Pyrococcus furiosus flagella: biochemical and transcriptional analyses identify the newly detected flaB0 gene to encode the major flagellin.

ABSTRACT: We have described previously that the flagella of the Euryarchaeon Pyrococcus furiosus are multifunctional cell appendages used for swimming, adhesion to surfaces and formation of cell-cell connections. Here, we characterize these organelles with respect to their biochemistry and transcription. Flagella were purified by shearing from cells followed by CsCl-gradient centrifugation and were found to consist mainly of a ca. 30 kDa glycoprotein. Polymerization studies of denatured flagella resulted in an ATP-independent formation of flagella-like filaments. The N-terminal sequence of the main flagellin was determined by Edman degradation, but none of the genes in the complete genome code for a protein with that N-terminus. Therefore, we resequenced the respective region of the genome, thereby

SUBMITTER: Nather-Schindler DJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4263178 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature