1
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Werner MH, Mehner-Breitfeld D, Brüser T. A larger TatBC complex associates with TatA clusters for transport of folded proteins across the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane. Sci Rep 2024; 14:13754. [PMID: 38877109 PMCID: PMC11178869 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64547-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024] Open
Abstract
The twin-arginine translocation (Tat) system transports folded proteins across energized biological membranes in bacteria, plastids, and plant mitochondria. In Escherichia coli, the three membrane proteins TatA, TatB and TatC associate to enable Tat transport. While TatB and TatC together form complexes that bind Tat-dependently transported proteins, the TatA component is responsible for the permeabilization of the membrane during transport. With wild type Tat systems, the TatB- and TatC-containing Tat complexes TC1 and TC2 can be differentiated. Their TatA content has not been resolved, nor could they be assigned to any step of the translocation mechanism. It is therefore a key question of current Tat research to understand how TatA associates with Tat systems during transport. By analyzing affinity-purified Tat complexes with mutations in TatC that selectively enrich either TC1 or TC2, we now for the first time demonstrate that both Tat complexes associate with TatA, but the larger TC2 recruits significantly more TatA than the smaller TC1. Most TatA co-purified as multimeric clusters. Using site-specific photo cross-linking, we could detect TatA-TatC interactions only near TatC transmembrane helices 5 and 6. Substrate-binding did not change the interacting positions but affected the stability of the interaction, pointing to a substrate-induced conformational transition. Together, our findings indicate that TatA clusters associate with TatBC without being integrated into the complex by major rearrangements. The increased TatA affinity of the larger Tat complex TC2 suggests that functional assembly is advanced in this complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max-Hinrich Werner
- Institute of Microbiology, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Herrenhäuser Straße 2, 30419, Hannover, Germany
| | - Denise Mehner-Breitfeld
- Institute of Microbiology, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Herrenhäuser Straße 2, 30419, Hannover, Germany
| | - Thomas Brüser
- Institute of Microbiology, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Herrenhäuser Straße 2, 30419, Hannover, Germany.
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2
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Palmer T, Berks BC. The twin-arginine translocation (Tat) system. Curr Biol 2024; 34:R267-R268. [PMID: 38593766 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.02.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
In this Quick guide, Palmer and Berks introduce the twin-arginine translocation (Tat) systems. Tats are found in a variety of microbes and microbe-derived organelles, and are known to translocate folded substrate proteins across biological membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tracy Palmer
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK.
| | - Ben C Berks
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
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3
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Tran BM, Punter CM, Linnik D, Iyer A, Poolman B. Single-protein Diffusion in the Periplasm of Escherichia coli. J Mol Biol 2024; 436:168420. [PMID: 38143021 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2023.168420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023]
Abstract
The width of the periplasmic space of Gram-negative bacteria is only about 25-30 nm along the long axis of the cell, which affects free diffusion of (macro)molecules. We have performed single-particle displacement measurements and diffusion simulation studies to determine the impact of confinement on the apparent mobility of proteins in the periplasm of Escherichia coli. The diffusion of a reporter protein and of OsmY, an osmotically regulated periplasmic protein, is characterized by a fast and slow component regardless of the osmotic conditions. The diffusion coefficient of the fast fraction increases upon osmotic upshift, in agreement with a decrease in macromolecular crowding of the periplasm, but the mobility of the slow (immobile) fraction is not affected by the osmotic stress. We observe that the confinement created by the inner and outer membranes results in a lower apparent diffusion coefficient, but this can only partially explain the slow component of diffusion in the particle displacement measurements, suggesting that a fraction of the proteins is hindered in its mobility by large periplasmic structures. Using particle-based simulations, we have determined the confinement effect on the apparent diffusion coefficient of the particles for geometries akin the periplasmic space of Gram-negative bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Buu Minh Tran
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Christiaan Michiel Punter
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Dmitrii Linnik
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Aditya Iyer
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Bert Poolman
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, the Netherlands.
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4
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Hickman SJ, Miller HL, Bukys A, Kapanidis AN, Berks BC. Aberrant Topologies of Bacterial Membrane Proteins Revealed by High Sensitivity Fluorescence Labelling. J Mol Biol 2024; 436:168368. [PMID: 37977298 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2023.168368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
The cytoplasmic membrane compartmentalises the bacterial cell into cytoplasm and periplasm. Proteins located in this membrane have a defined topology that is established during their biogenesis. However, the accuracy of this fundamental biosynthetic process is unknown. We developed compartment-specific fluorescence labelling methods with up to single-molecule sensitivity. Application of these methods to the single and multi-spanning membrane proteins of the Tat protein transport system revealed rare topogenesis errors. This methodology also detected low level soluble protein mislocalization from the cytoplasm to the periplasm. This study shows that it is possible to uncover rare errors in protein localization by leveraging the high sensitivity of fluorescence methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel J Hickman
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, United Kingdom.
| | - Helen L Miller
- Biological Physics Research Group, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PU, United Kingdom.
| | - Alfredas Bukys
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, United Kingdom.
| | - Achillefs N Kapanidis
- Biological Physics Research Group, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PU, United Kingdom; Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Sherrington Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, United Kingdom.
| | - Ben C Berks
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, United Kingdom.
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5
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Diepold A. Defining Assembly Pathways by Fluorescence Microscopy. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2715:383-394. [PMID: 37930541 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3445-5_24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
Bacterial secretion systems are among the largest protein complexes in prokaryotes and display remarkably complex architectures. Their assembly often follows clearly defined pathways. Deciphering these pathways not only reveals how bacteria accomplish to build these large functional complexes but can provide crucial information on the interactions and subcomplexes within secretion systems, their distribution within the bacterium, and even functional insights. Fluorescence microscopy provides a powerful tool for biological imaging, which presents an interesting method to accurately define the biogenesis of macromolecular complexes using fluorescently labeled components. Here, I describe the use of this method to decipher the assembly pathway of bacterial secretion systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Diepold
- Department of Ecophysiology, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany.
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6
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Severi E, Bunoro Batista M, Lannoy A, Stansfeld PJ, Palmer T. Characterization of a TatA/TatB binding site on the TatC component of the Escherichia coli twin arginine translocase. MICROBIOLOGY (READING, ENGLAND) 2023; 169:001298. [PMID: 36790402 PMCID: PMC10197872 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
The twin arginine transport (Tat) pathway exports folded proteins across the cytoplasmic membranes of prokaryotes and the thylakoid membranes of chloroplasts. In Escherichia coli and other Gram-negative bacteria, the Tat machinery comprises TatA, TatB and TatC components. A Tat receptor complex, formed from all three proteins, binds Tat substrates, which triggers receptor organization and recruitment of further TatA molecules to form the active Tat translocon. The polytopic membrane protein TatC forms the core of the Tat receptor and harbours two binding sites for the sequence-related TatA and TatB proteins. A 'polar' cluster binding site, formed by TatC transmembrane helices (TMH) 5 and 6 is occupied by TatB in the resting receptor and exchanges for TatA during receptor activation. The second binding site, lying further along TMH6, is occupied by TatA in the resting state, but its functional relevance is unclear. Here we have probed the role of this second binding site through a programme of random and targeted mutagenesis. Characterization of three stably produced TatC variants, P221R, M222R and L225P, each of which is inactive for protein transport, demonstrated that the substitutions did not affect assembly of the Tat receptor. Moreover, the substitutions that we analysed did not abolish TatA or TatB binding to either binding site. Using targeted mutagenesis we introduced bulky substitutions into the TatA binding site. Molecular dynamics simulations and crosslinking analysis indicated that TatA binding at this site was substantially reduced by these amino acid changes, but TatC retained function. While it is not clear whether TatA binding at the TMH6 site is essential for Tat activity, the isolation of inactivating substitutions indicates that this region of the protein has a critical function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuele Severi
- Microbes in Health and Disease Theme, Newcastle University Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Mariana Bunoro Batista
- School of Life Sciences and Department of Chemistry, Gibbet Hill Campus, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Adelie Lannoy
- Microbes in Health and Disease Theme, Newcastle University Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Phillip J. Stansfeld
- School of Life Sciences and Department of Chemistry, Gibbet Hill Campus, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Tracy Palmer
- Microbes in Health and Disease Theme, Newcastle University Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK
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7
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Alcock F, Berks BC. New insights into the Tat protein transport cycle from characterizing the assembled Tat translocon. Mol Microbiol 2022; 118:637-651. [PMID: 36151601 PMCID: PMC10092561 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The twin-arginine protein translocation (Tat) system transports folded proteins across the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane and the thylakoid membrane of chloroplasts. The Tat translocation site is transiently assembled by the recruitment of multiple TatA proteins to a substrate-activated TatBC receptor complex in a process requiring the protonmotive force. The ephemeral nature of the Tat translocation site has so far precluded its isolation. We now report that detergent solubilization of membranes during active transport allows the recovery of receptor complexes that are associated with elevated levels of TatA. We apply this biochemical analysis in combination with live cell fluorescence imaging to Tat systems trapped in the assembled state. We resolve sub-steps in the Tat translocation cycle and infer that TatA assembly precedes the functional interaction of TatA with a polar cluster site on TatC. We observe that dissipation of the protonmotive force releases TatA oligomers from the assembled translocation site demonstrating that the stability of the TatA oligomer does not depend on binding to the receptor complex and implying that the TatA oligomer is assembled at the periphery of the receptor complex. This work provides new insight into the Tat transport cycle and advances efforts to isolate the active Tat translocon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felicity Alcock
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Microbes in Health and Disease Theme, Newcastle University Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Ben C Berks
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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8
