Trend of bacterial cell surface display: the autodisplay technology

Abstract:

Type V secretion system, one of the key pathways employed by Gram-negative bacteria to secrete virulence factors, is classified into five subtypes (Va-Ve). Among them, type Va (also known as the classical monomeric autotransporters) is extensively used to export virulence and adhesion factors to the bacterial cell surface or into their surroundings, a process combining the passage across the inner and the outer membrane in two consecutive steps that are facilitated by the Sec translocon and the BAM (β-barrel assembly machinery) complex, respectively. It is believed that type Va is the simplest secretion system for the translocation of proteins across membranes, which is therefore considered as an ideal biotechnological tool to display recombinant proteins on bacterial cell surface. In this review, we first summarized the subtypes, structural domains, and possible secretion mechanisms of autotransporters to enhance the understanding of them as a biotechnological tool for various surface display purposes, particularly vaccine development. Then, we explored the potential application of autodisplay in pathogen detection to further expand its application as a biotechnological tool.