A protease-mediated switch regulates the growth of magnetosome organelles in Magnetospirillum magneticum.

ABSTRACT: Magnetosomes are lipid-bound organelles that direct the biomineralization of magnetic nanoparticles in magnetotactic bacteria. Magnetosome membranes are not uniform in size and can grow in a biomineralization-dependent manner. However, the underlying mechanisms of magnetosome membrane growth regulation remain unclear. Using cryoelectron tomography, we systematically examined mutants with defects at various stages of magnetosome formation to identify factors involved in controlling membrane growth. We found that a conserved serine protease, MamE, plays a key role in magnetosome membrane growth regulation. When the protease activity of MamE is disrupted, magnetosome membrane growth is restricted, which, in turn, limits the size of the magnetite particles. Consistent with this finding, the up

SUBMITTER: Wan J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8833152 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature