An Ordered and Fail-Safe Electrical Network in Cable Bacteria
Raghavendran Thiruvallur Eachambadi (Universiteit Hasselt)
Robin Bonné (Universiteit Hasselt)
Rob Cornelissen (Universiteit Hasselt)
Silvia Hidalgo-Martinez (Universiteit Antwerpen)
Jaco Vangronsveld (Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Lublin)
Filip J.R. Meysman (TU Delft - BT/Environmental Biotechnology, Universiteit Antwerpen)
Roland Valcke (Universiteit Hasselt)
Bart Cleuren (Universiteit Hasselt)
Jean V. Manca (Universiteit Hasselt)
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Abstract
Cable bacteria are an emerging class of electroactive organisms that sustain unprecedented long-range electron transport across centimeter-scale distances. The local pathways of the electrical currents in these filamentous microorganisms remain unresolved. Here, the electrical circuitry in a single cable bacterium is visualized with nanoscopic resolution using conductive atomic force microscopy. Combined with perturbation experiments, it is demonstrated that electrical currents are conveyed through a parallel network of conductive fibers embedded in the cell envelope, which are electrically interconnected between adjacent cells. This structural organization provides a fail-safe electrical network for long-distance electron transport in these filamentous microorganisms. The observed electrical circuit architecture is unique in biology and can inspire future technological applications in bioelectronics.
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