Structural transitions permitting ligand entry and exit in bacterial fatty acid binding proteins

Fatty acid (FA) transfer proteins extract FA from membranes and sequester their ligand to facilitate its movement through the cytosol. While detailed views of soluble protein-FA complexes are available, how FA exchange occurs at the membrane has remained unknown. Staphylococcus aureus FakB1 is a prototypical bacterial FA transfer protein that binds palmitate within a narrow, buried tunnel. Here, we determine the conformational change from this closed state to an open state that engages the phospholipid bilayer. Upon membrane binding, a dynamic loop in FakB1 that covers the FA binding site disengages and folds into an amphipathic helix. This helix inserts below the phosphate plane of the bilayer to create a diffusion channel for the FA to exchange between the protein and the membrane. The structure of the bilayer-associated conformation of FakB1 has local similarities with mammalian FA binding proteins and provides a general conceptual framework for how these proteins interact with the membrane to promote lipid transfer.