A protease complex in the Escherichia coli plasma membrane: HflKC (HflA) forms a complex with FtsH (HflB), regulating its proteolytic activity against SecY.

Escherichia coli FtsH (HflB), a membrane-bound ATPase is required for proteolytic degradation of uncomplexed forms of the protein translocase SecY subunit. We have now isolated SecY-stabilizing mutations that cause an amino acid substitution in the HflK-HflC membrane protein complex. Although HflKC protein was believed to have a proteolytic activity against lambda cII protein, deletion of hflK-hflC did not stabilize SecY. Instead, the mutant alleles were partially dominant and overexpression of ftsH suppressed the mutational effects, suggesting that the mutant proteins antagonized the degradation of SecY. These results raise the possibility that even the wild-type HflKC protein acts to antagonize FtsH. Consistent with this notion, the hflkC null mutation accelerated degradation of the SecY24 protein. Furthermore cross-linking, co-immunoprecipitation, histidine-tagging and gel filtration experiments all indicated that FtsH and HflKC form a complex in vivo and in vitro. Finally, purified HflKC protein inhibited the SecY-degrading activity of purified FtsH protein in vitro. These results indicate that the proteolytic activity of FtsH is modulated negatively by its association with HflKC.