Capturing the signal of weak electricigens: a worthy endeavour

Interaction of living cable bacteria with carbon electrodes in bioelectrochemical systems

Cable bacteria are filamentous bacteria that couple the oxidation of sulfide in sediments to the reduction of oxygen via long-distance electron transport over centimeter distances through periplasmic wires. However, the capability of cable bacteria to perform extracellular electron transfer to acceptors, such as electrodes, has remained elusive. In this study, we demonstrate that living cable bacteria actively move toward electrodes in different bioelectrochemical systems. Carbon felt and carbon fiber electrodes poised at +200 mV attracted live cable bacteria from the sediment. When the applied potential was switched off, cable bacteria retracted from the electrode. qPCR and scanning electron microscopy corroborated this finding and revealed cable bacteria in higher abundance present on the electrode surface compared with unpoised controls. These experiments raise new possibilities to study metabolism of cable bacteria and cultivate them in bioelectrochemical devices for bioelectronic applications, such as biosensing and bioremediation.

IMPORTANCE

Extracellular electron transfer is a metabolic function associated with electroactive bacteria wherein electrons are exchanged with external electron acceptors or donors. This feature has enabled the development of several applications, such as biosensing, carbon capture, and energy recovery. Cable bacteria are a unique class of long, filamentous microbes that perform long-distance electron transport in freshwater and marine sediments. In this study, we demonstrate the attraction of cable bacteria toward carbon electrodes and demonstrate their potential electroactivity. This finding enables electronic control and monitoring of the metabolism of cable bacteria and may, in turn, aid in the development of bioelectronic applications.

Enriching electroactive microorganisms from ferruginous lake waters - Mind the sulfate reducers!

Electroactive microorganisms are pivotal players in mineral transformation within redox interfaces characterized by pronounced oxygen and dissolved metal gradients. Yet, their systematic cultivation from such environments remains elusive. Here, we conducted an anodic enrichment using anoxic ferruginous waters from a post-mining lake as inoculum. Weak electrogenicity (j = ∼5 µA cm-2) depended on electroactive planktonic cells rather than anodic biofilms, with a preference for formate as electron donor. Addition of yeast extract decreased the lag phase but did not increase current densities. The enriched bacterial community varied depending on the substrate composition but mainly comprised of sulfate- and nitrate-reducing bacteria (e.g., Desulfatomaculum spp. and Stenotrophomonas spp.). A secondary enrichment strategy resulted in different bacterial communities composed of iron-reducing (e.g., Klebsiella spp.) and fermentative bacteria (e.g., Paeniclostridium spp.). Secondary electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy results indicate the precipitation of sulfur- and iron-rich organomineral aggregates at the anode surface, presumably impeding current production. Our findings indicate that (i) anoxic waters containing geogenically derived metals can be used to enrich weak electricigens, and (ii) it is necessary to specifically inhibit sulfate reducers. Otherwise, sulfate reducers tend to dominate over EAM during cultivation, which can lead to anode passivation due to biomineralization.

A Weak Electricigen-Based Bioelectrochemical Sensor for Real-Time Monitoring of Chemical Pollutants in Water

Electroactive microorganisms are now understood to be abundant across nature, though many are categorized as "weak electricigens" not suitable for reasonable power generation. We report the use of weak electricigens from the natural environment for rapid, real-time water quality monitoring. Using a variety of pesticides as model chemical pollutants, the bioelectrochemical sensor was responsive within minutes at all concentrations tested (0.05-2 ppm) and could be repreatedly used long-term. Due to the prevalence of electroactive microorganisms in the natural environment, such sensors could work in tandem with conventional monitoring methods and may be useful for detecting emerging contaminants.

All-electrical antibiotic susceptibility and resistance profiling of electrogenic Pseudomonas aeruginosa

There is a pressing need for evidence-based, non-surgical therapy guidance for biofilm-based infections. Conventional phenotypic or genotypic or emerging antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) techniques cannot provide clinically relevant guidelines and widely adaptable stewardship for effective biofilm treatment because they are mainly limited to planktonic bacteria and suffer from many technical and operational challenges. Here, we created an all-electrical, reliable, rapid AST device to monitor antibiotic efficacy in bacterial biofilms that can be practically translatable to clinical settings and industrial antibiotic developments. The electrons metabolically produced by a Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm provided a strong signal for monitoring bacterial growth and treatment efficacy while a 3-D paper-based culturing platform provided a new strategy for rapid biofilm formation through capillary action. When antibiotics are effective against the pathogenic biofilm, their metabolic activities are inhibited, decreasing their electron transfer reactions. The changes in electrical outputs can be measured to assess the treatment effectiveness against pathogenic biofilms. Within 100 minutes, our six-well AST device successfully distinguished antibiotic-susceptible and -resistant P. aeruginosa biofilms, provided a quantifiable minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of antibiotics, and characterized the bacterial antibiotic action mechanisms.

