The Electrosome: A Surface-Displayed Enzymatic Cascade in a Biofuel Cell's Anode and a High-Density Surface-Displayed Biocathodic Enzyme.

The limitation of surface-display systems in biofuel cells to a single redox enzyme is a major drawback of hybrid biofuel cells, resulting in a low copy-number of enzymes per yeast cell and a limitation in displaying enzymatic cascades. Here we present the electrosome, a novel surface-display system based on the specific interaction between the cellulosomal scaffoldin protein and a cascade of redox enzymes that allows multiple electron-release by fuel oxidation. The electrosome is composed of two compartments: (i) a hybrid anode, which consists of dockerin-containing enzymes attached specifically to cohesin sites in the scaffoldin to assemble an ethanol oxidation cascade, and (ii) a hybrid cathode, which consists of a dockerin-containing oxygen-reducing enzyme attached in multiple copies to the cohesin-bearing scaffoldin. Each of the two compartments was designed, displayed, and tested separately. The new hybrid cell compartments displayed enhanced performance over traditional biofuel cells; in the anode, the cascade of ethanol oxidation demonstrated higher performance than a cell with just a single enzyme. In the cathode, a higher copy number per yeast cell of the oxygen-reducing enzyme copper oxidase has reduced the effect of competitive inhibition resulting from yeast oxygen consumption. This work paves the way for the assembly of more complex cascades using different enzymes and larger scaffoldins to further improve the performance of hybrid cells.

The Use of Yeast Surface Display in Biofuel Cells.

Biofuel cells are electrochemical devices which convert chemical energy to electricity using biochemical pathways and redox enzymes. In enzymatic fuel cells purified redox enzymes catalyze the reactions in the anode and cathode compartments whereas in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) the entire metabolism of the microorganisms is exploited. Here, a hybrid biofuel cell concept is presented, which is based on yeast surface display (YSD) of redox enzymes to catalyze the different cell reactions.

Implanted biofuel cell operating in a living snail.

Implantable biofuel cells have been suggested as sustainable micropower sources operating in living organisms, but such bioelectronic systems are still exotic and very challenging to design. Very few examples of abiotic and enzyme-based biofuel cells operating in animals in vivo have been reported. Implantation of biocatalytic electrodes and extraction of electrical power from small living creatures is even more difficult and has not been achieved to date. Here we report on the first implanted biofuel cell continuously operating in a snail and producing electrical power over a long period of time using physiologically produced glucose as a fuel. The "electrified" snail, being a biotechnological living "device", was able to regenerate glucose consumed by biocatalytic electrodes, upon appropriate feeding and relaxing, and then produce a new "portion" of electrical energy. The snail with the implanted biofuel cell will be able to operate in a natural environment, producing sustainable electrical micropower for activating various bioelectronic devices.

A hybrid biocathode: surface display of O2-reducing enzymes for microbial fuel cell applications.

Laccase and bilirubin oxidase were successfully displayed on the surface of yeast cells. Subsequently, these modified yeast cells were used in the cathode compartment of a microbial fuel cell. The performance of the fuel cells is compared.