The Seventeen Kilodalton Protein (Skp) is a trimeric periplasmic chaperone that assists outer membrane proteins in their folding and insertion into membranes. Here we report the crystal structure of Skp from E. coli. The structure of the Skp trimer resembles a jellyfish with alpha-helical tentacles protruding from a beta barrel body defining a central cavity. The architecture of Skp is unexpectedly similar to that of Prefoldin/GimC, a cytosolic chaperone present in eukaria and archea, that binds unfolded substrates in its central cavity. The ability of Skp to prevent the aggregation of model substrates in vitro is independent of ATP. Skp can interact directly with membrane lipids and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). These interactions are needed for efficient Skp-assisted folding of membrane proteins. We have identified a putative LPS binding site on the outer surface of Skp and propose a model for unfolded substrate binding.

Summary The envelope of Gram-negative bacteria consists of inner and outer membranes surrounding the peptidoglycan wall. The outer membrane (OM) is rich in integral membrane proteins (OMPs), which have a characteristic β-barrel domain embedded in the OM. The Omp85 family of proteins, ubiquitous among Gram-negative bacteria and also present in chloroplasts and mitochondria, is required for folding and insertion of OMPs into the outer membrane. Bacterial Omp85 proteins are characterized by a periplasmic domain containing five repeats of polypeptide transport-associated (POTRA) motifs. Here we report the crystal structure of a periplasmic fragment of YaeT (the E. coli Omp85) containing the first four POTRA domains in a new extended conformation consistent with recent solution X-ray scattering data. Analysis of the YaeT structure reveals conformational flexibility around a hinge point between POTRA2 and 3 domains. The structure’s implications for the substrate binding and folding mechanisms are also discussed.

Outer membrane proteins (OMPs) of Gram-negative bacteria are synthesized in the cytosol and must cross the periplasm before insertion into the outer membrane. The 17-kDa protein (Skp) is a periplasmic chaperone that assists the folding and insertion of many OMPs, including OmpA, a model OMP with a membrane embedded ␤-barrel domain and a periplasmic ␣␤ domain. Structurally, Skp belongs to a family of cavity-containing chaperones that bind their substrates in the cavity, protecting them from aggregation. However, some substrates, such as OmpA, exceed the capacity of the chaperone cavity, posing a mechanistic challenge. Here, we provide direct NMR evidence that, while bound to Skp, the ␤-barrel domain of OmpA is maintained in an unfolded state, whereas the periplasmic domain is folded in its native conformation. Complementary cross-linking and NMR relaxation experiments show that the OmpA ␤-barrel is bound deep within the Skp cavity, whereas the folded periplasmic domain protrudes outside of the cavity where it tumbles independently from the rest of the complex. This domain-based chaperoning mechanism allows the transport of ␤-barrels across the periplasm in an unfolded state, which may be important for efficient insertion into the outer membrane.cavity-based ͉ outer membrane M any molecular chaperones have evolved cavity-like structures to bind their non-native substrates. Classic examples, such as the chaperonins, bind the substrate in the cavity formed by their open rings and protect them from aggregation. Cycles of ATP binding and hydrolysis, coupled with substrate binding and release, then help the substrate achieve its native conformation (1). Because the cavities of these chaperones have limited capacities, binding substrates larger than the cavity requires a portion of the substrate to be bound inside the cavity while the rest of the substrate remains outside. In these cases, however, the entire substrate remains unfolded while bound to the open ring of the chaperone (2-4).The 17-kDa protein (Skp) is a periplasmic chaperone present in many Gram-negative bacteria involved in the folding and insertion of proteins in the outer membrane (5-7). The crystal structure of Skp revealed a trimer with a ''jellyfish'' architecture where a central cavity is formed by long tentacle-like helical protrusions emanating from a body domain (Fig. 1A) (8, 9). The Skp structure was unexpectedly similar to that of prefoldin, a cytosolic molecular chaperone present in archea and eukarya (8-10). Although Skp is a trimer (8, 9, 11) and prefoldin is a hexamer (12, 13), both proteins share jellyfish architectures with a central cavity ( Fig. 1 A and B). In prefoldin, this cavity has been shown to bind substrate proteins (10, 13). Prefoldin thus belongs to a family of chaperones sometimes referred to as ''holdases.'' These chaperones are ATP independent and, in contrast to chaperonins, do not directly facilitate folding of their substrates. Instead they protect the substrates from aggregation by holding them in their cavities, and subs...

The mechanosensitive channel of large conductance (MscL) acts as an emergency release valve for osmotic shock of bacteria preventing cell lysis. The large pore size, essential for function, requires the formation of oligomers with tetramers, pentamers, or hexamers observed depending on the species and experimental approach. We applied non-denaturing (native) mass spectrometry to five different homologs of MscL to determine the oligomeric state under more than 50 different experimental conditions elucidating lipid binding and subunit stoichiometry. We found equilibrium between pentameric and tetrameric species, which can be altered by detergent, disrupted by binding specific lipids, and perturbed by increasing temperature (37°C). We also established the presence of lipopolysaccharide bound to MscL and other membrane proteins expressed in Escherichia coli, revealing a potential source of heterogeneity. More generally, we highlight the use of mass spectrometry in probing membrane proteins under a variety of detergent-lipid environments relevant to structural biology.