Structure analysis of the membrane protein TatCd from the Tat system of B. subtilis by circular dichroism

The twin arginine translocation (Tat) system can transport fully folded proteins, including their cofactors, across bacterial and thylakoid membranes. The Tat system of Bacillus subtilis that serves to export the phosphodiesterase (PhoD) consists of only two membrane proteins, TatA_d and TatC_d. The larger component TatC_d has a molecular weight of 28 kDa and several membrane-spanning segments. This protein has been expressed in Escherichia coli and purified in sufficient amounts for structure analysis by circular dichroism (CD) and NMR spectroscopy. TatC_d was reconstituted in detergent micelles and in lipid bilayers for CD analysis in solution and in macroscopically oriented samples, to examine the stability of the protein. Suitable protocols and model membrane systems have been established, by which TatC_d maintains the level of helicity close to theoretically predicted, and its transmembrane alignment could been verified.