title: Signal recognition particle mediated protein targeting in Escherichia coli.
abstract: The signal recognition particle (SRP) is a conserved ribonucleoprotein complex that binds to targeting sequences in nascent secretory and membrane proteins. The SRP guides these proteins to the cytoplasmic membrane in prokaryotes and the endoplasmic reticulum membrane in eukaryotes via an interaction with its cognate receptor. The E. coli SRP is relatively small and is currently used as a model for fundamental and applied studies on translation-linked protein targeting. In this review recent advances in our understanding of the structure and function of the E. coli SRP and its receptor are discussed. In particular, the interplay between the SRP pathway and other targeting routes, the role of guanine nucleotides in cycling of the SRP and the substrate specificity of the SRP are highlighted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Microbiology, Institute of Molecular Biological Sciences, BioCentrum Amsterdam, Faculty of Biology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands. quido@nki.nl
authors.forename: Q A
authors.initials: QA
authors.lastname: Valent
mesh_terms: D004721:Endoplasmic Reticulum / Q000378:metabolism; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D005057:Eukaryotic Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D021381:Protein Transport; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D018271:Signal Recognition Particle / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D018271:Signal Recognition Particle