The envelope of Gram-negative bacteria consists of two membranes separated by the periplasmic compartment that contains the peptidoglycan wall. The inner membrane (IM) is in contact with the cytosol while the outer membrane (OM) contacts the extracellular environment. The OM is a unique structure, essential for Gram-negative bacteria, composed of lipopolysaccharide ([PS), phospholipids and proteins. It is a very selective permeability barrier that allows the bacteria to survive in hostile environments such as the gut, where the OM resistance to bile salts allows enteric bacteria to thrive. The components of the OM are the first to come in contact with a host upon infection and strongly modulate the interaction of symbiotic and pathogenic bacteria with their host. A clear grasp of the OM biogenesis process is essential to understand host-pathogen interactions as well as a fundamental aspect of bacterial physiology. Outer membrane proteins (OMPs) are integral membrane proteins, with 13-barrel structures embedded in the OM. Many OMPs are immunogenic and some of them serve as adhesins mediating adhesion and colonization of host tissues. OMPs are synthesized in the cytosol and translocated across the IM by the SEC translocation machinery However, how these hydrophobic proteins cross the periplasm and insert specifically into the OM is poorly understood. A number of periplasmic proteins and one OMP (0mp85/YaeT) have been implicated in the transport and insertion of OMPs. In this proposal we will determine the structure and substrate specificity of the YaeT complex components as a first step toward understanding the mechanisms of OMP transport and assembly. A combination of crystallographic, NMR and biochemical approaches will be combined to characterize this crucial protein complex.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01AI080709-02
Application #
7842620
Study Section
Prokaryotic Cell and Molecular Biology Study Section (PCMB)
Program Officer
Taylor, Christopher E,
Project Start
2009-05-22
Project End
2012-02-14
Budget Start
2010-05-01
Budget End
2012-02-14
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2010
Total Cost
$370,398
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Colorado at Boulder
Department
Chemistry
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
007431505
City
Boulder
State
CO
Country
United States
Zip Code
80309
Doerner, Pamela Arden; Sousa, Marcelo C (2017) Extreme Dynamics in the BamA ?-Barrel Seam. Biochemistry 56:3142-3149
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Warner, Lisa R; Gatzeva-Topalova, Petia Z; Doerner, Pamela A et al. (2017) Flexibility in the Periplasmic Domain of BamA Is Important for Function. Structure 25:94-106
Fleming, Patrick J; Patel, Dhilon S; Wu, Emilia L et al. (2016) BamA POTRA Domain Interacts with a Native Lipid Membrane Surface. Biophys J 110:2698-709
Bergal, Hans Thor; Hopkins, Alex Hunt; Metzner, Sandra Ines et al. (2016) The Structure of a BamA-BamD Fusion Illuminates the Architecture of the ?-Barrel Assembly Machine Core. Structure 24:243-51
Edwards, Devin T; Faulk, Jaevyn K; Sanders, Aric W et al. (2015) Optimizing 1-?s-Resolution Single-Molecule Force Spectroscopy on a Commercial Atomic Force Microscope. Nano Lett 15:7091-8
Doerner, Pamela Arden; Sousa, Marcelo Carlos (2015) Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) Characterization of the POTRA Domains of BamA. Methods Mol Biol 1329:149-55
Jansen, Katarina Bartoš; Baker, Susan Lynn; Sousa, Marcelo Carlos (2015) Crystal structure of BamB bound to a periplasmic domain fragment of BamA, the central component of the ?-barrel assembly machine. J Biol Chem 290:2126-36
Jansen, Katarina Bartoš; Baker, Susan Lynn; Sousa, Marcelo Carlos (2012) Crystal structure of BamB from Pseudomonas aeruginosa and functional evaluation of its conserved structural features. PLoS One 7:e49749
Warner, Lisa R; Varga, Krisztina; Lange, Oliver F et al. (2011) Structure of the BamC two-domain protein obtained by Rosetta with a limited NMR data set. J Mol Biol 411:83-95

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