POTRA: a conserved domain in the FtsQ family and a class of beta-barrel outer membrane proteins
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Updated: Aug 30, 2026

From Constructs to Crystals – Towards Structure Determination of β-barrel Outer Membrane Proteins
Published on: July 4, 2016
Luis Sánchez-Pulido1, Damien Devos, Stéphanie Genevrois
1Protein Design Group, Centro Nacional de Biotecnologi;a (CNB-CSIC), Cantoblanco, E-28049, Madrid, Spain. sanchez@cnb.uam.es
Abstract:
POTRA (for polypeptide-transport-associated domain) is a novel domain identified in proteins of the ShlB, Toc75, D15 and FtsQ/DivIB families. In most cases, the POTRA domain is associated with a beta-barrel outer membrane domain and its function has been experimentally related to polypeptide transport in Toc75 (Tic-Toc protein import system in chloroplast) and ShlB families. In addition to potential key roles in protein transport across the outer membrane and in bacterial septation, the POTRA domain has attractive features for vaccine development in diseases such as cholera, meningitis, gonorrhoea and syphilis.
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