BacM, an N-terminally processed bactofilin of Myxococcus xanthus, is crucial for proper cell shape.

摘要: Summary Bactofilins are fibre-forming bacterial cytoskeletal proteins. Here, we report the structural and biochemical characterization of MXAN_7475 (BacM), one four bactofilins Myxococcus xanthus. Absence BacM leads to a characteristic ‘crooked’ cell morphology an increased sensitivity antibiotics targeting wall biosynthesis. The absence other three MXAN_4637–4635 (BacN-P) has no obvious phenotype. In M. xanthus, exists as 150-amino-acid full-length version cleaved before Ser28. cell, native forms 3 nm wide fibres, which assemble into bundles forming helix-like cytoplasmic cables throughout in subset cells additionally polarly arranged lateral rod-like structure. Isolated fibres consist almost completely N-terminally truncated version, suggesting that proteolytic cleavage occurs or during fibre formation. Fusion mCherry perturbs function cellular arrangement, resulting for example formation prominent polar corkscrew-like structure per cell. Immunofluorescence staining MreB shows their distributions not matching. Taken together, these data suggest rod-shaped bacteria like xanthus use bactofilin achieve maintain stability.