The conserved carboxyl domain of MorC, an inner membrane protein of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, is essential for membrane function

The TAM, a Translocation and Assembly Module for protein assembly and potential conduit for phospholipid transfer

The assembly of β-barrel proteins into the bacterial outer membrane is an essential process enabling the colonization of new environmental niches. The TAM was discovered as a module of the β-barrel protein assembly machinery; it is a heterodimeric complex composed of an outer membrane protein (TamA) bound to an inner membrane protein (TamB). The TAM spans the periplasm, providing a scaffold through the peptidoglycan layer and catalyzing the translocation and assembly of β-barrel proteins into the outer membrane. Recently, studies on another membrane protein (YhdP) have suggested that TamB might play a role in phospholipid transport to the outer membrane. Here we review and re-evaluate the literature covering the experimental studies on the TAM over the past decade, to reconcile what appear to be conflicting claims on the function of the TAM.

Redundant essentiality of AsmA-like proteins in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The outer membrane (OM) is an essential structure of Gram-negative bacteria that provides mechanical strength and protection from large and/or hydrophobic toxic molecules, including many antibiotics. The OM is composed of glycerophospholipids (GPLs) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the inner and outer leaflets, respectively, and hosts integral β-barrel proteins and lipoproteins. While the systems responsible for translocation and insertion of LPS and OM proteins have been elucidated, the mechanism(s) mediating transport of GPLs from the inner membrane to the OM has remained elusive for decades. Very recently, studies performed in Escherichia coli proposed a role in this process for AsmA-like proteins that are predicted to share structural features with eukaryotic lipid transporters. In this study, we provide the first systematic investigation of AsmA-like proteins in a bacterium other than E. coli, the opportunistic human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Bioinformatic analyses revealed that P. aeruginosa possesses seven AsmA-like proteins. Deletion of asmA-like genes in many different combinations, coupled with conditional mutagenesis, revealed that four AsmA-like proteins are redundantly essential for growth and OM integrity in P. aeruginosa, including a novel AsmA-like protein (PA4735) that is not present in E. coli. Cells depleted of AsmA-like proteins showed severe defects in the OM permeability barrier that were partially rescued by lowering the synthesis or transport of LPS. Since fine balancing of GPL and LPS levels is crucial for OM integrity, this evidence supports the role of AsmA-like proteins in GPL transport toward the OM.

IMPORTANCE

Given the importance of the outer membrane (OM) for viability and antibiotic resistance in Gram-negative bacteria, in the last decades, several studies have focused on the characterization of the systems involved in OM biogenesis, which have also been explored as targets for antibacterial drug development. However, the mechanism mediating translocation of glycerophospholipids (GPLs) to the OM remained unknown until recent studies provided evidence that AsmA-like proteins could be responsible for this process. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that AsmA-like proteins are essential and redundant for growth and OM integrity in a Gram-negative bacterium other than the model organism Escherichia coli and demonstrate that the human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa has an additional essential AsmA-like protein that is not present in E. coli, thus expanding the range of AsmA-like proteins that play key functions in Gram-negative bacteria.

The Trimeric Autotransporter Adhesin EmaA and Infective Endocarditis

Infective endocarditis (IE), a disease of the endocardial surface of the heart, is usually of bacterial origin and disproportionally affects individuals with underlying structural heart disease. Although IE is typically associated with Gram-positive bacteria, a minority of cases are caused by a group of Gram-negative species referred to as the HACEK group. These species, classically associated with the oral cavity, consist of bacteria from the genera Haemophilus (excluding Haemophilus influenzae), Aggregatibacter, Cardiobacterium, Eikenella, and Kingella. Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, a bacterium of the Pasteurellaceae family, is classically associated with Aggressive Periodontitis and is also concomitant with the chronic form of the disease. Bacterial colonization of the oral cavity serves as a reservoir for infection at distal body sites via hematological spreading. A. actinomycetemcomitans adheres to and causes disease at multiple physiologic niches using a diverse array of bacterial cell surface structures, which include both fimbrial and nonfimbrial adhesins. The nonfimbrial adhesin EmaA (extracellular matrix binding protein adhesin A), which displays sequence heterogeneity dependent on the serotype of the bacterium, has been identified as a virulence determinant in the initiation of IE. In this chapter, we will discuss the known biochemical, molecular, and structural aspects of this protein, including its interactions with extracellular matrix components and how this multifunctional adhesin may contribute to the pathogenicity of A. actinomycetemcomitans.

YhdP, TamB, and YdbH Are Redundant but Essential for Growth and Lipid Homeostasis of the Gram-Negative Outer Membrane

The bacterial cell envelope is the first line of defense and point of contact with the environment and other organisms. Envelope biogenesis is therefore crucial for the survival and physiology of bacteria and is often targeted by antimicrobials. Gram-negative bacteria have a multilayered envelope delimited by an inner and outer membrane (IM and OM, respectively). The OM is a barrier against many antimicrobials because of its asymmetric lipid structure, with phospholipids composing the inner leaflet and lipopolysaccharides (LPS) the outer leaflet. Since lipid synthesis occurs at the IM, phospholipids and LPS are transported across the cell envelope and asymmetrically assembled at the OM during growth. How phospholipids are transported to the OM remains unknown. Recently, the Escherichia coli protein YhdP has been proposed to participate in this process through an unknown mechanism. YhdP belongs to the AsmA-like clan and contains domains homologous to those found in lipid transporters. Here, we used genetics to investigate the six members of the AsmA-like clan of proteins in E. coli. Our data show that YhdP and its paralogs TamB and YdbH are redundant, but not equivalent, in performing an essential function in the cell envelope. Among the AsmA-like paralogs, only the combined loss of YhdP, TamB, and YdbH is lethal, and any of these three proteins is sufficient for growth. We also show that these proteins are required for OM lipid homeostasis and propose that they are the long-sought-after phospholipid transporters that are required for OM biogenesis.

