Metabolic trade-offs in Desulfosporosus meridiei: dose-dependent FeS nanoparticles modulate extracellular electron transfer and gene expression for mineral transformation

Biogenic ferrous sulfide nanoparticles (FeS NPs) regulate sulfate (SO₄²⁻)-reducing bacteria (SRB)-driven iron/sulfur cycling in SO₄²⁻-rich anaerobic environments, yet their dose-dependent impacts on SRB metabolism remain unclear. This study revealed how FeS NPs dose modulates Desulfosporosus meridiei (a model SRB) in reducing schwertmannite (Sch). SRB preferentially reduced Fe(III) over SO₄²⁻ in Sch via FeS NPs-mediated extracellular electron transfer (EET). At low FeS doses (0–6 mM), the dsr gene expression (sulfur metabolism) associated with mineral transformation increased despite a decline in SRB abundance, accompanied by a significant enhancement in Fe(III) reduction rate, yielding siderite and pyrite as dominant products. This enhancement was attributed to FeS NPs acting as electron conduits, as evidenced by a 4–9-fold surge in bio-current intensity. However, at high FeS doses (≥6 mM), nanoparticle aggregation formed a relatively thick mineral encrustation on cell surfaces, blocking EET pathways and leaving goethite as a residual phase. Strikingly, SRB exhibited a metabolic trade-off, suppressing population growth to amplify dsr-driven electron flux under FeS stress. This adaptive strategy underscored SRB's resilience in FeS-rich environments while highlighting dose-dependent bifurcations in mineral transformation pathways. This study provided a new insight into manipulating SRB-dominated biogeochemical processes by controlling FeS NPs dose.