TITLE:
Self-Assembly of Escherichia coli Phage Shock Protein A
AUTHORS:
Abigail L. Male, Petra C. F. Oyston, Ali Tavassoli
KEYWORDS:
Phage Shock Protein A, Stress Response, Membrane Stress, Super-Complex, Self-Assembly
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Microbiology,
Vol.4 No.7,
May
19,
2014
ABSTRACT: The Phage
shock protein (Psp) response is an extracytoplasmic stress response. The
central component of this system is PspA, a protein that mediates the
physiological response to membrane stress. PspA is also involved in regulating
its own transcription and that of the psp operon, forming a positive
feedback loop. PspA has been previously shown to oligomerise into higher-order
species, including a 36-meric species with ring-like structure. In this study, we
demonstrate that the ring-like PspA structures further self-assemble into
rod-shaped complexes. These rod-like structures may play a scaffolding role in
the maintenance of membrane integrity during phage shock protein response.