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Journal of Bacteriology, May 2001, p. 2755-2764, Vol. 183, No. 9
0021-9193/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JB.183.9.2755-2764.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Characterization of In Vitro
Interactions between a Truncated TonB Protein from
Escherichia coli and the Outer Membrane Receptors FhuA
and FepA
Gregory S.
Moeck
and
Lucienne
Letellier*
Institut de Biochimie et Biophysique
Moléculaire et Cellulaire, UMR CNRS 8619, Université de
Paris-Sud, F-91405, Orsay cedex, France
Received 18 September 2000/Accepted 2 February 2001
High-affinity iron uptake in gram-negative bacteria depends upon
TonB, a protein which couples the proton motive force in the
cytoplasmic membrane to iron chelate receptors in the outer membrane.
To advance studies on TonB structure and function, we expressed a
recombinant form of Escherichia coli TonB lacking the
N-terminal cytoplasmic membrane anchor. This protein
(H6-'TonB; Mr, 24,880) was isolated
in a soluble fraction of lysed cells and was purified by virtue of a
hexahistidine tag located at its N terminus. Sedimentation experiments
indicated that the H6-'TonB preparation was almost
monodisperse and the protein was essentially monomeric. The value found
for the Stokes radius (3.8 nm) is in good agreement with the value
calculated by size exclusion chromatography. The frictional ratio (2.0)
suggested that H6-'TonB adopts a highly asymmetrical form
with an axial ratio of 15. H6-'TonB captured both the
ferrichrome-iron receptor FhuA and the ferric enterobactin receptor
FepA from detergent-solubilized outer membranes in vitro. Capture was
enhanced by preincubation of the receptors with their cognate ligands.
Cross-linking assays with the purified proteins in vitro demonstrated
that there was preferential interaction between TonB and ligand-loaded
FhuA. Purified H6-'TonB was found to be stable and thus
shows promise for high-resolution structural studies.
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Institut de
Biochimie et Biophysique Moléculaire et Cellulaire, UMR CNRS
8619, Université de Paris-Sud, Bât. 430, F-91405, Orsay
cedex, France. Phone: 33 1 6915 6429. Fax: 33 1 6985 3715. E-mail:
lucienne.letellier{at}biomemb.u-psud.fr.

Present address: PhageTech, Montreal, PQ, H2W 2N9,
Canada.
Journal of Bacteriology, May 2001, p. 2755-2764, Vol. 183, No. 9
0021-9193/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JB.183.9.2755-2764.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
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