scholarly journals The Tat-dependent protein translocation pathway

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
pp. 507-523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Hou ◽  
Thomas Brüser
Keyword(s):  
Protein Transport ◽  
Protein Translocation ◽  
Transport Systems ◽  
Binding Motif ◽  
Twin Arginine Translocation ◽  
Multiple Copies ◽  
Dependent Protein ◽  
Tat System ◽  
Folded Proteins ◽  
Polytopic Membrane Protein

AbstractThe twin-arginine translocation (Tat) pathway is found in bacteria, archaea, and plant chloroplasts, where it is dedicated to the transmembrane transport of fully folded proteins. These proteins contain N-terminal signal peptides with a specific Tat-system binding motif that is recognized by the transport machinery. In contrast to other protein transport systems, the Tat system consists of multiple copies of only two or three usually small (∼8–30 kDa) membrane proteins that oligomerize to two large complexes that transiently interact during translocation. Only one of these complexes includes a polytopic membrane protein, TatC. The other complex consists of TatA. Tat systems of plants, proteobacteria, and several other phyla contain a third component, TatB. TatB is evolutionarily and structurally related to TatA and usually forms tight complexes with TatC. Minimal two-component Tat systems lacking TatB are found in many bacterial and archaeal phyla. They consist of a ‘bifunctional’ TatA that also covers TatB functionalities, and a TatC. Recent insights into the structure and interactions of the Tat proteins have various important implications.

scholarly journals Influence of the TorD signal peptide chaperone on Tat-dependent protein translocation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Umesh K Bageshwar ◽  
Antara DattaGupta ◽  
Siegfried M Musser
Keyword(s):  
Signal Peptide ◽  
Protein Translocation ◽  
Binding Interaction ◽  
Twin Arginine Translocation ◽  
Tat Pathway ◽  
Hand Off ◽  
Dependent Protein ◽  
Tat System ◽  
Folded Proteins ◽  
High Concentrations

The twin-arginine translocation (Tat) pathway transports folded proteins across energetic membranes. Numerous Tat substrates contain co-factors that are inserted before transport with the assistance of redox enzyme maturation proteins (REMPs), which bind to the signal peptide of precursor proteins. How signal peptides are transferred from a REMP to a binding site on the Tat receptor complex remains unknown. Since the signal peptide mediates both interactions, possibilities include: i) a coordinated hand-off mechanism; or ii) a diffusional search after REMP dissociation. We investigated the binding interaction between substrates containing the TorA signal peptide (spTorA) and its cognate REMP, TorD, and the effect of TorD on the in vitrotransport of such substrates. We found that Escherichia coli TorD is predominantly a monomer at low micromolar concentrations (dimerization KD > 50 M), and this monomer binds reversibly to spTorA (KD 1 M). While TorD binds to membranes (KD 100 nM), it has no apparent affinity for Tat translocons and it inhibits binding of a precursor substrate to the membrane. TorD has a minimal effect on substrate transport by the Tat system, being mildly inhibitory at high concentrations. These data are consistent with a model in which the REMP-bound signal peptide is shielded from recognition by the Tat translocon, and spontaneous dissociation of the REMP allows the substrate to engage the Tat machinery. Thus, the REMP does not assist with targeting to the Tat translocon, but rather temporarily shields the signal peptide.

scholarly journals Influence of the TorD signal peptide chaperone on Tat-dependent protein translocation

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. e0256715
Author(s):  
Umesh K. Bageshwar ◽  
Antara DattaGupta ◽  
Siegfried M. Musser
Keyword(s):  
Signal Peptide ◽  
Protein Translocation ◽  
Binding Interaction ◽  
Twin Arginine Translocation ◽  
Hand Off ◽  
Dependent Protein ◽  
Tat System ◽  
Folded Proteins ◽  
High Concentrations

The twin-arginine translocation (Tat) pathway transports folded proteins across energetic membranes. Numerous Tat substrates contain co-factors that are inserted before transport with the assistance of redox enzyme maturation proteins (REMPs), which bind to the signal peptide of precursor proteins. How signal peptides are transferred from a REMP to a binding site on the Tat receptor complex remains unknown. Since the signal peptide mediates both interactions, possibilities include: i) a coordinated hand-off mechanism; or ii) a diffusional search after REMP dissociation. We investigated the binding interaction between substrates containing the TorA signal peptide (spTorA) and its cognate REMP, TorD, and the effect of TorD on the in vitro transport of such substrates. We found that Escherichia coli TorD is predominantly a monomer at low micromolar concentrations (dimerization KD > 50 μM), and this monomer binds reversibly to spTorA (KD ≈ 1 μM). While TorD binds to membranes (KD ≈ 100 nM), it has no apparent affinity for Tat translocons and it inhibits binding of a precursor substrate to the membrane. TorD has a minimal effect on substrate transport by the Tat system, being mildly inhibitory at high concentrations. These data are consistent with a model in which the REMP-bound signal peptide is shielded from recognition by the Tat translocon, and spontaneous dissociation of the REMP allows the substrate to engage the Tat machinery. Thus, the REMP does not assist with targeting to the Tat translocon, but rather temporarily shields the signal peptide.

scholarly journals Clustering of C-Terminal Stromal Domains of Tha4 Homo-oligomers during Translocation by the Tat Protein Transport System

2009 ◽  
Vol 20 (7) ◽  
pp. 2060-2069 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carole Dabney-Smith ◽  
Kenneth Cline
Keyword(s):  
Protein Transport ◽  
Transmembrane Domain ◽  
Protein Translocation ◽  
Proton Gradient ◽  
Receptor Complex ◽  
Tat Protein ◽  
Twin Arginine Translocation ◽  
Conducting Component ◽  
Cross Links ◽  
Folded Proteins

The chloroplast Twin arginine translocation (Tat) pathway uses three membrane proteins and the proton gradient to transport folded proteins across sealed membranes. Precursor proteins bind to the cpTatC-Hcf106 receptor complex, triggering Tha4 assembly and protein translocation. Tha4 is required only for the translocation step and is thought to be the protein-conducting component. The organization of Tha4 oligomers was examined by substituting pairs of cysteine residues into Tha4 and inducing disulfide cross-links under varying stages of protein translocation. Tha4 formed tetramers via its transmembrane domain in unstimulated membranes and octamers in membranes stimulated by precursor and the proton gradient. Tha4 formed larger oligomers of at least 16 protomers via its carboxy tail, but such C-tail clustering only occurred in stimulated membranes. Mutational studies showed that transmembrane domain directed octamers as well as C-tail clusters require Tha4's transmembrane glutamate residue and its amphipathic helix, both of which are necessary for Tha4 function. A novel double cross-linking strategy demonstrated that both transmembrane domain directed- and C-tail directed oligomerization occur in the translocase. These results support a model in which Tha4 oligomers dock with a precursor–receptor complex and undergo a conformational switch that results in activation for protein transport. This possibly involves accretion of additional Tha4 into a larger transport-active homo-oligomer.

scholarly journals Effects of altered TatC proteins on protein secretion efficiency via the twin-arginine translocation pathway of Bacillus subtilis

Microbiology ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 155 (6) ◽  
pp. 1776-1785 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robyn T. Eijlander ◽  
Magdalena A. Kolbusz ◽  
Erwin M. Berendsen ◽  
Oscar P. Kuipers
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Protein Secretion ◽  
Transmembrane Domain ◽  
Protein Translocation ◽  
Substrate Binding ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Twin Arginine Translocation ◽  
Secretion Efficiency ◽  
Dependent Protein ◽  
Tat System

