Complete structure of the chemosensory array core signalling unit in an E. coli minicell strain

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-14350-9

Authors: Alister Burt (Université Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS) , C. Keith Cassidy (University of Oxford) , Peter Ames (University of Utah) , Maria Bacia-Verloop (Université Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS) , Megghane Baulard (Université Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS) , Karine Huard (Université Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS) , Zaida Luthey-Schulten (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) , Ambroise Desfosses (Université Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS) , Phillip J. Stansfeld (University of Oxford) , William Margolin (The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston) , John S. Parkinson (University of Utah) , Irina Gutsche (Université Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS)
Co-authored by industrial partner: No

Type: Journal Paper
Journal: Nature Communications , VOL 11

State: Published (Approved)
Published: February 2020
Diamond Proposal Number(s): 18112

Abstract: Motile bacteria sense chemical gradients with transmembrane receptors organised in supramolecular signalling arrays. Understanding stimulus detection and transmission at the molecular level requires precise structural characterisation of the array building block known as a core signalling unit. Here we introduce an Escherichia coli strain that forms small minicells possessing extended and highly ordered chemosensory arrays. We use cryo-electron tomography and subtomogram averaging to provide a three-dimensional map of a complete core signalling unit, with visible densities corresponding to the HAMP and periplasmic domains. This map, combined with previously determined high resolution structures and molecular dynamics simulations, yields a molecular model of the transmembrane core signalling unit and enables spatial localisation of its individual domains. Our work thus offers a solid structural basis for the interpretation of a wide range of existing data and the design of further experiments to elucidate signalling mechanisms within the core signalling unit and larger array.

Journal Keywords: Bacterial structural biology; Cryoelectron tomography; Structural biology

Diamond Keywords: Bacteria

Subject Areas: Biology and Bio-materials, Chemistry

Diamond Offline Facilities: Electron Bio-Imaging Centre (eBIC)
Instruments: Krios IV-Titan Krios IV at Diamond

Added On: 20/02/2020 09:56

Documents:
s41467-020-14350-9.pdf

Discipline Tags:

Biochemistry Chemistry Structural biology Life Sciences & Biotech

Technical Tags:

Microscopy Electron Microscopy (EM) Cryo Electron Microscopy (Cryo EM)