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Militello G. Motility Control of Symbionts and Organelles by the Eukaryotic Cell: The Handling of the Motile Capacity of Individual Parts Forges a Collective Biological Identity. Front Psychol 2019; 10:2080. [PMID: 31551897 PMCID: PMC6747060 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2019] [Accepted: 08/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Motility occupies a decisive role in an organism's ability to autonomously interact with its environment. However, collective biological organizations exhibit individual parts, which have temporally or definitively lost their motor capacities, but still able to autonomously interact with their host. Indeed, although the flagella of bacterial symbionts of eukaryotic cells are usually inhibited or lost, they autonomously modify the environment provided by their host. Furthermore, the eukaryotic organelles of endosymbiotic origin (i.e., mitochondria and plastids) are no longer able to move autonomously; nonetheless, they make a cytoskeletal-driven motion that allows them to communicate with other eukaryotic cells and to perform a considerable number of physiological functions. The purpose of this article is twofold: first, to investigate how changes in the motile capacities of the parts of a nested biological organization affect their interactive autonomy; second, to examine how the modification of the interactive autonomy of the individual parts influences the constitutive autonomy of the collective association as a whole. The article argues that the emergence and maintenance of collective biological identities involves a strict control of the motile abilities of their constituting members. This entails a restriction, but not necessarily a complete loss, of the agential capacities of the individual parts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guglielmo Militello
- Department of Logics and Philosophy of Science, IAS-Research Centre, University of the Basque Country, San Sebastián, Spain
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Chaiyasitdhi A, Miphonpanyatawichok W, Riehle MO, Phatthanakun R, Surareungchai W, Kundhikanjana W, Kuntanawat P. The biomechanical role of overall-shape transformation in a primitive multicellular organism: A case study of dimorphism in the filamentous cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0196383. [PMID: 29746494 PMCID: PMC5945045 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0196383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2017] [Accepted: 04/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Morphological transformations in primitive organisms have long been observed; however, its biomechanical roles are largely unexplored. In this study, we investigate the structural advantages of dimorphism in Arthrospira platensis, a filamentous multicellular cyanobacterium. We report that helical trichomes, the default shape, have a higher persistence length (Lp), indicating a higher resistance to bending or a large value of flexural rigidity (kf), the product of the local cell stiffness (E) and the moment of inertia of the trichomes’ cross-section (I). Through Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), we determined that the E of straight and helical trichomes were the same. In contrast, our computational model shows that I is greatly dependent on helical radii, implying that trichome morphology is the major contributor to kf variation. According to our estimation, increasing the helical radii alone can increase kf by 2 orders of magnitude. We also observe that straight trichomes have improved gliding ability, due to its structure and lower kf. Our study shows that dimorphism provides mechanical adjustability to the organism and may allow it to thrive in different environmental conditions. The higher kf provides helical trichomes a better nutrient uptake through advection in aquatic environments. On the other hand, the lower kf improves the gliding ability of straight trichomes in aquatic environments, enabling it to chemotactically relocate to more favorable territories when it encounters certain environmental stresses. When more optimal conditions are encountered, straight trichomes can revert to their original helical form. Our study is one of the first to highlight the biomechanical role of an overall-shape transformation in cyanobacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atitheb Chaiyasitdhi
- Biological Engineering Program, Faculty of Engineering, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Wirat Miphonpanyatawichok
- Division of Biotechnology, School of Bioresources and Technology, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Mathis Oliver Riehle
- Centre for Cell Engineering, Institute of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | | | - Werasak Surareungchai
- Division of Biotechnology, School of Bioresources and Technology, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand
- Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Graduate Program, Faculty of Science, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Worasom Kundhikanjana
- School of Physics, Institute of Science, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand
| | - Panwong Kuntanawat
- Division of Biotechnology, School of Bioresources and Technology, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand
- Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Graduate Program, Faculty of Science, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand
- School of Biotechnology, Institute of Agricultural Technology, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand
- * E-mail:
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Cava F, de Pedro MA. Peptidoglycan plasticity in bacteria: emerging variability of the murein sacculus and their associated biological functions. Curr Opin Microbiol 2014; 18:46-53. [PMID: 24607990 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2014.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2013] [Revised: 01/13/2014] [Accepted: 01/20/2014] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The peptidoglycan (PG) sacculus once thought to be just a reinforcing, static and uniform structure, is fast becoming recognized as a dynamic cell constituent involved in every aspect of bacterial physiology. Recent advances showed that in addition to 'classical' tasks-as an essential element to define bacterial shape, size, division and resistance to osmotic stress-the sacculus plays very important roles in many other fields. The very few chemical and structural changes that were once considered as bizarre, or maybe exotic exceptions, are now universally accepted as fundamental pieces in bacterial cell wall adaptation to different kinds of environmental stresses; immune response; intra-specific and inter-specific signalling and antibiotics, just to mention a few. Most, if not all, of these implications are a consequence of the enormous adaptability of PG metabolism to cope with changing conditions, a characteristic for which the term plasticity is proposed. Here we overview and comment on a number of recent contributions on the cell wall adaptive responses to environmental challenges that has greatly impacted the already high complexity of the PG biology field. These new evidences have revived the interest in PG plasticity as an exciting and trendy topic in current microbiology which considers this variability as the trustworthy picture of bacterial PG in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felipe Cava
- Department of Molecular Biology and Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden, Umeå Centre for Microbial Research, Umeå University, Umeå 90187, Sweden.
| | - Miguel A de Pedro
- Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa", Universidad Autónoma de Madrid-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid 28049, Spain
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Bromley EHC, Channon KJ. Alpha-helical peptide assemblies giving new function to designed structures. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2011; 103:231-75. [PMID: 21999998 PMCID: PMC7150058 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-415906-8.00001-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
The design of alpha-helical tectons for self-assembly is maturing as a science. We have now reached the point where many different coiled-coil topologies can be reliably produced and validated in synthetic systems and the field is now moving on towards more complex, discrete structures and applications. Similarly the design of infinite or fiber assemblies has also matured, with the creation fibers that have been modified or functionalized in a variety of ways. This chapter discusses the progress made in both of these areas as well as outlining the challenges still to come.
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Robson Marsden H, Kros A. Self-assembly of coiled coils in synthetic biology: inspiration and progress. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2010; 49:2988-3005. [PMID: 20474034 DOI: 10.1002/anie.200904943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Biological self-assembly is very complex and results in highly functional materials. In effect, it takes a bottom-up approach using biomolecular building blocks of precisely defined shape, size, hydrophobicity, and spatial distribution of functionality. Inspired by, and drawing lessons from self-assembly processes in nature, scientists are learning how to control the balance of many small forces to increase the complexity and functionality of self-assembled nanomaterials. The coiled-coil motif, a multipurpose building block commonly found in nature, has great potential in synthetic biology. In this review we examine the roles that the coiled-coil peptide motif plays in self-assembly in nature, and then summarize the advances that this has inspired in the creation of functional units, assemblies, and systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hana Robson Marsden
- Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9502, 2300 RA, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Robson Marsden H, Kros A. Selbstorganisation von Coiled-Coils in der synthetischen Biologie: Inspiration und Fortschritt. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2010. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.200904943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Charbon G, Cabeen MT, Jacobs-Wagner C. Bacterial intermediate filaments: in vivo assembly, organization, and dynamics of crescentin. Genes Dev 2009; 23:1131-44. [PMID: 19417107 DOI: 10.1101/gad.1795509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Crescentin, which is the founding member of a rapidly growing family of bacterial cytoskeletal proteins, was previously proposed to resemble eukaryotic intermediate filament (IF) proteins based on structural prediction and in vitro polymerization properties. Here, we demonstrate that crescentin also shares in vivo properties of assembly and dynamics with IF proteins by forming stable filamentous structures that continuously incorporate subunits along their length and that grow in a nonpolar fashion. De novo assembly of crescentin is biphasic and involves a cell size-dependent mechanism that controls the length of the structure by favoring lateral insertion of crescentin subunits over bipolar longitudinal extension when the structure ends reach the cell poles. The crescentin structure is stably anchored to the cell envelope, and this cellular organization requires MreB function, identifying a new function for MreB and providing a parallel to the role of actin in IF assembly and organization in metazoan cells. Additionally, analysis of an MreB localization mutant suggests that cell wall insertion during cell elongation normally occurs along two helices of opposite handedness, each counterbalancing the other's torque.
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Affiliation(s)
- Godefroid Charbon
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA
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Ecophysiology of "Halarsenatibacter silvermanii" strain SLAS-1T, gen. nov., sp. nov., a facultative chemoautotrophic arsenate respirer from salt-saturated Searles Lake, California. Appl Environ Microbiol 2009; 75:1950-60. [PMID: 19218420 DOI: 10.1128/aem.02614-08] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Searles Lake occupies a closed basin harboring salt-saturated, alkaline brines that have exceptionally high concentrations of arsenic oxyanions. Strain SLAS-1(T) was previously isolated from Searles Lake (R. S. Oremland, T. R. Kulp, J. Switzer Blum, S. E. Hoeft, S. Baesman, L. G. Miller, and J. F. Stolz, Science 308:1305-1308, 2005). We now describe this extremophile with regard to its substrate affinities, its unusual mode of motility, sequenced arrABD gene cluster, cell envelope lipids, and its phylogenetic alignment within the order Halanaerobacteriales, assigning it the name "Halarsenatibacter silvermanii" strain SLAS-1(T). We also report on the substrate dynamics of an anaerobic enrichment culture obtained from Searles Lake that grows under conditions of salt saturation and whose members include a novel sulfate reducer of the order Desulfovibriales, the archaeon Halorhabdus utahensis, as well as a close homolog of strain SLAS-1(T).
