Oregon State University
Scientists from the University of Oregon in the United States have discovered a new type of electrically conductive bacteria in mudflats along the coast in Yaquina Bay.
The new species has already been named Candidatus Electrothrix yaqonensis. This species belongs to the so-called cable bacteria, which can conduct electricity similar to cables. These long clusters of multicellular filamentous bacteria have special fibers that allow them to conduct electrical charges.
The discovery was made by Cheng Li, a researcher at the University of Oregon, and Professor Claire Reimers. They’re isolated the bacterium from samples of intertidal sediments collected along the coast in Yakvin Bay.
Scientists now know 25 species of cable bacteria. However, despite their prevalence in marine and freshwater sediments, information about them remains limited. Cable bacteria consist of rod-shaped cells that are connected to each other by an outer membrane. The filaments that form the cells of these bacteria can reach several centimeters in length. The ability to conduct electrical charges is an element of the adaptation of these bacteria, which optimizes metabolic processes in the sedimentary environment where they live The scientists found that Ca. Electrothrix yaqonensis has metabolic and genetic features that bring them closer to two other distinct genera of cable bacteria, Ca. Electrothrix and Ca. Electronema.
«This new species appears to be a bridge, an early branch of Ca. Electrothrix, suggesting that it may provide new insights into how these bacteria evolved and how they may function in different environments. It stands out from other described cable bacteria species in terms of its metabolic potential and has distinctive structural features, including pronounced surface ridges that are three times wider than those of other species and that house highly conductive fibers composed of unique nickel-based molecules», — notes Cheng Li.
Thanks to these fibers, bacteria are able to transfer electrons over long distances, combining electron acceptors, in particular, oxygen and nitrate on the surface of the sediment, with sulfides in the deeper layers of the sediment. The ability of these bacteria to participate in in redox reactions over long distances makes them key to sediment geochemistry and nutrient cycling.
«These bacteria can transfer electrons to purify pollutants, so they can be used to remove harmful substances from sediments In addition, their design of a highly conductive nickel protein could possibly inspire the creation of new bioelectronics», — Cheng Li explains.
The results of the study are published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology
Source: SkiTechDaily