2gsk

Publication Abstract from PubMed

In Gram-negative bacteria, the import of essential micronutrients across the outer membrane requires a transporter, an electrochemical gradient of protons across the inner membrane, and an inner membrane protein complex (ExbB, ExbD, TonB) that couples the proton-motive force to the outer membrane transporter. The inner membrane protein TonB binds directly to a conserved region, called the Ton-box, of the transporter. We solved the structure of the cobalamin transporter BtuB in complex with the C-terminal domain of TonB. In contrast to its conformations in the absence of TonB, the Ton-box forms a beta strand that is recruited to the existing beta sheet of TonB, which is consistent with a mechanical pulling model of transport.

Outer membrane active transport: structure of the BtuB:TonB complex.,Shultis DD, Purdy MD, Banchs CN, Wiener MC Science. 2006 Jun 2;312(5778):1396-9. PMID:16741124^[1]

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