Endospore pili - flexible, stiff and sticky nanofibersShow others and affiliations
2023 (English)In: Biophysical Journal, ISSN 0006-3495, E-ISSN 1542-0086, Vol. 122, no 13, p. 2696-2706Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Species belonging to the Bacillus cereus group form endospores (spores) whose surface is decorated with micrometers-long and nanometers-wide endospore appendages (Enas). The Enas have recently been shown to represent a completely novel class of Gram-positive pili. They exhibit remarkable structural properties making them extremely resilient to proteolytic digestion and solubilization. However, little is known about their functional and biophysical properties. In this work, we apply optical tweezers to manipulate and assess how wild type and Ena-depleted mutant spores immobilize on a glass surface. Further, we utilize optical tweezers to extend S-Ena fibers to measure their flexibility and tensile stiffness. Finally, by oscillating single spores, we examine how the exosporium and Enas affect spores’ hydrodynamic properties. Our results show that S-Enas (μm long pili) are not as effective as L-Enas in immobilizing spores to glass surfaces but are involved in forming spore to spore connections, holding the spores together in a gel-like state. The measurements also show that S-Enas are flexible but tensile stiff fibers, which support structural data suggesting that the quaternary structure is composed of subunits arranged in a complex to produce a bendable fiber (helical turns can tilt against each other) with limited axial fiber extensibility. Lastly, the results show that the hydrodynamic drag is 1.5-times higher for wild type spores expressing S- and L-Enas compared to mutant spores expressing only L-Enas or ”bald spores” lacking Ena, and 2-times higher compared to spores of the exosporium deficient strain. This study unveils novel findings on the biophysics of S- and L-Enas, their role in spore aggregation, binding of spores to glass, and their mechanical behavior upon exposure to drag forces.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier, 2023. Vol. 122, no 13, p. 2696-2706
Keywords [en]
aggregation, pili, adhesion, optical tweezers, spore
National Category
Biophysics Other Physics Topics Microbiology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-208834DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2023.05.024ISI: 001059849200001PubMedID: 37218131Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85160684458OAI: oai:DiVA.org:umu-208834DiVA, id: diva2:1761402
Part of project
Biophysical and Physicochemical Fingerprinting of Single Bacterial Spores, Swedish Research Council
Funder
Swedish Research Council, 2019-040162023-06-012023-06-012025-02-20Bibliographically approved