Structure of an Inner Membrane Protein Required for PhoPQ-Regulated Increases in Outer Membrane Cardiolipin.

The Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium PhoPQ two-component system is activated within the intracellular phagosome environment, where it promotes remodeling of the outer membrane and resistance to innate immune antimicrobial peptides. Maintenance of the PhoPQ-regulated outer membrane barrier requires PbgA, an inner membrane protein with a transmembrane domain essential for growth, and a periplasmic domain required for PhoPQ-activated increases in outer membrane cardiolipin. Here, we report the crystal structure of cardiolipin-bound PbgA, adopting a novel transmembrane fold that features a cardiolipin binding site in close proximity to a long and deep cleft spanning the lipid bilayer. The end of the cleft extends into the periplasmic domain of the protein, which is structurally coupled to the transmembrane domain via a functionally critical C-terminal helix. In conjunction with a conserved putative catalytic dyad situated at the middle of the cleft, our structural and mutational analyses suggest that PbgA is a multifunction membrane protein that mediates cardiolipin transport, a function essential for growth, and perhaps catalysis of an unknown enzymatic reaction.IMPORTANCE Gram-negative bacteria cause many types of infections and have become increasingly resistant to available antibiotic drugs. The outer membrane serves as an important barrier that protects bacteria against antibiotics and other toxic compounds. This outer membrane barrier function is regulated when bacteria are in host environments, and the protein PbgA contributes significantly to this increased barrier function by transporting cardiolipin to the outer membrane. We determined the crystal structure of PbgA in complex with cardiolipin and propose a model for its function. Knowledge of the mechanisms of outer membrane assembly and integrity can greatly contribute to the development of new and effective antibiotics, and this structural information may be useful in this regard.

Salmonella Translocated Effectors Recruit OSBP1 to the Phagosome to Promote Vacuolar Membrane Integrity.

Intracellular Salmonella use a type III secretion system (TTSS) to translocate effector proteins across the phagosome membrane and thus promote vacuole membrane tubulation, resulting in intracellular survival. This work demonstrates that the effector SseJ binds the eukaryotic lipid transporter oxysterol binding protein 1 (OSBP1). SseJ directs OSBP1 to the endosomal compartment in a manner dependent on the TTSS located on Salmonella pathogenicity island 2 (SPI2). OSBP1 localization is mediated by both SseJ and another OSBP1-binding SPI2 translocated effector, the deubiquitinase SseL. Deletion of both SseJ and SseL reduced vacuolar integrity with increased bacteria released into the eukaryotic cytoplasm of epithelial cells, indicating that their combined activities are necessary for vacuole membrane stability. Cells knocked down for OSBP1 or deleted for the OSBP1-binding proteins VAPA/B also demonstrate loss of vacuole integrity, consistent with the hypothesis that OSBP1 recruitment is required for SPI2-mediated alterations that promote vacuolar integrity of salmonellae.

Brucella regulators: self-control in a hostile environment.

Brucella is an important zoonotic pathogen for which no human vaccine exists. In an infected host, Brucella resides in macrophages but must coordinate expression of multiple virulence factors for successful cell entry and trafficking to acquire this replicative niche. Brucella responds to environmental signals to regulate virulence strategies that circumvent or blunt the host immune response. The Brucella quorum sensing system is a nexus of control for several Brucella virulence factors including flagellar genes and the type IV secretion system. Other sensory transduction systems, such as BvrRS and the newly described LOV-HK, sense environmental factors to control virulence. Here, we examine the contributions of various regulatory systems to Brucella virulence.