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Brüser T, Mehner-Breitfeld D. Occurrence and potential mechanism of holin-mediated non-lytic protein translocation in bacteria. MICROBIAL CELL (GRAZ, AUSTRIA) 2022; 9:159-173. [PMID: 36262927 PMCID: PMC9527704 DOI: 10.15698/mic2022.10.785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Revised: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Holins are generally believed to generate large membrane lesions that permit the passage of endolysins across the cytoplasmic membrane of prokaryotes, ultimately resulting in cell wall degradation and cell lysis. However, there are more and more examples known for non-lytic holin-dependent secretion of proteins by bacteria, indicating that holins somehow can transport proteins without causing large membrane lesions. Phage-derived holins can be used for a non-lytic endolysin translocation to permeabilize the cell wall for the passage of secreted proteins. In addition, clostridia, which do not possess the Tat pathway for transport of folded proteins, most likely employ non-lytic holin-mediated transport also for secretion of toxins and bacteriocins that are incompatible with the general Sec pathway. The mechanism for non-lytic holin-mediated transport is unknown, but the recent finding that the small holin TpeE mediates a non-lytic toxin secretion in Clostridium perfringens opened new perspectives. TpeE contains only one short transmembrane helix that is followed by an amphipathic helix, which is reminiscent of TatA, the membrane-permeabilizing component of the Tat translocon for folded proteins. Here we review the known cases of non-lytic holin-mediated transport and then focus on the structural and functional comparison of TatA and TpeE, resulting in a mechanistic model for holin-mediated transport. This model is strongly supported by a so far not recognized naturally occurring holin-endolysin fusion protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Brüser
- Institute of Microbiology, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Hannover, Germany
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9
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Sharma A, Chowdhury R, Musser SM. Oligomerization state of the functional bacterial twin-arginine translocation (Tat) receptor complex. Commun Biol 2022; 5:988. [PMID: 36123532 PMCID: PMC9485244 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03952-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The twin-arginine translocation (Tat) system transports folded proteins across bacterial and plastid energy transducing membranes. Ion leaks are generally considered to be mitigated by the creation and destruction of the translocation conduit in a cargo-dependent manner, a mechanism that enables tight sealing around a wide range of cargo shapes and sizes. In contrast to the variable stoichiometry of the active translocon, the oligomerization state of the receptor complex is considered more consistently stable but has proved stubbornly difficult to establish. Here, using a single molecule photobleaching analysis of individual inverted membrane vesicles, we demonstrate that Tat receptor complexes are tetrameric in native membranes with respect to both TatB and TatC. This establishes a maximal diameter for a resting state closed pore. A large percentage of Tat-deficient vesicles explains the typically low transport efficiencies observed. This individual reaction chamber approach will facilitate examination of the effects of stochastically distributed molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ankith Sharma
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M University, School of Medicine, 1114 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Rajdeep Chowdhury
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M University, School of Medicine, 1114 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Siegfried M Musser
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M University, School of Medicine, 1114 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
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10
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Taw MN, Boock JT, Sotomayor B, Kim D, Rocco MA, Waraho-Zhmayev D, DeLisa MP. Twin-arginine translocase component TatB performs folding quality control via a chaperone-like activity. Sci Rep 2022; 12:14862. [PMID: 36050356 PMCID: PMC9436932 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-18958-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The twin-arginine translocation (Tat) pathway involves an inbuilt quality control (QC) system that synchronizes the proofreading of substrate protein folding with lipid bilayer transport. However, the molecular details of this QC mechanism remain poorly understood. Here, we hypothesized that the conformational state of Tat substrates is directly sensed by the TatB component of the bacterial Tat translocase. In support of this hypothesis, several TatB variants were observed to form functional translocases in vivo that had compromised QC activity as evidenced by the uncharacteristic export of several misfolded protein substrates. These variants each possessed cytoplasmic membrane-extrinsic domains that were either truncated or mutated in the vicinity of a conserved, highly flexible α-helical domain. In vitro folding experiments revealed that the TatB membrane-extrinsic domain behaved like a general molecular chaperone, transiently binding to highly structured, partially unfolded intermediates of a model protein, citrate synthase, in a manner that prevented its irreversible aggregation and stabilized the active species. Collectively, these results suggest that the Tat translocase may use chaperone-like client recognition to monitor the conformational status of its substrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- May N Taw
- Department of Microbiology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Jason T Boock
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, 120 Olin Hall, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Belen Sotomayor
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, 120 Olin Hall, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Daniel Kim
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, 120 Olin Hall, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Mark A Rocco
- Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Dujduan Waraho-Zhmayev
- Biological Engineering Program, Faculty of Engineering, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Matthew P DeLisa
- Department of Microbiology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA. .,Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, 120 Olin Hall, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA. .,Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.
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11
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Mehner-Breitfeld D, Ringel MT, Tichy DA, Endter LJ, Stroh KS, Lünsdorf H, Risselada HJ, Brüser T. TatA and TatB generate a hydrophobic mismatch important for the function and assembly of the Tat translocon in Escherichia coli. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:102236. [PMID: 35809643 PMCID: PMC9424591 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Revised: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The twin-arginine translocation (Tat) system serves to translocate folded proteins across energy-transducing membranes in bacteria, archaea, plastids, and some mitochondria. In Escherichia coli, TatA, TatB, and TatC constitute functional translocons. TatA and TatB both possess an N-terminal transmembrane helix (TMH) followed by an amphipathic helix. The TMHs of TatA and TatB generate a hydrophobic mismatch with the membrane, as the helices comprise only 12 consecutive hydrophobic residues; however, the purpose of this mismatch is unclear. Here, we shortened or extended this stretch of hydrophobic residues in either TatA, TatB, or both and analyzed effects on translocon function and assembly. We found the WT length helices functioned best, but some variation was clearly tolerated. Defects in function were exacerbated by simultaneous mutations in TatA and TatB, indicating partial compensation of mutations in each by the other. Furthermore, length variation in TatB destabilized TatBC-containing complexes, revealing that the 12-residue-length is important but not essential for this interaction and translocon assembly. To also address potential effects of helix length on TatA interactions, we characterized these interactions by molecular dynamics simulations, after having characterized the TatA assemblies by metal-tagging transmission electron microscopy. In these simulations, we found that interacting short TMHs of larger TatA assemblies were thinning the membrane and—together with laterally-aligned tilted amphipathic helices—generated a deep V-shaped membrane groove. We propose the 12 consecutive hydrophobic residues may thus serve to destabilize the membrane during Tat transport, and their conservation could represent a delicate compromise between functionality and minimization of proton leakage.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael T Ringel
- Institute of Microbiology, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| | - Daniel Alexander Tichy
- Institute of Microbiology, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Hannover, Germany; Institute for Theoretical Physics, Georg August University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Laura J Endter
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Georg August University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Kai Steffen Stroh
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Georg August University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | | | - Herre Jelger Risselada
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Georg August University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Thomas Brüser
- Institute of Microbiology, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
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12
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Pei D, Dalbey RE. Membrane Translocation of Folded Proteins. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:102107. [PMID: 35671825 PMCID: PMC9251779 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2022] [Revised: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
An ever-increasing number of proteins have been shown to translocate across various membranes of bacterial as well as eukaryotic cells in their folded states as a part of physiological and/or pathophysiological processes. Herein we provide an overview of the systems/processes that are established or likely to involve the membrane translocation of folded proteins, such as protein export by the twin-arginine translocation (TAT) system in bacteria and chloroplasts, unconventional protein secretion (UPS) and protein import into the peroxisome in eukaryotes, and the cytosolic entry of proteins (e.g., bacterial toxins) and viruses into eukaryotes. We also discuss the various mechanistic models that have previously been proposed for the membrane translocation of folded proteins including pore/channel formation, local membrane disruption, membrane thinning, and transport by membrane vesicles. Finally, we introduce a newly discovered vesicular transport mechanism, vesicle budding and collapse (VBC), and present evidence that VBC may represent a unifying mechanism that drives some (and potentially all) of folded protein translocation processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dehua Pei
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, 484 West 12(th) Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210.
| | - Ross E Dalbey
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, 484 West 12(th) Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210.
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13
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Hao B, Zhou W, Theg SM. Hydrophobic mismatch is a key factor in protein transport across lipid bilayer membranes via the Tat pathway. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:101991. [PMID: 35490783 PMCID: PMC9207671 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.101991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Revised: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The twin-arginine translocation (Tat) pathway transports folded proteins across membranes in bacteria, thylakoids, plant mitochondria, and archaea. In most species, the active Tat machinery consists of three independent subunits: TatA, TatB, and TatC. TatA and TatB possess short transmembrane alpha helices (TMHs), both of which are only 15 residues long in Escherichia coli. Such short TMHs cause a hydrophobic mismatch between Tat subunits and the membrane bilayer, although the functional significance of this mismatch is unclear. Here, we sought to address the functional importance of the hydrophobic mismatch in the Tat transport mechanism in E. coli. We conducted three different assays to evaluate the effect of TMH length mutants on Tat activity and observed that the TMHs of TatA and TatB appear to be evolutionarily tuned to 15 amino acids, with activity dropping off following any modification of this length. Surprisingly, TatA and TatB with as few as 11 residues in their TMHs can still insert into the membrane bilayer, albeit with a decline in membrane integrity. These findings support a model of Tat transport utilizing localized toroidal pores that form when the membrane bilayer is thinned to a critical threshold. In this context, we conclude that the 15-residue length of the TatA and TatB TMHs can be seen as a compromise between the need for some hydrophobic mismatch to allow the membrane to reversibly reach the threshold thinness required for toroidal pore formation and the permanently destabilizing effect of placing even shorter helices into these energy-transducing membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binhan Hao
- Plant Biology Department, University of California, Davis, CA 95616
| | - Wenjie Zhou
- Plant Biology Department, University of California, Davis, CA 95616
| | - Steven M Theg
- Plant Biology Department, University of California, Davis, CA 95616.
