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Cellulose Microfibril Formation by Surface-Tethered Cellulose Synthase Enzymes
Snehasish Basu1, Okako Omadjela2, David Gaddes3
1Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Pennsylvania State University , University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States.
ACS Nano
|January 23, 2016
Summary
Researchers visualized cellulose microfibril formation using immobilized bacterial cellulose synthase enzymes. This revealed how enzyme organization influences cellulose crystallization, yielding highly crystalline cellulose II.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Materials Science
- Structural Biology
Background:
- Cellulose microfibrils are synthesized by cellulose synthases, forming pseudocrystalline arrays.
- The spatial organization of cellulose synthases within membrane complexes and its impact on cellulose crystallization remain underexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between cellulose synthase organization and cellulose crystallization.
- To understand how enzyme arrangement affects the formation of crystalline cellulose structures.
Main Methods:
- Utilized atomic force microscopy to visualize microfibril formation from immobilized bacterial cellulose synthase enzymes (BcsA-Bs).
- Employed Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction to analyze cellulose structure.
- Investigated the effects of enzyme surface density and substrate concentration on cellulose formation.
Main Results:
- Surface-tethered BcsA-Bs synthesized highly crystalline cellulose II in the presence of UDP-Glc, cyclic-di-GMP, and magnesium.
- Amorphous cellulose was formed from monomeric BcsA-B complexes in standard solution.
- Cellulose II cross-section, crystal size, and crystallinity were dependent on enzyme surface density and substrate concentration.
Conclusions:
- Established a correlation between cellulose microfibril formation and the spatial organization of cellulose synthases.
- Demonstrated that controlled enzyme organization can lead to the synthesis of crystalline cellulose II.
- Provided insights into the mechanism of cellulose crystallization at the enzymatic level.
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