Type I secretion system-it takes three and a substrate

• Published in: FEMS microbiology letters Vol. 365; no. 11; pp. 1 - 10
• Main Authors: Kanonenberg, Kerstin, Spitz, Olivia, Erenburg, Isabelle N, Beer, Tobias, Schmitt, Lutz
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Oxford University Press 01.06.2018
• Subjects: ABC transporter; Bacteria; Bacterial proteins; Bacterial Proteins - metabolism; Fusion protein; Gram-negative bacteria; Gram-Negative Bacteria - enzymology; Gram-Negative Bacteria - genetics; Membrane fusion; Membrane proteins; Membrane Proteins - metabolism; Membranes; Microbiological research; Microbiology; Periplasmic space; Physiological aspects; Protein biosynthesis; Protein Transport; Proteins; Secretion; Structure; Structure-function relationships; Substrates; Translocation; Type I Secretion Systems - genetics; Type I Secretion Systems - metabolism; Virulence; Virulence Factors - metabolism; Germany
• ISSN: 1574-6968; 0378-1097; 1574-6968
• DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fny094

Type I secretion systems are widespread in Gram-negative bacteria and mediate the one-step translocation of a large variety of proteins serving for diverse purposes, including nutrient acquisition or bacterial virulence. Common to most substrates of type I secretion systems is the presence of a C-terminal secretion sequence that is not cleaved during or after translocation. Furthermore, these protein secretion nanomachineries are always composed of an ABC transporter, a membrane fusion protein, both located in the inner bacterial membrane, and a protein of the outer membrane. These three membrane proteins transiently form a 'tunnel channel' across the periplasmic space in the presence of the substrate. Here we summarize the recent findings with respect to structure, function and application of type I secretion systems.