Le canal calcique de type-L CaV1.2 participe au couplage excitation-contraction des cardiomyocytes. Cav1.2 est composé d’une sous-unité principale CaVα1, associée aux sous-unités auxiliaires CaVβ et CaVα2δ1. Lorsque présente à la membrane, c’est CaVα2δ1 qui est responsable de moduler la densité du courant calcique. Elle ne possède qu’un seul segment transmembranaire présent du côté C-terminal, au niveau de la protéine δ, ce qui en fait une protéine transmembranaire de type I. Certaines protéines qui appartiennent à cette famille doivent être clivées au niveau du site dit « omega », une modification post-traductionnelle nécessaire à leur fonction. Une fois clivées, ces protéines sont retenues à la membrane plasmique par une ancre glycosyl-phosphatidyl-inositol (GPI). Nos études en microscopie confocale montrent que la protéine sauvage est sensible à l’action de la phospholipase C qui clive de manière spécifique les groupements phosphoinositol, ce qui est compatible avec la présence d’une ancre GPI fonctionnelle. De plus, la mutation des résidus formant le site « omega » en isoleucine au niveau des sites G1060 et G1061 prévient l’adressage membranaire de CaVα2δ1 estimé par cytométrie en flux et imagerie confocale, et réduit la modulation des courants calciques mesurés par la méthode du « patch-clamp ». Les mutants G1060I et G1061I sont aussi associés à un changement dans le patron de migration de la partie C-terminale, suggérant un processus protéolytique défecteueux. Les mutations simples des glycines en alanines préservent les propriétés de la protéine mais le double mutant G1060A/G1061A réduit significativement l’expression de CaVα2δ1 à la surface de la cellule et sa modulation sur le canal CaV1.2. Ces données suggèrent fortement que le clivage requiert spécifiquement un résidu Glycine en position 1060 ou 1061 pour produire le clivage protéolytique dominant chez CaVα2δ1, et que cet ancrage GPI est essentiel à la fonction du canal. / Voltage-gated calcium channels CaV1.2 play an essential role in the regulation of cardiac excitability. Functional channels are formed by the CaVα1 subunit and the intracellular CaVβ and the extracellular CaVα2δ1 subunits. CaVα2δ1 are type I transmembrane proteins that undergo a posttranslational modification producing their association at the plasma membrane through a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor. The molecular determinants required for the proteolytic cleavage of the recombinant CaVα2δ1 protein were studied using biochemical, immunocytochemical, fluorescence, and electrophysiological methods. Enzymatic treatment with a phospholipase C specific for the cleavage of phosphatidyl inositol lipids abolished the colocalisation of CaVα2δ1 with a plasma membrane marker as shown using live-cell confocal imaging. Single point mutations G1060I or G1061I in the predicted transmembrane CaVδ domain was shown to significantly reduce the cell surface fluorescence of CaVα2δ1 as characterized by two-color flow cytometry assays and confocal imaging, and to prevent the CaVα2δ1-mediated increase in the peak current density and voltage-dependent gating of CaV1.2 currents. The isoleucine mutations were also associated with a change in the migration pattern of the C-terminal fragments suggesting that proteolytic processing was altered. Single glycine to alanine mutations preserved the protein properties but the double mutant G1060A/G1061A significantly impaired cell surface expression of CaVα2δ1 and its functional regulation of CaV1.2. Altogether our data support a model where one Glycine residue at position 1060 or 1061 is required to produce the dominant proteolytic cleavage of CaVα2δ1 and further suggest that the GPI-anchored form of CaVα2δ1 is essential for channel function.