Virulence and Pathogenicity Properties of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans

Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans is a periodontal pathogen colonizing the oral cavity of a large proportion of the human population. It is equipped with several potent virulence factors that can cause cell death and induce or evade inflammation. Because of the large genetic diversity within the species, both harmless and highly virulent genotypes of the bacterium have emerged. The oral condition and age, as well as the geographic origin of the individual, influence the risk to be colonized by a virulent genotype of the bacterium. In the present review, the virulence and pathogenicity properties of A. actinomycetemcomitans will be addressed.

A tamB homolog is involved in maintenance of cell envelope integrity and stress resistance of Deinococcus radiodurans

The translocation and assembly module (TAM) in bacteria consists of TamA and TamB that form a complex to control the transport and secretion of outer membrane proteins. Herein, we demonstrated that the DR_1462-DR_1461-DR_1460 gene loci on chromosome 1 of Deinococcus radiodurans, which lacks tamA homologs, is a tamB homolog (DR_146T) with two tamB motifs and a DUF490 motif. Mutation of DR_146T resulted in cell envelope peeling and a decrease in resistance to shear stress and osmotic pressure, as well as an increase in oxidative stress resistance, consistent with the phenotype of a surface layer (S-layer) protein SlpA (DR_2577) mutant, demonstrating the involvement of DR_146T in maintenance of cell envelope integrity. The 123 kDa SlpA was absent and only its fragments were present in the cell envelope of DR_146T mutant, suggesting that DR_146T might be involved in maintenance of the S-layer. A mutant lacking the DUF490 motif displayed only a slight alteration in phenotype compared with the wild type, suggesting DUF490 is less important than tamB motif for the function of DR_146T. These findings enhance our understanding of the properties of the multilayered envelope in extremophilic D. radiodurans, as well as the diversity and functions of TAMs in bacteria.

The TamB ortholog of Borrelia burgdorferi interacts with the β-barrel assembly machine (BAM) complex protein BamA

Two outer membrane protein (OMP) transport systems in diderm bacteria assist in assembly and export of OMPs. These two systems are the β-barrel assembly machine (BAM) complex and the translocation and assembly module (TAM). The BAM complex consists of the OMP component BamA along with several outer membrane associated proteins. The TAM also consists of an OMP, designated TamA, and a single inner membrane (IM) protein, TamB. Together TamA and TamB aid in the secretion of virulence-associated OMPs. In this study we characterized the hypothetical protein BB0794 in Borrelia burgdorferi. BB0794 contains a conserved DUF490 domain, which is a motif found in all TamB proteins. All spirochetes lack a TamA ortholog, but computational and physicochemical characterization of BB0794 revealed it is a TamB ortholog. Interestingly, BB0794 was observed to interact with BamA and a BB0794 regulatable mutant displayed altered cellular morphology and antibiotic sensitivity. The observation that B. burgdorferi contains a TamB ortholog that interacts with BamA and is required for proper outer membrane biogenesis not only identifies a novel role for TamB-like proteins, but also may explain why most diderms harbor a TamB-like protein while only a select group encodes TamA.

Inner-membrane protein MorC is involved in fimbriae production and biofilm formation in Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans

Fimbrial subunit synthesis, secretion and assembly on the surface of the periodontal pathogen Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans are essential for biofilm formation. A recent quantitative proteomics study employing an afimbriated strain and a developed mutant isogenic for the inner-membrane protein morphogenesis protein C (MorC) revealed that the abundance of the proteins of the fimbrial secretion apparatus in the membrane is dependent on MorC. To investigate further the relationship between MorC and fimbriation, we identified and complemented the defect in fimbriae production in the afimbriated laboratory strain. The transformed strain expressing a plasmid containing genes encoding the WT fimbrial subunit and the prepilin peptidase displayed all of the hallmarks of a fimbriated bacterium including the distinct star-like colony morphology, robust biofilm formation, biofilm architecture composed of discrete microcolonies and the presence of fimbriae. When the identical plasmid was transformed into a morC mutant strain, the bacterium did not display any of the phenotypes of fimbriated strains. Extension of these studies to a naturally fimbriated clinical strain showed that the resulting morC mutant maintained the characteristic colony morphology of fimbriated strains. There was, however, a reduction in the secretion of fimbrial subunits, and fewer fimbriae were observed on the surface of the mutant strain. Furthermore, the morC mutant of the fimbriated strain displayed a significantly altered biofilm microcolony architecture, while maintaining a similar biofilm mass to the parent strain. These results suggest that MorC influences fimbrial secretion and microcolony formation in A. actinomycetemcomitans.