Active membrane transport is a critical process for normal cell metabolism, including the maintenance of ion-gradients, osmotic balance, action potentials and apoptosis. The proposed work will address key questions regarding the mechanisms of nutrient uptake in Escherichia coli, and it will address questions regarding the structure and organization of these proteins in the bacterial outer membrane. In E. coli, rare nutrients are sequestered by specific outer- membrane proteins that derive energy by coupling to the inner-membrane protein TonB. These TonB-dependent transporters include BtuB, which is responsible for vitamin B12 transport, and FhuA, FecA and FepA, which are responsible for the transport of various forms of chelated iron. TonB-dependent transporters, such as BtuB, also acts as receptors for antibacterial proteins called colicins, which are produced by bacteria to eliminate other bacteria. TonB- dependent transporters are abundant in Gram negative bacteria and are critical to the proper functioning of the human microbiome as well as the success of many bacterial pathogens, such as those that result in meningitis, cholera, pertussis and dysentery. Because they are unique to bacteria, these transporters are a rational target for the development of new classes of antibiotics. High-resolution crystallographic models have been obtained for a number of TonB-dependent transporters; however, the mechanism by which transport takes place is unclear. The proposed work will test models for the molecular mechanisms of transport primarily through the use of site-directed spin labeling and EPR spectroscopy. New approaches have been developed to perform double electron-electron resonance in intact E. coli, and these approaches will be used to determine the conformation of TonB-dependent transporters in E. coli under conditions where transport takes place. In the outer membrane, proteins are sequestered into domains or islands, which are thought to drive the turnover of outer-membrane proteins in bacteria. EPR will be used in E. coli to characterize the protein-protein interactions that drive domain formation and define the supramolecular structure of the outer membrane. Finally, EPR on actively metabolizing E. coli will be used to test models for the import of colicin E3 into the bacterial cell.

Public Health Relevance

The proposed research will determine the molecular mechanisms by which bacteria transport scarce nutrients across their cell membrane. This transport is critical to the functioning of the human microbiome, and it is essential for the success of many bacterial pathogens, such as the bacteria that cause meningitis, cholera and pertussis. Knowledge of these transport mechanisms will assist with the development of new antibiotics to treat bacterial infection.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01GM035215-31
Application #
10075285
Study Section
Biochemistry and Biophysics of Membranes Study Section (BBM)
Program Officer
Wu, Mary Ann
Project Start
1985-09-06
Project End
2022-12-31
Budget Start
2021-01-01
Budget End
2021-12-31
Support Year
31
Fiscal Year
2021
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Virginia
Department
Chemistry
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
065391526
City
Charlottesville
State
VA
Country
United States
Zip Code
22904
Sarver, Jessica L; Zhang, Michael; Liu, Lishan et al. (2018) A Dynamic Protein-Protein Coupling between the TonB-Dependent Transporter FhuA and TonB. Biochemistry 57:1045-1053
Sikora, Arthur; Joseph, Benesh; Matson, Morgan et al. (2016) Allosteric Signaling Is Bidirectional in an Outer-Membrane Transport Protein. Biophys J 111:1908-1918
Joseph, Benesh; Sikora, Arthur; Cafiso, David S (2016) Ligand Induced Conformational Changes of a Membrane Transporter in E. coli Cells Observed with DEER/PELDOR. J Am Chem Soc 138:1844-7
Joseph, Benesh; Sikora, Arthur; Bordignon, Enrica et al. (2015) Distance Measurement on an Endogenous Membrane Transporter in E. coli Cells and Native Membranes Using EPR Spectroscopy. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 54:6196-9
Iyalomhe, Osigbemhe; Herrick, Dawn Z; Cafiso, David S et al. (2014) Closure of the cytoplasmic gate formed by TM5 and TM11 during transport in the oxalate/formate exchanger from Oxalobacter formigenes. Biochemistry 53:7735-44
Cafiso, David S (2014) Identifying and quantitating conformational exchange in membrane proteins using site-directed spin labeling. Acc Chem Res 47:3102-9
Freed, Daniel M; Lukasik, Stephen M; Sikora, Arthur et al. (2013) Monomeric TonB and the Ton box are required for the formation of a high-affinity transporter-TonB complex. Biochemistry 52:2638-48
Regan, Michael C; Horanyi, Peter S; Pryor Jr, Edward E et al. (2013) Structural and dynamic studies of the transcription factor ERG reveal DNA binding is allosterically autoinhibited. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 110:13374-9
Flores Jiménez, Ricardo H; Cafiso, David S (2012) The N-terminal domain of a TonB-dependent transporter undergoes a reversible stepwise denaturation. Biochemistry 51:3642-50
Cafiso, David S (2012) Taking the pulse of protein interactions by EPR spectroscopy. Biophys J 103:2047-8

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