Abstract
BackgroundBy coupling the oxidation of organic substrates to a broad range of terminal electron acceptors (such as nitrate, metals and radionuclides), Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 has the ability to produce current in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). omcA, mtrA, omcB (also known as mtrC), mtrB, and gspF are some known genes of S. oneidensis MR-1 that participate in the process of electron transfer. How does the cell coordinate the expression of these genes? To shed light on this problem, we obtain the gene expression datasets of MR-1 that are recently public-accessible in Gene Expression Omnibus. We utilize the novel statistical method, liquid association (LA), to investigate the complex pattern of gene regulation.ResultsThrough a web of information obtained by our data analysis, a network of transcriptional regulatory relationship between chemotaxis and electron transfer pathways is revealed, highlighting the important roles of the chemotaxis gene cheA-1, the magnesium transporter gene mgtE-1, and a triheme c-type cytochrome gene SO4572.ConclusionWe found previously unknown relationship between chemotaxis and electron transfer using LA system. The study has the potential of helping researchers to overcome the intrinsic metabolic limitation of the microorganisms for improving power density output of an MFC.
Highlights
By coupling the oxidation of organic substrates to a broad range of terminal electron acceptors, Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 has the ability to produce current in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). omcA, mtrA, omcB, mtrB, and gspF are some known genes of S. oneidensis MR-1 that participate in the process of electron transfer
The electrons are relayed through the periplasm to the outer membrane (OM) protein encoded by the gene mtrB (SO1776) [11,12,13], which plays a role required for the proper localization and insertion of cytochromes OmcB (SO1778) and OmcA (SO1779) into the OM [11,13,14]
The second gene mgtE-1 found in our liquid association (LA) analysis encodes a magnesium transporter, suggesting a possible connection between electron transfer and the magnesium transport system in S. oneidensis
Summary
By coupling the oxidation of organic substrates to a broad range of terminal electron acceptors (such as nitrate, metals and radionuclides), Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 has the ability to produce current in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). omcA, mtrA, omcB ( known as mtrC), mtrB, and gspF are some known genes of S. oneidensis MR-1 that participate in the process of electron transfer. OmcA, mtrA, omcB ( known as mtrC), mtrB, and gspF are some known genes of S. oneidensis MR-1 that participate in the process of electron transfer. We only considered a subset, cymA, mtrA, mtrB, omcB ( known as mtrC), omcA, gspF, and gspD genes [11,12]. The functions of these ARP genes have been characterized. Exposure of the OmcA allows it to directly contact with extracellular electron acceptors [16] Both genes gspF (SO0168) and gspD (SO0166) encode individual components of the type II secretion system (T2S). Pseudopilus apparatus of T2S, whose formation can be regulated by GspF, delivers
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