The generation of recombinant antibodies (Abs) using phage display is a proven method to obtain a large variety of Abs that bind with high affinity to a given antigen. Traditionally, the generation of single-chain Abs depends on the use of recombinant proteins in several stages of the procedure. This can be a problem, especially in the case of cell-surface receptors, because Abs generated and selected against recombinant proteins may not bind the same protein expressed on a cell surface in its native form and because the expression of some receptors as recombinant proteins is problematic. To overcome these difficulties, we developed a strategy to generate single-chain Abs that does not require the use of recombinant protein at any stage of the procedure. In this strategy, stably transfected cells are used for the immunization of mice, measuring Ab responses to immunization, panning the phage library, high-throughput screening of arrayed phage clones, and characterization of recombinant single-chain variable regions. This strategy was used to generate a panel of single-chain Abs specific for the innate immunity receptor Toll-like receptor 2. Once generated, individual single-chain variable regions were subcloned into an expression vector allowing the production of recombinant Abs in insect cells, thus avoiding the contamination of recombinant Abs with microbial products. This cell-based system efficiently generates Abs that bind to native molecules on the cell surface, bypasses the requirement of recombinant protein production, and avoids risks of microbial component contamination. / Dissertation

Les canaux calciques de type L CaV1.2 sont principalement responsables de l’entrée des ions calcium pendant la phase plateau du potentiel d’action des cardiomyocytes ventriculaires. Cet influx calcique est requis pour initier la contraction du muscle cardiaque. Le canal CaV1.2 est un complexe oligomérique qui est composé de la sous-unité principale CaVα1 et des sous-unités auxiliaires CaVβ et CaVα2δ1. CaVβ joue un rôle déterminant dans l’adressage membranaire de la sous-unité CaVα1. CaVα2δ1 stabilise l’état ouvert du canal mais le mécanisme moléculaire responsable de cette modulation n’a pas été encore identifié. Nous avons récemment montré que cette modulation requiert une expression membranaire significative de CaVα2δ1 (Bourdin et al. 2015). CaVα2δ1 est une glycoprotéine qui possède 16 sites potentiels de glycosylation de type N. Nous avons donc évalué le rôle de la glycosylation de type-N dans l’adressage membranaire et la stabilité de CaVα2δ1. Nous avons d’abord confirmé que la protéine CaVα2δ1 recombinante, telle la protéine endogène, est significativement glycosylée puisque le traitement à la PNGase F se traduit par une diminution de 50 kDa de sa masse moléculaire, ce qui est compatible avec la présence de 16 sites Asn. Il s’est avéré par ailleurs que la mutation simultanée de 6/16 sites (6xNQ) est suffisante pour 1) réduire significativement la densité de surface de! CaVα2δ1 telle que mesurée par cytométrie en flux et par imagerie confocale 2) accélérer les cinétiques de dégradation telle qu’estimée après arrêt de la synthèse protéique et 3) diminuer la modulation fonctionnelle des courants générés par CaV1.2 telle qu’évaluée par la méthode du « patch-clamp ». Les effets les plus importants ont toutefois été obtenus avec les mutants N663Q, et les doubles mutants N348Q/N468Q, N348Q/N812Q, N468Q/N812Q. Ensemble, ces résultats montrent que Asn663 et à un moindre degré Asn348, Asn468 et Asn812 contribuent à la biogenèse et la stabilité de CaVα2δ1 et confirment que la glycosylation de type N de CaVα2δ1 est nécessaire à la fonction du canal calcique cardiaque de type L. / L-type CaV1.2 channels play a key role in the excitation-contraction coupling in the heart. They are formed of a pore-forming CaVα1 subunit in complex with the intracellular CaVβ and the disulfur-linked CaVα2δ accessory subunits. CaVα2δ significantly increases peak current densities of CaV1.2. The mechanism underlying this effect is still under study but requires that CaVα2δ be trafficked at the cell surface. CaVα2δ contains 16 putative N-glycosylation sites. A study was carried out to identify the role of N-glycosylation in the trafficking and protein stability of the subunit CaVα2δ. Herein we show that enzymatic removal of N-glycans produced a 50 kDa shift in the mobility of cardiac and recombinant CaVα2δ1 proteins. Simultaneous mutation of the 16 Asn sites was required to fully account for this change in protein mobility. Nonetheless, the mutation of only 6/16 sites was sufficient to 1) significantly reduce the steady-state cell surface fluorescence of CaVα2δ1 as characterized by two-color flow cytometry assays and confocal imaging; 2) accelerate the degradation kinetics estimated from cycloheximide chase assays; and 3) prevent the CaVα2δ1-mediated increase in peak current density and voltage-dependent gating of CaV1.2. Reversing the N348Q and N812Q mutations in the non-operational 6 Asn mutant functionally rescued CaVα2δ1. Single mutation N663Q and double mutations N348Q/ N468Q, N348Q/ N812Q, N468Q/N812Q decreased protein stability/synthesis and abolished steady-state cell surface density as well as upregulation of L-type currents. These results demonstrate that Asn663, and to a lesser extent Asn348, Asn468, and Asn812 contribute to the stability of CaVα2δ1 function and furthermore that N- glycosylation of CaVα2δ1 is essential to produce functional L-type Ca2+ channels.

