scholarly journals Intact Flagellar Motor of Borrelia burgdorferi Revealed by Cryo-Electron Tomography: Evidence for Stator Ring Curvature and Rotor/C-Ring Assembly Flexion

2009 ◽  
Vol 191 (16) ◽  
pp. 5026-5036 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Liu ◽  
Tao Lin ◽  
Douglas J. Botkin ◽  
Erin McCrum ◽  
Hanspeter Winkler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Borrelia Burgdorferi ◽  
Electron Tomography ◽  
Rotational Symmetry ◽  
Flagellar Motor ◽  
Cell Axis ◽  
Ring Assembly ◽  
Flagellar Motors ◽  
Cryo Electron Tomography ◽  
Flagellar Rotation

ABSTRACT The bacterial flagellar motor is a remarkable nanomachine that provides motility through flagellar rotation. Prior structural studies have revealed the stunning complexity of the purified rotor and C-ring assemblies from flagellar motors. In this study, we used high-throughput cryo-electron tomography and image analysis of intact Borrelia burgdorferi to produce a three-dimensional (3-D) model of the in situ flagellar motor without imposing rotational symmetry. Structural details of B. burgdorferi, including a layer of outer surface proteins, were clearly visible in the resulting 3-D reconstructions. By averaging the 3-D images of ∼1,280 flagellar motors, a ∼3.5-nm-resolution model of the stator and rotor structures was obtained. flgI transposon mutants lacked a torus-shaped structure attached to the flagellar rod, establishing the structural location of the spirochetal P ring. Treatment of intact organisms with the nonionic detergent NP-40 resulted in dissolution of the outermost portion of the motor structure and the C ring, providing insight into the in situ arrangement of the stator and rotor structures. Structural elements associated with the stator followed the curvature of the cytoplasmic membrane. The rotor and the C ring also exhibited angular flexion, resulting in a slight narrowing of both structures in the direction perpendicular to the cell axis. These results indicate an inherent flexibility in the rotor-stator interaction. The FliG switching and energizing component likely provides much of the flexibility needed to maintain the interaction between the curved stator and the relatively symmetrical rotor/C-ring assembly during flagellar rotation.

scholarly journals Structural insights into flagellar stator–rotor interactions

eLife ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunjie Chang ◽  
Ki Hwan Moon ◽  
Xiaowei Zhao ◽  
Steven J Norris ◽  
MD A Motaleb ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Conformational Change ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Electron Tomography ◽  
Deletion Mutants ◽  
Flagellar Motor ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Cryo Electron Tomography ◽  
Flagellar Filament ◽  
Structural Insights

The bacterial flagellar motor is a molecular machine that can rotate the flagellar filament at high speed. The rotation is generated by the stator–rotor interaction, coupled with an ion flux through the torque-generating stator. Here we employed cryo-electron tomography to visualize the intact flagellar motor in the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi. By analyzing the motor structures of wild-type and stator-deletion mutants, we not only localized the stator complex in situ, but also revealed the stator–rotor interaction at an unprecedented detail. Importantly, the stator–rotor interaction induces a conformational change in the flagella C-ring. Given our observation that a non-motile mutant, in which proton flux is blocked, cannot generate the similar conformational change, we propose that the proton-driven torque is responsible for the conformational change required for flagellar rotation.

scholarly journals High Throughput Cryo-Electron Tomography: Towards Molecular Architecture of Spirochetal Flagellar Motor in situ

2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (S2) ◽  
pp. 1070-1071
Author(s):  
J Liu ◽  
S Norris
Keyword(s):  
High Throughput ◽  
Electron Tomography ◽  
Flagellar Motor ◽  
Molecular Architecture ◽  
Cryo Electron Tomography

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2010 in Portland, Oregon, USA, August 1 – August 5, 2010.

scholarly journals Mutations in the Borrelia burgdorferi Flagellar Type III Secretion System Genes fliH and fliI Profoundly Affect Spirochete Flagellar Assembly, Morphology, Motility, Structure, and Cell Division

mBio ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao Lin ◽  
Lihui Gao ◽  
Xiaowei Zhao ◽  
Jun Liu ◽  
Steven J. Norris
Keyword(s):  
Cell Division ◽  
Borrelia Burgdorferi ◽  
Type Iii Secretion ◽  
Electron Tomography ◽  
Type Iii Secretion System ◽  
Secretion System ◽  
Flagellar Motor ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Type Iii ◽  
Cryo Electron Tomography

