Directed Biofabrication of Nanoparticles through Regulating Extracellular Electron Transfer

Biofabrication of nanomaterials is currently constrained by a low production efficiency and poor controllability on product quality compared to chemical synthetic routes. In this work, we show an attractive new biosynthesis system to break these limitations. A directed production of selenium-containing nanoparticles in Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 cells, with fine-tuned composition and subcellular synthetic location, was achieved by modifying the extracellular electron transfer chain. By taking advantage of its untapped intracellular detoxification and synthetic power, we obtained high-purity, uniform-sized cadmium selenide nanoparticles in the cytoplasm, with the production rates and fluorescent intensities far exceeding the state-of-the-art biosystems. These findings may fundamentally change our perception of nanomaterial biosynthesis process and lead to the development of fine-controllable nanoparticles biosynthesis technologies.