Recent advances in enrichment, isolation, and bio-electrochemical activity evaluation of exoelectrogenic microorganisms

Exoelectrogenic microorganisms (EEMs) catalyzed the conversion of chemical energy to electrical energy via extracellular electron transfer (EET) mechanisms, which underlay diverse bio-electrochemical systems (BES) applications in clean energy development, environment and health monitoring, wearable/implantable devices powering, and sustainable chemicals production, thereby attracting increasing attentions from academic and industrial communities in the recent decades. However, knowledge of EEMs is still in its infancy as only ~100 EEMs of bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes have been identified, motivating the screening and capture of new EEMs. This review presents a systematic summarization on EEM screening technologies in terms of enrichment, isolation, and bio-electrochemical activity evaluation. We first generalize the distribution characteristics of known EEMs, which provide a basis for EEM screening. Then, we summarize EET mechanisms and the principles underlying various technological approaches to the enrichment, isolation, and bio-electrochemical activity of EEMs, in which a comprehensive analysis of the applicability, accuracy, and efficiency of each technology is reviewed. Finally, we provide a future perspective on EEM screening and bio-electrochemical activity evaluation by focusing on (i) novel EET mechanisms for developing the next-generation EEM screening technologies, and (ii) integration of meta-omics approaches and bioinformatics analyses to explore nonculturable EEMs. This review promotes the development of advanced technologies to capture new EEMs.

A New Electron Shuttling Pathway Mediated by Lipophilic Phenoxazine via the Interaction with Periplasmic and Inner Membrane Proteins of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1

Although it has been established that electron mediators substantially promote extracellular electron transfer (EET), electron shuttling pathways are not fully understood. Here, a new electron shuttling pathway was found in the EET process by Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 with resazurin, a lipophilic electron mediator. With resazurin, the genes encoding outer-membrane cytochromes (mtrCBA and omcA) were downregulated. Although cytochrome deletion substantially reduced biocurrent generation to 1-12% of that of wild-type (WT) cells, the presence of resazurin restored biocurrent generation to 168 μA·cm^-2 (ΔmtrA/omcA/mtrC), nearly equivalent to that of WT cells (194 μA·cm^-2), indicating that resazurin-mediated electron transfer was not dependent on the Mtr pathway. Biocurrent generation by resazurin was much lower in ΔcymA and ΔmtrA/omcA/mtrC/fccA/cctA mutants (4 and 6 μA·cm^-2) than in WT cells, indicating a key role of FccA, CctA, and CymA in this process. The effectiveness of resazurin in EET of Mtr cytochrome mutants is also supported by cyclic voltammetry, resazurin reduction kinetics, and in situ c-type cytochrome spectroscopy results. The findings demonstrated that low molecular weight, lipophilic electron acceptors, such as phenoxazine and phenazine, may facilitate electron transfer directly from periplasmic and inner membrane proteins, thus providing new insight into the roles of exogenous electron mediators in electron shuttling in natural and engineered biogeochemical systems.

Enterococcus faecalis NADH Peroxidase-Defective Mutants Stain Falsely in Colony Zymogram Assay for Extracellular Electron Transfer to Ferric Ions

Enterococcus faecalis cells can reduce ferric ions and other electron acceptors by extracellular electron transfer (EET). To find mutants with enhanced or defective EET, strain OG1RF with random transposon insertions in the chromosome was screened for ferric reductase activity by colony zymogram staining using the chromogenic ferrous-chelating compound Ferrozine. The screen revealed npr, eetB, and ndh3 mutants. The aberrant ferric reductase phenotype of Npr (NADH peroxidase)-defective mutants was found to be a property of colonies and not apparent with washed cells grown in liquid culture. EetB- and Ndh3-defective mutants, in contrast, consistently showed low ferric reductase activity. It is concluded that colony zymogram staining for ferric reductase activity using Ferrozine can be misleading, especially through false negative results. It is suggested that hydrogen peroxide produced in the colony quenches the zymogram staining. In addition, it is demonstrated that the negative effect of heme on EET to ferric ion in E. faecalis is relieved by cytochrome bd deficiency. The findings can help to identify bacteria with EET ability and contribute to our understanding of EET in Gram-positive bacteria and the physiology of E. faecalis.

Assessment of physiological and electrochemical effects of a repurposed zinc dithiocarbamate complex on Acinetobacter baumannii biofilms

Acinetobacter baumannii is an infectious agent of global proportion and concern, partly due to its proficiency in development of antibiotic resistance phenotypes and biofilm formation. Dithiocarbamates (DTC) have been identified as possible alternatives to the current antimicrobials. We report here the evaluation of several DTC-metal complexes against A. baumannii planktonic cells and biofilms. Among the DTC-metal complexes and DTCs tested, ZnL1 (N-methyl-1-phenyldithiocarbamato-S,S' Zn(II)), originally designed as an antitumor agent, is effective against biofilm forming A. baumannii. A MIC value of 12.5 µM, comparable to that of Gentamicin (5 µM) was measured for planktonic cells in tryptic soy broth. Spectroscopy, microscopy and biochemical analyses reveal cell membrane degradation and leakage after treatment with ZnL1. Bioelectrochemical analyses show that ZnL1 reduces biofilm formation and decreases extracellular respiration of pre-formed biofilms, as corroborated by microscopic analyses. Due to the affinity of Zn to cells and the metal chelating nature of L1 ligand, we hypothesize ZnL1 could alter metalloprotein functions in the membranes of A. baumannii cells, leading to altered redox balance. Results indicate that the DTC-Zn metal complex is an effective antimicrobial agent against early A. baumannii biofilms under laboratory conditions.