Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, 567 Wilson Rd, Rm 6190, Biomedical and Physical Science Building, East Lansing, MI, 48823, USA.
J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol. 2020 Oct;47(9-10):897-907. doi: 10.1007/s10295-020-02312-5. Epub 2020 Oct 3.
Type IV pili (T4P) are bacterial appendages used for cell adhesion and surface motility. In metal-reducing bacteria in the genus Geobacter, they have the unique property of being conductive and essential to wire cells to extracellular electron acceptors and other cells within biofilms. These electroactive bacteria use a conserved pathway for biological assembly and disassembly of a short and aromatic dense peptide subunit (pilin). The polymerization of the pilins clusters aromatic residues optimally for charge transport and exposes ligands for metal immobilization and reduction. The simple design yet unique functionalities of conductive T4P afford opportunities for the scaled-up production of recombinant pilins and their in vitro assembly into electronic biomaterials of biotechnological interest. This review summarizes current knowledge of conductive T4P biogenesis and functions critical to actualize applications in bioelectronics, bioremediation, and nanotechnology.
IV 型菌毛（T4P）是一种细菌附属物，用于细胞黏附和表面迁移。在属 Geobacter 的金属还原细菌中，它们具有独特的导电性，并对将细胞与细胞外电子受体和生物膜内的其他细胞连接起来至关重要。这些电活性细菌使用保守途径进行短而芳香密集肽亚基（菌毛）的生物组装和拆卸。菌毛的聚合将芳香残基最佳地聚集在一起以进行电荷传输，并暴露出用于金属固定和还原的配体。导电 T4P 的简单设计但独特的功能为重组菌毛的规模化生产及其体外组装成具有生物技术意义的电子生物材料提供了机会。这篇综述总结了导电 T4P 生物发生和功能的最新知识，这些知识对于实现生物电子学、生物修复和纳米技术中的应用至关重要。
