ATP synthase: expression, purification, and function

Chapter in Protein Nanotechnology: Protocols, Instrumentation, and Applications, Humana Press (2019) 73-84

Authors:

Meghna Sobti, Robert Ishmukhametov, Alastair G Stewart

Abstract:

ATP synthase is an essential enzyme found in all known forms of life, generating the majority of cellular energy via a rotary catalytic mechanism. Here, we describe the in-depth methods for expression, purification, and functional assessment of E. coli ATP synthase.

Load-dependent adaptation near zero load in the bacterial flagellar motor

Interface Royal Society 16:159 (2019) 20190300

Authors:

Jasmine A Nirody, Ashley L Nord, Richard M Berry

Abstract:

The bacterial flagellar motor is an ion-powered transmembrane protein complex which drives swimming in many bacterial species. The motor consists of a cytoplasmic ‘rotor’ ring and a number of ‘stator’ units, which are bound to the cell wall of the bacterium. Recently, it has been shown that the number of functional torque-generating stator units in the motor depends on the external load, and suggested that mechanosensing in the flagellar motor is driven via a ‘catch bond’ mechanism in the motor’s stator units. We present a method that allows us to measure—on a single motor—stator unit dynamics across a large range of external loads, including near the zero-torque limit. By attaching superparamagnetic beads to the flagellar hook, we can control the motor’s speed via a rotating magnetic field. We manipulate the motor to four different speed levels in two different ion-motive force (IMF) conditions. This framework allows for a deeper exploration into the mechanism behind load-dependent remodelling by separating out motor properties, such as rotation speed and energy availability in the form of IMF, that affect the motor torque. The bacterial flagellar motor (BFM) is an ion-driven nanomachine that drives swimming in a variety of bacterial species. The BFM couples the flow of cations (protons, in Escherichia coli) across the bacterial membrane to induce rotation in the flagellum, spinning the filament like a propeller to move the bacterium forward. The flagellar motor generates torque through interactions between the motor’s stator and rotor; specifically, torque is generated via an interaction between a stator unit (in E. coli, comprising the proteins MotA and MotB) and FliG protein ‘spokes’ that line the rotor’s cytoplasmic C-ring (figure 1a). The BFM’s stator can be composed of between 1 and at least 11 independent units.

Load-dependent adaptation near zero load in the bacterial flagellar motor.

Journal of the Royal Society, Interface 16:159 (2019) ARTN 20190300

Authors:

Richard M Berry, Ashley L Nord, Jasmine A Nirody

Abstract:

The bacterial flagellar motor is an ion-powered transmembrane protein complex which drives swimming in many bacterial species. The motor consists of a cytoplasmic 'rotor' ring and a number of 'stator' units, which are bound to the cell wall of the bacterium. Recently, it has been shown that the number of functional torque-generating stator units in the motor depends on the external load, and suggested that mechanosensing in the flagellar motor is driven via a 'catch bond' mechanism in the motor's stator units. We present a method that allows us to measure-on a single motor-stator unit dynamics across a large range of external loads, including near the zero-torque limit. By attaching superparamagnetic beads to the flagellar hook, we can control the motor's speed via a rotating magnetic field. We manipulate the motor to four different speed levels in two different ion-motive force (IMF) conditions. This framework allows for a deeper exploration into the mechanism behind load-dependent remodelling by separating out motor properties, such as rotation speed and energy availability in the form of IMF, that affect the motor torque.

Simultaneous tracking of Pseudomonas aeruginosa motility in liquid and at the solid-liquid interface reveals differential roles for the flagellar stators

mSystems American Society for Microbiology 4:5 (2019) e00390-19

Authors:

Andrew L Hook, James L Flewellen, Jean-Frédéric Dubern, Alessandro M Carabelli, Irwin M Zaid, Richard M Berry, Ricky D Wildman, Noah Russell, Paul Williams, Morgan R Alexander

Abstract:

Bacteria sense chemicals, surfaces, and other cells and move toward some and away from others. Studying how single bacterial cells in a population move requires sophisticated tracking and imaging techniques. We have established quantitative methodology for label-free imaging and tracking of individual bacterial cells simultaneously within the bulk liquid and at solid-liquid interfaces by utilizing the imaging modes of digital holographic microscopy (DHM) in three dimensions (3D), differential interference contrast (DIC), and total internal reflectance microscopy (TIRM) in two dimensions (2D) combined with analysis protocols employing bespoke software. To exemplify and validate this methodology, we investigated the swimming behavior of a Pseudomonas aeruginosa wild-type strain and isogenic flagellar stator mutants (motAB and motCD) within the bulk liquid and at the surface at the single-cell and population levels. Multiple motile behaviors were observed that could be differentiated by speed and directionality. Both stator mutants swam slower and were unable to adjust to the near-surface environment as effectively as the wild type, highlighting differential roles for the stators in adapting to near-surface environments. A significant reduction in run speed was observed for the P. aeruginosa mot mutants, which decreased further on entering the near-surface environment. These results are consistent with the mot stators playing key roles in responding to the near-surface environment.

CMB foreground measurements through broad-band radio spectro-polarimetry: prospects of the SKA-MPG telescope

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Oxford University Press (OUP) 488:2 (2019) 1618-1634

Authors:

Aritra Basu, Dominik J Schwarz, Hans-Rainer Klöckner, Sebastian von Hausegger, Michael Kramer, Gundolf Wieching, Blakesley Burkhart