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MraZ Transcriptionally Controls the Critical Level of FtsL Required for Focusing Z-Rings and Kickstarting Septation in Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol 2022; 204:e0024322. [PMID: 35943250 PMCID: PMC9487581 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00243-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The bacterial division and cell wall (dcw) cluster is a highly conserved region of the genome which encodes several essential cell division factors, including the central divisome protein FtsZ. Understanding the regulation of this region is key to our overall understanding of the division process. mraZ is found at the 5' end of the dcw cluster, and previous studies have described MraZ as a sequence-specific DNA binding protein. In this article, we investigate MraZ to elucidate its role in Bacillus subtilis. Through our investigation, we demonstrate that increased levels of MraZ result in lethal filamentation due to repression of its own operon (mraZ-mraW-ftsL-pbpB). We observed rescue of filamentation upon decoupling ftsL expression, but not other genes in the operon, from MraZ control. Our data suggest that regulation of the mra operon may be an alternative way for cells to quickly arrest cytokinesis, potentially during entry into the stationary phase and in the event of DNA replication arrest. Furthermore, through time-lapse microscopy, we were able to identify that overexpression of mraZ or depletion of FtsL results in decondensation of the FtsZ ring (Z-ring). Using fluorescent d-amino acid labeling, we also observed that coordinated peptidoglycan insertion at the division site is dysregulated in the absence of FtsL. Thus, we reveal that the precise role of FtsL is in Z-ring maturation and focusing septal peptidoglycan synthesis. IMPORTANCE MraZ is a highly conserved protein found in a diverse range of bacteria, including genome-reduced Mycoplasma. We investigated the role of MraZ in Bacillus subtilis and found that overproduction of MraZ is toxic due to cell division inhibition. Upon further analysis, we observed that MraZ is a repressor of its own operon, which includes genes that encode the essential cell division factors FtsL and PBP2B. We noted that decoupling of ftsL alone was sufficient to abolish MraZ-mediated cell division inhibition. Using time-lapse microscopy, we showed that under conditions where the FtsL level is depleted, the cell division machinery is unable to initiate cytokinesis. Thus, our results pinpoint that the precise role of FtsL is in concentrating septal cell wall synthesis to facilitate cell division.
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2
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Horemans S, Pitoulias M, Holland A, Pateau E, Lechaplais C, Ekaterina D, Perret A, Soultanas P, Janniere L. Pyruvate kinase, a metabolic sensor powering glycolysis, drives the metabolic control of DNA replication. BMC Biol 2022; 20:87. [PMID: 35418203 PMCID: PMC9009071 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-022-01278-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In all living organisms, DNA replication is exquisitely regulated in a wide range of growth conditions to achieve timely and accurate genome duplication prior to cell division. Failures in this regulation cause DNA damage with potentially disastrous consequences for cell viability and human health, including cancer. To cope with these threats, cells tightly control replication initiation using well-known mechanisms. They also couple DNA synthesis to nutrient richness and growth rate through a poorly understood process thought to involve central carbon metabolism. One such process may involve the cross-species conserved pyruvate kinase (PykA) which catalyzes the last reaction of glycolysis. Here we have investigated the role of PykA in regulating DNA replication in the model system Bacillus subtilis. Results On analysing mutants of the catalytic (Cat) and C-terminal (PEPut) domains of B. subtilis PykA we found replication phenotypes in conditions where PykA is dispensable for growth. These phenotypes are independent from the effect of mutations on PykA catalytic activity and are not associated with significant changes in the metabolome. PEPut operates as a nutrient-dependent inhibitor of initiation while Cat acts as a stimulator of replication fork speed. Disruption of either PEPut or Cat replication function dramatically impacted the cell cycle and replication timing even in cells fully proficient in known replication control functions. In vitro, PykA modulates activities of enzymes essential for replication initiation and elongation via functional interactions. Additional experiments showed that PEPut regulates PykA activity and that Cat and PEPut determinants important for PykA catalytic activity regulation are also important for PykA-driven replication functions. Conclusions We infer from our findings that PykA typifies a new family of cross-species replication control regulators that drive the metabolic control of replication through a mechanism involving regulatory determinants of PykA catalytic activity. As disruption of PykA replication functions causes dramatic replication defects, we suggest that dysfunctions in this new family of universal replication regulators may pave the path to genetic instability and carcinogenesis. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12915-022-01278-3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steff Horemans
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Université Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, 91057, Evry, France
| | - Matthaios Pitoulias
- Biodiscovery Institute, School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Alexandria Holland
- Biodiscovery Institute, School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Emilie Pateau
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Université Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, 91057, Evry, France
| | - Christophe Lechaplais
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Université Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, 91057, Evry, France
| | - Dariy Ekaterina
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Université Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, 91057, Evry, France
| | - Alain Perret
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Université Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, 91057, Evry, France
| | - Panos Soultanas
- Biodiscovery Institute, School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK.
| | - Laurent Janniere
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Université Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, 91057, Evry, France.
