjugation.
  • Fusion of SpyCatcher to MtrC to enable specific protein attachment to MtrCAB complex on *Shewanella oneidensis* and *Escherichia coli*.
  • Introduction of a graphite-binding sequence onto MtrC to promote adhesion to graphite electrodes.

Main Results:

  • SpyTag incorporation enabled specific covalent attachment of SpyCatcher-fused proteins to MtrCAB on engineered bacteria.
  • MtrC modification did not impede essential electron export functions.
  • The graphite-binding sequence enhanced *S. oneidensis* attachment to graphite electrodes, resulting in a 30% increase in current production in a microbial electrolysis cell.

Conclusions:

  • An engineerable platform on the surface of electrogenic cells was successfully developed.
  • This platform facilitates manipulation of biotic-abiotic interfaces for various biotechnological applications.
  • The engineered MtrC protein offers a versatile tool for interfacing electrogenic bacteria with functional materials, improving bioenergy applications.