MamY is a membrane-bound protein that aligns magnetosomes and the motility axis of helical magnetotactic bacteria.

ABSTRACT: To navigate within the geomagnetic field, magnetotactic bacteria synthesize magnetosomes, which are unique organelles consisting of membrane-enveloped magnetite nanocrystals. In magnetotactic spirilla, magnetosomes become actively organized into chains by the filament-forming actin-like MamK and the adaptor protein MamJ, thereby assembling a magnetic dipole much like a compass needle. However, in Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense, discontinuous chains are still formed in the absence of MamK. Moreover, these fragmented chains persist in a straight conformation indicating undiscovered structural determinants able to accommodate a bar magnet-like magnetoreceptor in a helical bacterium. Here, we identify MamY, a membrane-bound protein that generates a sophisticated mechanical scaffold for magne

SUBMITTER: Toro-Nahuelpan M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6817358 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature