Structure of Geobacter cytochrome OmcZ identifies mechanism of nanowire assembly and conductivity.

ABSTRACT: OmcZ nanowires produced by Geobacter species have high electron conductivity (>30 S cm^-1). Of 111 cytochromes present in G. sulfurreducens, OmcZ is the only known nanowire-forming cytochrome essential for the formation of high-current-density biofilms that require long-distance (>10 µm) extracellular electron transport. However, the mechanisms underlying OmcZ nanowire assembly and high conductivity are unknown. Here we report a 3.5-Å-resolution cryogenic electron microscopy structure for OmcZ nanowires. Our structure reveals linear and closely stacked haems that may account for conductivity. Surface-exposed haems and charge interactions explain how OmcZ nanowires bind to diverse extracellular electron acceptors and how organization of nanowire network re-arranges in different bi

SUBMITTER: Gu Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9999484 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature