A Bacterial Surface Layer Protein Exploits Multi-step Crystallization for Rapid Self-assembly

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Abstract/Contents

Abstract
Surface layers (S-layers) are crystalline protein coats surrounding microbial cells. S-layer proteins (SLPs) regulate their extracellular self-assembly by crystallizing when exposed to an environmental trigger. However, molecular mechanisms governing rapid protein crystallization in vivo or in vitro are largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that the C. crescentus SLP readily crystallizes into sheets in vitro via a calcium-triggered multi-step assembly pathway. This pathway involves two domains serving distinct functions in assembly. The C-terminal crystallization domain forms the physiological 2D crystal lattice, but full-length protein crystallizes multiple orders of magnitude faster due to the N-terminal nucleation domain. Observing crystallization using a time course of electron cryo-microscopy (Cryo-EM) imaging reveals a crystalline intermediate wherein N-terminal nucleation domains exhibit motional dynamics with respect to rigid lattice-forming crystallization domains. Dynamic flexibility between the two domains rationalizes efficient S-layer crystal nucleation on the curved cellular surface. Rate enhancement of protein crystallization by a discrete nucleation domain may enable engineering of kinetically controllable self-assembling 2D macromolecular nanomaterials.

Description

Type of resource software, multimedia
Date created October 21, 2019

Creators/Contributors

Author Herrmann, Jonathan
Author Li, Po-Nan
Author Jabbarpour, Fatemeh
Author Chan, Anson C.K.
Author Rajkovic, Ivan
Author Matsui, Tsutomu
Author Shapiro, Lucy
Author Smit, John
Author Weiss, Thomas
Author Murphy, Michael E.P.
Author Wakatsuki, Soichi

Subjects

Subject protein self-assembly
Subject Cryo-EM time course
Subject microbiology
Subject biophysics
Genre Dataset

Bibliographic information

Related Publication bioRxiv 665745; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/665745
Location https://purl.stanford.edu/tz311fw8492

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Preferred citation

Preferred Citation
Soichi, Wakatsuki. (2019). A Bacterial Surface Layer Protein Exploits Multi-step Crystallization for Rapid Self-assembly. Stanford Digital Repository. Available at: https://purl.stanford.edu/tz311fw8492

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