Electromicrobiology: Novel Approaches for Investigating Charge Transfer and Energy Transformation in Microbial Systems

Respiratory microorganisms capture energy for growth and maintenance as they transfer electrons from energy sources... » More

Respiratory microorganisms capture energy for growth and maintenance as they transfer electrons from energy sources to appropriate electron acceptors. Controlling the availability of electron donor and acceptor pairs provides opportunities for investigating fundamental aspects of energy transformation and distribution in defined and un defined microbial cultures. For example, we have noted that in all bacteria investigated to date electron acceptor limitation prompts the production of electrically conductive appendages known as bacterial nanowires. These structures apparently serve to connect cells with electron acceptors at distances from tens or hundreds of microns. We have developed novel approached and cultivation devices to investigate charge transfer in diverse microbial systems with electronic precision. This presentation updates our progress on characterizing the composition and electrical conductive properties of bacterial nanowires in model laboratory microorganisms and how metagenomics will enable a more expansive exploration of nanowires from natural complex microbial communities. « Hide