Lipid Chaperoning of a Thylakoid Protease Whose Stability is Modified by the Protonmotive Force

Protein folding is a complex cellular process often assisted by chaperones but can also be facilitated by interactions with lipids. Disulfide bond formation is a common mechanism to stabilize a protein. This can help maintain functionality amidst changes in the biochemical milieu which are especially common across energy-transducing membranes. Plastidic Type I Signal Peptidase 1 (Plsp1) is an integral thylakoid membrane signal peptidase which requires an intramolecular disulfide bond for in vitro activity. We have investigated the interplay between disulfide bond formation, lipids, and pH in the folding and activity of Plsp1. By combining biochemical approaches with a genetic complementation assay, we provide evidence that interactions with lipids in the thylakoid membrane have chaperoning activity towards Plsp1. Further, the disulfide bridge appears to prevent an inhibitory conformational change resulting from proton motive force-mimicking pH conditions. Broader implications related to the folding of proteins in energy-transducing membranes are discussed.