Protein translocation via the Tat machinery in thylakoids and bacteria occurs through a cooperation between the TatA, TatB and TatC subunits, of which the TatC protein forms the initial Tat substrate-binding site. The Bacillus subtilis Tat machinery lacks TatB and comprises two separate TatAC complexes with distinct substrate specificities: PhoD is secreted by the TatAdCd complex, whereas YwbN is secreted by the TatAyCy complex. To study the role of the Gram-positive TatC proteins in Tat-dependent protein secretion efficiency, we applied several genetic engineering approaches to modify and analyse the B. subtilis TatCd and TatCy proteins. Cytoplasmic and transmembrane domain exchange between TatCd and TatCy resulted in stable chimeric proteins that were unable to secrete both known substrates of the B. subtilis Tat system. Site-directed mutagenesis of conserved residues in the N-terminal part of both TatC proteins revealed significant differences in the degree of importance of these residues between TatCd, TatCy and Escherichia coli TatC. In addition, two small C-terminal deletions in TatCy completely abolished YwbN translocation, indicating that this terminus is essential for Tat translocation activity. Important differences from previous observations for E. coli TatC and implications for substrate binding and translocation are discussed.

scholarly journals Functional Tat Transport of Unstructured, Small, Hydrophilic Proteins

2007 ◽  
Vol 282 (46) ◽  
pp. 33257-33264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silke Richter ◽  
Ute Lindenstrauss ◽  
Christian Lücke ◽  
Richard Bayliss ◽  
Thomas Brüser
Keyword(s):  
Protein Translocation ◽  
Signal Sequence ◽  
Hydrophobic Surface ◽  
Physiological Data ◽  
Nuclear Pore ◽  
Hydrophobic Core ◽  
Twin Arginine Translocation ◽  
Surface Patches ◽  
Tat System ◽  
Folded Proteins

The twin-arginine translocation (Tat) system is a protein translocation system that is adapted to the translocation of folded proteins across biological membranes. An understanding of the folding requirements for Tat substrates is of fundamental importance for the elucidation of the transport mechanism. We now demonstrate for the first time Tat transport for fully unstructured proteins, using signal sequence fusions to naturally unfolded FG repeats from the yeast Nsp1p nuclear pore protein. The transport of unfolded proteins becomes less efficient with increasing size, consistent with only a single interaction between the system and the substrate. Strikingly, the introduction of six residues from the hydrophobic core of a globular protein completely blocked translocation. Physiological data suggest that hydrophobic surface patches abort transport at a late stage, most likely by membrane interactions during transport. This study thus explains the observed restriction of the Tat system to folded globular proteins on a molecular level.

scholarly journals Specificity of Signal Peptide Recognition in Tat-Dependent Bacterial Protein Translocation

2001 ◽  
Vol 183 (2) ◽  
pp. 604-610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natascha Blaudeck ◽  
Georg A. Sprenger ◽  
Roland Freudl ◽  
Thomas Wiegert
Keyword(s):  
Fusion Protein ◽  
Signal Peptide ◽  
Protein Translocation ◽  
Signal Peptides ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Amino Terminal ◽  
Twin Arginine Translocation ◽  
Tat Pathway ◽  
Dependent Protein ◽  
Folded Proteins

