Publications by authors named "Dylan Fitzmaurice"
OmpA controls order in the outer membrane and shares the mechanical load.
Georgina Benn Carolina Borrelli Dheeraj Prakaash Alex N T Johnson Vincent A Fideli Dylan Fitzmaurice
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
December 2024
Article Synopsis
- OmpA is an important outer membrane protein that influences bacterial virulence, adhesion, and membrane integrity, but its exact role has been unclear for over 50 years.
- This study reveals that OmpA plays a key role in organizing the outer membrane protein structure and connects it to the cell wall, helping to maintain the bacteria's protective barrier.
- The research shows that both parts of OmpA—its β-barrel domain and cell wall-binding domain—are essential for strengthening the bacterial envelope, making it more resilient and crucial for bacterial survival.
Unlabelled: The outer membrane is the defining structure of Gram-negative bacteria. We previously demonstrated that it is critical for the mechanical integrity of the cell envelope and therefore to the robustness of the bacterial cell as a whole. Here, to determine the key molecules and moieties within the outer membrane that underlie its contribution to cell envelope mechanics, we measured cell-envelope stiffness across several sets of mutants with altered outer-membrane sugar content, protein content, and electric charge.
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