title: Novel topology of BfpE, a cytoplasmic membrane protein required for type IV fimbrial biogenesis in enteropathogenic Escherichia coli.
abstract: Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) produces the bundle-forming pilus (BFP), a type IV fimbria that has been implicated in virulence, autoaggregation, and localized adherence to epithelial cells. The bfpE gene is one of a cluster of bfp genes previously shown to encode functions that direct BFP biosynthesis. Here, we show that an EPEC strain carrying a nonpolar mutation in bfpE fails to autoaggregate, adhere to HEp-2 cells, or form BFP, thereby demonstrating that BfpE is required for BFP biogenesis. BfpE is a cytoplasmic membrane protein of the GspF family. To determine the membrane topology of BfpE, we fused bfpE derivatives containing 3' truncations and/or internal deletions to alkaline phosphatase and/or beta-galactosidase reporter genes, whose products are active only when localized to the periplasm or cytoplasm, respectively. In addition, we constructed BfpE sandwich fusions using a dual alkaline phosphatase/beta-galactosidase reporter cassette and analyzed BfpE deletion derivatives by sucrose density flotation gradient fractionation. The data from these analyses support a topology in which BfpE contains four hydrophobic transmembrane (TM) segments, a large cytoplasmic segment at its N terminus, and a large periplasmic segment near its C terminus. This topology is dramatically different from that of OutF, another member of the GspF family, which has three TM segments and is predominantly cytoplasmic. These findings provide a structural basis for predicting protein-protein interactions required for assembly of the BFP biogenesis machinery.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 10 South Pine Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
authors.forename: T E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Blank
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Donnenberg
mesh_terms: D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D010861:Fimbriae, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D015870:Gene Expression; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D007763:Lac Operon; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016296:Mutagenesis; D010641:Phenotype; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D001616:beta-Galactosidase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C432466:BfpE protein, E coli; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase; C114089:phoA protein, E coli; D001616:beta-Galactosidase