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    Home > Biochemistry News > Biotechnology News > Nature: Hidden bacterial hairs power the "grid" in nature

    Nature: Hidden bacterial hairs power the "grid" in nature

    • Last Update: 2021-09-13
    • Source: Internet
    • Author: User
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    The protein hidden in the bacteria pumps out the nanowires in the absence of oxygen, which is essentially "breathing out" electrons

    Source: Nikhil Malvankar, Yale University

    Nikhil Malvankar, assistant professor of molecular biophysics and biochemistry at the Microbial Science Institute at Yale's West Campus, said: "The land under our feet, the whole earth, is connected by wires


    Almost all living things need to breathe oxygen to remove excess electrons when converting nutrients into energy


    The two proteins buried in bacteria will pump out the nanowires in the absence of oxygen, which is actually "breathing out" electrons


    However, how these soil bacteria use nanowires to exhale electricity remains a mystery


    In this new study, graduate students Yangqi Gu and Vishok Srikanth used cryo-electron microscopy to reveal that this pili structure is composed of two proteins


    The authors say that understanding how bacteria make nanowires will enable scientists to adjust bacteria to perform a range of functions-from fighting pathogenic infections or biohazardous waste to creating living circuits


    Reference




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