Self-association of the Shigella flexneri IcsA autotransporter protein

Microbiology (Reading). 2012 Jul;158(Pt 7):1874-1883. doi: 10.1099/mic.0.056465-0. Epub 2012 Apr 19.

Abstract

The IcsA autotransporter protein is a major virulence factor of the human intracellular pathogen Shigella flexneri. IcsA is distributed at the poles in the outer membrane (OM) of S. flexneri and interacts with components of the host actin-polymerization machinery to facilitate intracellular actin-based motility and subsequent cell-to-cell spreading of the bacterium. We sought to characterize the biochemical properties of IcsA in the bacterial OM. Chemical cross-linking data suggested that IcsA exists in a complex in the OM. Furthermore, reciprocal co-immunoprecipitation of differentially epitope-tagged IcsA proteins indicated that IcsA is able to self-associate. The identification of IcsA linker-insertion mutants that were negatively dominant provided genetic evidence of IcsA-IcsA interactions. From these results, we propose a model whereby IcsA self-association facilitates efficient actin-based motility.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / metabolism
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism*
  • Cross-Linking Reagents / metabolism
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism*
  • Immunoprecipitation
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Multimerization*
  • Shigella flexneri / physiology
  • Transcription Factors / metabolism*
  • Virulence Factors / metabolism

Substances

  • Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins
  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Cross-Linking Reagents
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • Transcription Factors
  • Virulence Factors
  • virG protein, Shigella flexneri