ABSTRACT The bacterial twin arginine translocation (Tat) pathway translocates across the cytoplasmic membrane folded proteins which, in most cases, contain a tightly bound cofactor. Specific amino-terminal signal peptides that exhibit a conserved amino acid consensus motif, S/T-R-R-X-F-L-K, direct these proteins to the Tat translocon. The glucose-fructose oxidoreductase (GFOR) ofZymomonas mobilis is a periplasmic enzyme with tightly bound NADP as a cofactor. It is synthesized as a cytoplasmic precursor with an amino-terminal signal peptide that shows all of the characteristics of a typical twin arginine signal peptide. However, GFOR is not exported to the periplasm when expressed in the heterologous host Escherichia coli, and enzymatically active pre-GFOR is found in the cytoplasm. A precise replacement of the pre-GFOR signal peptide by an authentic E. coli Tat signal peptide, which is derived from pre-trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) reductase (TorA), allowed export of GFOR, together with its bound cofactor, to the E. coli periplasm. This export was inhibited by carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone, but not by sodium azide, and was blocked in E. coli tatC andtatAE mutant strains, showing that membrane translocation of the TorA-GFOR fusion protein occurred via the Tat pathway and not via the Sec pathway. Furthermore, tight cofactor binding (and therefore correct folding) was found to be a prerequisite for proper translocation of the fusion protein. These results strongly suggest that Tat signal peptides are not universally recognized by different Tat translocases, implying that the signal peptides of Tat-dependent precursor proteins are optimally adapted only to their cognate export apparatus. Such a situation is in marked contrast to the situation that is known to exist for Sec-dependent protein translocation.

scholarly journals Genetic Analysis of Pathway Specificity during Posttranslational Protein Translocation across the Escherichia coli Plasma Membrane

2003 ◽  
Vol 185 (9) ◽  
pp. 2811-2819 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natascha Blaudeck ◽  
Peter Kreutzenbeck ◽  
Roland Freudl ◽  
Georg A. Sprenger
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Signal Peptide ◽  
Protein Translocation ◽  
Alternative Possibilities ◽  
Amino Acid Residues ◽  
Sec Pathway ◽  
Twin Arginine Translocation ◽  
Tat Pathway ◽  
Arginine Residues ◽  
Dependent Protein

ABSTRACT In Escherichia coli, the SecB/SecA branch of the Sec pathway and the twin-arginine translocation (Tat) pathway represent two alternative possibilities for posttranslational translocation of proteins across the cytoplasmic membrane. Maintenance of pathway specificity was analyzed using a model precursor consisting of the mature part of the SecB-dependent maltose-binding protein (MalE) fused to the signal peptide of the Tat-dependent TorA protein. The TorA signal peptide selectively and specifically directed MalE into the Tat pathway. The characterization of a spontaneous TorA signal peptide mutant (TorA*), in which the two arginine residues in the c-region had been replaced by one leucine residue, showed that the TorA*-MalE mutant precursor had acquired the ability for efficiently using the SecB/SecA pathway. Despite the lack of the “Sec avoidance signal,” the mutant precursor was still capable of using the Tat pathway, provided that the kinetically favored Sec pathway was blocked. These results show that the h-region of the TorA signal peptide is, in principle, sufficiently hydrophobic for Sec-dependent protein translocation, and therefore, the positively charged amino acid residues in the c-region represent a major determinant for Tat pathway specificity. Tat-dependent export of TorA-MalE was significantly slower in the presence of SecB than in its absence, showing that SecB can bind to this precursor despite the presence of the Sec avoidance signal in the c-region of the TorA signal peptide, strongly suggesting that the function of the Sec avoidance signal is not the prevention of SecB binding; rather, it must be exerted at a later step in the Sec pathway.

scholarly journals A twin arginine signal peptide and the pH gradient trigger reversible assembly of the thylakoid ΔpH/Tat translocase

2002 ◽  
Vol 157 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroki Mori ◽  
Kenneth Cline
Keyword(s):  
Signal Peptide ◽  
Protein Translocation ◽  
Permeability Barrier ◽  
Synthetic Signal ◽  
Tat Pathway ◽  
Precursor Proteins ◽  
Varied Size ◽  
Tat System ◽  
Folded Proteins ◽  
Chemical Cross Linking

