Professor Osamu Nureki and Associate Professor Ryuichiro Ishitani,
Doctoral Student Kaoru Kumazaki, The University of Tokyo
Associate Professor Shinobu Chiba, Kyoto Sangyo University
Associate Professor Tomoya Tsukazaki, Graduate School of Biological Sciences, NAIST

Key points
● Determining the crystal structure of YidC, a membrane protein insertase that inserts proteins into the cytoplasmic membrane, for the first time in the world
● Clarifying details of the molecular mechanism of protein insertion into the plasma membrane, phenomena common to organisms from bacteria to humans
● Contributing to the advancement of life sciences research and laying the foundations for the development of novel drugs

For more information,
http://bsw3.naist.jp/eng/researchtopics/2014/20140417.html

Fig. 1: The structure of YidC is represented by ribbon models.

Fig. 2: Molecular surface representation of YidC

Fig. 3: Model of YidC-mediated protein insertion into membrane