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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2012 May 1.
Published in final edited form as: Mol Microbiol. 2011 Mar 30;80(4):1075–1087. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2011.07631.x

Fig. 6. Model for MamE’s role in magnetosome formation.

Fig. 6

After magnetosome membranes are formed MamE is required in a protease independent fashion for the proper localization of at least a subset of magnetosome proteins. This activity is sufficient for the formation of 20nm crystals of magnetite. MamE’s protease function is then required to mature these crystals into large fixed single domain crystals of magnetite. This could be achieved either by (A) proteolytically removing one or several inhibitors of magnetosome formation or an inhibitory matrix (indicated by the orange hexagon), or by (B) proteolytically activating one or several biomineralization promoting proteins. Blue oval: magnetosome membrane protein; purple oval: inner membrane protein; orange symbol: inhibitor or activator of biomineralization; red circle: MamE protease independent function; red pacman: MamE protease-dependent activity. I.–IV.: proposed steps in magnetosome formation.