The thylakoid ΔpH-dependent/Tat pathway is a novel system with the remarkable ability to transport tightly folded precursor proteins using a transmembrane ΔpH as the sole energy source. Three known components of the transport machinery exist in two distinct subcomplexes. A cpTatC–Hcf106 complex serves as precursor receptor and a Tha4 complex is required after precursor recognition. Here we report that Tha4 assembles with cpTatC–Hcf106 during the translocation step. Interactions among components were examined by chemical cross-linking of intact thylakoids followed by immunoprecipitation and immunoblotting. cpTatC and Hcf106 were consistently associated under all conditions tested. In contrast, Tha4 was only associated with cpTatC and Hcf106 in the presence of a functional precursor and the ΔpH. Interestingly, a synthetic signal peptide could replace intact precursor in triggering assembly. The association of all three components was transient and dissipated upon the completion of protein translocation. Such an assembly–disassembly cycle could explain how the ΔpH/Tat system can assemble translocases to accommodate folded proteins of varied size. It also explains in part how the system can exist in the membrane without compromising its ion and proton permeability barrier.

scholarly journals Inactivation of Rv2525c, a Substrate of the Twin Arginine Translocation (Tat) System of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Increases β-Lactam Susceptibility and Virulence

2006 ◽  
Vol 188 (18) ◽  
pp. 6669-6679 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brigitte Saint-Joanis ◽  
Caroline Demangel ◽  
Mary Jackson ◽  
Priscille Brodin ◽  
Laurent Marsollier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Biochemical Analysis ◽  
Species Conservation ◽  
Knockout Mutant ◽  
Orthologous Genes ◽  
Twin Arginine Translocation ◽  
Cell Wall Biogenesis ◽  
Tat System ◽  
Folded Proteins

ABSTRACT The twin arginine translocation (Tat) system is used by many bacteria to export fully folded proteins containing cofactors. Here, we show genetically that this system is essential for Mycobacterium tuberculosis, as the tatAC operon and tatB genes could be inactivated only in partially diploid strains. Using comparative genomics, the rv2525c gene of M. tuberculosis was identified as encoding a histidine-rich protein, with a twin arginine signal peptide, and orthologous genes were shown to be present in several but not all actinobacterial species. Conservation of this gene by Mycobacterium leprae, which has undergone reductive evolution, suggested an important role for rv2525c. An rv2525c knockout mutant was constructed, and biochemical analysis indicated that the mature Rv2525c protein is secreted. Upon exposure to antituberculous drugs, rv2525c expression is significantly up-regulated together with those of other genes involved in cell wall biogenesis. Phenotypic comparison of the mutant with the parental strain revealed an increase in susceptibility to some β-lactam antibiotics and, despite slower growth in vitro, enhanced virulence in both cellular and murine models of tuberculosis. The Tat system thus contributes in multiple ways to survival of the tubercle bacillus.

scholarly journals Channel crossing: how are proteins shipped across the bacterial plasma membrane?

2015 ◽  
Vol 370 (1679) ◽  
pp. 20150025 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Collinson ◽  
Robin A. Corey ◽  
William J. Allen
Keyword(s):  
Free Energy ◽  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Atp Hydrolysis ◽  
Protein Translocation ◽  
Transmembrane Protein ◽  
Conducting Channel ◽  
Outstanding Problem ◽  
Unfolded State ◽  
Tat System ◽  
Folded Proteins

The structure of the first protein-conducting channel was determined more than a decade ago. Today, we are still puzzled by the outstanding problem of protein translocation—the dynamic mechanism underlying the consignment of proteins across and into membranes. This review is an attempt to summarize and understand the energy transducing capabilities of protein-translocating machines, with emphasis on bacterial systems: how polypeptides make headway against the lipid bilayer and how the process is coupled to the free energy associated with ATP hydrolysis and the transmembrane protein motive force. In order to explore how cargo is driven across the membrane, the known structures of the protein-translocation machines are set out against the background of the historic literature, and in the light of experiments conducted in their wake. The paper will focus on the bacterial general secretory (Sec) pathway (SecY-complex), and its eukaryotic counterpart (Sec61-complex), which ferry proteins across the membrane in an unfolded state, as well as the unrelated Tat system that assembles bespoke channels for the export of folded proteins.

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