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14
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Abstract
Biomolecules such as peptides, proteins, and nucleic acids generally cannot cross a cell membrane by passive diffusion. Nevertheless, cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), bacterial protein toxins, certain eukaryotic proteins, viruses, and many synthetic drug delivery vehicles have been shown to enter the cytosol of eukaryotic cells with varying efficiencies. They generally enter the cell by one or more of the endocytic mechanisms and are initially localized inside the endosomes. But how they cross the endosomal membrane to reach the cytosol (i.e., endosomal escape) has been a mystery for decades, and this knowledge gap has been a major bottleneck for the development of efficient drug delivery systems. In addition, many bacterial and eukaryotic proteins are transported across the plasma membrane in their native states into the periplasmic/extracellular space through the twin-arginine translocation (TAT) and unconventional protein secretion (UPS) systems, respectively. Again, the mechanisms underpinning these protein export systems remain unclear.In this Account, I introduce a previously unrecognized, fundamental membrane translocation mechanism which we have termed the vesicle budding-and-collapse (VBC) mechanism. Through VBC, biomolecules of diverse sizes and physicochemical properties autonomously translocate across cell membranes topologically (i.e., from one side to the other side of the membrane) but not physically (i.e., without going through the membrane). We have demonstrated that CPPs and bacterial protein toxins escape the endosome by the VBC mechanism in giant unilamellar vesicles as well as live mammalian cells. This advance resulted from studies in which we labeled the biomolecules with a pH-sensitive, red-colored dye (pHAb) and phosphatidylserine with a pH-insensitive green dye (TopFluor) and monitored the intracellular trafficking of the biomolecules in real time by confocal microscopy. In addition, by enlarging the endosomes with a kinase inhibitor, we were able to visualize the structural changes of the endosomes (i.e., endosomal escape intermediates) as they went through the VBC process. I postulate that bacterial/viral/eukaryotic proteins, nonenveloped viruses, and synthetic drug delivery vehicles (e.g., polyplexes, lipoplexes, and lipid nanoparticles) may also escape the endosome by inducing VBC. Furthermore, I propose that VBC may be the mechanism that drives the bacterial TAT and eukaryotic UPS systems. Our findings fill a long-standing gap in cell biology and provide guiding principles for designing more efficient drug delivery vehicles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dehua Pei
- Corresponding Author: To whom correspondence should be addressed: Dehua Pei. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Ohio State Biochemistry Program, The Ohio State University, 484 West 12th Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States; (+1-614-688-4068, )
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15
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Leroux M, Soubry N, Reyes-Lamothe R. Dynamics of Proteins and Macromolecular Machines in Escherichia coli. EcoSal Plus 2021; 9:eESP00112020. [PMID: 34060908 PMCID: PMC11163846 DOI: 10.1128/ecosalplus.esp-0011-2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Proteins are major contributors to the composition and the functions in the cell. They often assemble into larger structures, macromolecular machines, to carry out intricate essential functions. Although huge progress in understanding how macromolecular machines function has been made by reconstituting them in vitro, the role of the intracellular environment is still emerging. The development of fluorescence microscopy techniques in the last 2 decades has allowed us to obtain an increased understanding of proteins and macromolecular machines in cells. Here, we describe how proteins move by diffusion, how they search for their targets, and how they are affected by the intracellular environment. We also describe how proteins assemble into macromolecular machines and provide examples of how frequent subunit turnover is used for them to function and to respond to changes in the intracellular conditions. This review emphasizes the constant movement of molecules in cells, the stochastic nature of reactions, and the dynamic nature of macromolecular machines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxime Leroux
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Nicolas Soubry
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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16
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Bageshwar UK, DattaGupta A, Musser SM. Influence of the TorD signal peptide chaperone on Tat-dependent protein translocation. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0256715. [PMID: 34499687 PMCID: PMC8428690 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The twin-arginine translocation (Tat) pathway transports folded proteins across energetic membranes. Numerous Tat substrates contain co-factors that are inserted before transport with the assistance of redox enzyme maturation proteins (REMPs), which bind to the signal peptide of precursor proteins. How signal peptides are transferred from a REMP to a binding site on the Tat receptor complex remains unknown. Since the signal peptide mediates both interactions, possibilities include: i) a coordinated hand-off mechanism; or ii) a diffusional search after REMP dissociation. We investigated the binding interaction between substrates containing the TorA signal peptide (spTorA) and its cognate REMP, TorD, and the effect of TorD on the in vitro transport of such substrates. We found that Escherichia coli TorD is predominantly a monomer at low micromolar concentrations (dimerization KD > 50 μM), and this monomer binds reversibly to spTorA (KD ≈ 1 μM). While TorD binds to membranes (KD ≈ 100 nM), it has no apparent affinity for Tat translocons and it inhibits binding of a precursor substrate to the membrane. TorD has a minimal effect on substrate transport by the Tat system, being mildly inhibitory at high concentrations. These data are consistent with a model in which the REMP-bound signal peptide is shielded from recognition by the Tat translocon, and spontaneous dissociation of the REMP allows the substrate to engage the Tat machinery. Thus, the REMP does not assist with targeting to the Tat translocon, but rather temporarily shields the signal peptide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Umesh K. Bageshwar
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M University, College of Medicine, The Texas A&M Health Science Center, TX, United States of America
| | - Antara DattaGupta
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M University, College of Medicine, The Texas A&M Health Science Center, TX, United States of America
| | - Siegfried M. Musser
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M University, College of Medicine, The Texas A&M Health Science Center, TX, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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17
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Visualization and Analysis of the Dynamic Assembly of a Heterologous Lantibiotic Biosynthesis Complex in Bacillus subtilis. mBio 2021; 12:e0121921. [PMID: 34281399 PMCID: PMC8406302 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01219-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
A membrane-associated lanthipeptide synthetase complex, consisting of the dehydratase NisB, the cyclase NisC, and the ABC transporter NisT, has been described for nisin biosynthesis in the coccoid bacterium Lactococcus lactis. Here, we used advanced fluorescence microscopy to visualize the functional nisin biosynthesis machinery in rod-shaped cells and analyzed its spatial distribution and dynamics employing a platform we developed for heterologous production of nisin in Bacillus subtilis. We observed that NisT, as well as NisB and NisC, were all distributed in a punctate pattern along the cell periphery, opposed to the situation in coccoid cells. NisBTC proteins were found to be highly colocalized, being visualized at the same spots by dual fluorescence microscopy. In conjunction with the successful isolation of the biosynthetic complex NisBTC from the cell membrane, this corroborated that the visual bright foci were the sites for nisin maturation and transportation. A strategy of differential timing of expression was employed to demonstrate the in vivo dynamic assembly of NisBTC, revealing the recruitment by NisT of NisBC to the membrane. Additionally, by use of mutated proteins, the nucleotide binding domain (NBD) of NisT was found to function as a membrane anchor for NisB and/or NisC. We also show that the nisin biosynthesis sites are static and likely associated with proteins residing in lipid rafts. Based on these data, we propose a model for a three-phase production of modified precursor nisin in rod-shaped bacteria, presenting the assembly dynamics of NisBTC and emphasizing the crucial role of NisBC, next to NisT, in the process of precursor nisin translocation.
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18
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Electrochromic shift supports the membrane destabilization model of Tat-mediated transport and shows ion leakage during Sec transport. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2018122118. [PMID: 33723047 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2018122118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The mechanism and pore architecture of the Tat complex during transport of folded substrates remain a mystery, partly due to rapid dissociation after translocation. In contrast, the proteinaceous SecY pore is a persistent structure that needs only to undergo conformational shifts between "closed" and "opened" states when translocating unfolded substrate chains. Where the proteinaceous pore model describes the SecY pore well, the toroidal pore model better accounts for the high-energy barrier that must be overcome when transporting a folded substrate through the hydrophobic bilayer in Tat transport. Membrane conductance behavior can, in principle, be used to distinguish between toroidal and proteinaceous pores, as illustrated in the examination of many antimicrobial peptides as well as mitochondrial Bax and Bid. Here, we measure the electrochromic shift (ECS) decay as a proxy for conductance in isolated thylakoids, both during protein transport and with constitutively assembled translocons. We find that membranes with the constitutively assembled Tat complex and those undergoing Tat transport display conductance characteristics similar to those of resting membranes. Membranes undergoing Sec transport and those with the substrate-engaged SecY pore result in significantly more rapid electric field decay. The responsiveness of the ECS signal in membranes with active SecY recalls the steep relationship between applied voltage and conductance in a proteinaceous pore, while the nonaccelerated electric field decay with both Tat transport and the constitutive Tat complex under the same electric field is consistent with the behavior of a toroidal pore.
