Bacterial surface proteins are involved in direct contact with host cells and in uptake of nutrients from the environment (1). For this reason, cellular localization can provide insights into the functional role of bacterial proteins. Surface localization of bacterial proteins is a key step towards identification of virulence factors involved in mechanisms of pathogenicity. Methods for fraction...

A library of fepA::phoA gene fusions was generated in order to study the structure and secretion of the Escherichia coli K-12 ferric enterobactin receptor, FepA. All of the fusion proteins contained various lengths of the amino-terminal portion of FepA fused in frame to the catalytic portion of bacterial alkaline phosphatase. Localization of FepA::PhoA fusion proteins in the cell envelope was d...

Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli are the cause of a diverse spectrum of invasive infections in humans and animals, leading to urinary tract infections, meningitis, or septicemia. In this study, we focused our attention on the identification of the outer membrane proteins of the pathogen in consideration of their important biological role and of their use as potential targets for prop...

Introduction: Vaccine studies against Pseudomonas aeruginosa have often focused on outer membrane proteins (OPRs) due to their potent stimulation of the immune response. Using major outer membrane proteins of cell walls (mOMPs) of P. aeruginosa and other Gram-negative bacteria actively stimulate the immune system without any toxic side effects. Moreover, these antigens show immunological cross-...

P rotein export systems are present in all living organisms, including gram-negative bacteria and the eukaryotic organelles that derived from them (Table 1). In contrast to other organisms, however, gram-negative bacteria contain numerous, apparently independent systems for exporting proteins, including at least eight types that mediate export across or insertion into the inner cytoplasmic memb...

Identification of specific antigens responsible for the ability of complex immunogens to induce protection is a major goal in development of bacterial vaccines. Much of the investigation has focused on highly abundant and highly immunodominant outer membrane proteins. Recently however, genomic and proteomic approaches have facilitated identification of minor components of the bacterial outer me...

Gram-negative bacterial outer membrane proteins play important roles in the interaction of bacteria with their environment including nutrient acquisition, adhesion and invasion, and antibiotic resistance. In this study we identified 47 proteins within the Sarkosyl-insoluble fraction of Campylobacter jejuni 81-176, using LC-ESI-MS/MS. Comparative analysis of outer membrane protein sequences was ...

Many species of the bacterial Shewanella genus are notable for their ability to respire in anoxic environments utilizing insoluble minerals of Fe(III) and Mn(IV) as extracellular electron acceptors. In Shewanella oneidensis, the process is dependent on the decahaem electron-transport proteins that lie at the extracellular face of the outer membrane where they can contact the insoluble mineral s...

Mitochondria are found in all eukaryotic cells and derive from a bacterial endosymbiont [1, 2]. The evolution of a protein import system was a prerequisite for the conversion of the endosymbiont into a true organelle. Tom40, the essential component of the protein translocase of the outer membrane, is conserved in mitochondria of almost all eukaryotes but lacks bacterial orthologs [3-6]. It serv...

The bacterial outer membrane (OM) is a barrier containing membrane proteins and liposaccharides that fulfill crucial functions for Gram-negative bacteria. With the advent of drug-resistant bacteria, it is necessary to understand the functional role of this membrane and its constituents to enable novel drug designs. Here we report a simple method to form an OM-like supported bilayer (OM-SB), whi...