Structural characterization of an extracellular contractile injection system from Photorhabdus luminescens in extended and contracted states.

ABSTRACT: Contractile injection systems (CISs) are phage tail-like nanosyringes that mediate bacterial interactions by puncturing target cell membranes. Within these systems, Photorhabdus Virulence Cassettes (PVCs) can translocate toxins across eukaryotic target cell membranes and have been engineered to deliver diverse protein cargoes into non-natively-targeted organisms. Despite the structural insights into several CISs, including one PVC from P. asymbiotica, information on PVCs from other species and details on the contraction mechanism remain limited. Here, we present the single-particle cryo-electron microscopy structure of PlPVC1, a PVC from the nematode symbiont and insect pathogen Photorhabdus luminescens DJC, in both extended and contracted states. This particle displays distinct structural

SUBMITTER: Marin-Arraiza L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12546770 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature