National Academy of Sciences, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 34(115), 2018
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Significance Nearly all outer-membrane proteins (OMPs) in Gram-negative bacteria are inserted via the β -barrel assembly machinery (BAM) complex. Molecular dynamics simulations have revealed a persistent C-terminal strand kink of the core BAM component, BamA, which permits BamA to open laterally to the membrane. Experiments show that inhibiting kinking makes bacteria more susceptible to antibiotics. Kink-induced lateral gating may catalyze OMP insertion through a local disruption of the membrane, a pathway into the membrane, or both.