Papers In Press, published online ahead of print August 14, 2007
J. Biol. Chem, 10.1074/jbc.M705750200
Submitted on July 13, 2007
Accepted on August 14, 2007
The structure of the Haemophilus influenzae HMW1 pro-piece reveals a structural domain essential for bacterial two-partner secretion
Hye-Jeong Yeo, Takeshi Yokoyama, Katarzyna Walkiewicz, Youngchang Kim, Susan Grass, and Joseph W. St. Geme III
Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204
Corresponding Author: hyeo{at}uh.edu
In pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria, many virulence factors are secreted via the two-partner secretion (TPS) pathway, which consists of an exoprotein called TpsA and a cognate outer membrane translocator called TpsB. The HMW1 and HMW2 adhesins are major virulence factors in non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae and are prototype TPS pathway exoproteins. A key step in the delivery of HMW1 and HMW2 to the bacterial surface involves targeting to the HMW1B and HMW2B outer membrane translocators by an N-terminal region called the secretion domain. Here we present the crystal structure at 1.92Å of the HMW1 pro-piece (HMW1-PP), a region that contains the HMW1 secretion domain and is cleaved and released during HMW1 secretion. Structural analysis of HMW1-PP revealed a right-handed ß-helix fold containing 12 complete parallel coils and one large extra-helical domain. Comparison of HMW1-PP and the Bordetella pertussis FHA secretion domain (Fha30) reveals limited amino acid homology but shared structural features, suggesting that diverse TpsA proteins have a common structural domain required for targeting to cognate TpsB proteins. Further comparison of HMW1-PP and Fha30 structures may provide insights into the keen specificity of TpsA-TpsB interactions.