Biological control of ion transport, redox activity, and nucleation during biogenic synthesis of CdS nanoparticles

Cells have the potential to utilize biological pathways to synthesize semiconductor nanomaterials, such as CdS quantum dots. As in chemical reaction schemes, biogenic synthesis requires control of the concentration and redox state of starting materials during the nucleation and growth of nanoparticles. Biological pathways regulate these key processes of particle synthesis, and manipulation of such pathways enables biological control of multiple aspects of nanoparticle synthesis. Here, strains of Escherichia coli were engineered to biosynthesize cadmium sulfide (CdS) quantum dots through the coordinated action of three pathways controlling sulfide generation, cadmium uptake, and nanoparticle nucleation. When exposed to low, micromolar concentrations of external cadmium, strains combining all three pathways produced CdS quantum dots. The synthesis of nanoparticles, nanoparticle yield, and nanoparticle size depended on the combination of pathways found in each strain. Cells lacking all three pathways produced no detectable nanomaterials, cells with specific combinations of one or two pathways produced small particles in the range of 1.95 to 7.9 nm, and cells with all three pathways produced the largest particles with average diameters of 11.78 nm. These results demonstrate that cells can be engineered to control multiple aspects of biogenic nanoparticle synthesis and that these pathways act together to tune the biosynthesis of semiconductor nanomaterials within cells. ImportanceMicrobes synthesize materials, including metallic and semiconductor nanomaterials. This capability stems from the natural ability of microbes to interact with and precisely manipulate metal atoms. Here, multiple biological pathways were combined within a single strain of Escherichia coli, creating a cell capable of producing CdS nanoparticles. This engineered cell controls multiple steps of particle synthesis, including metal uptake, reduction of starting materials, and binding cadmium and sulfide ions to initiate particle formation. Metal uptake by the cells was improved through the modification of a metal ion transport protein, improving cadmium uptake across the outer membrane and creating higher concentrations of cadmium within the cell. Cells with all three pathways were able to produce CdS nanoparticles, called quantum dots, even when exposed to low concentrations of external cadmium. This biotechnology enables nanomaterial synthesis under environmentally friendly conditions and may improve technologies using bacteria to clean up toxic metals.