Modeling the Structure of Type IV Pili from Shewanella Oneidensis

2nd International Symposium on Resource Exploration and Environmental Science

生态环境科学

Xiao, Ke^1 ; Shu, Chuanjun^1 ; Sun, Xiao^1

State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing

210096, China^1

关键词: Aromatic rings;    Electron hopping;    Electron transport;    Metal-reducing bacteria;    Outer membrane;    Potential mechanism;    Shewanella oneidensis;    Structural details;   

Others  :  https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/170/3/032145/pdf
DOI  :  10.1088/1755-1315/170/3/032145

学科分类：环境科学（综合）

来源: IOP

【 摘 要 】

The metal-reducing bacterium Shewanella oneidensis produces conductive nanowires, which are described as extensions of the outer membrane or type IV pili (T4P), of which the structural details remain unknown. To better understand the structure of S. oneidensis T4P as a nanowire candidate, and the potential mechanism for electron transport along them, theoretical energy-minimized models of these pili were constructed. The models showed a discontinuous geometry consisting of aromatic rings, with large gaps of ∼10 Å, providing a potential pathway for electron hopping, which may account for previously reported conductivity. Moreover, mutations of the pilin subunit based on the models were proposed, which might fill the gaps and possibly increase the conductivity. These models will facilitate further investigation of the nanowires and their applications in bioenergy and bioelectronics.