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Journal of Bacteriology, January 2003, p. 489-495, Vol. 185, No. 2
0021-9193/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.185.2.489-495.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Identification of Secretion Determinants of the Bordetella pertussis BrkA Autotransporter

David C. Oliver, George Huang, and Rachel C. Fernandez*

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z3

Received 8 August 2002/ Accepted 28 October 2002

The autotransporters comprise a functionally diverse family of gram-negative proteins that mediate their own export across the bacterial outer membrane. They consist of an amino-terminal passenger region called the "{alpha}-domain" and the structural hallmark of the autotransporter family, a carboxy-terminal transporter region usually referred to as the "ß-domain." The passenger region can be quite diverse and constitutes the effector functions of these proteins, whereas the C-terminal region is conserved and is responsible for translocating the passenger moiety across the outer membrane. BrkA is the 103-kDa autotransporter protein in Bordetella pertussis that is cleaved to yield a 73-kDa N-terminal {alpha}-domain and a 30-kDa C-terminal ß-domain. We have previously shown that a recombinant form of the ß-domain of BrkA is capable of forming channels in artificial membranes. Here, we define two additional secretion determinants of BrkA. N-terminal sequencing of the 73-kDa BrkA passenger from B. pertussis and Escherichia coli revealed that BrkA has a 42-amino-acid signal peptide. In addition, deletion analysis of BrkA identified a 31- to 39-amino-acid region found immediately upstream of the ß-domain that was essential for surface expression. This 31- to 39-amino-acid linker region, together with the ß-domain, defines the minimal BrkA translocation unit. The linker region may also serve to anchor the BrkA passenger to the bacterial surface.


* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, #300-6174 University Blvd., Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z3. Phone: 604-822-6824. Fax: 604-822-6041. E-mail: rachelf{at}interchange.ubc.ca.


Journal of Bacteriology, January 2003, p. 489-495, Vol. 185, No. 2
0021-9193/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.185.2.489-495.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.




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