title: Protein quality control in the bacterial periplasm.
abstract: Protein quality control involves sensing and treatment of defective or incomplete protein structures. Misfolded or mislocalized proteins trigger dedicated signal transduction cascades that upregulate the production of protein quality-control factors. Corresponding proteases and chaperones either degrade or repair damaged proteins, thereby reducing the level of aggregation-prone molecules. Because the periplasm of gram-negative bacteria is particularly exposed to environmental changes and respective protein-folding stresses connected with the presence of detergents, low or high osmolarity of the medium, elevated temperatures, and the host's immune response, fine-tuned protein quality control systems are essential for survival under these unfavorable conditions. This review discusses recent advances in the identification and characterization of the key cellular factors and the emerging general principles of the underlying molecular mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University Duisburg-Essen, 45117 Essen, Germany. melisa.merdanovic@uni-due.de
authors.forename: Melisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Merdanovic
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Clausen
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaiser
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Huber
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ehrmann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D019897:Periplasm / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017510:Protein Folding; D021381:Protein Transport
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins