Molecular ruler of the attachment organelle in Mycoplasma pneumoniae.
PLoS Pathog
; 17(6): e1009621, 2021 06.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-34111235
ABSTRACT
Length control is a fundamental requirement for molecular architecture. Even small wall-less bacteria have specially developed macro-molecular structures to support their survival. Mycoplasma pneumoniae, a human pathogen, forms a polar extension called an attachment organelle, which mediates cell division, cytadherence, and cell movement at host cell surface. This characteristic ultrastructure has a constant size of 250-300 nm, but its design principle remains unclear. In this study, we constructed several mutants by genetic manipulation to increase or decrease coiled-coil regions of HMW2, a major component protein of 200 kDa aligned in parallel along the cell axis. HMW2-engineered mutants produced both long and short attachment organelles, which we quantified by transmission electron microscopy and fluorescent microscopy with nano-meter precision. This simple design of HMW2 acting as a molecular ruler for the attachment organelle should provide an insight into bacterial cellular organization and its function for their parasitic lifestyles.
Texto completo:
1
Bases de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Organelas
/
Adesinas Bacterianas
/
Mycoplasma pneumoniae
Idioma:
En
Revista:
PLoS Pathog
Ano de publicação:
2021
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Japão