User:Aerinsong/sandbox

Structure
Hami fibres consist of 2 main components. The first is the central part, also known as the "prickle region" which gives the filament a barbwire-like appearance with prickles extending from the filament. The second component is the distal part, also known as the "long hook region" which composes of a tripartite end on a plain filament. The distal end frays into three characteristic curvatures that are thought to act as a grappling hook for the cell.

Function
Hamus are a class of filamentous cellular appendages that play a role in cellular adhesion and anchoring to surfaces. The entire length of the hamus consists of barbwire-like prickles protruding from it and the distal end has a barbed grappling hook appearance whyich can all contribute to its primary role in adhesion. The structure of the distal end suggests that the adhesive characteristics of hami are performed by a grasping motion rather than sticking as in adhesive proteins.

Evolution
The initial discovery of hami were found on the surface of prokaryotic cells in uncultivated, cold-loving, non-methanogenic SMI euryarchaeon in nature. While the evolution of hami is still unknown, it is speculated that due to many similarities between the archaeal S-layer N-termini and the N-terminal amino acid sequence of hami, there is a potential divergent evolution between these two structures which have brought about this filamentous arrangement.

Environmental Conditions
Hami are physically and chemically resistant. Although SM1 Eukaryotes have adapted to live in cold temperatures (10C), In recent studies Hami has shown to remain stable a viable at temperatures as low as 0C and high as 70C. Hami also can withstand a broad range of pH ranging from 0.5 to 11.5. Hami's sole purpose is to provide SM1 Eukaryotes with the ability to attach to neighboring cells and their surroundings. In adhesion studies, Hami have shown to withstand the max power outlet of an optical tweezer laser. This strong adhesion is a unique characteristic possessed by SM1 Eukaryotes.