FlhE functions as a chaperone to prevent formation of periplasmic flagella in Gram-negative bacteria

Manuel Halte (), Ekaterina P. Andrianova, Christian Goosmann, Fabienne F. V. Chevance, Kelly T. Hughes, Igor B. Zhulin and Marc Erhardt ()
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Manuel Halte: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Ekaterina P. Andrianova: The Ohio State University
Christian Goosmann: Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology
Fabienne F. V. Chevance: University of Utah
Kelly T. Hughes: University of Utah
Igor B. Zhulin: The Ohio State University
Marc Erhardt: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: Abstract The bacterial flagellum, which facilitates motility, is composed of ~20 structural proteins organized into a long extracellular filament connected to a cytoplasmic rotor-stator complex via a periplasmic rod. Flagellum assembly is regulated by multiple checkpoints that ensure an ordered gene expression pattern coupled to the assembly of the various building blocks. Here, we use epifluorescence, super-resolution, and transmission electron microscopy to show that the absence of a periplasmic protein (FlhE) prevents proper flagellar morphogenesis and results in the formation of periplasmic flagella in Salmonella enterica. The periplasmic flagella disrupt cell wall synthesis, leading to a loss of normal cell morphology resulting in cell lysis. We propose that FlhE functions as a periplasmic chaperone to control assembly of the periplasmic rod, thus preventing formation of periplasmic flagella.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50278-0

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