by Ng Wang Kit. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 131-139). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Acknowledgements --- p.iii / Abstract --- p.v / List of Tables --- p.ix / List of Figures --- p.x / List of Abbreviations --- p.xiii / Table of Contents --- p.xv / Chapter Chapter 1: --- General Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter Chapter 2: --- Literature Review --- p.3 / Chapter 2.1 --- Malaria --- p.3 / Chapter 2.1.1 --- Global picture --- p.3 / Chapter 2.1.2 --- Malaria mechanics --- p.4 / Chapter 2.1.3 --- Life cycle of malaria parasite --- p.4 / Chapter 2.2 --- Treatment of malaria ´ؤ malaria drugs --- p.5 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- Antimalarial drugs --- p.5 / Chapter 2.2.2 --- Drug resistance --- p.6 / Chapter 2.3 --- Treatment of malaria - malarial vaccines --- p.7 / Chapter 2.3.1 --- Malarial vaccine developments --- p.7 / Chapter 2.3.2 --- Transmission blocking vaccines --- p.7 / Chapter 2.3.3 --- Pre-erythrocytic vaccines --- p.9 / Chapter 2.3.4 --- Blood stage vaccines --- p.10 / Chapter 2.4 --- The major merozoite protein - gpl95 --- p.11 / Chapter 2.5 --- Plants as bioreactors --- p.12 / Chapter 2.5.1 --- Products of transgenic plants --- p.13 / Chapter 2.6 --- Transgenic plants for production of subunit vaccines --- p.14 / Chapter 2.6.1 --- Norwalk virus capsid protein production --- p.15 / Chapter 2.6.2 --- Hepatitis B surface antigen production --- p.15 / Chapter 2.7 --- Tobacco and Arabidopsis as model plants --- p.16 / Chapter 2.7.1 --- Arabidopsis --- p.16 / Chapter 2.7.2 --- Tobacco --- p.17 / Chapter 2.8 --- Transformation methods --- p.17 / Chapter 2.8.1 --- Direct DNA uptake --- p.17 / Chapter 2.8.1.1 --- Plant protoplast transformation --- p.17 / Chapter 2.8.1.2 --- Biolistic transformation --- p.18 / Chapter 2.8.2 --- Agrobacterium-mediated transformation --- p.18 / Chapter 2.8.2.1 --- Leaf-disc technique --- p.18 / Chapter 2.8.2.2 --- In planta transformation --- p.19 / Chapter 2.9 --- Phaseolin --- p.20 / Chapter 2.10 --- Detection and purification of recombinant products - Histidine tag --- p.21 / Chapter 2.11 --- Aims of study and hypotheses --- p.22 / Chapter Chapter 3: --- Materials and Methods --- p.24 / Chapter 3.1 --- Introduction --- p.24 / Chapter 3.2 --- Chemicals --- p.24 / Chapter 3.3 --- Expression in tobacco system --- p.24 / Chapter 3.3.1 --- Plant materials --- p.24 / Chapter 3.3.2 --- Bacterial strains --- p.25 / Chapter 3.3.3 --- Chimeric gene construction for tobacco transformation --- p.25 / Chapter 3.3.3.1 --- The cloning of pTZPhasp/flgp42-His/Phast (F1) --- p.26 / Chapter 3.3.3.2 --- The cloning of pBKPhasp-sp/flgp42-His/Phast (P9) --- p.30 / Chapter 3.3.3.3 --- The cloning of pHM2Ubip/flgp42-His/Nost (C2) --- p.30 / Chapter 3.3.4 --- Confirmation of sequence fidelity of chimeric gene by DNA sequencing --- p.33 / Chapter 3.3.5 --- Cloning of chimeric gene into binary vector --- p.34 / Chapter 3.3.6 --- Triparental mating of Agrobacterium tumefaciens LBA4404/pAL4404 --- p.35 / Chapter 3.3.7 --- Tobacco transformation and regeneration --- p.36 / Chapter 3.3.8 --- GUS assay --- p.37 / Chapter 3.3.9 --- Genomic DNA isolation --- p.37 / Chapter 3.3.10 --- PCR amplification and detection of transgene --- p.38 / Chapter 3.3.11 --- Southern blot analysis --- p.38 / Chapter 3.3.12 --- Total seeds RNA isolation --- p.39 / Chapter 3.3.13 --- RT-PCR --- p.39 / Chapter 3.3.14 --- Northern blot analysis --- p.40 / Chapter 3.3.15 --- Protein extraction and SDS-PAGE --- p.40 / Chapter 3.3.16 --- Western blot analysis --- p.41 / Chapter 3.4 --- Expression in Arabidopsis system --- p.42 / Chapter 3.4.1 --- Plant materials --- p.42 / Chapter 3.4.2 --- Bacterial strains --- p.42 / Chapter 3.4.3 --- Chimeric gene construction --- p.42 / Chapter 3.4.3.1 --- The cloning of pBKPhasp-sp/His/EK/p42/Phast (DH) --- p.43 / Chapter 3.4.3.2 --- The cloning of pTZPhaSp/His/EK/p42/Phast (EH) --- p.45 / Chapter 3.4.3.3 --- The cloning of pBKPhasp-sp/His/EK/flgp42/Phast (DHF) and pTZPhasp/His/EK/flgp42/Phast (EHF) --- p.45 / Chapter 3.4.4 --- Confirmation of sequence fidelity of chimeric genes --- p.45 / Chapter 3.4.5 --- Cloning of chimeric gene into Agrobacterium binary vector --- p.49 / Chapter 3.4.6 --- Transformation of Agrobacterium tumefaciens GV3101/pMP90 with chimeric gene constructs --- p.49 / Chapter 3.4.7 --- Arabidopsis Transformation --- p.49 / Chapter 3.4.8 --- Vacuum infiltration transformation --- p.50 / Chapter 3.4.9 --- Selection of successful transformants --- p.51 / Chapter 3.4.10 --- Selection for homozygous plants with single gene insertion --- p.51 / Chapter 3.4.11 --- GUS assay --- p.52 / Chapter 3.4.12 --- Genomic DNA isolation --- p.52 / Chapter 3.4.13 --- PCR amplification and detection of transgenes --- p.52 / Chapter 3.4.14 --- Southern Blot analysis --- p.52 / Chapter 3.4.15 --- Total siliques RNA isolation --- p.53 / Chapter 3.4.16 --- RT-PCR --- p.53 / Chapter 3.4.17 --- Northern blot analysis --- p.53 / Chapter 3.4.17 --- Protein extraction and SDS-PAGE --- p.54 / Chapter 3.4.18 --- Western blot analysis --- p.54 / Chapter 3.5 --- In vitro transcription and translation --- p.54 / Chapter 3.5.1 --- In vitro transcription --- p.54 / Chapter 3.5.2 --- In vitro translation --- p.55 / Chapter 3.6 --- Particle bombardment of GUS fusion gene --- p.56 / Chapter 3.6.1 --- Chimeric gene constructs --- p.56 / Chapter 3.6.2 --- Particle bombardment using snow bean cotyledon --- p.61 / Chapter Chapter 4: --- Results --- p.63 / Chapter 4.1 --- Tobacco system --- p.63 / Chapter 4.1.1 --- Chimeric gene constructs --- p.63 / Chapter 4.1.2 --- Tobacco transformation and regeneration --- p.65 / Chapter 4.1.3 --- GUS activity assay --- p.67 / Chapter 4.1.4 --- Molecular analysis of transgene integration --- p.68 / Chapter 4.1.4.1 --- Genomic DNA extraction and PCR --- p.68 / Chapter 4.1.4.2 --- Southern blot analysis --- p.70 / Chapter 4.1.5 --- Molecular analysis of transgene expression --- p.72 / Chapter 4.1.5.1 --- Total RNA isolation and RT-PCR --- p.72 / Chapter 4.1.5.2 --- Northern blot analysis --- p.75 / Chapter 4.1.6 --- Genomic PCR to confirm whole gene transfer --- p.76 / Chapter 4.1.7 --- Biochemical analysis of transgene expression --- p.78 / Chapter 4.1.7.1 --- Protein extraction and SDS-PAGE --- p.78 / Chapter 4.1.7.2 --- Western blot analysis --- p.78 / Chapter 4.2 --- Arabidopsis system --- p.83 / Chapter 4.2.1 --- Chimeric gene constructs --- p.83 / Chapter 4.2.2 --- Arabidopsis transformation and selection --- p.85 / Chapter 4.2.3 --- Selection of transgenic plants --- p.87 / Chapter 4.2.4 --- Assay of GUS activity --- p.91 / Chapter 