scholarly journals NanoSIMS imaging reveals metabolic stratification within current-producing biofilms

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (41) ◽  
pp. 20716-20724 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grayson L. Chadwick ◽  
Fernanda Jiménez Otero ◽  
Jeffrey A. Gralnick ◽  
Daniel R. Bond ◽  
Victoria J. Orphan
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Anaerobic Respiration ◽  
Electrical Current ◽  
Total Activity ◽  
Stable Isotope Probing ◽  
Electron Acceptors ◽  
Geobacter Sulfurreducens ◽  
Cellular Growth ◽  
Anode Surface ◽  
Redox Potentials

Metal-reducing bacteria direct electrons to their outer surfaces, where insoluble metal oxides or electrodes act as terminal electron acceptors, generating electrical current from anaerobic respiration. Geobacter sulfurreducens is a commonly enriched electricity-producing organism, forming thick conductive biofilms that magnify total activity by supporting respiration of cells not in direct contact with electrodes. Hypotheses explaining why these biofilms fail to produce higher current densities suggest inhibition by formation of pH, nutrient, or redox potential gradients; but these explanations are often contradictory, and a lack of direct measurements of cellular growth within biofilms prevents discrimination between these models. To address this fundamental question, we measured the anabolic activity of G. sulfurreducens biofilms using stable isotope probing coupled to nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry (nanoSIMS). Our results demonstrate that the most active cells are at the anode surface, and that this activity decreases with distance, reaching a minimum 10 µm from the electrode. Cells nearest the electrode continue to grow at their maximum rate in weeks-old biofilms 80-µm-thick, indicating nutrient or buffer diffusion into the biofilm is not rate-limiting. This pattern, where highest activity occurs at the electrode and declines with each cell layer, is present in thin biofilms (<5 µm) and fully grown biofilms (>20 µm), and at different anode redox potentials. These results suggest a growth penalty is associated with respiring insoluble electron acceptors at micron distances, which has important implications for improving microbial electrochemical devices as well as our understanding of syntrophic associations harnessing the phenomenon of microbial conductivity.

scholarly journals An Inner Membrane Cytochrome Required Only for Reduction of High Redox Potential Extracellular Electron Acceptors

mBio ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Caleb E. Levar ◽  
Chi Ho Chan ◽  
Misha G. Mehta-Kolte ◽  
Daniel R. Bond
Keyword(s):  
Electron Transfer ◽  
Electron Acceptors ◽  
Geobacter Sulfurreducens ◽  
Extracellular Electron Transfer ◽  
Redox Potentials ◽  
Inner Membrane ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Transfer Strategies ◽  
Reducing Bacteria ◽  
Metal Reducing Bacteria

ABSTRACTDissimilatory metal-reducing bacteria, such asGeobacter sulfurreducens, transfer electrons beyond their outer membranes to Fe(III) and Mn(IV) oxides, heavy metals, and electrodes in electrochemical devices. In the environment, metal acceptors exist in multiple chelated and insoluble forms that span a range of redox potentials and offer different amounts of available energy. Despite this, metal-reducing bacteria have not been shown to alter their electron transfer strategies to take advantage of these energy differences. Disruption ofimcH, encoding an inner membranec-type cytochrome, eliminated the ability ofG. sulfurreducensto reduce Fe(III) citrate, Fe(III)-EDTA, and insoluble Mn(IV) oxides, electron acceptors with potentials greater than 0.1 V versus the standard hydrogen electrode (SHE), but theimcHmutant retained the ability to reduce Fe(III) oxides with potentials of ≤−0.1 V versus SHE. TheimcHmutant failed to grow on electrodes poised at +0.24 V versus SHE, but switching electrodes to −0.1 V versus SHE triggered exponential growth. At potentials of ≤−0.1 V versus SHE, both the wild type and theimcHmutant doubled 60% slower than at higher potentials. Electrodes poised even 100 mV higher (0.0 V versus SHE) could not triggerimcHmutant growth. These results demonstrate thatG. sulfurreducenspossesses multiple respiratory pathways, that some of these pathways are in operation only after exposure to low redox potentials, and that electron flow can be coupled to generation of different amounts of energy for growth. The redox potentials that trigger these behaviors mirror those of metal acceptors common in subsurface environments whereGeobacteris found.IMPORTANCEInsoluble metal oxides in the environment represent a common and vast reservoir of energy for respiratory microbes capable of transferring electrons across their insulating membranes to external acceptors, a process termed extracellular electron transfer. Despite the global biogeochemical importance of metal cycling and the ability of such organisms to produce electricity at electrodes, fundamental gaps in the understanding of extracellular electron transfer biochemistry exist. Here, we describe a conserved inner membrane redox protein inGeobacter sulfurreducenswhich is required only for electron transfer to high-potential compounds, and we show thatG. sulfurreducenshas the ability to utilize different electron transfer pathways in response to the amount of energy available in a metal or electrode distant from the cell.

