Structure of a type IV secretion system

The three-dimensional structure of the type IV secretion system encoded by the Escherichia coli R388 conjugative plasmid. This study reports the use of electron microscopy to reconstruct a large, 3-megadalton complex of the bacterial type IV secretion (T4S) system from Escherichia coli, made up of eight proteins assembled in an intricate stoichiometric relationship to form a stalk spanning the membrane to unite a core outer-membrane-associated complex with an inner membrane complex. The structure reveals a novel architecture that differs markedly from those known from other bacterial secretion systems. T4S systems are used by many bacterial pathogens to deliver virulence factors and to transfer genetic material and also show potential as a tool for the genetic modification of human cells. Bacterial type IV secretion systems translocate virulence factors into eukaryotic cells1,2, distribute genetic material between bacteria and have shown potential as a tool for the genetic modification of human cells3. Given the complex choreography of the substrate through the secretion apparatus4, the molecular mechanism of the type IV secretion system has proved difficult to dissect in the absence of structural data for the entire machinery. Here we use electron microscopy to reconstruct the type IV secretion system encoded by the Escherichia coli R388 conjugative plasmid. We show that eight proteins assemble in an intricate stoichiometric relationship to form an approximately 3 megadalton nanomachine that spans the entire cell envelope. The structure comprises an outer membrane-associated core complex1 connected by a central stalk to a substantial inner membrane complex that is dominated by a battery of 12 VirB4 ATPase subunits organized as side-by-side hexameric barrels. Our results show a secretion system with markedly different architecture, and consequently mechanism, to other known bacterial secretion systems1,4,5,6.