Enzymatic characterization of the enteropathogenic Escherichia coli type III secretion ATPase EscN

Type III secretion is a transport mechanism by which bacteria secrete proteins across their cell envelope. This protein export pathway is used by two different bacterial nanomachines: the flagellum and the injectisome. An indispensable component of these secretion systems is an ATPase similar to the F1-ATPase β subunit. Here we characterize EscN, an enteropathogenic Escherichia coli type III ATPase. A recombinant version of EscN, which was fully functional in complementation tests, was purified to homogeneity. Our results demonstrate that EscN is a Mg2+-dependent ATPase (kcat 0.35 s−1). We also define optimal conditions for the hydrolysis reaction. EscN displays protein concentration-dependent activity, suggesting that the specific activity changes with the oligomeric state of the protein. The presence of active oligomers was revealed by size exclusion chromatography and native gel electrophoresis.