scholarly journals Genome Scale Mutational Analysis of Geobacter sulfurreducens Reveals Distinct Molecular Mechanisms for Respiration and Sensing of Poised Electrodes versus Fe(III) Oxides

2017 ◽  
Vol 199 (19) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chi Ho Chan ◽  
Caleb E. Levar ◽  
Fernanda Jiménez-Otero ◽  
Daniel R. Bond
Keyword(s):  
Metal Oxides ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Mutational Analysis ◽  
Electrical Current ◽  
Electron Acceptors ◽  
Geobacter Sulfurreducens ◽  
Hydrogen Electrode ◽  
Single Experiment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Genes Encoding

ABSTRACT Geobacter sulfurreducens generates electrical current by coupling intracellular oxidation of organic acids to the reduction of proteins on the cell surface that are able to interface with electrodes. This ability is attributed to the bacterium's capacity to respire other extracellular electron acceptors that require contact, such as insoluble metal oxides. To directly investigate the genetic basis of electrode-based respiration, we constructed Geobacter sulfurreducens transposon-insertion sequencing (Tn-Seq) libraries for growth, with soluble fumarate or an electrode as the electron acceptor. Libraries with >33,000 unique insertions and an average of 9 insertions/kb allowed an assessment of each gene's fitness in a single experiment. Mutations in 1,214 different genomic features impaired growth with fumarate, and the significance of 270 genes unresolved by annotation due to the presence of one or more functional homologs was determined. Tn-Seq analysis of −0.1 V versus standard hydrogen electrode (SHE) electrode-grown cells identified mutations in a subset of genes encoding cytochromes, processing systems for proline-rich proteins, sensory networks, extracellular structures, polysaccharides, and metabolic enzymes that caused at least a 50% reduction in apparent growth rate. Scarless deletion mutants of select genes identified via Tn-Seq revealed a new putative porin-cytochrome conduit complex (extABCD) crucial for growth with electrodes, which was not required for Fe(III) oxide reduction. In addition, four mutants lacking components of a putative methyl-accepting chemotaxis–cyclic dinucleotide sensing network (esnABCD) were defective in electrode colonization but grew normally with Fe(III) oxides. These results suggest that G. sulfurreducens possesses distinct mechanisms for recognition, colonization, and reduction of electrodes compared to Fe(III) oxides. IMPORTANCE Since metal oxide electron acceptors are insoluble, one hypothesis is that cells sense and reduce metals using the same molecular mechanisms used to form biofilms on electrodes and produce electricity. However, by simultaneously comparing thousands of Geobacter sulfurreducens transposon mutants undergoing electrode-dependent respiration, we discovered new cytochromes and chemosensory proteins supporting growth with electrodes that are not required for metal respiration. This supports an emerging model where G. sulfurreducens recognizes surfaces and forms conductive biofilms using mechanisms distinct from those used for growth with metal oxides. These findings provide a possible explanation for studies that correlate electricity generation with syntrophic interspecies electron transfer by Geobacter and reveal many previously unrecognized targets for engineering this useful capability in other organisms.

