title: Electron shuttles in biotechnology.
abstract: Electron-shuttling compounds (electron shuttles [ESs], or redox mediators) are essential components in intracellular electron transfer, while microbes also utilize self-produced and naturally present ESs for extracellular electron transfer. These compounds assist in microbial energy metabolism by facilitating electron transfer between microbes, from electron-donating substances to microbes, and/or from microbes to electron-accepting substances. Artificially supplemented ESs can create new routes of electron flow in the microbial energy metabolism, thereby opening up new possibilities for the application of microbes to biotechnology processes. Typical examples of such processes include halogenated-organics bioremediation, azo-dye decolorization, and microbial fuel cells. Herein we suggest that ESs can be applied widely to create new microbial biotechnology processes.
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, Komaba, Tokyo 153-8904, Japan. watanabe@light.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp
authors.forename: Kazuya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Mike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Manefield
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kouzuma
mesh_terms: D001674:Bioelectric Energy Sources; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D003013:Clostridium / Q000737:chemistry; D004396:Coloring Agents / Q000737:chemistry; D004579:Electron Transport; D004583:Electrons; D005285:Fermentation; D006812:Humic Substances; D006859:Hydrogen / Q000737:chemistry; D008956:Models, Chemical; D010100:Oxygen / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents; D006812:Humic Substances; D006859:Hydrogen; D010100:Oxygen