Conjugated Polymer‐Microbe Interactions Trigger Regulatory Reprogramming for Enhanced Bioelectrocatalysis
David Ohayon, Yuanmei Liang, Zexuan Wang, Jee Loon Foo, Glenn Quek, Samantha R McCuskey, Zhongxin Chen, Matthew Wook Chang, Guillermo C Bazan · 2026
Read Conjugated Polymer‐Microbe Interactions Trigger Regulatory Reprogramming for Enhanced Bioelectrocatalysis by David Ohayon, Yuanmei Liang, Zexuan Wang, Jee Loon Foo, Glenn Quek, Samantha R McCuskey, Zhongxin Chen, Matthew Wook Chang, Guillermo C Bazan (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-13634483.txt.
Description
David Ohayon and co-authors wire a living bacterium to a conductive polymer and watch the cell rewrite its own regulation in response. Published in 2026, the study pairs Shewanella oneidensis, a microbe that moves electrons outside its body, with a polymer coated electrode. The setup took up electrons and reduced fumarate far faster than bare controls, with current density up over a hundredfold.
Gene, metabolite, and protein readouts showed coordinated remodeling, not just a passive wire effect. Genes for the electron conduit, energy metabolism, and biofilm formation all rose. A surprise layer emerged in small RNAs: feeding single ones into plain cells copied part of the polymer effect, tripling current. The authors name this RNA layer a new link between materials and microbes.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | David Ohayon, Yuanmei Liang, Zexuan Wang, Jee Loon Foo, Glenn Quek, Samantha R McCuskey, Zhongxin Chen, Matthew Wook Chang, Guillermo C Bazan |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 52 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |