scholarly journals Architecture of the outer-membrane core complex from a conjugative type IV secretion system

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Himani Amin ◽  
Aravindan Ilangovan ◽  
Tiago R. D. Costa
Keyword(s):  
Outer Membrane ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance Genes ◽  
Secretion System ◽  
Core Complex ◽  
Bacterial Populations ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Membrane Complex ◽  
Type Iv ◽  
Membrane Spanning ◽  
Inner Membrane Complex

AbstractConjugation is one of the most important processes that bacteria utilize to spread antibiotic resistance genes among bacterial populations. Interbacterial DNA transfer requires a large double membrane-spanning nanomachine called the type 4 secretion system (T4SS) made up of the inner-membrane complex (IMC), the outer-membrane core complex (OMCC) and the conjugative pilus. The iconic F plasmid-encoded T4SS has been central in understanding conjugation for several decades, however atomic details of its structure are not known. Here, we report the structure of a complete conjugative OMCC encoded by the pED208 plasmid from E. coli, solved by cryo-electron microscopy at 3.3 Å resolution. This 2.1 MDa complex has a unique arrangement with two radial concentric rings, each having a different symmetry eventually contributing to remarkable differences in protein stoichiometry and flexibility in comparison to other OMCCs. Our structure suggests that F-OMCC is a highly dynamic complex, with implications for pilus extension and retraction during conjugation.

scholarly journals Molecular and Structural Analysis of the Helicobacter pylori cag Type IV Secretion System Core Complex

mBio ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arwen E. Frick-Cheng ◽  
Tasia M. Pyburn ◽  
Bradley J. Voss ◽  
W. Hayes McDonald ◽  
Melanie D. Ohi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Helicobacter Pylori ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Secretion System ◽  
Effector Proteins ◽  
Type Iv Secretion ◽  
Secretion Systems ◽  
Core Complex ◽  
Type Iv ◽  
Membrane Spanning ◽  
H Pylori

ABSTRACT Bacterial type IV secretion systems (T4SSs) can function to export or import DNA, and can deliver effector proteins into a wide range of target cells. Relatively little is known about the structural organization of T4SSs that secrete effector proteins. In this report, we describe the isolation and analysis of a membrane-spanning core complex from the Helicobacter pylori cag T4SS, which has an important role in the pathogenesis of gastric cancer. We show that this complex contains five H. pylori proteins, CagM, CagT, Cag3, CagX, and CagY, each of which is required for cag T4SS activity. CagX and CagY are orthologous to the VirB9 and VirB10 components of T4SSs in other bacterial species, and the other three Cag proteins are unique to H. pylori . Negative stain single-particle electron microscopy revealed complexes 41 nm in diameter, characterized by a 19-nm-diameter central ring linked to an outer ring by spoke-like linkers. Incomplete complexes formed by Δ cag3 or Δ cagT mutants retain the 19-nm-diameter ring but lack an organized outer ring. Immunogold labeling studies confirm that Cag3 is a peripheral component of the complex. The cag T4SS core complex has an overall diameter and structural organization that differ considerably from the corresponding features of conjugative T4SSs. These results highlight specialized features of the H. pylori cag T4SS that are optimized for function in the human gastric mucosal environment. IMPORTANCE Type IV secretion systems (T4SSs) are versatile macromolecular machines that are present in many bacterial species. In this study, we investigated a T4SS found in the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. H. pylori is an important cause of stomach cancer, and the H. pylori T4SS contributes to cancer pathogenesis by mediating entry of CagA (an effector protein regarded as a “bacterial oncoprotein”) into gastric epithelial cells. We isolated and analyzed the membrane-spanning core complex of the H. pylori T4SS and showed that it contains unique proteins unrelated to components of T4SSs in other bacterial species. These results constitute the first structural analysis of the core complex from this important secretion system.

scholarly journals In Situ Visualization of the pKM101-Encoded Type IV Secretion System Reveals a Highly Symmetric ATPase Energy Center at the Channel Entrance

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pratick Khara ◽  
Peter J. Christie ◽  
Bo Hu
Keyword(s):  
Cell Envelope ◽  
Secretion System ◽  
Type Iv Secretion ◽  
Type Iv Secretion System ◽  
Membrane Complex ◽  
Type Iv ◽  
Inner Membrane Complex ◽  
Cytoplasmic Complex

Bacterial conjugation systems are members of the type IV secretion system (T4SS) superfamily. T4SSs can be classified as ‘minimized’ or ‘expanded’ based on whether assembly requires only a core set of signature subunits or additional system-specific components. The prototypical ‘minimized’ systems mediating Agrobacterium tumefaciens T-DNA transfer and conjugative transfer of plasmids pKM101 and R388 are built from 12 subunits generically named VirB1-VirB11 and VirD4. In this study, we visualized the pKM101-encoded T4SS in the native context of the bacterial cell envelope by in situ cryoelectron tomography (CryoET). The T4SSpKM101 is composed of an outer membrane core complex (OMCC) connected by a thin stalk to an inner membrane complex (IMC). The OMCCexhibits 14-fold symmetry and resembles that of the T4SSR388, a large substructure of which was previously purified and analyzed by negative-stain electron microscopy (nsEM). The IMC of the in situ T4SSpKM101 machine is highly symmetrical and exhibits 6-fold symmetry, dominated by a hexameric collar in the periplasm and a cytoplasmic complex composed of a hexamer of dimers of the VirB4-like TraB ATPase. The IMCclosely resembles equivalent regions of three ‘expanded’ T4SSs previously visualized by in situ CryoET, but strikingly differs from the IMC of the purified T4SSR388 whose cytoplasmic complex instead presents as two side-by-side VirB4 hexamers.  Together, our findings support a unified architectural model for all T4SSs assembled in vivo regardless of their classification as ‘minimized’ or ‘expanded’: the signature VirB4-like ATPases invariably are arranged as central hexamers of dimers at the entrances to the T4SS channels.

scholarly journals Structure of the outer membrane complex of a type IV secretion system

Nature ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 462 (7276) ◽  
pp. 1011-1015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vidya Chandran ◽  
Rémi Fronzes ◽  
Stéphane Duquerroy ◽  
Nora Cronin ◽  
Jorge Navaza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Outer Membrane ◽  
Secretion System ◽  
Type Iv Secretion ◽  
Type Iv Secretion System ◽  
Membrane Complex ◽  
Type Iv

scholarly journals In Situ Visualization of the pKM101-Encoded Type IV Secretion System Reveals a Highly Symmetric ATPase Energy Center

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pratick Khara ◽  
Liqiang Song ◽  
Peter J. Christie ◽  
Bo Hu
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Secretion System ◽  
Type Iv Secretion ◽  
Type Iv Secretion System ◽  
Membrane Complex ◽  
Type Iv ◽  
Inner Membrane Complex ◽  
Cytoplasmic Complex

ABSTRACTBacterial conjugation systems are members of the type IV secretion system (T4SS) superfamily. T4SSs can be classified as ‘minimized’ or ‘expanded’ based on whether they are composed of a core set of signature subunits or additional system-specific components. Prototypical ‘minimized’ systems mediating Agrobacterium tumefaciens T-DNA transfer and pKM101 and R388 plasmid transfer are built from subunits generically named VirB1-VirB11 and VirD4. We visualized the pKM101-encoded T4SS in the native cellular context by in situ cryoelectron tomography (CryoET). The T4SSpKM101 is composed of an outer membrane core complex (OMCC) connected by a thin stalk to an inner membrane complex (IMC). The OMCC exhibits 14-fold symmetry and resembles that of the T4SSR388 analyzed previously by single-particle electron microscopy. The IMC is highly symmetrical and exhibits 6-fold symmetry. It is dominated by a hexameric collar in the periplasm and a cytoplasmic complex composed of a hexamer of dimers of the VirB4-like TraB ATPase. The IMC closely resembles equivalent regions of three ‘expanded’ T4SSs previously visualized by in situ CryoET, but differs strikingly from the IMC of the purified T4SSR388 whose cytoplasmic complex instead presents as two side-by-side VirB4 hexamers. Analyses of mutant machines lacking each of the three ATPases required for T4SSpKM101 function supplied evidence that TraBB4 as well as VirB11-like TraG contribute to distinct stages of machine assembly. We propose that the VirB4-like ATPases, configured as hexamers-of-dimers at the T4SS entrance, orchestrate IMC assembly and recruitment of the spatially-dynamic VirB11 and VirD4 ATPases to activate the T4SS for substrate transfer.SIGNIFICANCEBacterial type IV secretion systems (T4SSs) play central roles in antibiotic resistance spread and virulence. By cryoelectron tomography (CryoET), we solved the structure of the plasmid pKM101-encoded T4SS in the native context of the bacterial cell envelope. The inner membrane complex (IMC) of the in situ T4SS differs remarkably from that of a closely-related T4SS analyzed in vitro by single particle electron microscopy. Our findings underscore the importance of comparative in vitro and in vivo analyses of the T4SS nanomachines, and support a unified model in which the signature VirB4 ATPases of the T4SS superfamily function as a central hexamer of dimers to regulate early-stage machine biogenesis and substrate entry passage through the T4SS. The VirB4 ATPases are therefore excellent targets for development of intervention strategies aimed at suppressing the action of T4SS nanomachines.

scholarly journals The action of digitonin on rat liver mitochondria. Electron microscopy

1968 ◽  
Vol 107 (3) ◽  
pp. 377-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald J. Morton ◽  
Charles Hoppel ◽  
Cecil Cooper
Keyword(s):  
Outer Membrane ◽  
Rat Liver ◽  
Liver Mitochondria ◽  
Rat Liver Mitochondria ◽  
Inner Membrane ◽  
Lamellar Structures ◽  
Membrane Complex ◽  
Condensed Form ◽  
Intact Mitochondrion ◽  
Inner Membrane Complex

1. Rat liver mitochondria were examined in the electron microscope by using negative staining in the presence of 0·3m-sucrose. The intact outer membrane does not appear to be freely permeable to the stain. Where the stain penetrated through a tear it was seen that the inner membrane had randomly oriented grooves, many of which contained round structures varying between 200 and 900å in diameter. Laminar structures containing two to five layers of approx. 50å each were found at the periphery. 2. When the outer membrane was removed by treating the mitochondria with digitonin several types of inner-membrane complexes were formed and they showed a general correlation with those observed in sectioned samples of the same preparations. The main types were: (a) a condensed form looking very much like the intact mitochondrion without the outer membrane (this still showed the grooves, some of which contained the round structures, and the laminar whirls at the edges); (b) a more transparent form containing tubules of uniform width and various lengths (some of these appeared to terminate in a hole at the surface of the inner membrane); (c) a large torn sac, probably the inner membrane, containing some tubules and vesicles. 3. When the inner-membrane complex was further treated with digitonin it was disrupted and the resulting material consisted of pieces of membrane, doughnut-shaped units and lamellar structures. Most of these pieces varied in size between 500 and 1000å.

scholarly journals Native structure of a type IV secretion system core complex essential for Legionella pathogenesis

2014 ◽  
Vol 111 (32) ◽  
pp. 11804-11809 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Kubori ◽  
M. Koike ◽  
X. T. Bui ◽  
S. Higaki ◽  
S.-I. Aizawa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Secretion System ◽  
Type Iv Secretion ◽  
Type Iv Secretion System ◽  
Native Structure ◽  
Core Complex ◽  
Type Iv
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