Phototrophy and chemotrophy are two dominant types of microbial metabolism.However,to date,the potential of the ubiquitous and versatile mechanical energy as a renewable energy source to drive the growth of microorgan...Phototrophy and chemotrophy are two dominant types of microbial metabolism.However,to date,the potential of the ubiquitous and versatile mechanical energy as a renewable energy source to drive the growth of microorganisms has remained unknown and not utilized.Here,we present evidence in favor of a previously unidentified metabolic pathway,in which the electronic energy produced from mechanical energy by the piezoelectric materials is used to support the growth of microorganisms.When electroactive microorganism Rhodopseudomonas palustris(R.palustris;with barium titanate nanoparticles)was mechanically stirred,a powerful biohybrid piezoelectric effect(BPE)enabled sustainable carbon fixation coupled with nitrate reduction.Transcriptomic analyses demonstrated that mechanical stirring of the bacteria–barium titanate biohybrid led to upregulation of genes encoding functions involved in electron and energy transfer in R.palustris.Studies with other electroactive microorganisms suggested that the ability of microbes to utilize BPE may be a common phenomenon in the microbial world.Taken together,these findings imply a long-neglected and potentially important microbial metabolic pathway,with potential importance to microbial survival in the energy-limited environments.展开更多
Solar energy captured by photosynthetic plants in the photic zone is recognized as the main driver for the formation of organic matter utilized by soil communities. However, the contribution of organic transformation ...Solar energy captured by photosynthetic plants in the photic zone is recognized as the main driver for the formation of organic matter utilized by soil communities. However, the contribution of organic transformation to the linkage of solar energy and microbial metabolism of soils is reduced when the vadose zone is saturated. In contrast to the conventional biophotoelectrochemistry via photosynthesis with phytoplankton during the periodic saturation of soils, recent studies suggest that non-phototrophic microorganisms in soils and sediments are able to conduct light-dependent metabolism to sustain their functionality with photosensitizers under illumination. These interactions and processes utilize long-distance electron transfer networks to interconnect diverse electron transfer chains that channel photoexcited electrons into the opaque zone for soil communities. Such an emerging process not only allows for a better understanding of biogeochemical processes such as soil carbon sequestration and mitigation, but also shows great potential for environmental treatment such as the bioremediation of contaminated soils. Therefore, we suggest that biophotoelectrochemistry via photoelectric effect can have significant, heretofore unappreciated, theoretical and practical values.展开更多
基金supported by the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars grant(41925028)the National Natural Science Foundation of China grant(42322706,42307176,and 42177206)。
文摘Phototrophy and chemotrophy are two dominant types of microbial metabolism.However,to date,the potential of the ubiquitous and versatile mechanical energy as a renewable energy source to drive the growth of microorganisms has remained unknown and not utilized.Here,we present evidence in favor of a previously unidentified metabolic pathway,in which the electronic energy produced from mechanical energy by the piezoelectric materials is used to support the growth of microorganisms.When electroactive microorganism Rhodopseudomonas palustris(R.palustris;with barium titanate nanoparticles)was mechanically stirred,a powerful biohybrid piezoelectric effect(BPE)enabled sustainable carbon fixation coupled with nitrate reduction.Transcriptomic analyses demonstrated that mechanical stirring of the bacteria–barium titanate biohybrid led to upregulation of genes encoding functions involved in electron and energy transfer in R.palustris.Studies with other electroactive microorganisms suggested that the ability of microbes to utilize BPE may be a common phenomenon in the microbial world.Taken together,these findings imply a long-neglected and potentially important microbial metabolic pathway,with potential importance to microbial survival in the energy-limited environments.
基金supported by the National Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars of China(No.41925028)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.42177206)。
文摘Solar energy captured by photosynthetic plants in the photic zone is recognized as the main driver for the formation of organic matter utilized by soil communities. However, the contribution of organic transformation to the linkage of solar energy and microbial metabolism of soils is reduced when the vadose zone is saturated. In contrast to the conventional biophotoelectrochemistry via photosynthesis with phytoplankton during the periodic saturation of soils, recent studies suggest that non-phototrophic microorganisms in soils and sediments are able to conduct light-dependent metabolism to sustain their functionality with photosensitizers under illumination. These interactions and processes utilize long-distance electron transfer networks to interconnect diverse electron transfer chains that channel photoexcited electrons into the opaque zone for soil communities. Such an emerging process not only allows for a better understanding of biogeochemical processes such as soil carbon sequestration and mitigation, but also shows great potential for environmental treatment such as the bioremediation of contaminated soils. Therefore, we suggest that biophotoelectrochemistry via photoelectric effect can have significant, heretofore unappreciated, theoretical and practical values.