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Saaki TNV, Teng Z, Wenzel M, Ventroux M, Carballido-Lόpez R, Noirot-Gros MF, Hamoen LW. SepF supports the recruitment of the DNA translocase SftA to the Z-ring. Mol Microbiol 2022; 117:1263-1274. [PMID: 35411648 PMCID: PMC9320952 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
In many bacteria, cell division begins before the sister chromosomes are fully segregated. Specific DNA translocases ensure that the chromosome is removed from the closing septum, such as the transmembrane protein FtsK in Escherichia coli. Bacillus subtilis contains two FtsK homologues, SpoIIIE and SftA. SftA is active during vegetative growth whereas SpoIIIE is primarily active during sporulation and pumps the chromosome into the spore compartment. FtsK and SpoIIIE contain several transmembrane helices, however SftA is assumed to be a cytoplasmic protein. It is unknown how SftA is recruited to the cell division site. Here we show that SftA is a peripheral membrane protein, containing an N-terminal amphipathic helix that reversibly anchors the protein to the cell membrane. Using a yeast two-hybrid screen we found that SftA interacts with the conserved cell division protein SepF. Based on extensive genetic analyses and previous data we propose that the septal localization of SftA depends on either SepF or the cell division protein FtsA. Since SftA seems to interfere with the activity of SepF, and since inactivation of SepF mitigates the sensitivity of a ∆sftA mutant for ciprofloxacin, we speculate that SftA might delay septum synthesis when chromosomal DNA is in the vicinity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terrens N V Saaki
- Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Zihao Teng
- Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Michaela Wenzel
- Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,current address: Division of Chemical Biology, Department of Biology and Biological Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Magali Ventroux
- Micalis Institute, INRA, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Rut Carballido-Lόpez
- Micalis Institute, INRA, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | | | - Leendert W Hamoen
- Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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4
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Matavacas J, von Wachenfeldt C. Update on the Protein Homeostasis Network in Bacillus subtilis. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:865141. [PMID: 35350626 PMCID: PMC8957991 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.865141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein homeostasis is fundamental to cell function and survival. It relies on an interconnected network of processes involving protein synthesis, folding, post-translational modification and degradation as well as regulators of these processes. Here we provide an update on the roles, regulation and subcellular localization of the protein homeostasis machinery in the Gram-positive model organism Bacillus subtilis. We discuss emerging ideas and current research gaps in the field that, if tackled, increase our understanding of how Gram-positive bacteria, including several human pathogens, maintain protein homeostasis and cope with stressful conditions that challenge their survival.
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5
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Oliveira Paiva AM, Friggen AH, Douwes R, Wittekoek B, Smits WK. Practical observations on the use of fluorescent reporter systems in Clostridioides difficile. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 2022; 115:297-323. [PMID: 35039954 DOI: 10.1007/s10482-021-01691-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Fluorescence microscopy is a valuable tool to study a broad variety of bacterial cell components and dynamics thereof. For Clostridioides difficile, the fluorescent proteins CFPopt, mCherryOpt and phiLOV2.1, and the self-labelling tags SNAPCd and HaloTag, hereafter collectively referred as fluorescent systems, have been described to explore different cellular pathways. In this study, we sought to characterize previously used fluorescent systems in C. difficile cells. We performed single cell analyses using fluorescence microscopy of exponentially growing C. difficile cells harbouring different fluorescent systems, either expressing these separately in the cytosol or fused to the C-terminus of HupA, under defined conditions. We show that the intrinsic fluorescence of C. difficile cells increases during growth, independent of sigB or spo0A. However, when C. difficile cells are exposed to environmental oxygen autofluorescence is enhanced. Cytosolic overexpression of the different fluorescent systems alone, using the same expression signals, showed heterogeneous expression of the fluorescent systems. High levels of mCherryOpt were toxic for C. difficile cells limiting the applicability of this fluorophore as a transcriptional reporter. When fused to HupA, a C. difficile histone-like protein, the fluorescent systems behaved similarly and did not affect the HupA overproduction phenotype. The present study compares several commonly used fluorescent systems for application as transcriptional or translational reporters in microscopy and summarizes the limitations and key challenges for live-cell imaging of C. difficile. Due to independence of molecular oxygen and fluorescent signal, SNAPCd appears the most suitable candidate for live-cell imaging in C. difficile to date.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana M Oliveira Paiva
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Section Experimental Bacteriology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Center for Microbial Cell Biology, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Annemieke H Friggen
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Section Experimental Bacteriology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Center for Microbial Cell Biology, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Roxanne Douwes
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Section Experimental Bacteriology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Bert Wittekoek
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Section Experimental Bacteriology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Wiep Klaas Smits
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Section Experimental Bacteriology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands. .,Center for Microbial Cell Biology, Leiden, The Netherlands.
