# name
Efficient long-range conduction in cable bacteria through nickel protein wires

# metadata.dc.description.abstract[].value
Filamentous cable bacteria display long-range electron transport, generating electrical currents over centimeter distances through a highly ordered network of fibers embedded in their cell envelope. The conductivity of these periplasmic wires is exceptionally high for a biological material, but their chemical structure and underlying electron transport mechanism remain unresolved. Here, we combine high-resolution microscopy, spectroscopy, and chemical imaging on individual cable bacterium filaments to demonstrate that the periplasmic wires consist of a conductive protein core surrounded by an insulating protein shell layer. The core proteins contain a sulfur-ligated nickel cofactor, and conductivity decreases when nickel is oxidized or selectively removed. The involvement of nickel as the active metal in biological conduction is remarkable, and suggests a hitherto unknown form of electron transport that enables efficient conduction in centimeter-long protein structures.

# metadata.dc.relation.ispartof[].value
Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, num. 1

# metadata.dc.rights[].value
cc-by (c) Boschker, Henricus T. S. et al., 2021

# metadata.dc.source[].value
Articles publicats en revistes (Enginyeria Electrònica i Biomèdica)

# metadata.dc.title[].value
Efficient long-range conduction in cable bacteria through nickel protein wires