PNAS Plus: Mechanistic link between barrel assembly and the initiation of autotransporter secretion
Abstract
Most proteins that reside in the bacterial outer membrane are β sheets that fold into a unique cylindrical structure known as a "β barrel." Here we describe significant insights into the function of the Bam complex, a protein machine that catalyzes the insertion of β barrel proteins into the membrane by an unknown mechanism. By analyzing the assembly of autotransporters, a specialized family of outer membrane proteins, we found that the function of the Bam complex can be divided into an initial substrate binding stage and a subsequent insertion stage that is surprisingly sensitive to structural distortions in client proteins.
- Publication:
-
Proceedings of the National Academy of Science
- Pub Date:
- March 2013
- DOI:
- 10.1073/pnas.1219076110
- Bibcode:
- 2013PNAS..110E.938P