Bacterial magnetosome biomineralization--a novel platform to study molecular mechanisms of human CDF-related Type-II diabetes.

ABSTRACT: Cation diffusion facilitators (CDF) are part of a highly conserved protein family that maintains cellular divalent cation homeostasis in all organisms. CDFs were found to be involved in numerous human health conditions, such as Type-II diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases. In this work, we established the magnetite biomineralizing alphaproteobacterium Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense as an effective model system to study CDF-related Type-II diabetes. Here, we introduced two ZnT-8 Type-II diabetes-related mutations into the M. gryphiswaldense MamM protein, a magnetosome-associated CDF transporter essential for magnetite biomineralization within magnetosome vesicles. The mutations' effects on magnetite biomineralization and iron transport within magnetosome vesicles were tested in vivo. A

SUBMITTER: Zeytuni N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4018254 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature