Type IV secretion systems (T4SSs) are large macromolecular machines that translocate protein and DNA and are involved in the pathogenesis of multiple human diseases. Here, using electron cryotomography (ECT), we report the in situ structure of the Dot/Icm type IVB secretion system (T4BSS) utilized by the human pathogen Legionella pneumophila. This is the first structure of a type IVB secretion system, and also the first structure of any T4SS in situ. While the Dot/Icm system shares almost no sequence homology with type IVA secretion systems (T4ASSs), its overall structure shows remarkable similarities to two previously imaged T4ASSs, suggesting shared aspects of mechanism. However, compared to one of these, the negative-stain reconstruction of the purified T4ASS from the R388 plasmid, it is approximately twice as long and wide and exhibits several additional large densities, reflecting type-specific elaborations and potentially better structural preservation in situ.

Structure of the Legionella Dot/Icm type IV secretion system in situ by electron cryotomography