The Escherichia coli β-Barrel Assembly Machinery Is Sensitized to Perturbations under High Membrane Fluidity

Abstract

BamA is an essential component of the β-barrel assembly machine (BAM) in the outer membranes of Gram-negative bacteria. We have used a recently described inhibitory anti-BamA antibody, MAB1, to identify the molecular requirements for BAM function. Resistance to this antibody can be achieved through changes to the outer membrane or by amino acid substitutions in BamA that allosterically affect the response to MAB1. Sensitivity to MAB1 is achieved by perturbing BAM function. By using MAB1 activity and functional assays as proxies for BAM function, we link outer membrane fluidity to BamA activity, demonstrating that an increase in membrane fluidity sensitizes the cells to BAM perturbations. Thus, the search for potential inhibitors of BamA function must consider the membrane environment in which β-barrel folding occurs.