A highly conductive fibre network enables centimetre-scale electron transport in multicellular cable bacteria
| Autor: | Ji-Ling Hou, Filip J. R. Meysman, Jasper van der Veen, Jeanine S. Geelhoed, Jean Manca, Cheryl Karman, Henricus T. S. Boschker, Silvia Hidalgo Martinez, Carsten J. Blom, Rob Cornelissen, Roland Valcke, Herre S. J. van der Zant, Hubertus J. E. Beaumont, Robin Bonné, Stanislav Trashin, Bart Cleuren, Karolien De Wael, Raghavendran Thiruvallur Eachambadi |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
0301 basic medicine
Time Factors Materials science Vacuum Science General Physics and Astronomy 02 engineering and technology Electron Conductivity Article General Biochemistry Genetics and Molecular Biology Electron Transport 03 medical and health sciences Electrical resistivity and conductivity lcsh:Science Electrical conductor Multidisciplinary Bacteria Electric Conductivity Conductance General Chemistry 021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology Electron transport chain 030104 developmental biology Chemical physics Electrode Bionanoelectronics Nanometre lcsh:Q 0210 nano-technology Engineering sciences. Technology |
| Zdroj: | Nature Communications, Vol 10, Iss 1, Pp 1-8 (2019) Nature communications Nature Communications, 10(1) Nature Communications |
| ISSN: | 2041-1723 |
| Popis: | Biological electron transport is classically thought to occur over nanometre distances, yet recent studies suggest that electrical currents can run along centimetre-long cable bacteria. The phenomenon remains elusive, however, as currents have not been directly measured, nor have the conductive structures been identified. Here we demonstrate that cable bacteria conduct electrons over centimetre distances via highly conductive fibres embedded in the cell envelope. Direct electrode measurements reveal nanoampere currents in intact filaments up to 10.1 mm long (>2000 adjacent cells). A network of parallel periplasmic fibres displays a high conductivity (up to 79 S cm−1), explaining currents measured through intact filaments. Conductance rapidly declines upon exposure to air, but remains stable under vacuum, demonstrating that charge transfer is electronic rather than ionic. Our finding of a biological structure that efficiently guides electrical currents over long distances greatly expands the paradigm of biological charge transport and could enable new bio-electronic applications. Cable bacteria’ form long multicellular filaments that can transfer electrical currents over centimetre-long distances. Here, Meysman et al. show that the electrical currents run along highly conductive fibres embedded in the cell envelope, and charge transfer is electronic rather than ionic. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
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