# Understanding and using microbial conductive nanowires

> **NIH NIH R00** · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · 2023 · $12,318

## Abstract

Project Summary
Long-range (>10 µm) transport of electrons along networks of G. sulfurreducens protein filaments, known as
microbial nanowires, has been invoked to explain a wide range of globally important redox phenomena. The
remarkable electronic conduction capability of those nanowires has sparked a great deal of interest in the
medical application space, such as building biocompatible materials and biosensors. For over a decade, G.
sulfurreducens nanowires were thought to be bacterial type IV pili, supported by many indirect genetic and
biochemical observations. Recently we showed that these conductive nanowires are not made of type IV pilins.
Instead, these structures are a polymerized multi-heme c-type cytochrome, such as OmcS and OmcE, which
have never been characterized before. Currently, our knowledge of cytochrome appendages is still very
limited. This study aims to address fundamental scientific questions about cytochrome filaments in respiring
prokaryotes and apply our discoveries to the general medical field. Specifically, I will: A) identify and
characterize novel cytochrome filaments in bacterial and archaeal strains through bioinformatics searches
followed by microscopic validation. B) Study the conduction mechanism of these filaments by high-resolution
cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and conductivity measurement. C) Design self-assembled conductive
nanowires based on structural knowledge. The results have and will continue to advance our understanding of
cytochrome nanowires, and self-assembling nanowire products can be used in many future biomedical
applications.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10817515
- **Project number:** 3R00GM138756-03S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
- **Principal Investigator:** Fengbin Wang
- **Activity code:** R00 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $12,318
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2021-04-01 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10817515

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10817515, Understanding and using microbial conductive nanowires (3R00GM138756-03S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10817515. Licensed CC0.

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