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Xanthomonas citri R-bodies: expression and structural characterization

Grant number: 23/17618-9
Support Opportunities:Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
Start date: June 01, 2024
End date: May 31, 2025
Field of knowledge:Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Biochemistry of Microorganisms
Principal Investigator:Shaker Chuck Farah
Grantee:Raphaela Machado Campos Lopes
Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
Associated research grant:21/10577-0 - Biology of Bacteria and Bacteriophages Research Center, AP.CEPID

Abstract

R-bodies, or refractile bodies, are polymeric protein structures first characterized in the bacterium Caedibacter taenospiralis. When exposed to acidic pH, R-bodies drastically change their conformation and size, going from a coiled ribbon of 0.5 µm to an extended one that can exceed 4 µm. The reb genes homologues, which encode the main components of R-bodies, are widely spread in the phylum Proteobacteria, including being present in the genome of Xanthomonas citri, a phytopathogen of economic importance in Brazil. Very little is known about the physiological functions carried out by R-bodies and no information is available regarding their role in the biology of bacteria from the order Xanthomonadales. In this project, we aim to study the R-bodies of X. citri through several techniques, including heterologous expression in Escherichia coli, purification and analysis in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and also detecting possible conformational changes in the proteins in response to changes in the environment through absorbance, circular dichroism and fluorescence.

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