Function and biosynthesis of gas vesicles in halophilic Archaea.
The proteinaceous gas vesicles produced by various microorganisms including halophilic Archaea are hollow, gas-filled structures with a hydrophobic inner and a hydrophilic outer surface. The structural components of gas vesicles and their biosynthesis are still under investigation; an 8-kDa polypeptide appears to be the major constituent of the gas-vesicle envelope. Genetic analysis of the halobacterial gas-vesicle synthesis revealed an unexpected complexity: about 14 genes organized in three transcription units are involved in gas-vesicle structure, assembly, and gene regulation. Here we describe the comparison of three different genomic regions encoding gas vesicles in Halobacterium salinarium (p-vac and c-vac regions) and Haloferax mediterranei (mc-vac region) and speculate on the function of the gene products involved in gas-vesicle synthesis.
Pfeifer
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F
Max-Planck-Institut für Biochemie, Martinsried, Germany.
Englert
C
C
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D006217:Halobacterium / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D015388:Organelles / Q000378:metabolism*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011506:Proteins; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014169:Transformation, Bacterial
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D011506:Proteins; C038524:gas vesicle protein