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19
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Palmer T, Stansfeld PJ. Targeting of proteins to the twin-arginine translocation pathway. Mol Microbiol 2020; 113:861-871. [PMID: 31971282 PMCID: PMC7317946 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Revised: 01/12/2020] [Accepted: 01/12/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The twin-arginine protein transport (Tat pathway) is found in prokaryotes and plant organelles and transports folded proteins across membranes. Targeting of substrates to the Tat system is mediated by the presence of an N-terminal signal sequence containing a highly conserved twin-arginine motif. The Tat machinery comprises membrane proteins from the TatA and TatC families. Assembly of the Tat translocon is dynamic and is triggered by the interaction of a Tat substrate with the Tat receptor complex. This review will summarise recent advances in our understanding of Tat transport, focusing in particular on the roles played by Tat signal peptides in protein targeting and translocation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tracy Palmer
- Faculty of Medical Sciences, Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology, Biosciences Institute, Molecular and Cellular Microbiology Theme, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, England
| | - Phillip J Stansfeld
- School of Life Sciences and Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
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20
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Abstract
The Tat pathway for protein translocation across bacterial membranes stands out for its selective handling of fully folded cargo proteins. In this review, we provide a comprehensive summary of our current understanding of the different known Tat components, their assembly into different complexes, and their specific roles in the protein translocation process. In particular, this overview focuses on the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli and the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis. Using these organisms as examples, we discuss structural features of Tat complexes alongside mechanistic models that allow for the Tat pathway's unique protein proofreading and transport capabilities. Finally, we highlight recent advances in exploiting the Tat pathway for biotechnological benefit, the production of high-value pharmaceutical proteins.
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21
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Abstract
Most bacteria rely on the redox activity of respiratory complexes embedded in the cytoplasmic membrane to gain energy in the form of ATP and of an electrochemical gradient established across the membrane. Nevertheless, production of harmful and toxic nitric oxide by actively growing bacteria as either an intermediate or side-product of nitrate respiration challenges how homeostasis control is exerted. Here, we show that components of the nitrate electron transport chain are clustered, likely influencing the kinetics of the process. Nitric oxide production from this respiratory chain is controlled and handled through a multiprotein complex, including detoxifying systems. These findings point to an essential role of compartmentalization of respiratory components in bacterial cell growth. Respiration is a fundamental process that has to optimally respond to metabolic demand and environmental changes. We previously showed that nitrate respiration, crucial for gut colonization by enterobacteria, is controlled by polar clustering of the nitrate reductase increasing the electron flux through the complex. Here, we show that the formate dehydrogenase electron-donating complex, FdnGHI, also clusters at the cell poles under nitrate-respiring conditions. Its proximity to the nitrate reductase complex was confirmed by its identification in the interactome of the latter, which appears to be specific to the nitrate-respiring condition. Interestingly, we have identified a multiprotein complex dedicated to handle nitric oxide resulting from the enhanced activity of the electron transport chain terminated by nitrate reductase. We demonstrated that the cytoplasmic NADH-dependent nitrite reductase NirBD and the hybrid cluster protein Hcp are key contributors to regulation of the nitric oxide level during nitrate respiration. Thus, gathering of actors involved in respiration and NO homeostasis seems to be critical to balancing maximization of electron flux and the resulting toxicity.
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22
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Fröbel J, Blümmel AS, Drepper F, Warscheid B, Müller M. Surface-exposed domains of TatB involved in the structural and functional assembly of the Tat translocase in Escherichia coli. J Biol Chem 2019; 294:13902-13914. [PMID: 31341014 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra119.009298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2019] [Revised: 07/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Twin-arginine-dependent translocases transport folded proteins across bacterial, archaeal, and chloroplast membranes. Upon substrate binding, they assemble from hexahelical TatC and single-spanning TatA and TatB membrane proteins. Although structural and functional details of individual Tat subunits have been reported previously, the sequence and dynamics of Tat translocase assembly remain to be determined. Employing the zero-space cross-linker N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD) in combination with LC-MS/MS, we identified as yet unknown intra- and intermolecular contact sites of TatB and TatC. In addition to their established intramembrane binding sites, both proteins were thus found to contact each other through the soluble N terminus of TatC and the interhelical linker region around the conserved glutamyl residue Glu49 of TatB from Escherichia coli Functional analyses suggested that by interacting with the TatC N terminus, TatB improves the formation of a proficient substrate recognition site of TatC. The Glu49 region of TatB was found also to contact distinct downstream sites of a neighboring TatB molecule and to thereby mediate oligomerization of TatB within the TatBC receptor complex. Finally, we show that global DCCD-mediated cross-linking of TatB and TatC in membrane vesicles or, alternatively, creating covalently linked TatC oligomers prevents TatA from occupying a position close to the TatBC-bound substrate. Collectively, our results are consistent with a circular arrangement of the TatB and TatC units within the TatBC receptor complex and with TatA entering the interior TatBC-binding cavity through lateral gates between TatBC protomers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Fröbel
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, ZBMZ, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Anne-Sophie Blümmel
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, ZBMZ, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Friedel Drepper
- Institute of Biology II, Biochemistry-Functional Proteomics, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany.,BIOSS Centre for Biological Signalling Studies, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Bettina Warscheid
- Institute of Biology II, Biochemistry-Functional Proteomics, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany.,BIOSS Centre for Biological Signalling Studies, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany.,CIBSS Centre for Integrative Biological Signalling Studies, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Müller
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, ZBMZ, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
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23
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Hamsanathan S, Musser SM. The Tat protein transport system: intriguing questions and conundrums. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2019; 365:5000164. [PMID: 29897510 DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fny123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2018] [Accepted: 05/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The Tat machinery catalyzes the transport of folded proteins across the cytoplasmic membrane in bacteria and the thylakoid membrane in plants. Transport occurs only in the presence of an electric field (Δψ) and/or a pH (ΔpH) gradient, and thus, Tat transport is considered to be dependent on the proton motive force (pmf). This presents a fundamental and major challenge, namely, that the Tat system catalyzes the movement of large folded protein cargos across a membrane without collapse of ion gradients. Current models argue that the active translocon assembles de novo for each cargo transported, thus providing an effective gating mechanism to minimize ion leakage. A limited structural understanding of the intermediates occurring during transport and the role of the pmf in stabilizing and/or driving this process have hindered the development of more detailed models. A fundamental question that remains unanswered is whether the pmf is actually 'consumed', providing an energetic driving force for transport, or alternatively, whether its presence is instead necessary to provide the appropriate environment for the translocon components to become active. Including addressing this issue in greater detail, we explore a series of additional questions that challenge current models, and, hopefully, motivate future work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shruthi Hamsanathan
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, College of Medicine, The Texas A&M Health Science Center, Texas A&M University, 1114 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Siegfried M Musser
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, College of Medicine, The Texas A&M Health Science Center, Texas A&M University, 1114 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, USA
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24
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Abstract
The twin-arginine protein translocation (Tat) system has been characterized in bacteria, archaea and the chloroplast thylakoidal membrane. This system is distinct from other protein transport systems with respect to two key features. Firstly, it accepts cargo proteins with an N-terminal signal peptide that carries the canonical twin-arginine motif, which is essential for transport. Second, the Tat system only accepts and translocates fully folded cargo proteins across the respective membrane. Here, we review the core essential features of folded protein transport via the bacterial Tat system, using the three-component TatABC system of Escherichia coli and the two-component TatAC systems of Bacillus subtilis as the main examples. In particular, we address features of twin-arginine signal peptides, the essential Tat components and how they assemble into different complexes, mechanistic features and energetics of Tat-dependent protein translocation, cytoplasmic chaperoning of Tat cargo proteins, and the remarkable proofreading capabilities of the Tat system. In doing so, we present the current state of our understanding of Tat-dependent protein translocation across biological membranes, which may serve as a lead for future investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly M. Frain
- The School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7NZ UK
| | - Colin Robinson
- The School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7NZ UK
| | - Jan Maarten van Dijl
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen (UMCG), Hanzeplein 1, P.O. Box 30001, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands
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25
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Geise H, Heidrich ES, Nikolin CS, Mehner-Breitfeld D, Brüser T. A Potential Late Stage Intermediate of Twin-Arginine Dependent Protein Translocation in Escherichia coli. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:1482. [PMID: 31354642 PMCID: PMC6637791 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.01482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2019] [Accepted: 06/14/2019] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The twin-arginine translocation (Tat) system transports folded proteins across membranes of prokaryotes, plant plastids, and some mitochondria. According to blue-native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis after solubilization with digitonin, distinct interactions between the components TatA, TatB, and TatC result in two major TatBC-containing complexes in Escherichia coli that can bind protein substrates. We now report the first detection of a TatABC complex that likely represents the state at which transport occurs. This complex was initially found when the photo cross-linking amino acid p-benzoyl-l-phenylalanine (Bpa) was introduced at position I50 on the periplasmic side of the first trans-membrane domain of TatC. Cross-linking of TatCI50Bpa resulted in TatC-TatC-cross-links, indicating a close proximity to neighboring TatC in the complex. However, the new complex was not caused by cross-links but rather by non-covalent side chain interactions, as it was also detectable without UV-cross-linking or with an I50Y exchange. The new complex did not contain any detectable substrate. It was slightly upshifted relative to previously reported substrate-containing TatABC complexes. In the absence of TatA, an inactive TatBCI50Bpa complex was formed of the size of wild-type substrate-containing TatABC complexes, suggesting that TatB occupies TatA-binding sites at TatCI50Bpa. When substrate binding was abolished by point mutations, this TatBCI50Bpa complex shifted analogously to active TatABCI50Bpa complexes, indicating that a defect substrate-binding site further enhances TatB association to TatA-binding sites. Only TatA could shift the complex with an intact substrate-binding site, which explains the TatA requirement for substrate transport by TatABC systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hendrik Geise
