Membrane-bound beta-lactamase forms in Escherichia coli.

Frameshift pseudo-revertants of Escherichia coli RTEM beta-lactamase were obtained by a selection procedure, starting from frameshift mutants at the signal-processing site. These pseudo-revertant proteins, which have a totally altered COOH-terminal part of the signal sequence, are attached to the outer face of the inner membrane. The mutant proteins are enzymatically active in vitro and in vivo, and the membrane localization has no deleterious effect on cell growth. We conclude that initiation of transport across the membrane does not require the COOH-terminal part of the signal, but this part of the sequence determines whether the protein is released to the periplasm either with or without cleavage of the signal, or whether the protein remains anchored to the membrane. Mutants with two signals in series were used to show that a truncated signal is not refractory to transport per se. If neither signal contains a functional cleavage site, the protein is at least partially found on the outer face of the inner membrane. If both signals contain functional cleavage sites, both are removed and the protein is released to the periplasm. If only the first signal contains a cleavage site, a longer fusion protein is transported and released. The results presented here show that a pre-beta-lactamase-like protein can fold properly even as a membrane-bound species.