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Updated: Jun 29, 2026

Engineering Cell-permeable Protein
Published on: December 28, 2009
Inserting proteins into the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane using the Sec and YidC translocases
1Department of Chemistry, The Ohio State University, 100 West 18th Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA.
Abstract:
This Review describes the pathways that are used to insert newly synthesized proteins into the cytoplasmic membranes of bacteria, and provides insight into the function of two of the evolutionarily conserved translocases that catalyse this process. These highly sophisticated translocases are responsible for decoding the topogenic sequences within membrane proteins that direct membrane protein insertion and orientation. The role of the Sec and YidC translocases in the folding of bacterial membrane proteins is also highlighted.
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