Simulation Studies of the Outer Membrane Protein Chaperone Skp

The early interaction of the outer membrane protein phoe with the periplasmic chaperone Skp occurs at the cytoplasmic membrane.

Spheroplasts were used to study the early interactions of newly synthesized outer membrane protein PhoE with periplasmic proteins employing a protein cross-linking approach. Newly translocated PhoE protein could be cross-linked to the periplasmic chaperone Skp at the periplasmic side of the inner membrane. To study the timing of this interaction, a PhoE-dihydrofolate reductase hybrid protein wa...

Direct Observation of the Uptake of Outer Membrane Proteins by the Periplasmic Chaperone Skp

The transportation of membrane proteins through the aqueous subcellular space is an important and challenging process. Its molecular mechanism and the associated structural change are poorly understood. Periplasmic chaperones, such as Skp in Escherichia coli, play key roles in the transportation and protection of outer membrane proteins (OMPs) in Gram-negative bacteria. The molecular mechanism ...

The interactions of outer membrane proteins with the periplasmic chaperone Skp of E.coli and with LPS

Folding and insertion of the outer membrane protein OmpA is assisted by the chaperone Skp and by lipopolysaccharide.

We have studied the folding pathway of a beta-barrel membrane protein using outer membrane protein A (OmpA) of Escherichia coli as an example. The deletion of the gene of periplasmic Skp impairs the assembly of outer membrane proteins of bacteria. We investigated how Skp facilitates the insertion and folding of completely unfolded OmpA into phospholipid membranes and which are the biochemical a...

The CpxQ sRNA Negatively Regulates Skp To Prevent Mistargeting of β-Barrel Outer Membrane Proteins into the Cytoplasmic Membrane

UNLABELLED The promoter most strongly induced upon activation of the Cpx two-component envelope stress response is the cpxP promoter. The 3' untranscribed region (UTR) of the cpxP transcript is shown to produce a small RNA (sRNA), CpxQ. We investigated the role of CpxQ in combating envelope stress. Remarkably, the two effectors specified by the transcript are deployed to combat distinct stresse...