4.2.5 --- Molecular analysis of transgene integration --- p.92 / Chapter 4.2.5.1 --- Genomic DNA extraction and PCR --- p.92 / Chapter 4.2.5.2 --- Southern blot analysis --- p.96 / Chapter 4.2.6 --- Molecular analysis of transgene expression --- p.99 / Chapter 4.2.6.1 --- Total RNA isolation and RT-PCR --- p.99 / Chapter 4.2.6.2 --- Northern blot analysis --- p.106 / Chapter 4.2.7 --- Genomic PCR for confirmation of whole gene transfer --- p.107 / Chapter 4.2.8 --- Biochemical analysis of transgene expression --- p.108 / Chapter 4.2.8.1 --- Protein extraction and SDS-PAGE --- p.108 / Chapter 4.2.8.2 --- Western blot analysis --- p.108 / Chapter 4.3 --- In vitro transcription and translation --- p.112 / Chapter 4.4 --- Particle bombardment of p42/ GUS fusion gene --- p.115 / Chapter Chapter 5: --- Discussion and Future perspectives --- p.117 / Chapter 5.1 --- Failure in detecting transgene expression --- p.117 / Chapter 5.2 --- Poor transgene expression --- p.120 / Chapter 5.2.1 --- Bacillus thuringiensis toxin and green fluorescent protein --- p.120 / Chapter 5.2.2 --- AT-richness --- p.121 / Chapter 5.2.3 --- Deleterious sequence - AUUUA --- p.123 / Chapter 5.2.4 --- Presence of AAUAAA or AAUAAA-like motifs --- p.125 / Chapter 5.2.5 --- Codon usage --- p.126 / Chapter 5.3 --- Future perspectives --- p.127 / Chapter Chapter 6: --- Conclusion --- p.129 / References --- p.131

Combinatorial techniques, which overcome limitations of actual models of material research permitting to effectively address this large amount of variables, are utilized in this work to prepare combinatorial libraries of the blend of the biodegradable polymers Poly(e-caprolactone) and Poly(lactic acid). These libraries present continuous composition and temperature gradients in an orthogonal fashion that permit to obtain multiple surface morphologies with controllable microstructures due to the blends low critical solution phase behavior (LCST). The goal of this study is to investigate the effect of surface morphology (surface chemical patterning and surface topography) on cell behavior. The varied surface topography of the libraries is used as a valuable tool that permits to assay the interaction between MC3T3-E1 cells and hundreds of different values of critical surface properties, namely, surface roughness and microstructure size. The outcome of this tool is a rapid screening of the effect of surface topography on cell behavior that is orders of magnitude faster than the standard 1-sample for 1 measurement techniques. The results obtained show that cells are very sensitive to surface topography, and that the final effect of surface properties on cell function is intimately related with the stage of the cell developmental process. Meaning that, for example, areas with optimal characteristics to elicit enhancement of cell attachment is not necessarily the same that promotes cell proliferation. This study imparts an improved understanding of an often neglected factor in biomaterials performance: surface morphology (particularly surface topography). The results provide a new insight into the importance of taking into consideration both chemistry and physical surface features for superior biomaterial design.

No description available.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Umeå universitet, 2010.

