The acidic repetitive domain of the Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense MamJ protein displays hypervariability but is not required for magnetosome chain assembly.

ABSTRACT: Magnetotactic bacteria navigate along the earth's magnetic field using chains of magnetosomes, which are intracellular organelles comprising membrane-enclosed magnetite crystals. The assembly of highly ordered magnetosome chains is under genetic control and involves several specific proteins. Based on genetic and cryo-electron tomography studies, a model was recently proposed in which the acidic MamJ magnetosome protein attaches magnetosome vesicles to the actin-like cytoskeletal filament formed by MamK, thereby preventing magnetosome chains from collapsing. However, the exact functions as well as the mode of interaction between MamK and MamJ are unknown. Here, we demonstrate that several functional MamJ variants from Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense and other magnetotactic bacteria share

SUBMITTER: Scheffel A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1951895 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature