Electrochimica Acta, Vol.146, 564-567, 2014
Extracellular Electron Transfer Mediated by Flavins in Gram-positive Bacillus sp WS-XY1 and Yeast Pichia stipitis
Extracellular electron transfer (EET) of microorganisms represents a communicative bridge between the interior and exterior of the cells. Most prior EET studies have focused on Gram-negative bacteria. However, fungi and Gram-positive bacteria, that contain dense cellular walls, have rarely been reported. Herein, two model dense cell wall microorganisms (Bacillus sp. WS-XY1 and the yeast Pichia stipitis) were identified to be electrochemically active. Further analysis indicated that the two microorganisms were able to secrete flavins to mediate their EET. The discovery, that dense cell wall containing microorganisms can undertake mediated EET, adds to the body of knowledge towards building a comprehensive understanding of biogeochemical and bioelectrical processes. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords:extracellular electron transfer;flavins;Gram-positive bacteria;bioelectrochemical systems;yeast