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Complex regulatory pathways coordinate cell-cycle progression and development in Caulobacter crescentus. Adv Microb Physiol 2008; 54:1-101. [PMID: 18929067 DOI: 10.1016/s0065-2911(08)00001-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Caulobacter crescentus has become the predominant bacterial model system to study the regulation of cell-cycle progression. Stage-specific processes such as chromosome replication and segregation, and cell division are coordinated with the development of four polar structures: the flagellum, pili, stalk, and holdfast. The production, activation, localization, and proteolysis of specific regulatory proteins at precise times during the cell cycle culminate in the ability of the cell to produce two physiologically distinct daughter cells. We examine the recent advances that have enhanced our understanding of the mechanisms of temporal and spatial regulation that occur during cell-cycle progression.
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Rivero F, Cvrcková F. Origins and evolution of the actin cytoskeleton. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2008; 607:97-110. [PMID: 17977462 DOI: 10.1007/978-0-387-74021-8_8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Rivero
- Center for Biochemistry and Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Str. 52, 50931 Köln, Germany.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dylan M. Morris
- Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125;
| | - Grant J. Jensen
- Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125;
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Furusawa G, Yoshikawa T, Takano Y, Mise K, Furusawa I, Okuno T, Sakata T. Characterization of cytoplasmic fibril structures found in gliding cells of Saprospira sp. Can J Microbiol 2006; 51:875-80. [PMID: 16333347 DOI: 10.1139/w05-081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The cytoplasmic fibril structures of Saprospira sp. strain SS98-5 grown on a low-nutrient agar medium were purified from cell lysates treated with Triton X-100 and were observed by electron microscopy to be about 7 nm in width and 200-300 nm in length. SDS-PAGE of the fibril structures exhibited a single protein band with a molecular mass of 61 kDa. A Saprospira cytoplasmic fibril protein (SCFP), which is a subunit of the fibril structures, was digested with trypsin to oligopeptides and analyzed for amino acid sequences. A partial nucleotide sequence of the SCFP gene was determined after PCR using primers designated from the amino acid sequences of the oligopeptides. SCFP gene including DNA fragments were detected by Southern hybridization using the PCR product for an SCFP gene as a probe and were cloned to determine whole nucleotide sequences. The SCFP gene indicated relatively higher similarity to conserved hypothetical phage tail sheath proteins. A Western immunoblotting analysis showed that SCFP was significantly expressed in gliding cells as compared with nongliding cells. The above findings with the previously reported results suggest that the cytoplasmic fibril structures are possibly related to the gliding motility of Saprospira sp. strain SS98-5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gou Furusawa
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Faculty of Fisheries, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan
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de Roos ADG. The origin of the eukaryotic cell based on conservation of existing interfaces. ARTIFICIAL LIFE 2006; 12:513-23. [PMID: 16953783 DOI: 10.1162/artl.2006.12.4.513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Current theories about the origin of the eukaryotic cell all assume that during evolution a prokaryotic cell acquired a nucleus. Here, it is shown that a scenario in which the nucleus acquired a plasma membrane is inherently less complex because existing interfaces remain intact during evolution. Using this scenario, the evolution to the first eukaryotic cell can be modeled in three steps, based on the self-assembly of cellular membranes by lipid-protein interactions. First, the inclusion of chromosomes in a nuclear membrane is mediated by interactions between laminar proteins and lipid vesicles. Second, the formation of a primitive endoplasmic reticulum, or exomembrane, is induced by the expression of intrinsic membrane proteins. Third, a plasma membrane is formed by fusion of exomembrane vesicles on the cytoskeletal protein scaffold. All three self-assembly processes occur both in vivo and in vitro. This new model provides a gradual Darwinistic evolutionary model of the origins of the eukaryotic cell and suggests an inherent ability of an ancestral, primitive genome to induce its own inclusion in a membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert D G de Roos
- The Beagle Armada, Bioinformatics Division, Einsteinstraat 67, 3316GG Dordrecht, The Netherlands.
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