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Title
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Efficient long-range conduction in cable bacteria through nickel protein wires
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Author
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Abstract
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| Filamentous cable bacteria display long-range electron transport, generating electrical currents over centimeter distances through a highly ordered network of fibers embedded in their cell envelope. The conductivity of these periplasmic wires is exceptionally high for a biological material, but their chemical structure and underlying electron transport mechanism remain unresolved. Here, we combine high-resolution microscopy, spectroscopy, and chemical imaging on individual cable bacterium filaments to demonstrate that the periplasmic wires consist of a conductive protein core surrounded by an insulating protein shell layer. The core proteins contain a sulfur-ligated nickel cofactor, and conductivity decreases when nickel is oxidized or selectively removed. The involvement of nickel as the active metal in biological conduction is remarkable, and suggests a hitherto unknown form of electron transport that enables efficient conduction in centimeter-long protein structures. Filamentous cable bacteria conduct electrical currents over centimeter distances through fibers embedded in their cell envelope. Here, Boschker et al. show that the fibers consist of a conductive core containing nickel proteins that is surrounded by an insulating protein shell. |
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Language
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English
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Source (journal)
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Nature communications
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Publication
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2021
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ISSN
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2041-1723
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DOI
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10.1038/S41467-021-24312-4
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Volume/pages
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12
:1
(2021)
, 12 p.
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Article Reference
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3996
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ISI
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000669944900006
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Pubmed ID
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34183682
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Medium
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E-only publicatie
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Full text (Publisher's DOI)
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Full text (open access)
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