Skip to main content
Article
The YscE/YscG Chaperone and YscF N-Terminal sequences Target YscF to the Yersinia pestis Type III Secretion Apparatus
Microbiology
  • Clarice de Azevedo Souza, University of California - Berkeley
  • Kristian L. Richards, Spruce Creek High School
  • YoSon Park, University of Pennsylvania
  • Michael Schwartz, University of Miami
  • Julie Torruellas Garcia, Nova Southeastern University
  • Sara Schesser Bartra, University of Miami
  • Gregory V. Plano, University of Miami
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-1-2018
Keywords
  • Yersinia pestis,
  • Plague,
  • Type III secretion,
  • Chaperone,
  • Protein secretion
Disciplines
Abstract

The needle structures of type III secretion (T3S) systems are formed by the secretion and polymerization of a needle subunit protein, YscF in Yersinia pestis. A subset of T3S systems employ unique heterodimeric chaperones, YscE and YscG in Y. pestis, to prevent the polymerization of needle subunits within the bacterial cell. We demonstrate that the YscE/YscG chaperone is also required for stable YscF expression and for secretion of YscF. Overexpression of a functional maltose-binding protein (MBP)–YscG hybrid protein stabilized cytoplasmic YscF but YscF was not secreted in the absence of YscE. Furthermore, a YscE mutant protein was identified that functioned with YscG to stabilize cytosolic YscF; however, YscF was not secreted. These findings confirm a role for the YscE/YscG chaperone in YscF secretion and suggest that YscE may have a specific role in this process. Recent studies have shown that YscF deleted of its N-terminal 15 residues is still secreted and functional, suggesting that YscF may not require an N-terminal secretion signal. However, we demonstrate that YscF contains an N-terminal secretion signal and that a functional N-terminal signal is required for YscF secretion.

Comments

©2018 The Authors

Additional Comments
NIH grant #: AI101823
DOI
10.1099/mic.0.000610
Citation Information
Clarice de Azevedo Souza, Kristian L. Richards, YoSon Park, Michael Schwartz, et al.. "The YscE/YscG Chaperone and YscF N-Terminal sequences Target YscF to the Yersinia pestis Type III Secretion Apparatus" Microbiology Vol. 164 Iss. 3 (2018) p. 1 - 11 ISSN: 1350-0872
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/julie-garcia/13/