title: Sec-secretion and sortase-mediated anchoring of proteins in Gram-positive bacteria.
abstract: Signal peptide-driven secretion of precursor proteins directs polypeptides across the plasma membrane of bacteria. Two pathways, Sec- and SRP-dependent, converge at the SecYEG translocon to thread unfolded precursor proteins across the membrane, whereas folded preproteins are routed via the Tat secretion pathway. Gram-positive bacteria lack an outer membrane and are surrounded by a rigid layer of peptidoglycan. Interactions with their environment are mediated by proteins that are retained in the cell wall, often through covalent attachment to the peptidoglycan. In this review, we describe the mechanisms for both Sec-dependent secretion and sortase-dependent assembly of proteins in the envelope of Gram-positive bacteria. 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 Microbiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA. Electronic address: oschnee@bsd.uchicago.edu.
authors.forename: Olaf
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Schneewind
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Missiakas
mesh_terms: D019881:Aminoacyltransferases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010457:Peptidoglycan / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals / Q000235:genetics; D021381:Protein Transport / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D010457:Peptidoglycan; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals; D019881:Aminoacyltransferases; C120542:sortase A; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases
keywords: Cell wall; LPXTG; Leader peptide; Peptidoglycan; Sec; Sortase