2010 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Roles of semiconductive minerals in metabolic activity of microorganisms
| Project/Area Number |
21750186
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Research Field |
Functional materials/Devices
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| Research Institution | The University of Tokyo |
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Principal Investigator |
NAKAMURA Ryuhei The University of Tokyo, 大学院・工学系研究科, 助教 (10447419)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2009 – 2010
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| Keywords | 半導体 / エネルギー / 電気化学 / 微生物 / 複合材料 |
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| Research Abstract |
To examine the roles of semiconductive minerals in the respiratory activity of microorganisms, we cultured the dissimilatory metal-reducing bacterium, Shewanella loihica PV-4, in an electrochemical cell and examined the influence of cell surface-associated Fe-oxide nanocolloids on the extracellular electron-transfer efficiency. The respiratory current was greatly improved (over 50 fold) when α-Fe_2O_3 were supplemented into the cell cultures. In vivo electrochemical studies have revealed that electrons injected from the cells to the conduction band of colloids to move long distances from cell surfaces without the use or requirement of soluble electron shuttles. This finding suggests the microbial ability to exploit semiconductive minerals for transporting and sharing electrons in anaerobic environments.
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