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A novel whole-cell electrochemical sensor was developed and applied for sensitive amperometric detection of riboflavin. In this work, a whole-cell based riboflavin redox cycling system was characterized, in which electroactive bacteria Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 was employed as the biocatalyst to regenerate the reduced riboflavin after the electrode oxidation. This redox cycling system efficiently enhanced the electrochemical response of riboflavin and enabled a stable current output at poised electrode potential. Thus, a sensitive amperometric biosensing system for riboflavin detection was developed by integrating this whole-cell redox cycling system with the conventional riboflavin electrochemical sensor. Remarkably, this riboflavin biosensor exhibited high sensitivity (LOD = 0.85 ± 0.09 nM, S/N = 3), excellent selectivity and stability. Additionally, reliable analysis of real samples (food and pharmaceutical samples) by this biosensor was achieved. This work provided sensitive and practical tool for riboflavin detection, and demonstrated that the integration of electroactive bacteria and using its outwards electron transfer for redox cycling would be a powerful and promising strategy to improve the performance of electrochemical sensing system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whole-cell biosensors are an important class of analytical tools that offer the advantages of low cost, facile operation, and unique reproduction/regeneration ability. However, it has always been quite challenging to expand the sensing spectrum of the host. Here, a new approach to extend the cell sensing spectrum with biomineralized nanoparticles is developed. The nano-biohybrid design comprise biomineralized FeS nanoparticles firmly anchored onto the bacterium, Shewanella oneidensis MR-1, wherein the nanoparticles are wired to the cellular electron transfer machinery (MtrCAB/OmcA) of the bacterium, forming an artificial cyborgian redox machinery consisting of FeS-MtrCAB/OmcA-FccA. Strikingly, with this cyborgian redox machinery, the sensing spectrum of FeS hybridized S. oneidensis MR-1 cell is successfully expanded to enable whole-cell electrochemical detection of Vitamin B12, while an unhybridized native cell is incapable of sensing. This proof-of-concept nano-biohybrid design offers a new perspective on manipulating the microbial toolkit for an expanded sensing spectrum in whole-cell biosensors. [Display omitted] • A nano-hybridized electroactive bacteria based system was assembled. • Artificial cyborgian redox machinery was identified in this biohybrid cell. • This cyborgian redox machinery expanded the sensing spectrum of Shewanella cell. • A sensitive whole-cell biosensing system for VB12 was developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]