- Institute of Microbiology, Leibniz University Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Thomas Brüser
- Institute of Microbiology, Leibniz University Hannover, Hannover, Germany
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26
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Abstract
The inner membrane of Gram-negative bacteria is a ~6 nm thick phospholipid bilayer. It forms a semi-permeable barrier between the cytoplasm and periplasm allowing only regulated export and import of ions, sugar polymers, DNA and proteins. Inner membrane proteins, embedded via hydrophobic transmembrane α-helices, play an essential role in this regulated trafficking: they mediate insertion into the membrane (insertases) or complete crossing of the membrane (translocases) or both. The Gram-negative inner membrane is equipped with a variety of different insertases and translocases. Many of them are specialized, taking care of the export of only a few protein substrates, while others have more general roles. Here, we focus on the three general export/insertion pathways, the secretory (Sec) pathway, YidC and the twin-arginine translocation (TAT) pathway, focusing closely on the Escherichia coli (E. coli) paradigm. We only briefly mention dedicated export pathways found in different Gram-negative bacteria. The Sec system deals with the majority of exported proteins and functions both as a translocase for secretory proteins and an insertase for membrane proteins. The insertase YidC assists the Sec system or operates independently on membrane protein clients. Sec and YidC, in common with most export pathways, require their protein clients to be in soluble non-folded states to fit through the translocation channels and grooves. The TAT pathway is an exception, as it translocates folded proteins, some loaded with prosthetic groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jozefien De Geyter
- Laboratory of Molecular Bacteriology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Dries Smets
- Laboratory of Molecular Bacteriology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Spyridoula Karamanou
- Laboratory of Molecular Bacteriology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Anastassios Economou
- Laboratory of Molecular Bacteriology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
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27
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New CP, Ma Q, Dabney-Smith C. Routing of thylakoid lumen proteins by the chloroplast twin arginine transport pathway. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2018; 138:289-301. [PMID: 30101370 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-018-0567-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2018] [Accepted: 07/26/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Thylakoids are complex sub-organellar membrane systems whose role in photosynthesis makes them critical to life. Thylakoids require the coordinated expression of both nuclear- and plastid-encoded proteins to allow rapid response to changing environmental conditions. Transport of cytoplasmically synthesized proteins to thylakoids or the thylakoid lumen is complex; the process involves transport across up to three membrane systems with routing through three aqueous compartments. Protein transport in thylakoids is accomplished by conserved ancestral prokaryotic plasma membrane translocases containing novel adaptations for the sub-organellar location. This review focuses on the evolutionarily conserved chloroplast twin arginine transport (cpTat) pathway. An overview is provided of known aspects of the cpTat components, energy requirements, and mechanisms with a focus on recent discoveries. Some of the most exciting new studies have been in determining the structural architecture of the membrane complex involved in forming the point of passage for the precursor and binding features of the translocase components. The cpTat system is of particular interest because it transports folded protein domains using only the proton motive force for energy. The implications for mechanism of translocation by recent studies focusing on interactions between membrane Tat components and with the translocating precursor will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Paul New
- Cellular, Molecular, and Structural Biology Graduate Program, Miami University, Oxford, OH, 45056, USA
| | - Qianqian Ma
- Cellular, Molecular, and Structural Biology Graduate Program, Miami University, Oxford, OH, 45056, USA
| | - Carole Dabney-Smith
- Cellular, Molecular, and Structural Biology Graduate Program, Miami University, Oxford, OH, 45056, USA.
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Miami University, Oxford, OH, 45056, USA.
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28
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Habersetzer J, Moore K, Cherry J, Buchanan G, Stansfeld PJ, Palmer T. Substrate-triggered position switching of TatA and TatB during Tat transport in Escherichia coli. Open Biol 2018; 7:rsob.170091. [PMID: 28814647 PMCID: PMC5577447 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.170091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2017] [Accepted: 07/19/2017] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The twin-arginine protein transport (Tat) machinery mediates the translocation of folded proteins across the cytoplasmic membrane of prokaryotes and the thylakoid membrane of plant chloroplasts. The Escherichia coli Tat system comprises TatC and two additional sequence-related proteins, TatA and TatB. The active translocase is assembled on demand, with substrate-binding at a TatABC receptor complex triggering recruitment and assembly of multiple additional copies of TatA; however, the molecular interactions mediating translocase assembly are poorly understood. A ‘polar cluster’ site on TatC transmembrane (TM) helix 5 was previously identified as binding to TatB. Here, we use disulfide cross-linking and molecular modelling to identify a new binding site on TatC TM helix 6, adjacent to the polar cluster site. We demonstrate that TatA and TatB each have the capacity to bind at both TatC sites, however in vivo this is regulated according to the activation state of the complex. In the resting-state system, TatB binds the polar cluster site, with TatA occupying the TM helix 6 site. However when the system is activated by overproduction of a substrate, TatA and TatB switch binding sites. We propose that this substrate-triggered positional exchange is a key step in the assembly of an active Tat translocase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johann Habersetzer
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Kristoffer Moore
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Jon Cherry
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Grant Buchanan
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Phillip J Stansfeld
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Tracy Palmer
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
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29
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Hou B, Heidrich ES, Mehner-Breitfeld D, Brüser T. The TatA component of the twin-arginine translocation system locally weakens the cytoplasmic membrane of Escherichia coli upon protein substrate binding. J Biol Chem 2018. [PMID: 29535185 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra118.002205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The twin-arginine translocation (Tat) system that comprises the TatA, TatB, and TatC components transports folded proteins across energized membranes of prokaryotes and plant plastids. It is not known, however, how the transport of this protein cargo is achieved. Favored models suggest that the TatA component supports transport by weakening the membrane upon full translocon assembly. Using Escherichia coli as a model organism, we now demonstrate in vivo that the N terminus of TatA can indeed destabilize the membrane, resulting in a lowered membrane energization in growing cells. We found that in full-length TatA, this effect is counterbalanced by its amphipathic helix. Consistent with these observations, the TatA N terminus induced proton leakage in vitro, indicating membrane destabilization. Fluorescence quenching data revealed that substrate binding causes the TatA hinge region and the N-terminal part of the TatA amphipathic helix to move toward the membrane surface. In the presence of TatBC, substrate binding also reduced the exposure of a specific region in the amphipathic helix, indicating a participation of TatBC. Of note, the substrate-induced reorientation of the TatA amphipathic helix correlated with detectable membrane weakening. We therefore propose a two-state model in which membrane-destabilizing effects of the short TatA membrane anchor are compensated by the membrane-immersed N-terminal part of the amphipathic helix in a resting state. We conclude that substrate binding to TatABC complexes switches the position of the amphipathic helix, which locally weakens the membrane on demand to allow substrate translocation across the membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Hou
- From the Institute of Microbiology, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Herrenhäuser Strasse 2, 30419 Hannover, Germany
| | - Eyleen S Heidrich
- From the Institute of Microbiology, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Herrenhäuser Strasse 2, 30419 Hannover, Germany
| | - Denise Mehner-Breitfeld
- From the Institute of Microbiology, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Herrenhäuser Strasse 2, 30419 Hannover, Germany
| | - Thomas Brüser
- From the Institute of Microbiology, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Herrenhäuser Strasse 2, 30419 Hannover, Germany
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30
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Wojnowska M, Gault J, Yong SC, Robinson CV, Berks BC. Precursor-Receptor Interactions in the Twin Arginine Protein Transport Pathway Probed with a New Receptor Complex Preparation. Biochemistry 2018; 57:1663-1671. [PMID: 29460615 PMCID: PMC5852461 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.8b00026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The twin arginine translocation (Tat) system moves folded proteins across the cytoplasmic membrane of bacteria and the thylakoid membrane of plant chloroplasts. Signal peptide-bearing substrates of the Tat pathway (precursor proteins) are recognized at the membrane by the TatBC receptor complex. The only established preparation of the TatBC complex uses the detergent digitonin, rendering it unsuitable for biophysical analysis. Here we show that the detergent glyco-diosgenin (GDN) can be used in place of digitonin to isolate homogeneous TatBC complexes that bind precursor proteins with physiological specificity. We use this new preparation to quantitatively characterize TatBC-precursor interactions in a fully defined system. Additionally, we show that the GDN-solubilized TatBC complex co-purifies with substantial quantities of phospholipids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Wojnowska
- Department of Biochemistry , University of Oxford , South Parks Road , Oxford OX1 3QU , United Kingdom
| | - Joseph Gault
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry , University of Oxford , South Parks Road , Oxford OX1 3QZ , United Kingdom
| | - Shee Chien Yong
- Department of Biochemistry , University of Oxford , South Parks Road , Oxford OX1 3QU , United Kingdom
| | - Carol V Robinson
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry , University of Oxford , South Parks Road , Oxford OX1 3QZ , United Kingdom
| | - Ben C Berks
- Department of Biochemistry , University of Oxford , South Parks Road , Oxford OX1 3QU , United Kingdom
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31
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Cherak SJ, Turner RJ. Assembly pathway of a bacterial complex iron sulfur molybdoenzyme. Biomol Concepts 2018; 8:155-167. [PMID: 28688222 DOI: 10.1515/bmc-2017-0011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2017] [Accepted: 05/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein folding and assembly into macromolecule complexes within the living cell are complex processes requiring intimate coordination. The biogenesis of complex iron sulfur molybdoenzymes (CISM) requires use of a system specific chaperone - a redox enzyme maturation protein (REMP) - to help mediate final folding and assembly. The CISM dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) reductase is a bacterial oxidoreductase that utilizes DMSO as a final electron acceptor for anaerobic respiration. The REMP DmsD strongly interacts with DMSO reductase to facilitate folding, cofactor-insertion, subunit assembly and targeting of the multi-subunit enzyme prior to membrane translocation and final assembly and maturation into a bioenergetic catalytic unit. In this article, we discuss the biogenesis of DMSO reductase as an example of the participant network for bacterial CISM maturation pathways.
