The YidC/Alb3/Oxa1 family functions in the insertion and folding of proteins in the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane, the chloroplast thylakoid membrane, and the mitochondrial inner membrane. All members share a conserved region composed of five transmembrane regions. These proteins mediate membrane insertion of an assorted group of proteins, ranging from respiratory subunits in the mitochondria and light-harvesting chlorophyll-binding proteins in chloroplasts to ATP synthase subunits in bacteria. This review discusses the YidC/Alb3/Oxa1 protein family as well as their function in membrane insertion and two new structures of the bacterial YidC, which suggest a mechanism for membrane insertion by this family of insertases.
Keywords: Alb3; Membrane protein insertion; Oxa1; YidC; YidC mechanism; membrane biogenesis; membrane enzyme; membrane insertion; membrane protein; membrane transport; molecular chaperone; protein translocation; structure-function.
© 2015 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.