Skp is a multivalent chaperone of outer membrane proteins

The trimeric chaperone Skp sequesters outer-membrane proteins (OMPs) within a hydrophobic cage, thereby preventing their aggregation during transport across the periplasm in Gram-negative bacteria. Here, we studied the interaction between Escherichia coli Skp and five OMPs of varying size. Investigations of the kinetics of OMP folding revealed that higher Skp/OMP ratios are required to prevent the folding of 16-stranded OMPs compared with their 8-stranded counterparts. Ion mobility spectrometry–mass spectrometry (IMS–MS) data, computer modeling and molecular dynamics simulations provided evidence that 10- to 16-stranded OMPs are encapsulated within an expanded Skp substrate cage. For OMPs that cannot be fully accommodated in the expanded cavity, sequestration is achieved by binding of an additional Skp trimer. The results suggest a new mechanism for Skp chaperone activity involving the coordination of multiple copies of Skp in protecting a single substrate from aggregation.