Prochlorococcus extracellular vesicles: molecular composition and adsorption to diverse microbes.

ABSTRACT: Extracellular vesicles are small (~50-200 nm diameter) membrane-bound structures released by cells from all domains of life. While vesicles are abundant in the oceans, their functions, both for cells themselves and the emergent ecosystem, remain a mystery. To better characterize these particles - a prerequisite for determining function - we analysed the lipid, protein, and metabolite content of vesicles produced by the marine cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus. We show that Prochlorococcus exports a diverse array of cellular compounds into the surrounding seawater enclosed within discrete vesicles. Vesicles produced by two different strains contain some materials in common, but also display numerous strain-specific differences, reflecting functional complexity within vesicle populations. The v

SUBMITTER: Biller SJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9298688 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature