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Media type:
E-Article
Title:
Diverse supramolecular structures formed by self‐assembling proteins of the Bacillus subtilis spore coat
Contributor:
Jiang, Shuo;
Wan, Qiang;
Krajcikova, Daniela;
Tang, Jilin;
Tzokov, Svetomir B.;
Barak, Imrich;
Bullough, Per A.
imprint:
Wiley, 2015
Published in:Molecular Microbiology
Language:
English
DOI:
10.1111/mmi.13030
ISSN:
0950-382X;
1365-2958
Origination:
Footnote:
Description:
<jats:title>Summary</jats:title><jats:p>Bacterial spores (endospores), such as those of the pathogens <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case"><jats:italic>C</jats:italic></jats:styled-content><jats:italic>lostridium difficile</jats:italic> and <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case"><jats:italic>B</jats:italic></jats:styled-content><jats:italic>acillus anthracis</jats:italic>, are uniquely stable cell forms, highly resistant to harsh environmental insults. <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case"><jats:italic>B</jats:italic></jats:styled-content><jats:italic>acillus subtilis</jats:italic> is the best studied spore‐former and we have used it to address the question of how the spore coat is assembled from multiple components to form a robust, protective superstructure. <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case"><jats:italic>B</jats:italic></jats:styled-content><jats:italic>. subtilis</jats:italic> coat proteins (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CotY</jats:styled-content>, <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CotE</jats:styled-content>, <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CotV</jats:styled-content> and <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CotW</jats:styled-content>) expressed in <jats:styled-content style="fixed-case"><jats:italic>E</jats:italic></jats:styled-content><jats:italic>scherichia coli</jats:italic> can arrange intracellularly into highly stable macro‐structures through processes of self‐assembly. Using electron microscopy, we demonstrate the capacity of these proteins to generate ordered one‐dimensional fibres, two‐dimensional sheets and three‐dimensional stacks. In one case (<jats:styled-content style="fixed-case">CotY</jats:styled-content>), the high degree of order favours strong, cooperative <jats:italic>intracellular</jats:italic> disulfide cross‐linking. Assemblies of this kind could form exquisitely adapted building blocks for higher‐order assembly across all spore‐formers. These physically robust arrayed units could also have novel applications in nano‐biotechnology processes.</jats:p>