MamK, a bacterial actin, forms dynamic filaments in vivo that are regulated by the acidic proteins MamJ and LimJ.

ABSTRACT: Bacterial actins, in contrast to their eukaryotic counterparts, are highly divergent proteins whose wide-ranging functions are thought to correlate with their evolutionary diversity. One clade, represented by the MamK protein of magnetotactic bacteria, is required for the subcellular organization of magnetosomes, membrane-bound organelles that aid in navigation along the earth's magnetic field. Using a fluorescence recovery after photobleaching assay in Magnetospirillum magneticum AMB-1, we find that, like traditional actins, MamK forms dynamic filaments that require an intact NTPase motif for their turnover in vivo. We also uncover two proteins, MamJ and LimJ, which perform a redundant function to promote the dynamic behaviour of MamK filaments in wild-type cells. The absence of both MamJ

SUBMITTER: Draper O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3540106 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature