Role of a Highly Conserved Bacterial Protein in Outer Membrane Protein Assembly

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 299; no. 5604; pp. 262 - 265
• Main Authors: Voulhoux, Romé, Bos, Martine P., Geurtsen, Jeroen, Mols, Maarten, Tommassen, Jan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Association for the Advancement of Science 10.01.2003; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Antibodies; Bacteria; Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins - chemistry; Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins - genetics; Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins - metabolism; Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins - physiology; Bacterial proteins; Bacteriology; Biogenesis of cell structures, supramolecular organization; Biological and medical sciences; Cell division; Cell Membrane - metabolism; Cell membranes; Chloroplasts; Conserved Sequence; Fimbriae Proteins - metabolism; Fluorescent antibody techniques; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genes; Gram negative bacteria; Isopropyl Thiogalactoside - pharmacology; Lipopolysaccharides - metabolism; Membrane proteins; Membranes; Microbiology; Microscopy, Fluorescence; Molecular Sequence Data; Monomers; Neisseria meningitidis - genetics; Neisseria meningitidis - growth & development; Neisseria meningitidis - metabolism; Periplasm; Phospholipases A - chemistry; Phospholipases A - metabolism; Phospholipases A1; Porins - metabolism; Protein Denaturation; Protein Folding; Protein Structure, Tertiary; Protein Transport; Proteins; Viability; Membrane protein; Molecular assembly; Neisseriaceae; Bacteria; Micrococcales; Neisseria meningitidis; External membrane
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1078973

After transport across the cytoplasmic membrane, bacterial outer membrane proteins are assembled into the outer membrane. Meningococcal Omp85 is a highly conserved protein in Gram-negative bacteria, and its homolog Toc75 is a component of the chloroplast protein-import machinery. Omp85 appeared to be essential for viability, and unassembled forms of various outer membrane proteins accumulated upon Omp85 depletion. Immunofluorescence microscopy revealed decreased surface exposure of outer membrane proteins, which was particularly apparent at the cell-division planes. Thus, Omp85 is likely to play a role in outer membrane protein assembly.