title: Assembly of β-barrel proteins into bacterial outer membranes.
abstract: Membrane proteins with a β-barrel topology are found in the outer membranes of Gram-negative bacteria and in the plastids and mitochondria of eukaryotic cells. The assembly of these membrane proteins depends on a protein folding reaction (to create the barrel) and an insertion reaction (to integrate the barrel within the outer membrane). Experimental approaches using biophysics and biochemistry are detailing the steps in the assembly pathway, while genetics and bioinformatics have revealed a sophisticated production line of cellular components that catalyze the assembly pathway in vivo. This includes the modular BAM complex, several molecular chaperones and the translocation and assembly module (the TAM). Recent screens also suggest that further components of the pathway might remain to be discovered. We review what is known about the process of β-barrel protein assembly into membranes, and the components of the β-barrel assembly machinery. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Protein trafficking and secretion in bacteria. Guest Editors: Anastassios Economou and Ross Dalbey.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne 3800, Australia.
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Selkrig
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne 3800, Australia; Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Melbourne 3800, Australia.
authors.forename: Denisse L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Leyton
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne 3800, Australia.
authors.forename: Chaille T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Webb
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne 3800, Australia. Electronic address: trevor.lithgow@monash.edu.
authors.forename: Trevor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lithgow
mesh_terms: D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D018832:Molecular Chaperones / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D046912:Multiprotein Complexes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D011487:Protein Conformation; D017510:Protein Folding; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D021381:Protein Transport / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D018832:Molecular Chaperones; D046912:Multiprotein Complexes
keywords: Membrane biogenesis; Membrane protein assembly; Outer membrane; Protein secretion; β-Barrel protein