The influence of potassium dichromate on dissimilatory reduction of sulfate and nitrate ions by bacteria Desulfovibrio sp.

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 84-95
Author(s):  
O. M. Moroz ◽  
S. O. Hnatush ◽  
Ch. I. Bohoslavets ◽  
T. M. Hrytsun’ ◽  
B. M. Borsukevych
Keyword(s):  
Electron Acceptor ◽  
Potassium Dichromate ◽  
Anaerobic Respiration ◽  
Sulfate Reducing Bacteria ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Electron Acceptors ◽  
Metal Compounds ◽  
Nitrate Ions ◽  
Sulfate Reducing ◽  
Reducing Bacteria

Sulfate reducing bacteria, capable to reductive transformation of different nature pollutants, used in biotechnologies of purification of sewage, contaminated by carbon, sulfur, nitrogen and metal compounds. H2S formed by them sediment metals to form of insoluble sulfides. Number of metals can be used by these microorganisms as electron acceptors during anaerobic respiration. Because under the influence of metal compounds observed slowing of bacteria metabolism, selection isolated from technologically modified ecotops resistant to pollutions strains is important task to create a new biotechnologies of purification. That’s why the purpose of this work was to study the influence of potassium dichromate, present in medium, on reduction of sulfate and nitrate ions by sulfate reducing bacteria Desulfovibrio desulfuricans IMV K-6, Desulfovibrio sp. Yav-6 and Desulfovibrio sp. Yav-8, isolated from Yavorivske Lake, to estimate the efficiency of possible usage of these bacteria in technologies of complex purification of environment from dangerous pollutants. Bacteria were cultivated in modified Kravtsov-Sorokin medium without SO42- and FeCl2×4H2O for 10 days. To study the influence of K2Cr2O7 on usage by bacteria SO42- or NO3- cells were seeded to media with Na2SO4×10H2O or NaNO3 and K2Cr2O7 at concentrations of 1.74 mM for total content of electron acceptors in medium 3.47 mM (concentration of SO42- in medium of standard composition). Cells were also seeded to media with 3.47 mM Na2SO4×10H2O, NaNO3 or K2Cr2O7 to investigate their growth in media with SO42-, NO3- or Cr2O72- as sole electron acceptor (control). Biomass was determined by turbidymetric method, content of sulfate, nitrate, dichromate, chromium (III) ions, hydrogen sulfide or ammonia ions in cultural liquid – by spectrophotometric method. It was found that K2Cr2O7 inhibits growth (2.2 and 1.3 times) and level of reduction by bacteria sulfate or nitrate ions (4.2 and 3.0 times, respectively) at simultaneous addition into cultivation medium of 1.74 mM SO42- or NO3- and 1.74 mM Cr2O72-, compared with growth and level of reduction of sulfate or nitrate ions in medium only with SO42- or NO3- as sole electron acceptor. Revealed that during cultivation of bacteria in presence of equimolar amount of SO42- or NO3- and Cr2O72-, last used by bacteria faster, content of Cr3+ during whole period of bacteria cultivation exceeded content H2S or NH4+. K2Cr2O7 in medium has most negative influence on dissimilatory reduction by bacteria SO42- than NO3-, since level of nitrate ions reduction by cells in medium with NO3- and Cr2O72- was a half times higher than level of sulfate ions reduction by it in medium with SO42- and Cr2O72-. The ability of bacteria Desulfovibrio sp. to priority reduction of Cr2O72- and after their exhaustion − NO3- and SO42- in the processes of anaerobic respiration can be used in technologies of complex purification of environment from toxic compounds.

scholarly journals Comparative insights into genome signatures of ferric iron oxide- and anode-stimulated Desulfuromonas spp. strains

BMC Genomics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Guo ◽  
Tomo Aoyagi ◽  
Tomoyuki Hori
Keyword(s):  
Iron Oxide ◽  
Genome Rearrangement ◽  
Ferric Iron ◽  
Electron Acceptors ◽  
Extracellular Electron Transfer ◽  
Redox Potentials ◽  
Bacterial Strains ◽  
Biosynthesis Gene Cluster ◽  
Genomic Signatures ◽  
Flagellar Biosynthesis