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32
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Unanticipated functional diversity among the TatA-type components of the Tat protein translocase. Sci Rep 2018; 8:1326. [PMID: 29358647 PMCID: PMC5777986 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-19640-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2017] [Accepted: 12/29/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Twin-arginine translocation (Tat) systems transport folded proteins that harbor a conserved arginine pair in their signal peptides. They assemble from hexahelical TatC-type and single-spanning TatA-type proteins. Many Tat systems comprise two functionally diverse, TatA-type proteins, denominated TatA and TatB. Some bacteria in addition express TatE, which thus far has been characterized as a functional surrogate of TatA. For the Tat system of Escherichia coli we demonstrate here that different from TatA but rather like TatB, TatE contacts a Tat signal peptide independently of the proton-motive force and restricts the premature processing of a Tat signal peptide. Furthermore, TatE embarks at the transmembrane helix five of TatC where it becomes so closely spaced to TatB that both proteins can be covalently linked by a zero-space cross-linker. Our results suggest that in addition to TatB and TatC, TatE is a further component of the Tat substrate receptor complex. Consistent with TatE being an autonomous TatAB-type protein, a bioinformatics analysis revealed a relatively broad distribution of the tatE gene in bacterial phyla and highlighted unique protein sequence features of TatE orthologs.
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33
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Hamsanathan S, Anthonymuthu TS, Bageshwar UK, Musser SM. A Hinged Signal Peptide Hairpin Enables Tat-Dependent Protein Translocation. Biophys J 2018; 113:2650-2668. [PMID: 29262359 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2017.09.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2017] [Revised: 08/23/2017] [Accepted: 09/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The Tat machinery catalyzes the transport of folded proteins across the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane and the thylakoid membrane in plants. Using fluorescence quenching and cross-linking approaches, we demonstrate that the Escherichia coli TatBC complex catalyzes insertion of a pre-SufI signal peptide hairpin that penetrates about halfway across the membrane bilayer. Analysis of 512 bacterial Tat signal peptides using secondary structure prediction and docking algorithms suggest that this hairpin interaction mode is generally conserved. An internal cross-link in the signal peptide that blocks transport but does not affect binding indicates that a signal peptide conformational change is required during translocation. These results suggest, to our knowledge, a novel hairpin-hinge model in which the signal peptide hairpin unhinges during movement of the mature domain across the membrane. Thus, in addition to enabling the necessary recognition, the interaction of Tat signal peptides with the receptor complex plays a critical role in the transport process itself.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shruthi Hamsanathan
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, College of Medicine, The Texas A&M Health Science Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
| | - Tamil S Anthonymuthu
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Umesh K Bageshwar
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, College of Medicine, The Texas A&M Health Science Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
| | - Siegfried M Musser
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, College of Medicine, The Texas A&M Health Science Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas.
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Blümmel AS, Drepper F, Knapp B, Eimer E, Warscheid B, Müller M, Fröbel J. Structural features of the TatC membrane protein that determine docking and insertion of a twin-arginine signal peptide. J Biol Chem 2017; 292:21320-21329. [PMID: 29089385 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m117.812560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2017] [Revised: 10/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Twin-arginine translocation (Tat) systems transport folded proteins across cellular membranes with the concerted action of mostly three membrane proteins: TatA, TatB, and TatC. Hetero-oligomers of TatB and TatC form circular substrate-receptor complexes with a central binding cavity for twin-arginine-containing signal peptides. After binding of the substrate, energy from an electro-chemical proton gradient is transduced into the recruitment of TatA oligomers and into the actual translocation event. We previously reported that Tat-dependent protein translocation into membrane vesicles of Escherichia coli is blocked by the compound N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD, DCC). We have now identified a highly conserved glutamate residue in the transmembrane region of E. coli TatC, which when modified by DCCD interferes with the deep insertion of a Tat signal peptide into the TatBC receptor complex. Our findings are consistent with a hydrophobic binding cavity formed by TatB and TatC inside the lipid bilayer. Moreover, we found that DCCD mediates discrete intramolecular cross-links of E. coli TatC involving both its N- and C-tails. These results confirm the close proximity of two distant sequence sections of TatC proposed to concertedly function as the primary docking site for twin-arginine signal peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Sophie Blümmel
- From the Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, ZBMZ, Faculty of Medicine.,the Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine (SGBM).,the Faculty of Biology
| | - Friedel Drepper
- the Institute of Biology II, Biochemistry: Functional Proteomics, Faculty of Biology, and.,the BIOSS Centre for Biological Signalling Studies, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Bettina Knapp
- the Institute of Biology II, Biochemistry: Functional Proteomics, Faculty of Biology, and
| | - Ekaterina Eimer
- From the Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, ZBMZ, Faculty of Medicine.,the Faculty of Biology
| | - Bettina Warscheid
- the Institute of Biology II, Biochemistry: Functional Proteomics, Faculty of Biology, and.,the BIOSS Centre for Biological Signalling Studies, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Müller
- From the Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, ZBMZ, Faculty of Medicine,
| | - Julia Fröbel
- From the Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, ZBMZ, Faculty of Medicine
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Alcock F, Damen MP, Levring J, Berks BC. In vivo experiments do not support the charge zipper model for Tat translocase assembly. eLife 2017; 6:30127. [PMID: 28857741 PMCID: PMC5601993 DOI: 10.7554/elife.30127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2017] [Accepted: 08/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The twin-arginine translocase (Tat) transports folded proteins across the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane and the plant thylakoid membrane. The Tat translocation site is formed by substrate-triggered oligomerization of the protein TatA. Walther and co-workers have proposed a structural model for the TatA oligomer in which TatA monomers self-assemble using electrostatic 'charge zippers' (Cell (2013) 132: 15945). This model was supported by in vitro analysis of the oligomeric state of TatA variants containing charge-inverting substitutions. Here we have used live cell assays of TatA assembly and function in Escherichia coli to re-assess the roles of the charged residues of TatA. Our results do not support the charge zipper model. Instead, we observe that substitutions of charged residues located in the TatA amphipathic helix lock TatA in an assembled state, suggesting that these charged residues play a critical role in the protein translocation step that follows TatA assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felicity Alcock
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Merel Pm Damen
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Jesper Levring
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Ben C Berks
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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36
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Abstract
The general secretory pathway (Sec) and twin-arginine translocase (Tat) operate in parallel to export proteins across the cytoplasmic membrane of prokaryotes and the thylakoid membrane of plant chloroplasts. Substrates are targeted to their respective machineries by N-terminal signal peptides that share a tripartite organization; however, Tat signal peptides harbor a conserved and almost invariant arginine pair that is critical for efficient targeting to the Tat machinery. Tat signal peptides interact with a membrane-bound receptor complex comprised of TatB and TatC components, with TatC containing the twin-arginine recognition site. Here, we isolated suppressors in the signal peptide of the Tat substrate, SufI, that restored Tat transport in the presence of inactivating substitutions in the TatC twin-arginine binding site. These suppressors increased signal peptide hydrophobicity, and copurification experiments indicated that they restored binding to the variant TatBC complex. The hydrophobic suppressors could also act in cis to suppress substitutions at the signal peptide twin-arginine motif that normally prevent targeting to the Tat pathway. Highly hydrophobic variants of the SufI signal peptide containing four leucine substitutions retained the ability to interact with the Tat system. The hydrophobic signal peptides of two Sec substrates, DsbA and OmpA, containing twin lysine residues, were shown to mediate export by the Tat pathway and to copurify with TatBC. These findings indicate that there is unprecedented overlap between Sec and Tat signal peptides and that neither the signal peptide twin-arginine motif nor the TatC twin-arginine recognition site is an essential mechanistic feature for operation of the Tat pathway.IMPORTANCE Protein export is an essential process in all prokaryotes. The Sec and Tat export pathways operate in parallel, with the Sec machinery transporting unstructured precursors and the Tat pathway transporting folded proteins. Proteins are targeted to the Tat pathway by N-terminal signal peptides that contain an almost invariant twin-arginine motif. Here, we make the surprising discovery that the twin arginines are not essential for recognition of substrates by the Tat machinery and that this requirement can be bypassed by increasing the signal peptide hydrophobicity. We further show that signal peptides of bona fide Sec substrates can also mediate transport by the Tat pathway. Our findings suggest that key features of the Tat targeting mechanism have evolved to prevent mistargeting of substrates to the Sec pathway rather than being a critical requirement for function of the Tat pathway.
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37
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Defining Lipoprotein Localisation by Fluorescence Microscopy. Methods Mol Biol 2017. [PMID: 28667602 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-7033-9_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
Abstract
In recent years it has become evident that lipoproteins play crucial roles in the assembly of bacterial envelope-embedded nanomachineries and in the processes of protein export/secretion. In this chapter we describe a method to determine their precise localisation, for example inner versus outer membrane, in Gram-negative bacteria using human opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa as a model. A fusion protein between a given putative lipoprotein and the red fluorescent protein mCherry must be created and expressed in a strain expressing cytoplasmic green fluorescent protein (GFP). Then the peripheral localisation of the fusion protein in the cell can be examined by treating cells with lysozyme to create spheroplasts and monitoring fluorescence under a confocal microscope. Mutants in the signal peptide can be engineered to study the association with the membrane and efficiency of transport. This protocol can be adapted to monitor lipoprotein localisation in other Gram-negative bacteria.
