Proteolysis of truncated hemolysin A yields a stable dimerization interface.

Wild-type and variant forms of HpmA265 (truncated hemolysin A) from Proteus mirabilis reveal a right-handed, parallel β-helix capped and flanked by segments of antiparallel β-strands. The low-salt crystal structures form a dimeric structure via the implementation of on-edge main-chain hydrogen bonds donated by residues 243-263 of adjacent monomers. Surprisingly, in the high-salt structures of two variants, Y134A and Q125A-Y134A, a new dimeric interface is formed via main-chain hydrogen bonds donated by residues 203-215 of adjacent monomers, and a previously unobserved tetramer is formed.

Sequential unfolding of the hemolysin two-partner secretion domain from Proteus mirabilis.

Protein secretion is a major contributor to Gram-negative bacterial virulence. Type Vb or two-partner secretion (TPS) pathways utilize a membrane bound β-barrel B component (TpsB) to translocate large and predominantly virulent exoproteins (TpsA) through a nucleotide independent mechanism. We focused our studies on a truncated TpsA member termed hemolysin A (HpmA265), a structurally and functionally characterized TPS domain from Proteus mirabilis.