A shared mechanism for Bacteroidota protein transport and gliding motility.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 41266322.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-025-65003-8 and PMC identifier 12635249.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Bacteria of the phylum Bacteroidota are major human commensals and pathogens in addition to being abundant members of the wider biosphere. Bacteroidota move by gliding and they export proteins using the Type 9 Secretion System (T9SS). Here we discover that gliding motility and the T9SS share an unprecedented mechanism of energisation in which outer membrane proteins are covalently attached by disulfide bonds to a moving internal track structure that propels them laterally through the membrane. We determined the structure of an exemplar Bacteroidota mobile track by obtaining the cryoEM structure of a 3 MDa circular mini-track from Porphyromonas gingivalis. Our discoveries identify a mechanistic and evolutionary link between gliding motility and T9SS-dependent protein transport.
Medical subject headings
- Porphyromonas gingivalis
- Bacterial Secretion Systems
- Bacterial Proteins
- Bacteroidetes