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Probing Large Protein Adhesin Molecules on Pseudomonas fluorescens with Atomic Force Microscopy

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Protein adhesins are an important type of surface structure, and are components of some Gram-negative bacterial outer membranes, such as the LapA adhesin of Pseudomonas fluorescens. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to characterize surface structures of P. fluorescens Pf0-1. AFM data was modeled using the Alexander - de Gennes (A-dG) relation for steric repulsion. We found that the lapG mutant strain of P. fluorescens behaved like a classical polymer brush, in which the spacing between molecules was very small (3.3 nm), which would allow intermolecular interactions between protein units. Taken together, our results and these recent studies support the finding that LapA adhesin conformation is related to irreversible bacterial adhesion.

  • This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.
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Identifier
  • E-project-121913-084404
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Year
  • 2013
Date created
  • 2013-12-19
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Last modified
  • 2021-01-29

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