@article {3079,
	title = {The Archaellum of Methanospirillum hungatei Is Electrically Conductive.},
	journal = {mBio},
	volume = {10},
	year = {2019},
	month = {2019 Apr 16},
	abstract = {<p>Microbially produced electrically conductive protein filaments are of interest because they can function as conduits for long-range biological electron transfer. They also show promise as sustainably produced electronic materials. Until now, microbially produced conductive protein filaments have been reported only for bacteria. We report here that the archaellum of  is electrically conductive. This is the first demonstration that electrically conductive protein filaments have evolved in  Furthermore, the structure of the  archaellum was previously determined (N. Poweleit, P. Ge, H. N. Nguyen, R. R. O. Loo, et al., Nat Microbiol 2:16222, 2016, https://doi.org/10.1038/nmicrobiol.2016.222). Thus, the archaellum of  is the first microbially produced electrically conductive protein filament for which a structure is known. We analyzed the previously published structure and identified a core of tightly packed phenylalanines that is one likely route for electron conductance. The availability of the  archaellum structure is expected to substantially advance mechanistic evaluation of long-range electron transport in microbially produced electrically conductive filaments and to aid in the design of "green" electronic materials that can be microbially produced with renewable feedstocks. Microbially produced electrically conductive protein filaments are a revolutionary, sustainably produced, electronic material with broad potential applications. The design of new protein nanowires based on the known  archaellum structure could be a major advance over the current empirical design of synthetic protein nanowires from electrically conductive bacterial pili. An understanding of the diversity of outer-surface protein structures capable of electron transfer is important for developing models for microbial electrical communication with other cells and minerals in natural anaerobic environments. Extracellular electron exchange is also essential in engineered environments such as bioelectrochemical devices and anaerobic digesters converting wastes to methane. The finding that the archaellum of  is electrically conductive suggests that some archaea might be able to make long-range electrical connections with their external environment.</p>},
	keywords = {Electric Conductivity, Electricity, Electron Transport, Flagella, Methanospirillum, Phenylalanine},
	issn = {2150-7511},
	doi = {10.1128/mBio.00579-19},
	author = {Walker, David J F and Martz, Eric and Holmes, Dawn E and Zhou, Zimu and Nonnenmann, Stephen S and Lovley, Derek R}
}
@article {421,
	title = {Anaerobic oxidation of benzene by the hyperthermophilic archaeon Ferroglobus placidus.},
	journal = {Appl Environ Microbiol},
	volume = {77},
	year = {2011},
	month = {2011 Sep},
	pages = {5926-33},
	abstract = {Anaerobic benzene oxidation coupled to the reduction of Fe(III) was studied in Ferroglobus placidus in order to learn more about how such a stable molecule could be metabolized under strict anaerobic conditions. F. placidus conserved energy to support growth at 85{\textdegree}C in a medium with benzene provided as the sole electron donor and Fe(III) as the sole electron acceptor. The stoichiometry of benzene loss and Fe(III) reduction, as well as the conversion of [(14)C]benzene to [(14)C]carbon dioxide, was consistent with complete oxidation of benzene to carbon dioxide with electron transfer to Fe(III). Benzoate, but not phenol or toluene, accumulated at low levels during benzene metabolism, and [(14)C]benzoate was produced from [(14)C]benzene. Analysis of gene transcript levels revealed increased expression of genes encoding enzymes for anaerobic benzoate degradation during growth on benzene versus growth on acetate, but genes involved in phenol degradation were not upregulated during growth on benzene. A gene for a putative carboxylase that was more highly expressed in benzene- than in benzoate-grown cells was identified. These results suggest that benzene is carboxylated to benzoate and that phenol is not an important intermediate in the benzene metabolism of F. placidus. This is the first demonstration of a microorganism in pure culture that can grow on benzene under strict anaerobic conditions and for which there is strong evidence for degradation of benzene via clearly defined anaerobic metabolic pathways. Thus, F. placidus provides a much-needed pure culture model for further studies on the anaerobic activation of benzene in microorganisms.},
	keywords = {Anaerobiosis, Archaeoglobales, Benzene, Carbon Radioisotopes, Ferric Compounds, Gene Expression Profiling, Hot Temperature, Isotope Labeling, Oxidation-Reduction},
	issn = {1098-5336},
	doi = {10.1128/AEM.05452-11},
	author = {Holmes, Dawn E and Risso, Carla and Smith, Jessica A and Lovley, Derek R}
}
