#Belgium

We recently published a paper @CurrentBiology on a novel and conserved Proteobacterial scaffold observed by #CryoEM formed by BcsD and a Proline-rich partner, bound to cellulose synthase, and involved in biofilm structuration and strength
www.cell.com/current-biol...

Last but not least, BcsD can form a scaffold with its partner that can further bind to cellulose synthase. I'm not a structuralist myself, but this scaffold does not look like anything else I have seen before (please comment if you have ideas/inputs)

Furthermore, BcsD participate to biofilm architecture, suggesting an active role in cellulose organization during secretion

In our work, we show through #CryoEM that BcsD form tetramers and not octamers (unlike in Gluconacetobacter genus), and that its partner is either BcsP or BcsO

While BcsH is restricted to the Gluconacetobacter genus, BcsD is present in many other Proteobacteria, with very different cellulose operons, which is very intriguing Their role and structure was undefined until recently

Plant secrete cellulose in a highly orderly fashion contrarily to most bacteria which secrete amorphous cellulose. In plant, this is achieved by the "rosettes" formed of cellulose synthases attached to a cytoskeletal scaffold
Figure from: www.nature.com/articles/s41...