A team of chaperones play to win in the bacterial periplasm

Trends Biochem Sci. 2024 Apr 26:S0968-0004(24)00081-1. doi: 10.1016/j.tibs.2024.03.015. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTThe survival and virulence of Gram-negative bacteria require proper biogenesis and maintenance of the outer membrane (OM), which is densely packed with β-barrel OM proteins (OMPs). Before reaching the OM, precursor unfolded OMPs (uOMPs) must cross the whole cell envelope. A network of periplasmic chaperones and proteases maintains unfolded but folding-competent conformations of these membrane proteins in the aqueous periplasm while simultaneously preventing off-pathway aggregation. These periplasmic proteins utilize different strategies, including conformational heterogeneity, oligomerization, multivalency, and kinetic partitioning, to perform and regulate their functions. Redundant and unique characteristics of the individual periplasmic players synergize to create a protein quality control team capable responding to changing environmental stresses.PMID:38677921 | DOI:10.1016/j.tibs.2024.03.015
Source: Trends in Biochemical Sciences - Category: Biochemistry Authors: Source Type: research