title: The Escherichia coli cell division protein and model Tat substrate SufI (FtsP) localizes to the septal ring and has a multicopper oxidase-like structure.
abstract: The Escherichia coli protein SufI (FtsP) has recently been proposed to be a component of the cell division apparatus. The SufI protein is also in widespread experimental use as a model substrate in studies of the Tat (twin arginine translocation) protein transport system. We have used SufI-GFP (green fluorescent protein) fusions to show that SufI localizes to the septal ring in the dividing cell. We have also determined the structure of SufI by X-ray crystallography to a resolution of 1.9 A. SufI is structurally related to the multicopper oxidase superfamily but lacks metal cofactors. The structure of SufI suggests it serves a scaffolding rather than an enzymatic role in the septal ring and reveals regions of the protein likely to be involved in the protein-protein interactions required to assemble SufI at the septal ring.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tarry
authors.forename: S J Ryan
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Arends
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Roversi
authors.forename: Evan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Piette
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sargent
authors.forename: Ben C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Berks
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: Susan M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Lea
mesh_terms: D019677:Artificial Gene Fusion; D002455:Cell Division; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000502:physiology*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008958:Models, Molecular; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C473632:SufI protein, E coli; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins