Structure and function of an essential component of the outer membrane protein assembly machine

Science. 2007 Aug 17;317(5840):961-4. doi: 10.1126/science.1143993.

Abstract

Integral beta-barrel proteins are found in the outer membranes of mitochondria, chloroplasts, and Gram-negative bacteria. The machine that assembles these proteins contains an integral membrane protein, called YaeT in Escherichia coli, which has one or more polypeptide transport-associated (POTRA) domains. The crystal structure of a periplasmic fragment of YaeT reveals the POTRA domain fold and suggests a model for how POTRA domains can bind different peptide sequences, as required for a machine that handles numerous beta-barrel protein precursors. Analysis of POTRA domain deletions shows which are essential and provides a view of the spatial organization of this assembly machine.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / chemistry*
  • Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / genetics
  • Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / metabolism*
  • Cell Membrane / metabolism
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Dimerization
  • Escherichia coli / chemistry*
  • Escherichia coli / metabolism*
  • Escherichia coli Proteins / chemistry*
  • Escherichia coli Proteins / genetics
  • Escherichia coli Proteins / metabolism*
  • Hydrogen Bonding
  • Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions
  • Lipoproteins / chemistry
  • Lipoproteins / metabolism
  • Models, Biological
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mutation
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Conformation
  • Protein Folding
  • Protein Structure, Secondary
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Protein Transport

Substances

  • Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins
  • BamA protein, E coli
  • Escherichia coli Proteins
  • Lipoproteins
  • YfgL protein, E coli

Associated data

  • PDB/2QCZ
  • PDB/2QDF