63:1719C1730 [PubMed] [Google Scholar] 41. YopD cross-linked complexes were nearly absent in this mutant. Furthermore, the YscFD28AD46A strain did not support YopB insertion into mammalian membranes, supporting the idea that the LcrV tip complex is required for YopB insertion and translocon formation. Sebacic acid However, the YscFD28AD46A strain did secrete Yops in the presence of host cells, indicating that a translocation-competent tip complex is not required to sense contact with host cells to trigger Yop secretion. In conclusion, in the absence of cross-linkable LcrV-YscF interactions, translocon insertion is abolished, but still retains the ability to sense cell contact. INTRODUCTION Type three secretion systems (TTSS) are employed by a number of Gram-negative pathogens to transfer effector proteins from the bacterial cytosol across the plasma membrane of eukaryotic cells, a process called translocation (1). These systems are essential virulence mechanisms for pathogens because they enable the pathogen to interfere with host Sebacic acid defenses and thereby establish a replication niche inside a host (2, 3). In the pathogenic spp., the plasmid-encoded TTSS translocates a set of five to six effector proteins, called Yops, which antagonize the functions of innate immune cells during animal infection (4C7). The TTSS resembles a syringe-like apparatus with three distinct parts: the base, which spans both the inner and outer membranes; the needle, which protrudes from the base and forms a hollow tube that is a YscF protein polymer; and the tip complex, which rests at the distal end of the needle (8). The tip complex has been visualized by electron microscopy (EM) (9C11) and appears to be a homopentamer of LcrV (11, 12). This observation has been corroborated by the modeling of an LcrV pentamer onto the tip of the homologous polymer (9) and by oligomerization studies of LcrV and its homologue, PcrV, which show VAV2 that when these proteins are purified, they form a pentameric ring structure (13). The base and needle are sufficient for secretion of Yops into the extracellular environment although the regulation of secretion is altered in the absence of LcrV (14C16). Translocation of effectors across host cell membranes requires LcrV (17C19). In addition to its location at the needle tip, LcrV is secreted and is also found in the bacterial cytosol, where it plays a regulatory role in Yop secretion (14C16, 20, 21). For translocation of Yops to occur, must insert two proteins, YopB and YopD, into the membranes of targeted cells (1, 22). YopD, but not YopB, has been found in purified needle preparations from and appears to sense host cell contact prior to the initiation of Yop translocation, it has been hypothesized that the YscF polymer and/or tip complex senses this contact (9). Translocation-defective mutants might have defects in their association with LcrV and thus fail to form a tip complex, which may be critical for translocation. Alternatively, these needle mutants might lead to structural defects in the needle itself, such as being too short or bent, preventing the TTSS from reaching host cells and initiating secretion in response to cell contact. To probe how YscF, LcrV, YopB, and YopD collaborate in translocation, we characterized interactions between these proteins using a chemical cross-linking-based approach. In addition, we hypothesized that some YscF mutants that fail to support translocation might have an altered association with LcrV and thus lead to the translocation-negative phenotype. Here, we show that expressing (representing D-to-A changes at positions 28 and 46 encoded by to detect the presence of host cells and initiate secretion of Yops. MATERIALS AND METHODS Strains and bacterial culture conditions. Bacterial strains are listed in Table 1. cells were cultured in Luria broth Sebacic acid (L-broth) at 26C overnight with aeration. Unless otherwise indicated, cultures were diluted 1:40 into secretion medium (2 yeast extract-tryptone [YT] medium supplemented with 20 mM Na-oxalate and 20 mM MgCl2) and incubated at 26C for 1.5 h with aeration and then at 37C for 1.5 h with aeration to induce synthesis of the TTSS. Isopropyl -d-1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG; 30 M) was added at the shift to 37C to induce expression of when necessary. To monitor the sensitivity of the wild type (WT), the strain, and a strain expressing YscF with the mutations.