Li C. et al / Applied and Environmental Microbiology
The name of the new species, Ca. Electrothrix yaqonensisoriginates in the name of the yaqonado oregon tribe
A new species of bacteria, so far unknown, acts as an electric wiring, potentially paving the way to a new era of bioelectronic devices for use in medicine, industry, food safety and monitoring and environmental cleaning.
Researchers at Oregon State University (OSU) discovered a mud plain on the Oregon coast a new species of bacteria capable of conducting electricity, as if it were a living cape.
The new species, whose discovery was presented in a recently published magazine Applied and Environmental Microbiologywas baptized Ca. Electrothrix yaqonensisin honor of the natives of the region where it was found.
The bacteria was found in sediment samples of the intermareal zone of the Yachaquine Bay, and identified as a new species by Cheng Liat the time postdoctoral researcher at OSU, and Clare ReimersProfessor at the Faculty of Earth Sciences, Ocean and Atmosphere of the same University.
These “bacteria electric cable” consist of rod -shaped cells connected from end to end with a shared outer membraneforming filaments that can reach several centimeters in length.
Yours electrical conductivity, unusual between the bacterias, is an adaptation that Optimizes your metabolic processes in the sedimentary environments in which they live.
The new species has metabolic pathways and genes that are a mixture of the genre Ca. Electrothrix and from another genre known as “cable bacteria”, the That. Electronema. “This species It seems to be a bridgean initial branch inside the clade Ca. Electrothrix“, Explains Li from the university.
“Stands out from all other species of CAB BACTERIAo described in terms of its metabolic potential, and has distinctive structural characteristics, including pronounced superficial ridgesup to three times wider than those observed in other species, which houses highly conductive fibers made of unique nickel -based molecules, ”adds the researcher.
These fibers allow bacteria Transport Electrons at long distance, Calling electron receivers such as oxygen or nitrates on the sediment surface with donors like sulfure In deeper layers of the sediment, explains Li.
The ability of bacteria to participate in oxidation reduction reactions along significant distances give them a fundamental role in the geochemistry of sediments and the nutrient cycle, highlights OSU press note.
“These bacteria may transfer electrons to clean pollutantsso they could be used to remove harmful substances from sediments“, Explains Li.“ Besides, your design highly conductive nickel protein can possibly Inspire Bioelectronics Nova“.
The “cable bacteria” can live under various climatic conditions and are found in various environments, including freshwater and salty sediments.
Appointment Ca. Electrothrix yaqonensis originates in the name of the Yaqona peoplewhose ancestral lands covered the Yacine Bay. Yaqona referred to the bay and the river that constituted much of their homeland, as well as to the people themselves.
Currently, the descendants of the Yaqona are part of the confederate tribes of Siletz Indians, with whom the investigators worked to create a name for the new species.
“Give an ecologically important bacteria in honor of a tribe recognizes its historical bond with the earth And recognizes their lasting contributions to ecological knowledge and sustainability, ”Li explained.
