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This specialised meeting will give an overview of protein traffic and secretion in bacteria. Bacterial cells dedicate a significant number of components to ensure targeting of proteins to the plasma membrane. These proteins are then integrated in the lipid bilayer or are released to the other side. Most proteins use the ubiquitous and essential Sec system for these processes, but other evolutionarily unrelated protein machines have also been developed that allow exported proteins to cross the plasma membrane and cell envelope. This arsenal of mechanisms ensures that more than 30% of the bacterial proteome ends up in extra-cytoplasmic locations. Protein export is essential for viability, pathogenicity, symbiosis and biofilm formation. vaccines, to produce heterologous biopharmaceuticals and industrial enzymes, and to transform them into cancer cell killing devices. Finally, trafficking components constitute formidable targets for antibiotic discovery.
Topics to be discussed in the symposium include the following (for more information see the program):
