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Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Detection of the pH-dependent Activity of Escherichia coli Chaperone HdeB In Vitro and In Vivo
Published on: October 23, 2016
The periplasmic E. coli chaperone Skp is a trimer in solution: biophysical and preliminary crystallographic
Martin Schlapschy1, Monica K Dommel, Kamyar Hadian
1Lehrstuhl für Biologische Chemie, Technische Universität München, D-85350 Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany.
Abstract:
The 'seventeen kilodalton protein' Skp confers transient solubility on outer membrane proteins during biogenesis in Gram-negative bacteria. Here we report a first biophysical characterization of this chaperone itself, which also possesses biotechnological potential in the production of recombinant proteins. Using cross-linking and gel filtration methods, we found that Skp forms a stable homo-trimer in solution. Following thermal denaturation, monitored by CD spectroscopy, this chaperone refolds with high efficiency but exhibits a pronounced hysteresis between the un- and refolding transitions. Using the recombinant protein equipped with the Strep-tag II at its N-terminus, suitable crystallization conditions for Skp were found. A first data set was collected to 2.60 A resolution.
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