Characterization of the Porphyromonas gingivalis Type IX Secretion Trans-envelope PorKLMNP Core Complex

International audience; The transport of proteins at the cell surface of Bacteriodetes depends on a secretory apparatus known as Type IX secretion system (T9SS). This machine is responsible for the cell surface exposition of various proteins such as adhesins required for gliding motility in Flavobacteria, S-layer components in Tannerella forsythia and tooth tissue-degrading enzymes in the oral pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis. While a number of subunits of the T9SS have been identified, we lack details on the architecture of this secretion apparatus. Here we provide evidence that five of the genes encoding the core complex of the T9SS are co-transcribed, and that the gene products are distributed in the cell envelope. Protein-protein interaction studies then revealed that these proteins oligomerize and interact through a dense network of contacts.