{
  "abstract": "Multi-cellular cable bacteria have evolved a unique machinery that efficiently transports electrons across centimetre-scale distances. Currents flow through a parallel network of periplasmic fibres, which display an extraordinary conductivity for a biological material. However, the conduction mechanism remains elusive as the molecular structure of the fibres has not been resolved. Here, we demonstrate that each fibre embeds a bundle of intertwined nanoribbons, which are built from Nickel Bis(Dithiolene) (NiBiD) repeat units that are formed by linking nickel centres with ethenetetrathiolate ligands. The planar and conjugated NiBiD complexes are aligned and stacked to form an elongated supramolecular coordination network, thus explaining the observed organo-metal electronic properties of the fibres. Our results hence demonstrate that biology is capable of producing extensive metal organic frameworks. These structures enable highly conductive one-dimensional conduits, ensuring efficient charge transport over macroscale distances, thus providing a novel design principle for bio-based, sustainable organo-electronic materials.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium. filip.meysman@uantwerpen.be",
    "Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands. filip.meysman@uantwerpen.be",
    "Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium",
    "EMAT, Department of Physics, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium",
    "NANOlight Center of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium",
    "Department of Chemistry, University College London, London, UK",
    "Structural Biology Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium",
    "VIB-VUB Center for Structural Biology, Flanders Institute for Biotechnology (VIB), Brussels, Belgium",
    "Department of Chemistry and Centre for Pulse EPR, Imperial College London, London, UK",
    "CEA, IRIG, MEM, NRX, Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France",
    "ID16A Nano-imaging beamline, European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble, France",
    "INSERM, UA 07 Synchrotron Radiation for Biomedicine (STROBE), Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France",
    "I20-Scanning Beamline, Diamond Light Source, Didcot, UK",
    "Materials Characterization Laboratory, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA",
    "Antwerp Centre for Advanced Microscopy (ACAM), University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium",
    "Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium",
    "Department of Physics, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium",
    "Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 27,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Filip J. R. Meysman",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-5334-7655"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Bent Smets",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-4133-6339"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Silvia Hidalgo‐Martinez",
      "orcid": "0009-0005-1878-0361"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3,
        4
      ],
      "name": "Nathalie Claes",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6475-0204"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Bob Camille Schroeder",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-9793-631X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Jeanine S. Geelhoed",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6334-2604"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Yun Liu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Jiji Alingapoyil Choyikutty",
      "orcid": "0009-0001-7744-9530"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3,
        4
      ],
      "name": "Tamazouzt Chennit",
      "orcid": "0009-0007-4942-5084"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6,
        7
      ],
      "name": "Thijs Bodson",
      "orcid": "0009-0001-9251-5639"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8
      ],
      "name": "Alberto Collauto",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-1966-9532"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8
      ],
      "name": "Maxie M. Roessler",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-5291-4328"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        9,
        10
      ],
      "name": "Dmitry Karpov",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-5095-7300"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        11
      ],
      "name": "Sylvain Bohic",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6355-7592"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        12
      ],
      "name": "Matteo Aramini",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-9134-3831"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        12
      ],
      "name": "Shusaku Hayama",
      "orcid": "0009-0008-8382-6276"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        13
      ],
      "name": "Maxwell Wetherington",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-1958-1354"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Martijn A. Zwijnenburg",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-5291-2130"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Galina Pankratova",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-9142-3364"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        14
      ],
      "name": "Isabel Pintelon",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-2901-4679"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        14
      ],
      "name": "Jean‐Pierre Timmermans",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-2506-6252"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        15,
        16
      ],
      "name": "Gert Nuyts",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-9086-2610"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        15
      ],
      "name": "Karolien De Wael",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-4495-0748"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3,
        4
      ],
      "name": "Sara Bals",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-4249-8017"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3,
        4
      ],
      "name": "Johan Verbeeck",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-7151-8101"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6,
        7
      ],
      "name": "Han K. Remaut",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-9775-4102"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2,
        17
      ],
      "name": "Henricus T. S. Boschker",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-0947-7919"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6mbtc1mjpctn8.bib",
  "cited_by": 8,
  "doi": "10.1038/s41467-026-76989-0",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "6mbtc1mjpctn8",
  "issns": [
    "2041-1723"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-76989-0",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2305|Microbial Fuel Cells and Bioremediation"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7172483558",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-76989-0.pdf",
  "pmcid": "PMC13534509",
  "pmid": "42680761",
  "published": "2026-09-01",
  "publisher": "Nature Portfolio",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6mbtc1mjpctn8.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-04T13:21:17Z",
      "native_id": "W7172483558",
      "source": "openalex",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-76989-0"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "earth",
      "origin": "openalex:2305|Microbial Fuel Cells and Bioremediation",
      "subfield": "environmental-science"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Highly efficient long-range conduction through a biosynthetic nickel-organic framework",
  "title_text": "Highly efficient long-range conduction through a biosynthetic nickel-organic framework",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-08T13:20:54Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6mbtc1mjpctn8",
  "venue": "Nature Communications",
  "versions": []
}