An extracellular glycoprotein is implicated in cell-cell contacts in the toxic cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa PCC 7806.

ABSTRACT: Microcystins are the most common cyanobacterial toxins found in freshwater lakes and reservoirs throughout the world. They are frequently produced by the unicellular, colonial cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa; however, the role of the peptide for the producing organism is poorly understood. Differences in the cellular aggregation of M. aeruginosa PCC 7806 and a microcystin-deficient Delta mcyB mutant guided the discovery of a surface-exposed protein that shows increased abundance in PCC 7806 mutants deficient in microcystin production compared to the abundance of this protein in the wild type. Mass spectrometric and immunoblot analyses revealed that the protein, designated microcystin-related protein C (MrpC), is posttranslationally glycosylated, suggesting that it may be a potential

SUBMITTER: Zilliges Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2293267 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature