Dissecting the Organization of a β-Barrel Assembly Machinery (BAM) Complex by Neutron Reflectometry

Xiangfeng Lai; Hsin-Hui Shen

doi:10.1007/978-1-0716-3734-0_17

Dissecting the Organization of a β-Barrel Assembly Machinery (BAM) Complex by Neutron Reflectometry

Methods Mol Biol. 2024:2778:273-290. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3734-0_17.

Authors

Xiangfeng Lai¹, Hsin-Hui Shen²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia.
² Infection and Immunity Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia. [email protected].

PMID: 38478284
DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3734-0_17

Abstract

The β-barrel assembly machinery (BAM) complex in Gram-negative bacteria facilitates the assembly of β-barrel proteins into the outer membrane. Understanding the protein-protein interactions within this complex is essential for unravelling its functional mechanisms. Here, we present the use of neutron reflectometry for investigating the organization of β-barrel membrane protein complexes in the membrane environment. The spatial organization, protein positioning, protein-lipid interactions, and conformational changes within the complex can be elucidated by this method.

Keywords: BAM complex; Biomimetic membrane; Gram-negative bacteria; Neutron reflectometry; Outer membrane; Protein interactions; β-barrel assembly machinery.