Membrane protein insertion and quality control by the bacterial holo-translocon and FtsH chaperone/protease complex

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All cells are surrounded by membranes that act as a barrier. Proteins embedded in the membrane are required for the transport of nutrients and information (signals) across this barrier. Translocation systems are required to transport proteins into the membrane or across the membrane to the cellular location where they can fulfil their tasks. Translocation systems recognise the specific proteins to be translocated via signals embedded in the sequence of amino acids from which they are constructed. The Sec translocation system is well studied and conserved from the bacterium Escherichia coli to humans highlighting its importance. Findings about the mechanism of the SecYEG translocon from bacterial cells can thus inform us how similar systems work in our own bodies. SecYEG is a membrane protein complex that comprises 3 subunits. It contains a central channel for protein translocation through the membrane. The channel can also open up on the side to allow the lateral passage of proteins into the membrane. Additional accessory proteins were identified in bacteria to help translocating and folding the membrane proteins and to assemble them into larger complexes. Despite the fact that these proteins are essential for cell survival, much less is known about how these proteins work. This is mostly due to the fact that they form a large assembly with the SecYEG translocon and it was difficult to produce this higher-order complex for experimental studies. By using new technology we have succeeded in generating the large holo-translocon complex and suggest here to study how the accessory proteins in the holo-translocon help to fold up membrane proteins that emerge from the ribosome, which is the protein factory of the cell. To this end, we will directly look at these molecular machines consisting of membrane-protein synthesizing ribosomes and active holo-translocon machinery by state-of-the-art electron microscopy and image processing. Due to recent developments in hard and software, this technology now enables to obtain unprecedented high-resolution structures and thus insights into the molecular interplay of translocation proteins with the synthesizing ribosome and with the translocated, to be folded membrane protein.Proteins that are not correctly folded are recognized by the cellular quality control system. This system first attempts to fold up the protein with the help of energy, and if unsuccessful, degrades the mis-folded protein. Two components of the bacterial membrane are thought to have a key role: YidC and the FtsH-HflKC complex. Both are also present as homologous proteins in a human cellular organelle, the mitochondrion. How they work and recognize the unfolded protein is unknown today. We will elucidate here how these machines work together to ensure the proper folding of membrane proteins and to remove unfolded proteins that could be detrimental to the cell. We will use purified components to biochemically dissect the interplay and the mechanism of the folding/degradation machine, and we will use electron microscopy to visualize at high resolution the relevant complexes which we identify in this work. Our studies will thus provide essential new insights into the poorly understood process of membrane protein genesis, folding, and concomitant quality control.