Hydrogen peroxide and hypochlorous acid influx through the major S. Typhimurium porin OmpD is affected by substitution of key residues of the channel

OmpD is the major Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) porin and mediates hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) influx. The results described herein extend this finding to hypochlorous acid (HOCl), another reactive oxygen species that is also part of the oxidative burst generated by the phagosome. S. Typhimurium cells lacking OmpD show decreased HOCl influx, and OmpD-reconstituted proteoliposomes show an increase in the uptake of the toxic compound. To understand this physiologically relevant process, we investigated the role of key OmpD residues in H₂O₂ and NaOCl transport. Using a theoretical approach, residue K16 was defined as a major contributor to the channel electrostatic properties, and E111 was shown to directly participate in the size-exclusion limit of the channel. Together, we provide theoretical, genetic, and biochemical evidence that OmpD mediates H₂O₂ and NaOCl uptake, and that key residues of the channel are implicated in this process.