The outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria is a permeability barrier that prevents the efficient uptake of molecules with large scaffolds. As a consequence, a number of antibiotic classes are ineffective against gram-negative strains. Herein we carried out a high throughput screen for small molecules that make the outer membrane of Escherichia coli more permeable. We identified MAC13243, an inhibitor of the periplasmic chaperone LolA that traffics lipoproteins from the inner to the outer membrane. We observed that cells were (1) more permeable to the fluorescent probe 1-N-phenylnapthylamine, and (2) more susceptible to large-scaffold antibiotics when sub-inhibitory concentrations of MAC13243 were used. To exclude the possibility that the permeability was caused by an off-target effect, we genetically reconstructed the MAC13243-phenotype by depleting LolA levels using the CRISPRi system.

Background:The Sec translocon mediates protein secretion in all organisms. Results: YfgM interacts with the Sec translocon and is part of a periplasmic chaperone network in Escherichia coli. Conclusion: We propose that YfgM mediates protein transfer from the Sec translocon to periplasmic chaperones. Significance: This study provides a better understanding of the composition of the Sec translocon.

No abstract

How proteins are trafficked, folded, and assembled into functional units in the cell envelope of Gram-negative bacteria is of significant interest. A number of chaperones have been identified, however, the molecular roles of these chaperones are often enigmatic because it has been challenging to assign substrates. Recently we discovered a novel periplasmic chaperone, called YfgM, which associates with PpiD and the SecYEG translocon and operates in a network that contains Skp and SurA. The aim of the study presented here was to identify putative substrates of YfgM. We reasoned that substrates would be incorrectly folded or trafficked when YfgM was absent from the cell, and thus more prone to proteolysis (the loss-of-function rationale). We therefore used a comparative proteomic approach to identify cell envelope proteins that were lower in abundance in a strain lacking yfgM, and strains lacking yfgM together with either skp or surA. Sixteen putative substrates were identified. The list contained nine inner membrane proteins (CusS, EvgS, MalF, OsmC, TdcB, TdcC, WrbA, YfhB, and YtfH) and seven periplasmic proteins (HdeA, HdeB, AnsB, Ggt, MalE, YcgK, and YnjE), but it did not include any lipoproteins or outer membrane proteins. Significantly, AnsB (an asparaginase) and HdeB (a protein involved in the acid stress response), were lower in abundance in all three strains lacking yfgM. For both genes, we ruled out the possibility that they were transcriptionally down-regulated, so it is highly likely that the corresponding proteins are misfolded/mistargeted and turned-over in the absence of YfgM. For HdeB we validated this conclusion in a pulse-chase experiment.

WaaG is a glycosyltransferase that is involved in the biosynthesis of lipopolysaccharide in Gram-negative bacteria. Inhibitors of WaaG are highly sought after as they could be used to inhibit the biosynthesis of the core region of lipopolysaccharide, which would improve the uptake of antibiotics. Herein, we establish an activity assay for WaaG using 14C-labeled UDP-glucose and LPS purified from a ∆waaG strain of Escherichia coli. We noted that addition of the lipids phosphatidylglycerol (PG) and cardiolipin (CL), as well as the detergent 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate (CHAPS) increased activity. We then use the assay to determine if three molecular scaffolds, which bind to WaaG, could inhibit its activity in vitro. We show that 4-(2-amino-1,3-thiazol-4-yl)phenol inhibits WaaG (IC50 1.0 mM), but that the other scaffolds do not. This study represents an important step towards an inhibitor of WaaG by fragment-based lead discovery.