Multistep Assembly of a Microcompartment Encapsulating Hundreds of Molecules (I)

Descriptive Transcript

This video shows encapsulation of hundreds of cargo molecules by a model bacterial microcompartment.

In the first step an amorphous globule of cargo molecules (red) forms, with unassembled shell subunits (hexamers (brown) and pentamers (blue)) adsorbed to it.

Then two shells begin to assemble on the globule.

Eventually, the curvature of the shells forces them to bud from globule, each carving out a portion of the cargo as they go.