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Function and biosynthesis of gas vesicles in halophilicArchaea

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Abstract

The proteinaceous gas vesicles produced by various microorganisms including halophilicArchaea are hollow, gas-filled structures with a hydrophobic inner and a hydrophilic outer surface. The structural components of gas vesicles and their biosynthesis are still under investigation; an 8-kDa polypeptide appears to be the major constituent of the gas-vesicle envelope. Genetic analysis of the halobacterial gas-vesicle synthesis revealed an unexpected complexity: about 14 genes organized in three transcription units are involved in gas-vesicle structure, assembly, and gene regulation. Here we describe the comparison of three different genomic regions encoding gas vesicles inHalobacterium salinarium (p-vac and c-vac regions) andHaloferax mediterranei (mc-vac region) and speculate on the function of the gene products involved in gas-vesicle synthesis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Max-Planck-Institut für Biochemie, W-8033, Martinsried, Germany

    Felicitas Pfeifer & Christoph Englert

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  1. Felicitas Pfeifer
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  2. Christoph Englert
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Pfeifer, F., Englert, C. Function and biosynthesis of gas vesicles in halophilicArchaea . J Bioenerg Biomembr 24, 577–585 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00762350

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00762350

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