In vivo imaging of S-layer nanoarrays on Corynebacterium glutamicum.
Crystalline bacterial cell surface layers (S-layers) are monomolecular arrays of (glyco)proteins that have recently produced a wealth of new opportunities in nanotechnology. Whereas the in vitro imaging of isolated S-layers is well established, their direct imaging on live cells remains very challenging. Here we use atomic force microscopy (AFM) to visualize S-layer nanoarrays on living Corynebacterium glutamicum bacteria. We demonstrate the presence of two highly ordered surface layers. The most external layer represents the hexagonal S-layer, and the inner layer displays regular patterns of nanogrooves that could act as a biomolecular template promoting the 2-D assembly of S-layer monomers. These nanoscale analyses open new avenues for understanding the structure of protein monomolecular arrays, which is a crucial challenge in current nanoscience and life science research.
Dupres
Vincent
V
Unite de Chimie des Interfaces, Universite Catholique de Louvain, Croix du Sud 2/18, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
Alsteens
David
D
Pauwels
Kristof
K
Dufrêne
Yves F
YF
D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D048230:Corynebacterium glutamicum / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D003460:Crystallization; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D008829:Microbiology; D008853:Microscopy / Q000379:methods; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force / Q000379:methods; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000737:chemistry; D013499:Surface Properties
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D006023:Glycoproteins; D011134:Polysaccharides