Structural and functional insights into the pilotin-secretin complex of the type II secretion system.

Gram-negative bacteria secrete virulence factors and assemble fibre structures on their cell surface using specialized secretion systems. Three of these, T2SS, T3SS and T4PS, are characterized by large outer membrane channels formed by proteins called secretins. Usually, a cognate lipoprotein pilot...

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Main Authors: Shuang Gu, Saima Rehman, Xiaohui Wang, Vladimir E Shevchik, Richard W Pickersgill
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2012-02-01
Series:PLoS Pathogens
Online Access:https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1002531&type=printable
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author Shuang Gu
Saima Rehman
Xiaohui Wang
Vladimir E Shevchik
Richard W Pickersgill
author_facet Shuang Gu
Saima Rehman
Xiaohui Wang
Vladimir E Shevchik
Richard W Pickersgill
author_sort Shuang Gu
collection DOAJ
description Gram-negative bacteria secrete virulence factors and assemble fibre structures on their cell surface using specialized secretion systems. Three of these, T2SS, T3SS and T4PS, are characterized by large outer membrane channels formed by proteins called secretins. Usually, a cognate lipoprotein pilot is essential for the assembly of the secretin in the outer membrane. The structures of the pilotins of the T3SS and T4PS have been described. However in the T2SS, the molecular mechanism of this process is poorly understood and its structural basis is unknown. Here we report the crystal structure of the pilotin of the T2SS that comprises an arrangement of four α-helices profoundly different from previously solved pilotins from the T3SS and T4P and known four α-helix bundles. The architecture can be described as the insertion of one α-helical hairpin into a second open α-helical hairpin with bent final helix. NMR, CD and fluorescence spectroscopy show that the pilotin binds tightly to 18 residues close to the C-terminus of the secretin. These residues, unstructured before binding to the pilotin, become helical on binding. Data collected from crystals of the complex suggests how the secretin peptide binds to the pilotin and further experiments confirm the importance of these C-terminal residues in vivo.
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issn 1553-7366
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publishDate 2012-02-01
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
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spelling doaj-art-8ea1d928c91d4292a9dc3eaf75af92502025-08-20T02:05:34ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS Pathogens1553-73661553-73742012-02-0182e100253110.1371/journal.ppat.1002531Structural and functional insights into the pilotin-secretin complex of the type II secretion system.Shuang GuSaima RehmanXiaohui WangVladimir E ShevchikRichard W PickersgillGram-negative bacteria secrete virulence factors and assemble fibre structures on their cell surface using specialized secretion systems. Three of these, T2SS, T3SS and T4PS, are characterized by large outer membrane channels formed by proteins called secretins. Usually, a cognate lipoprotein pilot is essential for the assembly of the secretin in the outer membrane. The structures of the pilotins of the T3SS and T4PS have been described. However in the T2SS, the molecular mechanism of this process is poorly understood and its structural basis is unknown. Here we report the crystal structure of the pilotin of the T2SS that comprises an arrangement of four α-helices profoundly different from previously solved pilotins from the T3SS and T4P and known four α-helix bundles. The architecture can be described as the insertion of one α-helical hairpin into a second open α-helical hairpin with bent final helix. NMR, CD and fluorescence spectroscopy show that the pilotin binds tightly to 18 residues close to the C-terminus of the secretin. These residues, unstructured before binding to the pilotin, become helical on binding. Data collected from crystals of the complex suggests how the secretin peptide binds to the pilotin and further experiments confirm the importance of these C-terminal residues in vivo.https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1002531&type=printable
spellingShingle Shuang Gu
Saima Rehman
Xiaohui Wang
Vladimir E Shevchik
Richard W Pickersgill
Structural and functional insights into the pilotin-secretin complex of the type II secretion system.
PLoS Pathogens
title Structural and functional insights into the pilotin-secretin complex of the type II secretion system.
title_full Structural and functional insights into the pilotin-secretin complex of the type II secretion system.
title_fullStr Structural and functional insights into the pilotin-secretin complex of the type II secretion system.
title_full_unstemmed Structural and functional insights into the pilotin-secretin complex of the type II secretion system.
title_short Structural and functional insights into the pilotin-secretin complex of the type II secretion system.
title_sort structural and functional insights into the pilotin secretin complex of the type ii secretion system
url https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1002531&type=printable
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AT vladimireshevchik structuralandfunctionalinsightsintothepilotinsecretincomplexofthetypeiisecretionsystem
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