Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Outer Layers of the Cell Envelope01:18

Outer Layers of the Cell Envelope

447
The outermost layers of prokaryotic cells play a critical role in their survival, virulence, and interaction with the environment. These layers, often composed of polysaccharides, polypeptides, or proteins, form protective and adhesive structures that vary in organization and function.Capsules and Slime LayersCapsules are highly organized, tightly bound layers that firmly attach to the bacterial cell wall. Capsules are usually made of polysaccharides, though some are made of polypeptides. These...
447
Pinocytosis00:38

Pinocytosis

3.4K
Cells use energy-requiring bulk transport mechanisms to transfer large particles or large numbers of small particles into or out of the cell. The cells envelop the particles in spherical membranes called vesicles or vacuoles. Vesicles that transport material into the cell are built from the cell membrane. These vesicles encapsulate external molecules and transport them into the cell in a process called endocytosis.
Pinocytosis ("cellular drinking") is one of three main types of...
3.4K
COP Coated Vesicles00:59

COP Coated Vesicles

10.5K
Membrane-enclosed structures called vesicles transport proteins and lipids across the cell. The vesicles derive their cargo from the plasma membrane, Golgi, ER, or endosome. Coated vesicles are spherical, protein-coated carriers with a 50–100 nm diameter that mediate bidirectional transport between the ER and the Golgi. The distribution of proteins between the ER and Golgi complex is dynamic and is maintained by different coated vesicles. Their formation is driven by the assembly of...
10.5K
Clathrin Coated Vesicles01:12

Clathrin Coated Vesicles

7.4K
Clathrin-coated vesicles use endocytosis to transport receptors and lysosomal hydrolases from the Golgi to the lysosome in the late secretory pathway. Clathrin-mediated endocytosis was the first described endocytic process, and Clathrin-coated vesicles remain one of the most well-studied transport vesicles. The molecular machinery that generates clathrin-coated vesicles comprises over 50 proteins that precisely coordinate vesicle formation. Cell surface receptors concentrated in indented sites...
7.4K
Selectins01:25

Selectins

3.5K
Cell adhesion is  an essential aspect of multicellularity. While stable cell interactions usually occur between cells of the same type, transient cell interactions occur between cells of different tissue types, such as between neutrophils and endothelial cells. Selectins are one class of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) that bind carbohydrate ligands to form transient cell adhesion. They are rod-like proteins with a long extracellular part of variable length ending with the lectin domain,...
3.5K
Intralumenal Vesicles and Multivesicular Bodies01:38

Intralumenal Vesicles and Multivesicular Bodies

3.8K
Intraluminal vesicles (ILVs) are small vesicles 50-80 nm in diameter formed during the maturation of early endosomes. A specialized endosome containing numerous ILVs is called a multivesicular body (MVB). ILVs contain internalized molecules such as antigens, nucleic acids, proteins, and metabolites. Some of these molecules are released from the MVBs inside exosomes and are transported to other cells. Other MVBs contain molecules that are retained in the ILVs and are later degraded within the...
3.8K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

A permeable protein nanocage enables facile cargo loading and cytosolic protein delivery.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Directed evolution of multimeric proteins is enabled by dual-compensatory gene duplication.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Encapsulins in Terpene Biosynthesis: Enzyme Nanoreactors in Bacterial Secondary Metabolism.

Biochemistry·2026
Same author

Engineering Spatial Control of Bacterial Organelles.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025
Same author

Engineering encapsulin nanocages for drug delivery.

Materials advances·2025
Same author

Encapsulins: catalysis inside a shell.

Current opinion in microbiology·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 29, 2025

Encapsulated Cell Technology for the Delivery of Biologics to the Mouse Eye
06:10

Encapsulated Cell Technology for the Delivery of Biologics to the Mouse Eye

Published on: March 30, 2020

6.8K

Encapsulins.

Tobias W Giessen1

  • 1Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA;

Annual Review of Biochemistry
|March 19, 2022
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Encapsulins are protein compartments in microbes that package proteins for various functions. These structures, related to viral proteins, may play roles in pathogenicity and are crucial for cellular organization.

Keywords:
encapsulinnanocompartmentnatural productsprotein organelleself-assemblystress resistance

More Related Videos

Extraction of Plant-based Capsules for Microencapsulation Applications
10:54

Extraction of Plant-based Capsules for Microencapsulation Applications

Published on: November 9, 2016

12.2K
Alginate Encapsulation of Pluripotent Stem Cells Using a Co-axial Nozzle
07:13

Alginate Encapsulation of Pluripotent Stem Cells Using a Co-axial Nozzle

Published on: July 2, 2015

12.9K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Sep 29, 2025

Encapsulated Cell Technology for the Delivery of Biologics to the Mouse Eye
06:10

Encapsulated Cell Technology for the Delivery of Biologics to the Mouse Eye

Published on: March 30, 2020

6.8K
Extraction of Plant-based Capsules for Microencapsulation Applications
10:54

Extraction of Plant-based Capsules for Microencapsulation Applications

Published on: November 9, 2016

12.2K
Alginate Encapsulation of Pluripotent Stem Cells Using a Co-axial Nozzle
07:13

Alginate Encapsulation of Pluripotent Stem Cells Using a Co-axial Nozzle

Published on: July 2, 2015

12.9K

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Microbiology
  • Structural Biology

Background:

  • Subcellular compartmentalization is essential for cellular function, particularly in prokaryotes using protein-based strategies.
  • Bacterial microcompartments and encapsulin nanocompartments are key microbial protein compartments.
  • Encapsulins are self-assembling protein shells (24-42 nm) with a viral HK97-fold structure.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review existing information on encapsulin structure, biochemistry, biological function, and biomedical relevance.
  • To highlight the role of encapsulins in cellular organization and potential pathogenicity.
  • To explore the evolutionary relationship between encapsulins and viral capsid proteins.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of existing research on encapsulins.
  • Phylogenetic analysis to understand evolutionary relationships.
  • Analysis of structural and biochemical data on encapsulin self-assembly and cargo encapsulation.

Main Results:

  • Encapsulins encapsulate diverse cargo proteins (e.g., ferritins, peroxidases, desulfurases) via specific targeting sequences.
  • Found across many bacterial and archaeal phyla, implicating roles in iron storage, stress resistance, sulfur metabolism, and biosynthesis.
  • Phylogenetic analyses suggest a common ancestor with viral capsid proteins.

Conclusions:

  • Encapsulins are versatile protein nanocompartments with significant biological roles in prokaryotes.
  • Their presence in pathogens suggests a potential contribution to pathogenicity.
  • Further research into encapsulin structure, function, and biomedical applications is warranted.