Once the newly synthesized surface (S)-layer glycoprotein of the halophilic archaeaon Haloferax volcanii has traversed the plasma membrane, the protein undergoes a membrane-related, Mg(2+)-dependent maturation event, revealed as an increase in the apparent molecular mass and hydrophobicity of the protein. To test whether lipid modification of the S-layer glycoprotein could explain these observa...

Several methods for isolation of the paracrystalline surface (S) layer protein (RsaA) of Caulobacter crescentus CB15A were evaluated. Treatment of cells with HEPES (N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N'-2-ethanesulfonic acid) buffer at pH 2 was the most effective means of selectively removing RsaA from cells, and after neutralization, the protein was capable of reassembling into a paracrystalline struc...