Force spectra of single bacterial amyloid CsgA nanofibers.

ABSTRACT: CsgA is a major protein subunit of Escherichia coli biofilms and plays key roles in bacterial adhesion and invasion. CsgA proteins can self-assemble into amyloid nanofibers, characterized by their hierarchical structures across multiple length scales, outstanding strength and their structural robustness under harsh environments. Here, magnetic tweezers were used to study the force spectra of CsgA protein at fibril levels. The two ends of a single nanofiber were directly connected between a magnetic bead and a glass slide using a previously reported tag-free method. We showed that a wormlike chain model could be applied to fit the typical force-extension curves of CsgA nanofibers and to estimate accordingly the mechanical properties. The bending stiffness of nanofibers increased with

SUBMITTER: Lv J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9054517 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature