sb9b00506_si_001.pdf (1.67 MB)
An Escherichia coli Chassis for Production of Electrically Conductive Protein Nanowires
journal contribution
posted on 2020-03-11, 12:18 authored by Toshiyuki Ueki, David J. F. Walker, Trevor L. Woodard, Kelly P. Nevin, Stephen S. Nonnenmann, Derek R. LovleyGeobacter sulfurreducens’ pilin-based electrically conductive protein nanowires (e-PNs) are
a revolutionary electronic material. They offer novel options for
electronic sensing applications and have the remarkable ability to
harvest electrical energy from atmospheric humidity. However, technical
constraints limit mass cultivation and genetic manipulation of G. sulfurreducens. Therefore, we designed a strain
of Escherichia coli to express e-PNs
by introducing a plasmid that contained an inducible operon with E. coli genes for type IV pili biogenesis machinery
and a synthetic gene designed to yield a peptide monomer that could
be assembled into e-PNs. The e-PNs expressed in E.
coli and harvested with a simple filtration method
had the same diameter (3 nm) and conductance as e-PNs expressed in G. sulfurreducens. These results, coupled with the
robustness of E. coli for mass cultivation
and the extensive E. coli toolbox for
genetic manipulation, greatly expand the opportunities for large-scale
fabrication of novel e-PNs.