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38
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TatA complexes exhibit a marked change in organisation in response to expression of the TatBC complex. Biochem J 2017; 474:1495-1508. [PMID: 28280110 PMCID: PMC5396077 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20160952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2016] [Revised: 02/19/2017] [Accepted: 03/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The twin-arginine translocation (Tat) system is an integral membrane protein complex that accomplishes the remarkable feat of transporting large, fully folded polypeptides across the inner membrane of bacteria, into the periplasm. In Escherichia coli, Tat comprises three membrane proteins: TatA, TatB and TatC. How these proteins arrange themselves in the inner membrane to permit passage of Tat substrates, whilst maintaining membrane integrity, is still poorly understood. TatA is the most abundant component of this complex and facilitates assembly of the transport mechanism. We have utilised immunogold labelling in combination with array tomography to gain insight into the localisation and distribution of the TatA protein in E. coli cells. We show that TatA exhibits a uniform distribution throughout the inner membrane of E. coli and that altering the expression of TatBC shows a previously uncharacterised distribution of TatA in the inner membrane. Array tomography was used to provide our first insight into this altered distribution of TatA in three-dimensional space, revealing that this protein forms linear clusters in the inner membrane of E. coli upon increased expression of TatBC. This is the first indication that TatA organisation in the inner membrane alters in response to changes in Tat subunit stoichiometry.
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39
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Huang Q, Alcock F, Kneuper H, Deme JC, Rollauer SE, Lea SM, Berks BC, Palmer T. A signal sequence suppressor mutant that stabilizes an assembled state of the twin arginine translocase. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:E1958-E1967. [PMID: 28223511 PMCID: PMC5347605 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1615056114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The twin-arginine protein translocation (Tat) system mediates transport of folded proteins across the cytoplasmic membrane of bacteria and the thylakoid membrane of chloroplasts. The Tat system of Escherichia coli is made up of TatA, TatB, and TatC components. TatBC comprise the substrate receptor complex, and active Tat translocases are formed by the substrate-induced association of TatA oligomers with this receptor. Proteins are targeted to TatBC by signal peptides containing an essential pair of arginine residues. We isolated substitutions, locating to the transmembrane helix of TatB that restored transport activity to Tat signal peptides with inactivating twin arginine substitutions. A subset of these variants also suppressed inactivating substitutions in the signal peptide binding site on TatC. The suppressors did not function by restoring detectable signal peptide binding to the TatBC complex. Instead, site-specific cross-linking experiments indicate that the suppressor substitutions induce conformational change in the complex and movement of the TatB subunit. The TatB F13Y substitution was associated with the strongest suppressing activity, even allowing transport of a Tat substrate lacking a signal peptide. In vivo analysis using a TatA-YFP fusion showed that the TatB F13Y substitution resulted in signal peptide-independent assembly of the Tat translocase. We conclude that Tat signal peptides play roles in substrate targeting and in triggering assembly of the active translocase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Huang
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Felicity Alcock
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, United Kingdom
| | - Holger Kneuper
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom
| | - Justin C Deme
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, United Kingdom
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah E Rollauer
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, United Kingdom
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, United Kingdom
| | - Susan M Lea
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, United Kingdom
| | - Ben C Berks
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, United Kingdom
| | - Tracy Palmer
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, United Kingdom;
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40
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Alcock F, Stansfeld PJ, Basit H, Habersetzer J, Baker MA, Palmer T, Wallace MI, Berks BC. Assembling the Tat protein translocase. eLife 2016; 5. [PMID: 27914200 PMCID: PMC5201420 DOI: 10.7554/elife.20718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2016] [Accepted: 11/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The twin-arginine protein translocation system (Tat) transports folded proteins across the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane and the thylakoid membranes of plant chloroplasts. The Tat transporter is assembled from multiple copies of the membrane proteins TatA, TatB, and TatC. We combine sequence co-evolution analysis, molecular simulations, and experimentation to define the interactions between the Tat proteins of Escherichia coli at molecular-level resolution. In the TatBC receptor complex the transmembrane helix of each TatB molecule is sandwiched between two TatC molecules, with one of the inter-subunit interfaces incorporating a functionally important cluster of interacting polar residues. Unexpectedly, we find that TatA also associates with TatC at the polar cluster site. Our data provide a structural model for assembly of the active Tat translocase in which substrate binding triggers replacement of TatB by TatA at the polar cluster site. Our work demonstrates the power of co-evolution analysis to predict protein interfaces in multi-subunit complexes. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.20718.001
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Affiliation(s)
- Felicity Alcock
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | | | - Hajra Basit
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Johann Habersetzer
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew Ab Baker
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Tracy Palmer
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom
| | - Mark I Wallace
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Ben C Berks
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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41
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Mavridou DAI, Gonzalez D, Clements A, Foster KR. The pUltra plasmid series: A robust and flexible tool for fluorescent labeling of Enterobacteria. Plasmid 2016; 87-88:65-71. [PMID: 27693407 DOI: 10.1016/j.plasmid.2016.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2016] [Revised: 09/20/2016] [Accepted: 09/28/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Fluorescent labeling has been an invaluable tool for the study of living organisms and bacterial species are no exception to this. Here we present and characterize the pUltra plasmids which express constitutively a fluorescent protein gene (GFP, RFP, YFP or CFP) from a strong synthetic promoter and are suitable for the fluorescent labeling of a broad range of Enterobacteria. The amount of expressed fluorophore from these genetic constructs is such, that the contours of the cells can be delineated on the basis of the fluorescent signal only. In addition, labeling through the pUltra plasmids can be used successfully for fluorescence and confocal microscopy while unambiguous distinction of cells labeled with different colors can be carried out efficiently by microscopy or flow cytometry. We compare the labeling provided by the pUltra plasmids with that of another plasmid series encoding fluorescent proteins and we show that the pUltra constructs are vastly superior in signal intensity and discrimination power without having any detectable growth rate effects for the bacterial population. We also use the pUltra plasmids to produce mixtures of differentially labeled pathogenic Escherichia, Shigella and Salmonella species which we test during infection of mammalian cells. We find that even inside the host cell, different strains can be distinguished effortlessly based on their fluorescence. We, therefore, conclude that the pUltra plasmids are a powerful labeling tool especially useful for complex biological experiments such as the visualization of ecosystems of different bacterial species or of enteric pathogens in contact with their hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Despoina A I Mavridou
- MRC Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, Kensington, London SW7 2DD, UK.
| | - Diego Gonzalez
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Abigail Clements
- MRC Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, Kensington, London SW7 2DD, UK
| | - Kevin R Foster
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
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42
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Danial JSH, Aguib Y, Yacoub MH. Advanced fluorescence microscopy techniques for the life sciences. Glob Cardiol Sci Pract 2016; 2016:e201616. [PMID: 29043264 PMCID: PMC5642830 DOI: 10.21542/gcsp.2016.16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy, for which the Nobel Prize was awarded in 2014, has been a topic of interest to physicists and biologists alike. It is inevitable that numerous questions in biomedical research cannot be answered by means other than direct observation. In this review, advances to fluorescence microscopy are covered in a widely accessible fashion to facilitate its use in decisions related to its acquisition and utilization in biomedical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- John S H Danial
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3TA, United Kingdom.,Present address: Max Planck Institute for Intelligent systems, Heisenbergstraße 3, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
| | | | - Magdi H Yacoub
- Aswan Heart Centre, Aswan, Egypt.,Qatar Cardiovascular Research Centre, Doha, Qatar.,Harefield Heart Science Centre, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
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43
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Abstract
In Escherichia coli, hydrogen metabolism plays a prominent role in anaerobic physiology. The genome contains the capability to produce and assemble up to four [NiFe]-hydrogenases, each of which are known, or predicted, to contribute to different aspects of cellular metabolism. In recent years, there have been major advances in the understanding of the structure, function, and roles of the E. coli [NiFe]-hydrogenases. The membrane-bound, periplasmically oriented, respiratory Hyd-1 isoenzyme has become one of the most important paradigm systems for understanding an important class of oxygen-tolerant enzymes, as well as providing key information on the mechanism of hydrogen activation per se. The membrane-bound, periplasmically oriented, Hyd-2 isoenzyme has emerged as an unusual, bidirectional redox valve able to link hydrogen oxidation to quinone reduction during anaerobic respiration, or to allow disposal of excess reducing equivalents as hydrogen gas. The membrane-bound, cytoplasmically oriented, Hyd-3 isoenzyme is part of the formate hydrogenlyase complex, which acts to detoxify excess formic acid under anaerobic fermentative conditions and is geared towards hydrogen production under those conditions. Sequence identity between some Hyd-3 subunits and those of the respiratory NADH dehydrogenases has led to hypotheses that the activity of this isoenzyme may be tightly coupled to the formation of transmembrane ion gradients. Finally, the E. coli genome encodes a homologue of Hyd-3, termed Hyd-4, however strong evidence for a physiological role for E. coli Hyd-4 remains elusive. In this review, the versatile hydrogen metabolism of E. coli will be discussed and the roles and potential applications of the spectrum of different types of [NiFe]-hydrogenases available will be explored.
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44
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Magalon A, Alberge F. Distribution and dynamics of OXPHOS complexes in the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOENERGETICS 2015; 1857:198-213. [PMID: 26545610 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2015.10.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2015] [Revised: 10/28/2015] [Accepted: 10/29/2015] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) is an essential process for most living organisms mostly sustained by protein complexes embedded in the cell membrane. In order to thrive, cells need to quickly respond to changes in the metabolic demand or in their environment. An overview of the strategies that can be employed by bacterial cells to adjust the OXPHOS outcome is provided. Regulation at the level of gene expression can only provide a means to adjust the OXPHOS outcome to long-term trends in the environment. In addition, the actual view is that bioenergetic membranes are highly compartmentalized structures. This review discusses what is known about the spatial organization of OXPHOS complexes and the timescales at which they occur. As exemplified with the commensal gut bacterium Escherichia coli, three levels of spatial organization are at play: supercomplexes, membrane microdomains and polar assemblies. This review provides a particular focus on whether dynamic spatial organization can fine-tune the OXPHOS through the definition of specialized functional membrane microdomains. Putative mechanisms responsible for spatio-temporal regulation of the OXPHOS complexes are discussed. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Organization and dynamics of bioenergetic systems in bacteria, edited by Conrad Mullineaux.
