Phylogenetic and structural diversity of aromatically dense pili from environmental metagenomes

Abstract

Electroactive type IV pili, or e-pili, are used by some microbial species for extracellular electron transfer. Recent studies suggest that e-pili may be more phylogenetically and structurally diverse than previously assumed. Here, we used updated aromatic density thresholds ([≥]9.8% aromatic amino acids, [≤]22-aa aromatic gaps, and aromatic amino acids at residues 1, 24, 27, 50 and/or 51, and 32 and/or 57) to search for putative e-pilin genes in metagenomes from diverse ecosystems with active microbial metal cycling. Environmental putative e-pilins were diverse in length and phylogeny, and included truncated e-pilins in Geobacter spp., as well as longer putative e-pilins in Fe(II)-oxidizing Betaproteobacteria and Zetaproteobacteria.\n\nOriginality and SignificanceElectroactive pili (e-pili) are used by microorganisms to respire solid metals in their environment through extracellular electron transfer. Thus, e-pili enable microbes to occupy specific environmental niches. Additionally, e-pili have important potential for biotechnological applications. Currently the repertoire of known e-pili is small, and their environmental distribution is largely unknown. Using sequence analysis, we identified numerous genes encoding putative e-pili from diverse anoxic, metal-rich ecosystems. Our results expand the diversity of putative e-pili in environments where metal oxides may be important electron acceptors for microbial respiration.