Bacterial Mechanosensitive Channels

Sub-cellular Biochemistry
Tim Rasmussen, Akiko Rasmussen

Abstract

Mechanosensitive (MS) channels protect bacteria against hypo-osmotic shock and fulfil additional functions. Hypo-osmotic shock leads to high turgor pressure that can cause cell rupture and death. MS channels open under these conditions and release unspecifically solutes and consequently the turgor pressure. They can recognise the raised pressure via the increased tension in the cell membrane. Currently, a better understanding how MS channels can sense tension on molecular level is developing because the interaction of the lipid bilayer with the channel is being investigated in detail. The MS channel of large conductance (MscL) and of small conductance (MscS) have been distinguished and studied in molecular detail. In addition, larger channels were found that contain a homologous region corresponding to MscS so that MscS represents a family of channels. Often several members of this family are present in a species. The importance of this family is underlined by the fact that members can be found not only in bacteria but also in higher organisms. While MscL and MscS have been studied for years in particular by electrophysiology, mutagenesis, molecular dynamics, X-ray crystallography and other biophysical techniques, only recently...Continue Reading

Citations

Aug 23, 2020·NPJ Biofilms and Microbiomes·Vera CarnielloHenk J Busscher
Dec 17, 2020·Journal of Neurogenetics·Umar Al-Sheikh, Lijun Kang
Nov 6, 2020·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Vanessa Judith FleglerBettina Böttcher
Jan 26, 2020·Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta. Biomembranes·Feng XueBoris Martinac
May 22, 2021·Communications Biology·Wenxin HuHongjin Zheng
Aug 12, 2021·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Vanessa Judith FleglerBettina Böttcher

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