ABSTRACTThe Lyme disease spirocheteBorrelia burgdorferimigrates to distant sites in the tick vectors and mammalian hosts through robust motility and chemotaxis activities. FliH and FliI are two cytoplasmic proteins that play important roles in the type III secretion system (T3SS)-mediated export and assembly of flagellar structural proteins. However, detailed analyses of the roles of FliH and FliI inB. burgdorferihave not been reported. In this study,fliHandfliItransposon mutants were utilized to dissect the mechanism of theBorreliatype III secretion system. ThefliHandfliImutants exhibited rod-shaped or string-like morphology, greatly reduced motility, division defects (resulting in elongated organisms with incomplete division points), and noninfectivity in mice by needle inoculation. Mutants infliHandfliIwere incapable of translational motion in 1% methylcellulose or soft agar. Inactivation of eitherfliHorfliIresulted in the loss of the FliH-FliI complex from otherwise intact flagellar motors, as determined by cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET). Flagellar assemblies were still present in the mutant cells, albeit in lower numbers than in wild-type cells and with truncated flagella. Genetic complementation offliHandfliImutants intransrestored their wild-type morphology, motility, and flagellar motor structure; however, full-length flagella and infectivity were not recovered in these complemented mutants. Based on these results, disruption of eitherfliHorfliIinB. burgdorferiresults in a severe defect in flagellar structure and function and cell division but does not completely block the export and assembly of flagellar hook and filament proteins.IMPORTANCEMany bacteria are able to rapidly transport themselves through their surroundings using specialized organelles called flagella. In spiral-shaped organisms called spirochetes, flagella act like inboard motors and give the bacteria the ability to bore their way through dense materials (such as human tissue) in a corkscrew manner. In this article, we studied how two proteins, called FliH and FliI, are important for the production of full-length flagella in the Lyme disease spirocheteBorrelia burgdorferi. Mutants with defective production of FliH and FliI have reduced flagellar length and motility; this deficiency in turn affects many aspects ofB. burgdorferi's biology, including the ability to undergo cell division and cause disease in mammals. Using a microscopic computed tomography (CT) scan approach called cryo-electron tomography, the structure that contains FliH and FliI was defined in the context of the flagellar motor, providing clues regarding how this amazing nanomachine is assembled and functions.

scholarly journals In Situ Structure of the Vibrio Polar Flagellum Reveals a Distinct Outer Membrane Complex and Its Specific Interaction with the Stator

2019 ◽  
Vol 202 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shiwei Zhu ◽  
Tatsuro Nishikino ◽  
Norihiro Takekawa ◽  
Hiroyuki Terashima ◽  
Seiji Kojima ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Protein Interactions ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Electron Tomography ◽  
Specific Interaction ◽  
Protein Protein Interactions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cryo Electron Tomography ◽  
Flagellar Rotation

ABSTRACT The bacterial flagellum is a biological nanomachine that rotates to allow bacteria to swim. For flagellar rotation, torque is generated by interactions between a rotor and a stator. The stator, which is composed of MotA and MotB subunit proteins in the membrane, is thought to bind to the peptidoglycan (PG) layer, which anchors the stator around the rotor. Detailed information on the stator and its interactions with the rotor remains unclear. Here, we deployed cryo-electron tomography and genetic analysis to characterize in situ structure of the bacterial flagellar motor in Vibrio alginolyticus, which is best known for its polar sheathed flagellum and high-speed rotation. We determined in situ structure of the motor at unprecedented resolution and revealed the unique protein-protein interactions among Vibrio-specific features, namely the H ring and T ring. Specifically, the H ring is composed of 26 copies of FlgT and FlgO, and the T ring consists of 26 copies of a MotX-MotY heterodimer. We revealed for the first time a specific interaction between the T ring and the stator PomB subunit, providing direct evidence that the stator unit undergoes a large conformational change from a compact form to an extended form. The T ring facilitates the recruitment of the extended stator units for the high-speed motility in Vibrio species. IMPORTANCE The torque of flagellar rotation is generated by interactions between a rotor and a stator; however, detailed structural information is lacking. Here, we utilized cryo-electron tomography and advanced imaging analysis to obtain a high-resolution in situ flagellar basal body structure in Vibrio alginolyticus, which is a Gram-negative marine bacterium. Our high-resolution motor structure not only revealed detailed protein-protein interactions among unique Vibrio-specific features, the T ring and H ring, but also provided the first structural evidence that the T ring interacts directly with the periplasmic domain of the stator. Docking atomic structures of key components into the in situ motor map allowed us to visualize the pseudoatomic architecture of the polar sheathed flagellum in Vibrio spp. and provides novel insight into its assembly and function.

