Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1942/28229
Title: The Cell Envelope Structure of Cable Bacteria
Authors: CORNELISSEN, Rob 
Bøggild, Andreas
THIRUVALLUR EACHAMBADI, Ragha 
Koning, Roman I.
Kremer, Anna
Hidalgo-Martinez, Silvia
Zetsche, Eva-Maria
Damgaard, Lars R.
BONNE, Robin 
DRIJKONINGEN, Jeroen 
Geelhoed, Jeanine S.
Boesen, Thomas
Boschker, Henricus T. S.
VALCKE, Roland 
Nielsen, Lars Peter
D'HAEN, Jan 
MANCA, Jean 
Meysman, Filip J. R.
Issue Date: 2018
Source: Frontiers in Microbiology, 9 (Art N° 3044)
Abstract: Cable bacteria are long, multicellular micro-organisms that are capable of transporting electrons from cell to cell along the longitudinal axis of their centimeter-long filaments. The conductive structures that mediate this long-distance electron transport are thought to be located in the cell envelope. Therefore, this study examines in detail the architecture of the cell envelope of cable bacterium filaments by combining different sample preparation methods (chemical fixation, resin-embedding, and cryo-fixation) with a portfolio of imaging techniques (scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and tomography, focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy). We systematically imaged intact filaments with varying diameters. In addition, we investigated the periplasmic fiber sheath that remains after the cytoplasm and membranes were removed by chemical extraction. Based on these investigations, we present a quantitative structural model of a cable bacterium. Cable bacteria build their cell envelope by a parallel concatenation of ridge compartments that have a standard size. Larger diameter filaments simply incorporate more parallel ridge compartments. Each ridge compartment contains a ∼50 nm diameter fiber in the periplasmic space. These fibers are continuous across cell-to-cell junctions, which display a conspicuous cartwheel structure that is likely made by invaginations of the outer cell membrane around the periplasmic fibers. The continuity of the periplasmic fibers across cells makes them a prime candidate for the sought-after electron conducting structure in cable bacteria.
Keywords: cable bacteria; long-distance electron transfer; cell envelope; periplasmic fibers; electron microscopy; atomic force microscopy
Document URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1942/28229
Link to publication/dataset: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2018.03044/full
e-ISSN: 1664-302X
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.03044
ISI #: 000453857500001
Rights: Copyright 2018 Cornelissen, Bøggild, Thiruvallur Eachambadi, Koning, Kremer, Hidalgo-Martinez, Zetsche, Damgaard, Bonné, Drijkoningen, Geelhoed, Boesen, Boschker, Valcke, Nielsen, D'Haen, Manca and Meysman. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Category: A1
Type: Journal Contribution
Validations: ecoom 2020
Appears in Collections:Research publications

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