Innate immunity is the first line of defense against invading pathogens. It functions to eliminate pathogens and also to control infections. The innate immune response is also important for the development of pathogen-specific adaptive immune responses. As a result, the study of innate immune signaling pathways is crucial for understanding the interactions between host and pathogen. Unlike mammals, insects lack a classical adaptive immune response and rely mostly on innate immune responses. Innate immune mechanisms have been widely studied in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. The genetic and molecular tools available in the Drosophila system make it an excellent model system for studying immunity. Furthermore, the innate immune signaling pathways used by Drosophila show strong homology to those of vertebrates making them ideal for studying these pathways. Drosophila immunity relies on cellular and humoral innate immune responses to fight pathogens. The hallmark of the Drosophilahumoral immune response is the rapid induction of antimicrobial peptide genes in the fat body. The production of these antimicrobial peptides is regulated by two immune signaling pathways-Toll and Immune Deficency (IMD) pathways. The Toll pathway responds to many Gram-positive bacterial and fungal infections , while the IMD pathway is potently activated by DAP-type peptidoglycan (PGN) from Gram-negative bacteria and certain Gram-positive bacteria. Two receptors, PGRP-LC and PGRP-LE, are able to recognize DAP-type PGN at the cell surface or in the cytosol, respectively, and trigger the IMD pathway. Upon binding DAP-type PGN, both PGRP-LC and PGRP-LE dimerize/ multimerize and signal to the downstream components of IMD pathway. It is unclear how the receptor activates its downstream components. My work has focused on understanding the molecular events that take place at the receptors following there activation. In these studies I have identified a common motif in the N-terminal domains of both the receptors, known as the RHIM-like domain. The RHIM-like domain is critical for signaling by either receptor, but the mechanism(s) involved remain unclear. IMD, a downstream component of the pathway, associates with both PGRP-LC and -LE but the interaction of PGRP-LC with IMD is not mediated through its RHIM-like domain. Also, mutations affecting the PGRP-LC RHIM-like motif are defective in all known downstream signaling events. However, the RHIM-like mutant receptors are capable of serving as a platform for the assembly of all known components of a receptor proximal signaling complex. These results suggest that another, unidentified component of the IMD signaling pathway may function to mediate interaction with the RHIM-like motif. I performed a yeast two-hybrid screen to identify proteins that might interact with the receptor PGRP-LC through its RHIM- like domain. With this approach, two new components of the IMD pathway were identified. The first component I characterized is called Rudra and it is a critical feedback inhibitor of peptidoglycan receptor signaling. The other factor is known as RYBP, it includes a highly conserved ubiquitin binding motif (NZF), and RNAi studies suggest it is a critical component of the IMD pathway. The identification and characterization of these two new components of the IMD pathway has provided a new insight into the molecular events that take place proximal to the receptor.

10 SUMMARY Proteins represent one of the basic building blocks of all organisms. To understand their function at the molecular level is one the critical goals of current biological, biochemical and biophysical research. It is important to characterise all aspects that affect the localisation of proteins into different compartments with specific functions, the dynamic structure of proteins and their role in multiprotein assemblies, because altering these properties can lead to various diseases. Most of the proteomic studies are nowadays performed using biochemical approaches that allow us to study multicellular organism or tissue at once. The disadvantage of these methods is complex preparation of sample and the need for a large number of cells, which leads to the loss of information at the molecular level and in individual cells. On the contrary, microscopy can provide rather detailed information about proteins of interest and at the level of a single cell. A variety of fluorescence microscopy methods in combination with recombinant DNA techniques were applied to elucidate subcellular localisation of transmembrane adaptor proteins (TRAPs) in human lymphocytes and their nanoscopic organisation at the plasma membrane. Linker of activation of T lymphocytes (LAT), phosphoprotein associated with...

Diatoms are single-celled microalgae with silica-based cell walls (frustules) that are abundantly present in aquatic habitats, and form the basis of the food chain in many ecosystems. Many benthic diatoms have the remarkable ability to glide on all natural or man-made underwater surfaces using a carbohydrate- and protein-based adhesive to generate traction. Previously, three glycoproteins, termed FACs (Frustule Associated Components), have been identified from the common fouling diatom Craspedostauros australis and were implicated in surface adhesion through inhibition studies with a glycan-specific antibody. The polypeptide sequences of FACs remained unknown, and it was unresolved whether the FAC glycoproteins are indeed involved in adhesion, or whether this is achieved by different components sharing the same glycan epitope with FACs. Here we have determined the polypeptide sequences of FACs using peptide mapping by LC–MS/MS. Unexpectedly, FACs share the same polypeptide backbone (termed CaFAP1), which has a domain structure of alternating Cys-rich and Pro-Thr/Ser-rich regions reminiscent of the gel-forming mucins. By developing a genetic transformation system for C. australis, we were able to directly investigate the function of CaFAP1-based glycoproteins in vivo. GFP-tagging of CaFAP1 revealed that it constitutes a coat around all parts of the frustule and is not an integral component of the adhesive. CaFAP1-GFP producing transformants exhibited the same properties as wild type cells regarding surface adhesion and motility speed. Our results demonstrate that FAC glycoproteins are not involved in adhesion and motility, but might rather act as a lubricant to prevent fouling of the diatom surface.