Structure of outer membrane protein G in lipid bilayers

Nat Commun. 2017 Dec 12;8(1):2073. doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-02228-2.

Abstract

β-barrel proteins mediate nutrient uptake in bacteria and serve vital functions in cell signaling and adhesion. For the 14-strand outer membrane protein G of Escherichia coli, opening and closing is pH-dependent. Different roles of the extracellular loops in this process were proposed, and X-ray and solution NMR studies were divergent. Here, we report the structure of outer membrane protein G investigated in bilayers of E. coli lipid extracts by magic-angle-spinning NMR. In total, 1847 inter-residue 1H-1H and 13C-13C distance restraints, 256 torsion angles, but no hydrogen bond restraints are used to calculate the structure. The length of β-strands is found to vary beyond the membrane boundary, with strands 6-8 being the longest and the extracellular loops 3 and 4 well ordered. The site of barrel closure at strands 1 and 14 is more disordered than most remaining strands, with the flexibility decreasing toward loops 3 and 4. Loop 4 presents a well-defined helix.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / chemistry*
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Escherichia coli / chemistry*
  • Escherichia coli Proteins / chemistry*
  • Lipid Bilayers / chemistry*
  • Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
  • Models, Molecular
  • Porins / chemistry*
  • Protein Structure, Secondary

Substances

  • Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins
  • Escherichia coli Proteins
  • Lipid Bilayers
  • OmpG protein, E coli
  • Porins