Poster Presentation 26th ACMM “2020 Visions in Microscopy”

Structural Characterization of native and modified Encapsulins by Cryo-Electron Microscopy (#208)

Juanfang Ruan 1 , Manuel A Del Valle 2 , Andrew Care 2
  1. Electron Microscope Unit, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  2. Department of Molecular Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Encapsulins are a novel class of protein nanocages isolated from bacteria. They have emerging as promising nanoplatforms since they specifically confine functional and fully folded protein-based cargo, such as enzyme and a ferritin-like protein, in that way being recognized as a bacterial semiorganelle. Encapsulin purified from the metal-reducing alkaliphilic bacterium (Alkaliphilus Metalliredigens) is a new protein-based vessel for ferritin-like protein in its cavity. Here, we characterize their structure of both native and protein loaded encapsulins using Cryo-electron microscopy. We reveal the assembly principles of a T=1 shell topology and its catalytic ferroxidase cargo.