Biosynthesis and display of diverse metal nanoparticles by recombinant Escherichia coli

Abstract

This study used the biomolecule eumelanin as an agent for the reduction of metal ions. Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of synthesizing diverse metal nanoparticles through the use of recombinant E. coli expressing Rhizobium etli tyrosinase, MelA. Gold nanoparticles were recovered using cells with gold binding peptides on the surface. This study illustrates the possibility of using E. coli to produce and display diverse metal nanoparticles in a green chemistry synthetic route.