Parallel-up structure evidences the molecular directionality during biosynthesis of bacterial cellulose

AUTOR(ES)

Koyama, Makiko

FONTE

The National Academy of Sciences of the USA

RESUMO

The “parallel-up” packing in cellulose Iα and Iβ unit cells was experimentally demonstrated by a combination of direct-staining the reducing ends of cellulose chains and microdiffraction-tilting electron crystallographic analysis. Microdiffraction investigation of nascent bacterial cellulose microfibrils showed that the reducing end of the growing cellulose chains points away from the bacterium, and this provides direct evidence that polymerization by the cellulose synthase takes place at the nonreducing end of the growing cellulose chains. This mechanism is likely to be valid also for a number of processive glycosyltransferases such as chitin synthases, hyaluronan synthases, and proteins involved in the synthesis of nodulation factor backbones.

Documentos Relacionados

• Directionality and Coordination of Dehydration and Ring Formation during Biosynthesis of the Lantibiotic Nisin
• Molecular structure of bacterial plasmids.
• Molecular Structure of Bacterial Plasmids
• Biosynthesis and Functionalization of Bacterial Cellulose Membranes with Cerium Nitrate and Silver Nanoparticles
• Origins of reversed directionality in the ncd molecular motor.