Nanoscale control of silica morphology and three-dimensional structure during diatom cell wall formation

2006 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 2689-2698 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Hildebrand ◽  
Evelyn York ◽  
Jessica I. Kelz ◽  
Aubrey K. Davis ◽  
Luciano G. Frigeri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Thalassiosira Pseudonana ◽  
Dimensional Structure ◽  
Advanced Imaging ◽  
Form Complex ◽  
Process Understanding ◽  
Silica Cell ◽  
Unique Approach ◽  
Synthetic Approaches

We present a unique approach combining biological manipulation with advanced imaging tools to examine silica cell wall synthesis in the diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana. The innate capabilities of diatoms to form complex 3D silica structures on the nano- to micro-scale exceed current synthetic approaches because they use a fundamentally different formation process. Understanding the molecular details of the process requires identifying structural intermediates and correlating their formation with genes and proteins involved. This will aid in development of approaches to controllably alter structure, facilitating the use of diatoms as a direct source of nanostructured materials. In T. pseudonana, distinct silica morphologies were observed during formation of different cell wall substructures, and three different scales of structural organization were identified. At all levels, structure formation correlated with optimal design properties for the final product. These results provide a benchmark of measurements and new insights into biosilicification processes, potentially also benefiting biomimetic approaches.

scholarly journals Cryo-Electron Tomography Reveals the Comparative Three-Dimensional Architecture of Prochlorococcus, a Globally Important Marine Cyanobacterium

2007 ◽  
Vol 189 (12) ◽  
pp. 4485-4493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire S. Ting ◽  
Chyongere Hsieh ◽  
Sesh Sundararaman ◽  
Carmen Mannella ◽  
Michael Marko
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Electron Tomography ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Membrane System ◽  
Niche Differentiation ◽  
Dimensional Structure ◽  
Comparative Genomic ◽  
Photosynthetic Membrane ◽  
Peptidoglycan Biosynthesis ◽  
Cryo Electron Tomography

ABSTRACT In an age of comparative microbial genomics, knowledge of the near-native architecture of microorganisms is essential for achieving an integrative understanding of physiology and function. We characterized and compared the three-dimensional architecture of the ecologically important cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus in a near-native state using cryo-electron tomography and found that closely related strains have diverged substantially in cellular organization and structure. By visualizing native, hydrated structures within cells, we discovered that the MED4 strain, which possesses one of the smallest genomes (1.66 Mbp) of any known photosynthetic organism, has evolved a comparatively streamlined cellular architecture. This strain possesses a smaller cell volume, an attenuated cell wall, and less extensive intracytoplasmic (photosynthetic) membrane system compared to the more deeply branched MIT9313 strain. Comparative genomic analyses indicate that differences have evolved in key structural genes, including those encoding enzymes involved in cell wall peptidoglycan biosynthesis. Although both strains possess carboxysomes that are polygonal and cluster in the central cytoplasm, the carboxysomes of MED4 are smaller. A streamlined cellular structure could be advantageous to microorganisms thriving in the low-nutrient conditions characteristic of large regions of the open ocean and thus have consequences for ecological niche differentiation. Through cryo-electron tomography we visualized, for the first time, the three-dimensional structure of the extensive network of photosynthetic lamellae within Prochlorococcus and the potential pathways for intracellular and intermembrane movement of molecules. Comparative information on the near-native structure of microorganisms is an important and necessary component of exploring microbial diversity and understanding its consequences for function and ecology.

scholarly journals Three-dimensional structure of the bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan

2006 ◽  
Vol 103 (12) ◽  
pp. 4404-4409 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. O. Meroueh ◽  
K. Z. Bencze ◽  
D. Hesek ◽  
M. Lee ◽  
J. F. Fisher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Bacterial Cell ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Bacterial Cell Wall ◽  
Dimensional Structure ◽  
Three Dimensional Structure ◽  
Cell Wall Peptidoglycan

