Bacterial Extracellular Electron Transfer Occurs inMammalian Gut
2019
As
a well-studied biochemical reduction process in environmental
microbiology, extracellular electron transfer (EET) was recently discovered
in bacteria closely related to human health, and orthologues of a
flavin-based EET gene were found in the genomes of many species across
Firmicutes, a major phylum in mammalian gut microbiota. However, EET
has not yet been confirmed to occur in mammalian gut, the presence
of which may have broad physiological influences. Toward this end,
here we first confirmed the occurrence of EET in mouse gut microbiotas
cultured in vitro. Cyclic voltammetry analysis was
then performed by directly inserting electrodes into the mouse cecum
under anaerobic conditions, and a characteristic catalytic wave was
observed in the gut of conventional but not germ-free mouse, proving
the existence of in vivo bacterial EET. We also detected
similar catalytic waves in the cecal microbiotas of rat and guinea
pig in vivo, suggesting EET’s high prevalence
in mammalian intestines. Our finding on the bacterial electron production
in mammalian guts offers a new bioelectrochemical scope for deciphering
the complex microbiology of gut bacteria and its effects on host physiology.
Keywords:
- Correction
- Source
- Cite
- Save
- Machine Reading By IdeaReader
13
References
18
Citations
NaN
KQI