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

Cytoskeletal Proteins in Bacteria01:29

Cytoskeletal Proteins in Bacteria

3.4K
Bacterial cells were initially considered simple, randomly organized structures lacking a cytoskeleton. However, the discovery of cytoskeleton homologs in bacteria led to the change of this opinion. Bacterial cytoskeletal filaments regulate the cell shape, cell polarity, cell division, and partitioning of plasmids during cell division. It was later discovered that bacterial cytoskeletal proteins, mainly actin and tubulin homologs, are diverse compared to their eukaryotic counterparts. On the...
3.4K
Prokaryotic Cells01:51

Prokaryotic Cells

122.0K
Prokaryotes are small unicellular organisms that include the domains—Archaea and Bacteria. Bacteria include many common organisms, such as Salmonella and E. coli, while the Archaea include extremophiles that live in harsh environments, such as volcanic springs.
Like eukaryotic cells, all prokaryotic cells are surrounded by a plasma membrane, have genetic material in the form of single, circular DNA, a cytoplasm that fills the interior of the cell, and ribosomes that synthesize proteins....
122.0K
Adaptability of Cytoskeletal Filaments01:12

Adaptability of Cytoskeletal Filaments

3.7K
The cytoskeleton is a complex dynamic structure performing varied functions based on cellular requirements. The adaptability of the individual filaments in the cytoskeleton determines their ability to perform various functions within the cell. It can undergo rapid reorganization during processes like cell division or remain stable for several hours as in the interphase. The adaptability of these filaments depends on stringent regulatory mechanisms. The microfilament and microtubules of the...
3.7K
Eukaryotic Compartmentalization01:46

Eukaryotic Compartmentalization

155.7K
One of the distinguishing features of eukaryotic cells is that they contain membrane-bound organelles, such as the nucleus and mitochondria, that carry out specialized functions. Since biological membranes are only selectively permeable to solutes, they help create a compartment with controlled conditions inside an organelle. These microenvironments are tailored to the organelle's specific functions and help isolate them from the surrounding cytosol.
For example, lysosomes in the animal cells...
155.7K
Microtubule Formation01:23

Microtubule Formation

5.7K
Microtubules are dynamic structures that undergo continuous assembly and disassembly. They originate from specialized multi-protein complexes known as microtubule organizing centers or MTOCs. Within the MTOC, the point of origin of the microtubule is known as the minus end, while the end radiating outward is the plus end. Microtubules serve two primary functions — the organization of spindle complexes to separate sister chromatids during mitotic or meiotic cell division and the formation...
5.7K
Microtubule Instability02:17

Microtubule Instability

5.1K
Microtubules are hollow cylindrical filaments having a diameter of approximately 25 nm and a length that varies from 200 nm to 25 μm. GTP-bound tubulin subunits form αβ-heterodimers for microtubule assembly. These core building blocks interact longitudinally, polymerizing into protofilaments. The protofilaments then interact with one another through lateral bonding forces to form stable cylindrical microtubules. These cylindrical filaments are dynamic as they undergo repeated...
5.1K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Multi-lab, multi-enzyme study demonstrates the versatility of bacterial microcompartment shells as a modular platform for confined biocatalysis.

Metabolic engineering·2026
Same author

Many paths, similar destinations: viruses and bacterial microcompartments form polyhedra inside cells.

Journal of virology·2026
Same author

Photoactivation Transition State and Dynamical Response of the Orange Carotenoid Protein.

The journal of physical chemistry. B·2025
Same author

Molecular Modeling and Molecular Dynamics Simulation of a Packed and Intact Bacterial Microcompartment.

The journal of physical chemistry. B·2025
Same author

Phycobilisome core architecture influences photoprotective quenching by the Orange Carotenoid Protein.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2025
Same author

Engineering Spatial Control of Bacterial Organelles.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025
Same journal

S-layers as natural building blocks for nanobiotechnology and synthetic biology.

Current opinion in microbiology·2026
Same journal

The role of the antimicrobial peptide nisin as a clean label food preservative.

