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Publication Abstract from PubMed

Membrane protein biogenesis faces the challenge of chaperoning hydrophobic transmembrane helices for faithful membrane insertion. The guided entry of tail-anchored proteins (GET) pathway targets and inserts tail-anchored (TA) proteins into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane with an insertase (yeast Get1/Get2 or mammalian WRB/CAML) that captures the TA from a cytoplasmic chaperone (Get3 or TRC40, respectively). Here, we present cryo-electron microscopy reconstructions, native mass spectrometry, and structure-based mutagenesis of human WRB/CAML/TRC40 and yeast Get1/Get2/Get3 complexes. Get3 binding to the membrane insertase supports heterotetramer formation, and phosphatidylinositol binding at the heterotetramer interface stabilizes the insertase for efficient TA insertion in vivo. We identify a Get2/CAML cytoplasmic helix that forms a "gating" interaction with Get3/TRC40 important for TA insertion. Structural homology with YidC and the ER membrane protein complex (EMC) implicates an evolutionarily conserved insertion mechanism for divergent substrates utilizing a hydrophilic groove. Thus, we provide a detailed structural and mechanistic framework to understand TA membrane insertion.

Structural Basis of Tail-Anchored Membrane Protein Biogenesis by the GET Insertase Complex.,McDowell MA, Heimes M, Fiorentino F, Mehmood S, Farkas A, Coy-Vergara J, Wu D, Bolla JR, Schmid V, Heinze R, Wild K, Flemming D, Pfeffer S, Schwappach B, Robinson CV, Sinning I Mol Cell. 2020 Oct 1;80(1):72-86.e7. doi: 10.1016/j.molcel.2020.08.012. Epub 2020, Sep 9. PMID:32910895^[2]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.