Abstract
The gas vesicles of Halobacterium halobium have been studied by recording X-ray diffraction patterns from both intact and collapsed vesicles. The wall is found to be remarkably thin; the average thickness is no more than 20 Å. Electron microscopy indicates that the wall consists of ribs, and the X-ray data confirm this. The thickness is therefore greater than 20 Å at some points and less at others. The X-ray data also indicate that the ribs on the two sides of the collapsed vesicle are intermeshed. Our data indicate a large amount of β-sheet in the wall. The β-sheet consists of parallel (or anti-parallel) polypeptide chains which are regularly hydrogen-bonded to one another. This bonding locks the presumed subunit proteins into the wall, which is important for its function at the gas-liquid interface. The β-sheet is in two layers, one on top of the other. The two layers together can stiffen the wall and hence strengthen the vesicle against collapse.
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