SecY protein

SecY protein/Sec61α
Structure of a protein-conducting channel.[1]
Identifiers
SymbolSecY
PfamPF00344
InterProIPR002208
PROSITEPDOC00612
SCOP21rh5 / SCOPe / SUPFAM
TCDB3.A.5
OPM superfamily19
OPM protein1rh5
Membranome165
Available protein structures:
Pfam  structures / ECOD  
PDBRCSB PDB; PDBe; PDBj
PDBsumstructure summary

The SecY protein is the main transmembrane subunit of the bacterial Sec export pathway and of a protein-secreting ATPase complex, also known as a SecYEG translocon. Homologs of the SecYEG complex are found in eukaryotes and in archaea, where the subunit is known as Sec61α.[2]

Secretion of some proteins carrying a signal-peptide across the inner membrane in Gram-negative bacteria occurs via the preprotein translocase pathway. Proteins are produced in the cytoplasm as precursors, and require a chaperone subunit to direct them to the translocase component within the membrane.[3] From there, the mature proteins are either targeted to the outer membrane or remain as periplasmic proteins. The translocase protein subunits are encoded on the bacterial chromosome.

The translocase pathway comprises 7 proteins, including a chaperone protein (SecB), an ATPase (SecA), an integral membrane complex (SecY, SecE, and SecG), and two additional membrane proteins that promote the release of the mature peptide into the periplasm (SecD and SecF).[3] The chaperone protein SecB[4] is a highly acidic homotetrameric protein that exists as a "dimer of dimers" in the bacterial cytoplasm. SecB maintains preproteins in an unfolded state after translation and targets these to the peripheral membrane protein ATPase SecA for secretion.[5]

Cytoplasmic regions 2 and 3, and TM domains 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, and 10 are well conserved: the conserved cytoplasmic regions are believed to interact with cytoplasmic secretion factors, while the TM domains may participate in protein export.[6] SecY is also encoded in the chloroplast genome of some algae where it could be involved in a prokaryotic-like protein export system across the two membranes of the chloroplast endoplasmic reticulum (CER) which is present in chromophyte and cryptophyte algae.[7]

  1. ^ Van den Berg B, Clemons WM, Collinson I, Modis Y, Hartmann E, Harrison SC, Rapoport TA (January 2004). "X-ray structure of a protein-conducting channel". Nature. 427 (6969): 36–44. Bibcode:2004Natur.427...36B. doi:10.1038/nature02218. PMID 14661030. S2CID 4360143.
  2. ^ Auer J, Spicker G, Böck A (June 1991). "Presence of a gene in the archaebacterium Methanococcus vannielii homologous to secY of eubacteria". Biochimie. 73 (6): 683–8. doi:10.1016/0300-9084(91)90048-6. PMID 1764515.
  3. ^ a b Bieker KL, Phillips GJ, Silhavy TJ (June 1990). "The sec and prl genes of Escherichia coli". Journal of Bioenergetics and Biomembranes. 22 (3): 291–310. doi:10.1007/BF00763169. PMID 2202721. S2CID 10694864.
  4. ^ Driessen AJ (May 2001). "SecB, a molecular chaperone with two faces" (PDF). Trends in Microbiology. 9 (5): 193–6. doi:10.1016/S0966-842X(01)01980-1. hdl:11370/4e5ebfac-d58c-42db-b42e-01c22d469a82. PMID 11336818.
  5. ^ Müller JP (July 1999). "Effects of pre-protein overexpression on SecB synthesis in Escherichia coli". FEMS Microbiology Letters. 176 (1): 219–27. doi:10.1111/j.1574-6968.1999.tb13665.x. PMID 10418149.
  6. ^ Suh JW, Boylan SA, Thomas SM, Dolan KM, Oliver DB, Price CW (February 1990). "Isolation of a secY homologue from Bacillus subtilis: evidence for a common protein export pathway in eubacteria". Molecular Microbiology. 4 (2): 305–14. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2958.1990.tb00597.x. PMID 2110998. S2CID 27373166.
  7. ^ Douglas SE (February 1992). "A secY homologue is found in the plastid genome of Cryptomonas phi". FEBS Letters. 298 (1): 93–6. Bibcode:1992FEBSL.298...93D. doi:10.1016/0014-5793(92)80029-G. PMID 1544427. S2CID 22351990.