Cryo electron tomography of vitrified fibroblasts: Microtubule plus ends in situ

2008 ◽  
Vol 161 (3) ◽  
pp. 459-468 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roman I. Koning ◽  
Sandra Zovko ◽  
Montserrat Bárcena ◽  
Gert T. Oostergetel ◽  
Henk K. Koerten ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electron Tomography ◽  
Cryo Electron Tomography

scholarly journals A guided approach for subtomogram averaging of challenging macromolecular assemblies

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle Grotjahn ◽  
Saikat Chowdhury ◽  
Gabriel C. Lander
Keyword(s):  
Electron Tomography ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Structural Heterogeneity ◽  
Dimensional Structure ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Macromolecular Assemblies ◽  
Cryo Electron Tomography ◽  
Subtomogram Averaging

AbstractCryo-electron tomography is a powerful biophysical technique enabling three-dimensional visualization of complex biological systems. Macromolecular targets of interest identified within cryo-tomograms can be computationally extracted, aligned, and averaged to produce a better-resolved structure through a process called subtomogram averaging (STA). However, accurate alignment of macromolecular machines that exhibit extreme structural heterogeneity and conformational flexibility remains a significant challenge with conventional STA approaches. To expand the applicability of STA to a broader range of pleomorphic complexes, we developed a user-guided, focused refinement approach that can be incorporated into the standard STA workflow to facilitate the robust alignment of particularly challenging samples. We demonstrate that it is possible to align visually recognizable portions of multi-subunit complexes by providing a priori information regarding their relative orientations within cryo-tomograms, and describe how this strategy was applied to successfully elucidate the first three-dimensional structure of the dynein-dynactin motor protein complex bound to microtubules. Our approach expands the application of STA for solving a more diverse range of heterogeneous biological structures, and establishes a conceptual framework for the development of automated strategies to deconvolve the complexity of crowded cellular environments and improve in situ structure determination technologies.

scholarly journals The presence and absence of periplasmic rings in bacterial flagellar motors correlates with stator type

eLife ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Kaplan ◽  
Debnath Ghosal ◽  
Poorna Subramanian ◽  
Catherine M Oikonomou ◽  
Andreas Kjaer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Legionella Pneumophila ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Bioinformatics Analysis ◽  
Cell Envelope ◽  
Shewanella Oneidensis ◽  
Flagellar Motor ◽  
Flagellar Motors ◽  
A Cell ◽  
Animal Hosts

The bacterial flagellar motor, a cell-envelope-embedded macromolecular machine that functions as a cellular propeller, exhibits significant structural variability between species. Different torque-generating stator modules allow motors to operate in different pH, salt or viscosity levels. How such diversity evolved is unknown. Here, we use electron cryo-tomography to determine the in situ macromolecular structures of three Gammaproteobacteria motors: Legionella pneumophila, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Shewanella oneidensis, providing the first views of intact motors with dual stator systems. Complementing our imaging with bioinformatics analysis, we find a correlation between the motor’s stator system and its structural elaboration. Motors with a single H+-driven stator have only the core periplasmic P- and L-rings; those with dual H+-driven stators have an elaborated P-ring; and motors with Na+ or Na+/H+-driven stators have both their P- and L-rings embellished. Our results suggest an evolution of structural elaboration that may have enabled pathogenic bacteria to colonize higher-viscosity environments in animal hosts.

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