ISSN:
1432-072X
Keywords:
Cyanobacteria
;
Gas vesicles
;
Protein reassembly
;
Anabaena flos-aquae
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
Abstract The critical collapse pressure of gas vesicles isolated from Anabaena flos-aquae decreased from 0.557 to 0.190 MPa when GvpC, the hydrophilic 22 kDa protein present on the outer surface of the gas vesicle, was removed by rising in 6 M urea. Recombinant GvpC was purified from inclusion bodies, produced in an E. coli strain containing an expression vector bearing the gene ecoding GvpC from A. flos-aquae, and then solubilised in 6 M urea. This recombinant GvpC became bound to gas vesicles that had been stripped of their native protein, when the urea was removed by dialysis; the amount which bound increased with the concentration of GvpC present. The critical pressure of these reconstituted gas vesicles increased to 0.533 MPa, 96% of the original value. These results indicate that the function of GvpC is to increase the strength of the structure.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00245155