METHODS FOR INDICATION OF NONCULTURATED VIABLE MICROORGANISMS WHEN CONTROL OF CRITICAL POINTS OF LIVESTOCK, POULTRY AND FOOD PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 441-447
Author(s):  
Ekaterina M. Lenchenko ◽  
◽  
Damir I. Udavliev ◽  
Inna B. Pavlova ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Luminescence Spectrum ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Yeast Cells ◽  
Dimensional Structure ◽  
Heterogeneous Structure ◽  
Bacterial Cells ◽  
Microscopic Fungi ◽  
Gram Positive Bacteria ◽  
Red Luminescence

The results of morphometric and densitometric parameters biofilms are presented, effective methods of detecting uncultivated viable microorganisms isolated from a representative sample of objects of veterinary and sanitary supervision are tested and selected. Optical, luminescent and scanning electron microscopy revealed the formation of a three-dimensional structure biofilms in the form a dense network consisting of gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, yeast cells, hyphal and pseudohyphalic forms, surrounded by an intercellular polymer matrix. The presence hyphae of microscopic fungi causes an increase in the number of cells adhered to the substrate, microcolonies were formed from bacteria and yeast cells of microscopic fungi. The pathogenesis of the syndrome of overgrowth of microorganisms is provided by the presence of various dissociative variants, the dispersion of uncultivated bacterial cells, which gain advantages in the hyperagregation of the architectonics of heterogeneous biofilms. Multilayer membranes, vesicles, cells with a defective cell wall, spheroplasts, protoplasts, L-shapes, needle-like and giant structures, and revertant cells were identified. The dynamics of changes in the viable structures microorganisms was characterized by alternating periods of decrease and increase in the intensity of biofilm formation. When detecting the viability of microorganisms in the composition biofilms, viable and non-viable cells were differentiated – a green luminescence spectrum and a red luminescence spectrum, respectively. The dissociation of the population caused an increase in the concentration of R-dissociant cells with a higher growth rate, cell lysis was detected after 48–72 h of cultivation, a change in the ratio phenotypic forms was observed – the M-dissociant was predominant. The study of the heterogeneous structure of the population, without disturbing the natural architectonics of biofilms, revealed direct correlations (r = 0,89) between morphometric (≥90 % of the field of view) and densitometric parameters (OD). The efficiency of a nutrient medium containing pancreatic hydrolyzate, mannitol, L-asparagine and glycerol was established for the repair of the cell wall, the reversal of L-forms of microorganisms.

scholarly journals Spatial mapping of immunological epitopes in the Candida cell wall using C-type lectin probes

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingrida Vendele ◽  
Ten Feizi ◽  
Maria Spyrou ◽  
Mark Stappers ◽  
Gordon Brown ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Fungal Species ◽  
Physiological Adaptation ◽  
Dimensional Structure ◽  
Immune Reactivity ◽  
Fungal Cell ◽  
Lectin Receptor ◽  
Composition Changes

The primary recognition event between a fungal pathogen and the immune system normally involves the engagement of a pattern recognition receptor with specific components of the cell wall. However, the cell wall is a complex three dimensional structure whose composition changes rapidly in accordance with environmental stimuli. Therefore it is important to know what is the precise nature of the primary recognition event, how many events occur to activate the immune response and how these recognition events are affected by changes in cell wall architecture, cellular morphogenesis and physiological adaptation of the pathogen to specific niches in the human body. We address this fundamental question using four soluble immune C-Type lectin receptor-probes which recognize specific mannans and β-1,3 glucan in the cell wall. We use these C-type lectin probes to demonstrate that mannan epitopes are differentially distributed in the inner and outer layers of fungal cell wall in a clustered or diffuse manner. Immune reactivity of fungal cell surfaces did not correlate with relatedness of different fungal species, and mannan-detecting receptor-probes discriminated between cell surface mannans generated by the same fungus growing under different conditions. These studies demonstrate that mannan-epitopes within fungal cell walls are differentially distributed and dynamically expressed as the fungus adapted to microenvironments that would be encountered in vivo.

