TolC--the bacterial exit duct for proteins and drugs - PubMed (original) (raw)

Review

. 2003 Nov 27;555(1):66-71.

doi: 10.1016/s0014-5793(03)01125-6.

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Review

TolC--the bacterial exit duct for proteins and drugs

Vassilis Koronakis. FEBS Lett. 2003.

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Abstract

The TolC structure has unveiled a common mechanism for the movement of molecules, large and small, from the bacterial cell cytosol, across two membranes and the intervening periplasm, into the environment. Trimeric TolC is a remarkable cell exit duct that differs radically from other membrane proteins, comprising a 100-A long alpha-barrel that projects across the periplasmic space, anchored by a 40-A long beta-barrel spanning the outer membrane. The periplasmic entrance of TolC is closed until recruitment by substrate-specific translocases in the inner membrane triggers its transition to the open state, achieved by an iris-like 'untwisting' of the tunnel alpha-helices. TolC-dependent machineries present ubiquitous exit routes for virulence proteins and antibacterial drugs, and their conserved structure, specifically the electronegative TolC entrance constriction, may present a target for inhibitors of multidrug-resistant pathogens.

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