Bacterial microcompartments (BMCs) are protein-bound organelles predicted to be present across 23 bacterial phyla. BMCs facilitate carbon fixation as well as the aerobic and anaerobic catabolism of a variety of organic compounds. These functions have been linked to ecological nutrient cycling, symbiosis, pathogenesis, and cardiovascular disease. Within bacterial cells, BMCs are metabolic modules that can be further dissociated into their constituent structural and functional protein domains. Viewing BMCs as genetic, structural, functional, and evolutionary modules provides a framework for understanding both BMC-mediated metabolism and for adapting their architectures for applications in synthetic biology.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2014.10.003 | DOI Listing |
ACS Synth Biol
January 2025
Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94702, United States.
Naturally evolved and synthetically designed forms of compartmentalization benefit encapsulated function by increasing local concentrations of substrates and protecting cargo from destabilizing environments and inhibitors. Crucial to understanding the fundamental principles of compartmentalization are experimental systems enabling the measurement of the permeability rates of small molecules. Here, we report the experimental measurement of the small-molecule permeability of a 40 nm icosahedral bacterial microcompartment shell.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Nano
January 2025
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada.
Bacterial membrane vesicles (BMVs) are emerging as powerful natural nanoparticles with transformative potential in medicine and industry. Despite their promise, scaling up BMV production and ensuring stable isolation and storage remain formidable challenges that limit their broader application. Inspired by eukaryotic mechanisms of membrane curvature, we engineered DH5α to serve as a high-efficiency BMV factory.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFunct Integr Genomics
January 2025
The Energy and Resources Institute, Lodi Road, New Delhi, 110003, India.
The major limiting factor of photosynthesis in C3 plants is the enzyme, rubisco which inadequately distinguishes between carbon dioxide and oxygen. To overcome catalytic deficiencies of Rubisco, cyanobacteria utilize advanced protein microcompartments, called the carboxysomes which envelopes the enzymes, Rubisco and Carbonic Anhydrase (CA). These microcompartments facilitate the diffusion of bicarbonate ions which are converted to CO by CA, following in an increase in carbon flux near Rubisco boosting CO fixation process.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiotechnol Adv
December 2024
Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Makkah 23955, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address:
Some bacteria possess microcompartments that function as protein-based organelles. Bacterial microcompartments (BMCs) sequester enzymes to optimize metabolic reactions. Several BMCs have been characterized to date, including carboxysomes and metabolosomes.
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