The three-dimensional structure of the cell wall glycoprotein of Chlorogonium elongatum

1984 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 271-284
Author(s):  
P.J. Shaw ◽  
G.J. Hills
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Plant Cell Wall ◽  
Higher Plants ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Dimensional Structure ◽  
Primary Cell Wall ◽  
Globular Domain ◽  
Higher Plant ◽  
Intersubunit Interactions

The green alga Chlorogonium elongatum, a member of the Volvocales, possesses a crystalline cell wall composed of hydroxyproline-rich glycoprotein similar to the primary cell wall glycoproteins of higher plants. Electron microscopy and computer image processing have been used to determine the crystal structure of the Chlorogonium cell wall in three dimensions to a resolution of 2.0 nm. The structure is composed of heterologous dimers. Each subunit of the dimer comprises a long, thin spacer domain and a large globular domain, which is the site of the intra- and inter-dimer interactions. There are also sites of intersubunit interactions at the opposite ends of the rod domains. We suggest that the rods are composed predominantly of glycosylated polyproline helix, as has been suggested for higher plant cell wall glycoproteins and has been shown for the cell wall glycoprotein of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, which is closely related to Chlorogonium.

scholarly journals PBP1B Glycosyltransferase and Transpeptidase Activities Play Different Essential Roles during the De Novo Regeneration of Rod Morphology in Escherichia coli

2017 ◽  
Vol 199 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dev K. Ranjit ◽  
Matthew A. Jorgenson ◽  
Kevin D. Young
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Cell Wall ◽  
Cell Walls ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Spatial Interaction ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Recovery Process ◽  
Dimensional Structure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Specific Shape

ABSTRACT Peptidoglycan is a vital component of nearly all cell wall-bearing bacteria and is a valuable target for antibacterial therapy. However, despite decades of work, there remain important gaps in understanding how this macromolecule is synthesized and molded into a three-dimensional structure that imparts specific morphologies to individual cells. Here, we investigated the particularly enigmatic area of how peptidoglycan is synthesized and shaped during the first stages of creating cell shape de novo, that is, in the absence of a preexisting template. We found that when lysozyme-induced (LI) spheroplasts of Escherichia coli were allowed to resynthesize peptidoglycan, the cells divided first and then elongated to recreate a normal rod-shaped morphology. Penicillin binding protein 1B (PBP1B) was critical for the first stage of this recovery process. PBP1B synthesized peptidoglycan de novo, and this synthesis required that PBP1B interact with the outer membrane lipoprotein LpoB. Surprisingly, when LpoB was localized improperly to the inner membrane, recovering spheroplasts synthesized peptidoglycan and divided but then propagated as amorphous spheroidal cells, suggesting that the regeneration of a normal rod shape depends on a particular spatial interaction. Similarly, spheroplasts carrying a PBP1B variant lacking transpeptidase activity or those in which PBP1A was overproduced could synthesize new peptidoglycan and divide but then grew as oddly shaped spheroids. We conclude that de novo cell wall synthesis requires the glycosyltransferase activity of PBP1B but that PBP1B transpeptidase activity is needed to assemble cell walls with wild-type morphology. IMPORTANCE Bacterial cell wall peptidoglycan is synthesized and modified by penicillin binding proteins (PBPs), which are targeted by about half of all currently prescribed antibiotics, including penicillin and its derivatives. Because antibiotic resistance is rising, it has become increasingly urgent that we fill the gaps in our knowledge about how PBPs create and assemble this protective wall. We report here that PBP1B plays an essential role in synthesizing peptidoglycan in the absence of a preexisting template: its glycosyltransferase activity is responsible for de novo synthesis, while its transpeptidase activity is required to construct cell walls of a specific shape. These results highlight the importance of this enzyme and distinguish its biological roles from those of other PBPs and peptidoglycan synthases.

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