Current opinion in microbiology·2026
Same journal

From coarse-grained metabolic rules to fine-grained control of microbial communities.

Current opinion in microbiology·2026
Same journal

Progress in engineered bacterial cancer therapies.

Current opinion in microbiology·2026
Same journal

Constraints on adaptive loss-of-function mutations during microbial metabolic interactions.

Current opinion in microbiology·2026
Same journal

Discovery of novel antimicrobials within microbiomes.

Current opinion in microbiology·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 23, 2025

Three-dimensional Imaging of Bacterial Cells for Accurate Cellular Representations and Precise Protein Localization
06:33

Three-dimensional Imaging of Bacterial Cells for Accurate Cellular Representations and Precise Protein Localization

Published on: October 29, 2019

10.0K

Dynamic structural determinants in bacterial microcompartment shells.

Daniel S Trettel1, Cheryl A Kerfeld2, Cesar R Gonzalez-Esquer1

  • 1Los Alamos National Laboratory, Bioscience Division, Microbial and Biome Sciences group, Los Alamos, NM, USA.

Current Opinion in Microbiology
|June 23, 2024
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Bacterial microcompartments (BMCs) are versatile protein shells. Understanding their dynamic structural features is key to harnessing BMCs for biotechnology.

More Related Videos

In Vitro Reconstitution of Self-Organizing Protein Patterns on Supported Lipid Bilayers
08:10

In Vitro Reconstitution of Self-Organizing Protein Patterns on Supported Lipid Bilayers

Published on: July 28, 2018

12.2K
Applying Live Cell Imaging and Cryo-Electron Tomography to Resolve Spatiotemporal Features of the Legionella pneumophila Dot/Icm Secretion System
09:12

Applying Live Cell Imaging and Cryo-Electron Tomography to Resolve Spatiotemporal Features of the Legionella pneumophila Dot/Icm Secretion System

Published on: March 10, 2020

7.0K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 23, 2025

Three-dimensional Imaging of Bacterial Cells for Accurate Cellular Representations and Precise Protein Localization
06:33

Three-dimensional Imaging of Bacterial Cells for Accurate Cellular Representations and Precise Protein Localization

Published on: October 29, 2019

10.0K
In Vitro Reconstitution of Self-Organizing Protein Patterns on Supported Lipid Bilayers
08:10

In Vitro Reconstitution of Self-Organizing Protein Patterns on Supported Lipid Bilayers

Published on: July 28, 2018

12.2K
Applying Live Cell Imaging and Cryo-Electron Tomography to Resolve Spatiotemporal Features of the Legionella pneumophila Dot/Icm Secretion System
09:12

Applying Live Cell Imaging and Cryo-Electron Tomography to Resolve Spatiotemporal Features of the Legionella pneumophila Dot/Icm Secretion System

Published on: March 10, 2020

7.0K

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Structural Biology
  • Biotechnology

Background:

  • Bacterial microcompartments (BMCs) are protein-bound organelles crucial for cellular metabolism.
  • Unlike viral capsids, BMC shells display significant structural plasticity for diverse functions like CO2 fixation and nutrient assimilation.
  • Understanding BMC shell assembly is vital for their application as biotechnological nanomachines.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To provide recent insights into the dynamic structural features of key BMC domain-containing proteins.
  • To elucidate the protein-protein interactions guiding BMC shell assembly and function.
  • To explore the potential of BMCs as modular nanomachines.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of structural dynamics of Pfam00936 domain-containing proteins.
  • Investigation of protein-protein interactions in BMC shell formation.
  • Characterization of BMC-H and BMC-T shell building blocks.

Main Results:

  • Detailed insights into the dynamic structural features of BMC shell proteins.
  • Understanding of how protein properties guide BMC shell assembly.
  • Identification of key components for BMC-H and BMC-T shell construction.

Conclusions:

  • Recent advancements illuminate the dynamic nature of BMC shell proteins.
  • This knowledge is essential for the rational design and engineering of BMC-based nanomachines.
  • Harnessing BMC plasticity offers significant potential in synthetic biology and biotechnology.