Monatomic ions influence substrate permeation across bacterial microcompartment shells
Daniel S Trettel1, Chris Neale2, Mingfei Zhao2
1Biosciences Division, Microbial and Biome Sciences Group, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA.
Scientific Reports
|September 21, 2023
Summary
Ions like chloride can block pores in bacterial microcompartments (BMCs), hindering their function. Understanding this ion interaction is key to improving BMCs for biomanufacturing applications.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Structural Biology
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Bacterial microcompartments (BMCs) are protein-based organelles with selectively permeable shells, offering potential for biomanufacturing.
- BMC shell permeability is crucial for their function and can be modulated by pore properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of ion concentration on BMC shell permeability.
- To elucidate the mechanism by which ions interact with BMC shell pores.
Main Methods:
- In vitro activity assays comparing native and disrupted BMCs under varying NaCl concentrations.
- Molecular dynamics simulations of the primary BMC shell protein (BMC-H) to analyze ion-pore interactions.
Main Results:
- Increased NaCl concentration was found to reduce substrate permeation rates through BMC shells.
- Molecular dynamics simulations showed chloride ions accumulating in positively charged pores, obstructing substrate passage.
- Sodium ions were observed to be excluded from these pores.
Conclusions:
- BMC shell pore properties significantly influence ion permeability, impacting substrate transport.
- The findings highlight how ion-BMC pore interactions can be a critical factor in BMC function.
- This research provides insights for engineering BMCs with tailored permeability for biotechnological applications.
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