RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Evolutionary variations in the biofilm-associated protein BslA from the genus Bacillus JF bioRxiv FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory SP 091884 DO 10.1101/091884 A1 Ryan J. Morris A1 Marieke Schor A1 Rachel M.C. Gillespie A1 Ana Sofia Ferreira A1 Keith M. Bromley A1 Lucia Baldauf A1 Sofia Arnaouteli A1 Tetyana Sukhodub A1 Adam Ostrowski A1 Laura Hobley A1 Chris Earl A1 Nicola R. Stanley-Wall A1 Cait E. MacPhee YR 2016 UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2016/12/12/091884.abstract AB BslA is a protein secreted by Bacillus subtilis which forms a hydrophobic film that coats the biofilm surface and renders it water-repellent. We have characterised three orthologues of BslA from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus pumilus as well as a paralogue from B. subtilis called YweA. We find that the three orthologous proteins can substitute for BslA in B. subtilis and confer a degree of protection, whereas YweA cannot. The degree to which the proteins functionally substitute for native BslA correlates with their in vitro biophysical properties. Our results demonstrate the use of naturally-evolved variants to provide a framework for teasing out the molecular basis of interfacial self-assembly.