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Affiliation(s)
- Axel Magalon
- CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie Bactérienne (UMR 7283), Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée, 13009 Marseille, France; Aix-Marseille University, UMR 7283, 13009 Marseille, France.
| | - François Alberge
- CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie Bactérienne (UMR 7283), Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée, 13009 Marseille, France; Aix-Marseille University, UMR 7283, 13009 Marseille, France
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45
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Eimer E, Fröbel J, Blümmel AS, Müller M. TatE as a Regular Constituent of Bacterial Twin-arginine Protein Translocases. J Biol Chem 2015; 290:29281-9. [PMID: 26483541 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m115.696005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Twin-arginine translocation (Tat) systems mediate the transmembrane translocation of completely folded proteins that possess a conserved twin-arginine (RR) motif in their signal sequences. Many Tat systems consist of three essential membrane components named TatA, TatB, and TatC. It is not understood why some bacteria, in addition, constitutively express a functional paralog of TatA called TatE. Here we show, in live Escherichia coli cells, that, upon expression of a Tat substrate protein, fluorescently labeled TatE-GFP relocates from a rather uniform distribution in the plasma membrane into a number of discrete clusters. Clustering strictly required an intact RR signal peptide and the presence of the TatABC subunits, suggesting that TatE-GFP associates with functional Tat translocases. In support of this notion, site-specific photo cross-linking revealed interactions of TatE with TatA, TatB, and TatC. The same approach also disclosed a pronounced tendency of TatE and TatA to hetero-oligomerize. Under in vitro conditions, we found that TatE replaces TatA inefficiently. Our collective results are consistent with TatE being a regular constituent of the Tat translocase in E. coli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina Eimer
- From the Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, and
| | - Julia Fröbel
- From the Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
| | - Anne-Sophie Blümmel
- From the Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, and Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
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Cléon F, Habersetzer J, Alcock F, Kneuper H, Stansfeld PJ, Basit H, Wallace MI, Berks BC, Palmer T. The TatC component of the twin-arginine protein translocase functions as an obligate oligomer. Mol Microbiol 2015; 98:111-29. [PMID: 26112072 PMCID: PMC5102672 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/23/2015] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The Tat protein export system translocates folded proteins across the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane and the plant thylakoid membrane. The Tat system in Escherichia coli is composed of TatA, TatB and TatC proteins. TatB and TatC form an oligomeric, multivalent receptor complex that binds Tat substrates, while multiple protomers of TatA assemble at substrate‐bound TatBC receptors to facilitate substrate transport. We have addressed whether oligomerisation of TatC is an absolute requirement for operation of the Tat pathway by screening for dominant negative alleles of tatC that inactivate Tat function in the presence of wild‐type tatC. Single substitutions that confer dominant negative TatC activity were localised to the periplasmic cap region. The variant TatC proteins retained the ability to interact with TatB and with a Tat substrate but were unable to support the in vivo assembly of TatA complexes. Blue‐native PAGE analysis showed that the variant TatC proteins produced smaller TatBC complexes than the wild‐type TatC protein. The substitutions did not alter disulphide crosslinking to neighbouring TatC molecules from positions in the periplasmic cap but abolished a substrate‐induced disulphide crosslink in transmembrane helix 5 of TatC. Our findings show that TatC functions as an obligate oligomer.
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Affiliation(s)
- François Cléon
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Johann Habersetzer
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Felicity Alcock
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Holger Kneuper
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Phillip J Stansfeld
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Hajra Basit
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3TA, UK
| | - Mark I Wallace
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3TA, UK
| | - Ben C Berks
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Tracy Palmer
- Division of Molecular Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, UK
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Alberge F, Espinosa L, Seduk F, Sylvi L, Toci R, Walburger A, Magalon A. Dynamic subcellular localization of a respiratory complex controls bacterial respiration. eLife 2015; 4. [PMID: 26077726 PMCID: PMC4466248 DOI: 10.7554/elife.05357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2014] [Accepted: 05/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Respiration, an essential process for most organisms, has to optimally respond to changes in the metabolic demand or the environmental conditions. The branched character of their respiratory chains allows bacteria to do so by providing a great metabolic and regulatory flexibility. Here, we show that the native localization of the nitrate reductase, a major respiratory complex under anaerobiosis in Escherichia coli, is submitted to tight spatiotemporal regulation in response to metabolic conditions via a mechanism using the transmembrane proton gradient as a cue for polar localization. These dynamics are critical for controlling the activity of nitrate reductase, as the formation of polar assemblies potentiates the electron flux through the complex. Thus, dynamic subcellular localization emerges as a critical factor in the control of respiration in bacteria. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.05357.001 Respiration occurs at different levels: the body, the organ, and the cells. At the cellular level, it is a molecular process that produces a high-energy molecule called adenosine triphosphate (ATP) using the biochemical energy stored in sugars, fatty acids, and other nutrients. Along with the ATP, this process also provides another source of energy to the cell: an electrochemical gradient across the membrane used for a range of processes ranging from the transport of molecules and ions to cell motility. In order to thrive, cells need to quickly respond to cues from the environment or elsewhere in the cell. A cell must therefore have the ability to increase or decrease cellular respiration and the production of ATP to ensure it has an appropriate supply of energy. In bacteria, the protein complexes responsible for cellular respiration are embedded in the cell membrane. In the past decade, research has suggested that large molecules are arranged in a specific way throughout the bacterial cell, which directly influences how they work. Alberge et al. tested this idea by studying the localization of a respiratory complex called nitrate reductase—which is important for generating energy in the absence of oxygen—through the introduction of a fluorescent marker tagged to the complex in the cell membrane of a rod-shaped bacterium called Escherichia coli. This allowed the complex to be tracked when the cells were viewed using a microscope. The experiments revealed that the location of the complex varies depending on how much energy the cell requires. For example, when the cells are in an oxygen-poor environment, the nitrate reductase complex moves towards the poles at each end of the bacterial cells. This allows the cells to produce ATP more efficiently through respiration of nitrate. Alberge et al. show that a ‘proton gradient’, caused by positively charged hydrogen ions moving through the cell membrane as the result of respiration, controls where the complexes are located in the membrane. Alberge et al.'s findings provide experimental support that dynamic localization of respiratory complexes plays an important role in controlling respiration in bacteria. The next challenge will be to identify the genes that influence the distribution of respiratory complexes throughout the cell, which may help to explain how bacterial cells have adapted to specific environments. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.05357.002
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Affiliation(s)
- François Alberge
- Laboratoire de Chimie Bactérienne UMR7283, Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Aix Marseille Université, Marseille, France
| | - Leon Espinosa
- Laboratoire de Chimie Bactérienne UMR7283, Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Aix Marseille Université, Marseille, France
| | - Farida Seduk
- Laboratoire de Chimie Bactérienne UMR7283, Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Aix Marseille Université, Marseille, France
| | - Léa Sylvi
- Laboratoire de Chimie Bactérienne UMR7283, Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Aix Marseille Université, Marseille, France
| | - René Toci
- Laboratoire de Chimie Bactérienne UMR7283, Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Aix Marseille Université, Marseille, France
| | - Anne Walburger
- Laboratoire de Chimie Bactérienne UMR7283, Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Aix Marseille Université, Marseille, France
| | - Axel Magalon
- Laboratoire de Chimie Bactérienne UMR7283, Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Aix Marseille Université, Marseille, France
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Initial assembly steps of a translocase for folded proteins. Nat Commun 2015; 6:7234. [PMID: 26068441 PMCID: PMC4490388 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms8234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2014] [Accepted: 04/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The so-called Tat (twin-arginine translocation) system transports completely folded proteins across cellular membranes of archaea, prokaryotes and plant chloroplasts. Tat-directed proteins are distinguished by a conserved twin-arginine (RR-) motif in their signal sequences. Many Tat systems are based on the membrane proteins TatA, TatB and TatC, of which TatB and TatC are known to cooperate in binding RR-signal peptides and to form higher-order oligomeric structures. We have now elucidated the fine architecture of TatBC oligomers assembled to form closed intramembrane substrate-binding cavities. The identification of distinct homonymous and heteronymous contacts between TatB and TatC suggest that TatB monomers coalesce into dome-like TatB structures that are surrounded by outer rings of TatC monomers. We also show that these TatBC complexes are approached by TatA protomers through their N-termini, which thereby establish contacts with TatB and membrane-inserted RR-precursors. The twin-arginine translocation complex consists of TatA, TatB and TatC subunits and transports folded proteins across cellular membranes. Here, using photocrosslinking, the authors show that TatB monomers form dome-like structures that are surrounded by TatC monomers enabling lateral access of TatA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben C. Berks
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, United Kingdom;
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50
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Cline K. Mechanistic Aspects of Folded Protein Transport by the Twin Arginine Translocase (Tat). J Biol Chem 2015; 290:16530-8. [PMID: 25975269 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.r114.626820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The twin arginine translocase (Tat) transports folded proteins of widely varying size across ionically tight membranes with only 2-3 components of machinery and the proton motive force. Tat operates by a cycle in which the receptor complex combines with the pore-forming component to assemble a new translocase for each substrate. Recent data on component and substrate organization in the receptor complex and on the structure of the pore complex inform models for translocase assembly and translocation. A translocation mechanism involving local transient bilayer rupture is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth Cline
- From the Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611
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