Abstract Background Halotolerant Fe (III) oxide reducers affiliated in the family Desulfuromonadaceae are ubiquitous and drive the carbon, nitrogen, sulfur and metal cycles in marine subsurface sediment. Due to their possible application in bioremediation and bioelectrochemical engineering, some of phylogenetically close Desulfuromonas spp. strains have been isolated through enrichment with crystalline Fe (III) oxide and anode. The strains isolated using electron acceptors with distinct redox potentials may have different abilities, for instance, of extracellular electron transport, surface recognition and colonization. The objective of this study was to identify the different genomic signatures between the crystalline Fe (III) oxide-stimulated strain AOP6 and the anode-stimulated strains WTL and DDH964 by comparative genome analysis. Results The AOP6 genome possessed the flagellar biosynthesis gene cluster, as well as diverse and abundant genes involved in chemotaxis sensory systems and c-type cytochromes capable of reduction of electron acceptors with low redox potentials. The WTL and DDH964 genomes lacked the flagellar biosynthesis cluster and exhibited a massive expansion of transposable gene elements that might mediate genome rearrangement, while they were deficient in some of the chemotaxis and cytochrome genes and included the genes for oxygen resistance. Conclusions Our results revealed the genomic signatures distinctive for the ferric iron oxide- and anode-stimulated Desulfuromonas spp. strains. These findings highlighted the different metabolic abilities, such as extracellular electron transfer and environmental stress resistance, of these phylogenetically close bacterial strains, casting light on genome evolution of the subsurface Fe (III) oxide reducers.

Sulfonates: novel electron acceptors in anaerobic respiration

1996 ◽  
Vol 166 (3) ◽  
pp. 204-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas J. Lie ◽  
Thomas Pitta ◽  
E. R. Leadbetter ◽  
Walter Godchaux III. ◽  
Jared R. Leadbetter
Keyword(s):  
Anaerobic Respiration ◽  
Electron Acceptors

scholarly journals Identification of different putative outer membrane electron conduits necessary for Fe(III) citrate, Fe(III) oxide, Mn(IV) oxide, or electrode reduction by Geobacter sulfurreducens

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernanda Jiménez Otero ◽  
Chi Ho Chan ◽  
Daniel R. Bond
Keyword(s):  
Electron Transfer ◽  
Outer Membrane ◽  
Electron Acceptor ◽  
Single Gene ◽  
Gene Clusters ◽  
Geobacter Sulfurreducens ◽  
Transcriptional Analysis ◽  
Growth Defect ◽  
Redox Potentials ◽  
Wild Type

AbstractAt least five gene clusters in the Geobacter sulfurreducens genome encode putative ‘electron conduits’ implicated in electron transfer across the outer membrane, each containing a periplasmic multiheme c-type cytochrome, integral outer membrane anchor, and outer membrane redox lipoprotein(s). Markerless single gene cluster deletions and all possible multiple deletion combinations were constructed and grown with soluble Fe(III) citrate, Fe(III)- and Mn(IV)-oxides, and graphite electrodes poised at +0.24 V and −0.1 V vs. SHE. Different gene clusters were necessary for reduction of each electron acceptor. During metal oxide reduction, deletion of the previously described omcBC cluster caused defects, but deletion of additional components in an ΔomcBC background, such as extEFG, were needed to produce defects greater than 50% compared to wild type. Deletion of all five gene clusters abolished all metal reduction. During electrode reduction, only the ΔextABCD mutant had a severe growth defect at both redox potentials, while this mutation did not affect Fe(III)-oxide, Mn(IV)-oxide, or Fe(III) citrate reduction. Some mutants containing only one cluster were able to reduce particular terminal electron acceptors better than wild type, suggesting routes for improvement by targeting specific electron transfer pathways. Transcriptomic comparisons between fumarate and electrode-based growth showed all of these ext clusters to be constitutive, and transcriptional analysis of the triple-deletion strain containing only extABCD detected no significant changes in expression of known redox proteins or pili components. These genetic experiments reveal new outer membrane conduit complexes necessary for growth of G. sulfurreducens, depending on the available extracellular electron acceptor.

scholarly journals Identification of different putative outer membrane electron conduits necessary for Fe(III) citrate, Fe(III)-oxide, Mn(IV)-oxide, or electrode reduction by Geobacter sulfurreducens .

