Carboxysomes, the carbon-fixation machinery of cyanobacteria, are equidistantly-positioned by dynamic gradients of the protein McdA on the nucleoid that emerge through interaction with a previously unidentified carboxysome factor, McdB.
Computational and theoretical models reveal mechanisms by which protein compartments assemble around enzymes and reagents to facilitate reactions in bacteria, allowing the identification of strategies for reengineering such compartments as customizable nanoreactors.
Systems level modeling of cyanobacterial mechanism for concentrating carbon dioxide shows optimal organization and enzymatic activity for enhanced carbon fixation.
Nucleation, elasticity theory, and simulations were combined to construct a general phase diagram that elucidates the conditions for successful viral assembly and the key factors to prevent it.