Protein import and export across the bacterial outer membrane
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Updated: Nov 8, 2025

From Constructs to Crystals – Towards Structure Determination of β-barrel Outer Membrane Proteins
Published on: July 4, 2016
Jérémy Guérin1, Susan K Buchanan1
1Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
Abstract:
The bacterial outer membrane forms an impermeable barrier to the environment, but a wide variety of substances must cross it without compromising the membrane. Perhaps, the most fascinating transport phenomenon is the import and export of very large protein toxins using relatively small β-barrel proteins residing in the outer membrane. Progress has been made on three systems in recent years that shed light on this process. In this review, we summarize bacteriocin (toxin) import using TonB-dependent transporters and protein secretion by autotransporters and two partner secretion systems.
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