Lipopolysaccharide transport to the cell surface: periplasmic transport and assembly into the outer membrane

Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2015 Oct 5;370(1679):20150027. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0027.

Abstract

Gram-negative bacteria possess an outer membrane (OM) containing lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Proper assembly of the OM not only prevents certain antibiotics from entering the cell, but also allows others to be pumped out. To assemble this barrier, the seven-protein lipopolysaccharide transport (Lpt) system extracts LPS from the outer leaflet of the inner membrane (IM), transports it across the periplasm and inserts it selectively into the outer leaflet of the OM. As LPS is important, if not essential, in most Gram-negative bacteria, the LPS biosynthesis and biogenesis pathways are attractive targets in the development of new classes of antibiotics. The accompanying paper (Simpson BW, May JM, Sherman DJ, Kahne D, Ruiz N. 2015 Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B 370, 20150029. (doi:10.1098/rstb.2015.0029)) reviewed the biosynthesis of LPS and its extraction from the IM. This paper will trace its journey across the periplasm and insertion into the OM.

Keywords: beta-barrel; envelope biogenesis; lipopolysaccharide transport; lipoprotein; outer membrane.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / chemistry
  • Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / metabolism
  • Bacterial Proteins / chemistry
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism
  • Biological Transport, Active
  • Cell Membrane / metabolism*
  • Gram-Negative Bacteria / metabolism*
  • Lipopolysaccharides / metabolism*
  • Membrane Lipids / metabolism
  • Models, Biological
  • Models, Molecular
  • Periplasm / metabolism

Substances

  • Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins
  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Lipopolysaccharides
  • Membrane Lipids