Lithiated nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) nanomaterials are currently used as a battery cathode in electric vehicles due to their high energy storage capacity and low cost. The soring production rates of electric vehicles in conjunction with improper nanomaterial disposal protocols has the potential to result in greater concentrations of NMC in the environment. Previous work has shown that acute exposure of NMC to Shewanella oneidensis, a ubiquitous gram-negative environmental bacterium, is toxic; yet, chronic NMC exposure elicits bacterial resistance. Current work is centered around elucidating the mechanism by which S. oneidensis becomes resistant to NMC. To identify specific cellular components implicated in NMC resistance, we compared the response of resistant and wild-type bacteria to a variety of stimuli (nutrients, osmotic pressure, etc.). We found that a nutrient-rich environment induces a unique change in the morphology of NMC-resistant cells. This unusual response to nutrients implies that NMC-resistance perturbs cellular metabolism. This initial understanding of acquired NMC resistance in S. oneidensis not only illuminates the broader ecological consequences associated with introducing nanomaterials into the environment, but also provides mechanistic insight into the larger tapestry of bacterial resistance.

Metabolic and morphological perturbations associated with developed resistance to metal oxide nanomaterials in Shewanella oneidensis

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ACS Fall 2022

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