Extracellular electron transfer genes expressed by candidate flocking bacteria in cable bacteria sediment.

ABSTRACT: Cable bacteria, filamentous sulfide oxidizers that live in sulfidic sediments, are at times associated with large flocks of swimming bacteria. It has been proposed that these flocks of bacteria transport electrons extracellularly to cable bacteria via an electron shuttle intermediate, but the identity and activity of these bacteria in freshwater sediment remain mostly uninvestigated. Here, we elucidate the electron exchange capabilities of the bacterial community by coupling metagenomics and metatranscriptomics to 16S rRNA amplicon-based correlations with cable bacteria over 155 days. We identified candidate flocking bacteria as bacteria containing genes for motility and extracellular electron transfer including synthesis genes for potential extracellular electron shuttles: phenazines and

SUBMITTER: Lustermans JJM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11748539 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature