Extracellular Electron Transport in Human and Environmental Systems: Physiological and Biosynthetic Studies of Microbial Communities
Abstract
All respiratory organisms must “breathe.” That is, one of the ultimate end products of cellular respiration is the transfer of electrons to terminal electron acceptors. For humans and many other organisms, including many microbes, that terminal electron acceptor is oxygen. However, many microbes can grow in the absence of oxygen as the terminal electron acceptor, including virtually all microbes that inhabit the human gut. Recently, in addition to the known chemical compounds and oxygen that can serve as terminal electron acceptors, our team showed definitively that human gut microbes can dispose of electrons using a process called extracellular electron transport, or EET, where electrons are transferred across the cellular membranes to solid state terminal electron acceptors. This process is virtually unstudied in the context of the human digestive tract, as well as in many other environments.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jan 14, 2022
- Source ID
- FA95501910249
Entities
People
- Steven E. Finkel
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- United States Air Force
- University of Southern California