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernanda Jiménez Otero ◽  
Chi Ho Chan ◽  
Daniel R Bond
Keyword(s):  
Electron Transfer ◽  
Outer Membrane ◽  
Electron Acceptor ◽  
Single Gene ◽  
Gene Clusters ◽  
Geobacter Sulfurreducens ◽  
Transcriptional Analysis ◽  
Growth Defect ◽  
Redox Potentials ◽  
Wild Type

At least five gene clusters in the Geobacter sulfurreducens genome encode putative ‘electron conduits’ implicated in electron transfer across the outer membrane, each containing a periplasmic multiheme c -type cytochrome, integral outer membrane anchor, and outer membrane redox lipoprotein(s). Markerless single gene cluster deletions and all possible multiple deletion combinations were constructed and grown with soluble Fe(III) citrate, Fe(III)- and Mn(IV)-oxides, and graphite electrodes poised at +0.24 V and -0.1 V vs. SHE. Different gene clusters were necessary for reduction of each electron acceptor. During metal oxide reduction, deletion of the previously described omcBC cluster caused defects, but deletion of additional components in an Δ omcBC background, such as extEFG , were needed to produce defects greater than 50% compared to wild type. Deletion of all five gene clusters abolished all metal reduction. During electrode reduction, only the Δ extABCD mutant had a severe growth defect at both redox potentials, while this mutation did not affect Fe(III)-oxide, Mn(IV)-oxide, or Fe(III) citrate reduction. Some mutants containing only one cluster were able to reduce particular terminal electron acceptors better than wild type, suggesting routes for improvement by targeting specific electron transfer pathways. Transcriptomic comparisons between fumarate and electrode-based growth showed all of these ext clusters to be constitutive, and transcriptional analysis of the triple-deletion strain containing only extABCD detected no significant changes in expression of known redox proteins or pili components. These genetic experiments reveal new outer membrane conduit complexes necessary for growth of G. sulfurreducens , depending on the available extracellular electron acceptor.

scholarly journals Fine Tuning of Redox Networks on Multiheme Cytochromes fromGeobacter sulfurreducensDrives Physiological Electron/Proton Energy Transduction

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonor Morgado ◽  
Joana M. Dantas ◽  
Marta Bruix ◽  
Yuri Y. Londer ◽  
Carlos A. Salgueiro
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Fuel Cells ◽  
Geobacter Sulfurreducens ◽  
Cellular Growth ◽  
Bohr Effect ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Physiological Relevance ◽  
Ph Range ◽  
Coupling Mechanisms ◽  
Redox Bohr Effect

The bacteriumGeobacter sulfurreducens (Gs)can grow in the presence of extracellular terminal acceptors, a property that is currently explored to harvest electricity from aquatic sediments and waste organic matter into microbial fuel cells. A family composed of five triheme cytochromes (PpcA-E) was identified inGs. These cytochromes play a crucial role by bridging the electron transfer from oxidation of cytoplasmic donors to the cell exterior and assisting the reduction of extracellular terminal acceptors. The detailed thermodynamic characterization of such proteins showed that PpcA and PpcD have an important redox-Bohr effect that might implicate these proteins in the e−/H+coupling mechanisms to sustain cellular growth. The physiological relevance of the redox-Bohr effect in these proteins was studied by determining the fractional contribution of each individual redox-microstate at different pH values. For both proteins, oxidation progresses from a particular protonated microstate to a particular deprotonated one, over specific pH ranges. The preferred e−/H+transfer pathway established by the selected microstates indicates that both proteins are functionally designed to couple e−/H+transfer at the physiological pH range for cellular growth.

scholarly journals Calculation and Interpretation of Substrate Assimilation Rates in Microbial Cells Based on Isotopic Composition Data Obtained by nanoSIMS

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lubos Polerecky ◽  
Meri Eichner ◽  
Takako Masuda ◽  
Tomáš Zavřel ◽  
Sophie Rabouille ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Division ◽  
Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Isotopic Labeling ◽  
Threshold Value ◽  
Stable Isotope Probing ◽  
Microbial Cells ◽  
Simplifying Assumptions ◽  
A Cell ◽  
C And N ◽  
Over Time

Stable isotope probing (SIP) combined with nano-scale secondary ion mass spectrometry (nanoSIMS) is a powerful approach to quantify assimilation rates of elements such as C and N into individual microbial cells. Here, we use mathematical modeling to investigate how the derived rate estimates depend on the model used to describe substrate assimilation by a cell during a SIP incubation. We show that the most commonly used model, which is based on the simplifying assumptions of linearly increasing biomass of individual cells over time and no cell division, can yield underestimated assimilation rates when compared to rates derived from a model that accounts for cell division. This difference occurs because the isotopic labeling of a dividing cell increases more rapidly over time compared to a non-dividing cell and becomes more pronounced as the labeling increases above a threshold value that depends on the cell cycle stage of the measured cell. Based on the modeling results, we present formulae for estimating assimilation rates in cells and discuss their underlying assumptions, conditions of applicability, and implications for the interpretation of intercellular variability in assimilation rates derived from nanoSIMS data, including the impacts of storage inclusion metabolism. We offer the formulae as a Matlab script to facilitate rapid data evaluation by nanoSIMS users.

scholarly journals Role for Outer Membrane Cytochromes OmcA and OmcB of Shewanella putrefaciens MR-1 in Reduction of Manganese Dioxide

2001 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 260-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith M. Myers ◽  
Charles R. Myers
Keyword(s):  
Outer Membrane ◽  
Anaerobic Respiration ◽  
Shewanella Putrefaciens ◽  
Gene Replacement ◽  
Electron Acceptors ◽  
Ferric Citrate ◽  
Disulfonic Acid ◽  
Pcr Analysis ◽  
Western Blots ◽  
Reverse Transcription Pcr

ABSTRACT Shewanella putrefaciens MR-1 can use a wide variety of terminal electron acceptors for anaerobic respiration, including certain insoluble manganese and iron oxides. To examine whether the outer membrane (OM) cytochromes of MR-1 play a role in Mn(IV) and Fe(III) reduction, mutants lacking the OM cytochrome OmcA or OmcB were isolated by gene replacement. Southern blotting and PCR confirmed replacement of the omcA and omcB genes, respectively, and reverse transcription-PCR analysis demonstrated loss of the respective mRNAs, whereas mRNAs for upstream and downstream genes were retained. The omcA mutant (OMCA1) resembled MR-1 in its growth on trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), dimethyl sulfoxide, nitrate, fumarate, thiosulfate, and tetrathionate and its reduction of nitrate, nitrite, ferric citrate, FeOOH, and anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonic acid. Similarly, the omcBmutant (OMCB1) grew on fumarate, nitrate, TMAO, and thiosulfate and reduced ferric citrate and FeOOH. However, OMCA1 and OMCB1 were 45 and 75% slower than MR-1, respectively, at reducing MnO2. OMCA1 lacked only OmcA. While OMCB1 lacked OmcB, other OM cytochromes were also missing or markedly depressed. The total cytochrome content of the OM of OMCB1 was less than 15% of that of MR-1. Western blots demonstrated that OMCB1 still synthesized OmcA, but most of it was localized in the cytoplasmic membrane and soluble fractions rather than in the OM. OMCB1 had therefore lost the ability to properly localize multiple OM cytochromes to the OM. Together, the results suggest that the OM cytochromes of MR-1 participate in the reduction of Mn(IV) but are not required for the reduction of Fe(III) or other electron acceptors.

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