The diameter and critical collapse pressure of gas vesicles in Microcystis are correlated with GvpCs of different length

PG Dunton, AE Walsby

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

33 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In cyanobacteria the protein on the outside of the gas vesicle, GvpC, is characterised by the presence of a 33 amino acid residue repeat (33RR), which in some genera is highly conserved. The number of 33RR s correlates with the diameter of the gas vesicle and inversely with its strength. Gas vesicles isolated from Microcystis aeruginosa strain PCC 7806 were found to be wider and have a lower critical collapse pressure than those from Microcystis sp. strain BC 8401. The entire gas-vesicle gene cluster of the latter strain was sequenced and compared with the published sequence of the former: the sequences of nine of the ten gvp genes differed by only 1–5% between the two strains; the only substantial difference was in gvpC which in strain BC 8401 lacked a 99-nucleotide section encoding a 33RR. This observation further narrows the correlation of gas vesicle width to the number of 33RR s and suggests how Microcystis strains might be used in experimental manipulation of gas vesicle width and strength.
Translated title of the contributionThe diameter and critical collapse pressure of gas vesicles in Microcystis are correlated with GvpCs of different length
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)37 - 43
Number of pages7
JournalFEMS Microbiology Letters
Volume247
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2005

Bibliographical note

Publisher: Elsevier

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