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6
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Spatiotemporal localization of proteins in mycobacteria. Cell Rep 2021; 37:110154. [PMID: 34965429 PMCID: PMC8861988 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.110154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Although prokaryotic organisms lack traditional organelles, they must still organize cellular structures in space and time, challenges that different species solve differently. To systematically define the subcellular architecture of mycobacteria, we perform high-throughput imaging of a library of fluorescently tagged proteins expressed in Mycobacterium smegmatis and develop a customized computational pipeline, MOMIA and GEMATRIA, to analyze these data. Our results establish a spatial organization network of over 700 conserved mycobacterial proteins and reveal a coherent localization pattern for many proteins of known function, including those in translation, energy metabolism, cell growth and division, as well as proteins of unknown function. Furthermore, our pipeline exploits morphologic proxies to enable a pseudo-temporal approximation of protein localization and identifies previously uncharacterized cell-cycle-dependent dynamics of essential mycobacterial proteins. Collectively, these data provide a systems perspective on the subcellular organization of mycobacteria and provide tools for the analysis of bacteria with non-standard growth characteristics. Zhu et al. develop a two-stage image analysis pipeline, MOMIA and GEMATRIA, that efficiently models the spatial and temporal dynamics of over 700 conserved proteins in M. smegmatis. Through the analysis they report spatial constraints of mycobacterial ribosomes and membrane complexes and reconstruct temporal dynamics from still image data.
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Labarde A, Jakutyte L, Billaudeau C, Fauler B, López-Sanz M, Ponien P, Jacquet E, Mielke T, Ayora S, Carballido-López R, Tavares P. Temporal compartmentalization of viral infection in bacterial cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2018297118. [PMID: 34244425 PMCID: PMC8285916 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2018297118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Virus infection causes major rearrangements in the subcellular architecture of eukaryotes, but its impact in prokaryotic cells was much less characterized. Here, we show that infection of the bacterium Bacillus subtilis by bacteriophage SPP1 leads to a hijacking of host replication proteins to assemble hybrid viral-bacterial replisomes for SPP1 genome replication. Their biosynthetic activity doubles the cell total DNA content within 15 min. Replisomes operate at several independent locations within a single viral DNA focus positioned asymmetrically in the cell. This large nucleoprotein complex is a self-contained compartment whose boundaries are delimited neither by a membrane nor by a protein cage. Later during infection, SPP1 procapsids localize at the periphery of the viral DNA compartment for genome packaging. The resulting DNA-filled capsids do not remain associated to the DNA transactions compartment. They bind to phage tails to build infectious particles that are stored in warehouse compartments spatially independent from the viral DNA. Free SPP1 structural proteins are recruited to the dynamic phage-induced compartments following an order that recapitulates the viral particle assembly pathway. These findings show that bacteriophages restructure the crowded host cytoplasm to confine at different cellular locations the sequential processes that are essential for their multiplication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Labarde
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Lina Jakutyte
- Laboratoire de Virologie Moléculaire et Structurale, CNRS Unité Propre de Recherche 3296 and Institut Fédératif de Recherche 115, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Cyrille Billaudeau
- Micalis Institute, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Beatrix Fauler
- Microscopy and Cryo-electron Microscopy Service Group, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Ihnestrasse 63-73, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Maria López-Sanz
- Department of Microbial Biotechnology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Prishila Ponien
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, UPR 2301, 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Eric Jacquet
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, UPR 2301, 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Thorsten Mielke
- Microscopy and Cryo-electron Microscopy Service Group, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Ihnestrasse 63-73, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Silvia Ayora
- Department of Microbial Biotechnology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Rut Carballido-López
- Micalis Institute, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Paulo Tavares
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France;
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Moonlighting in Bacillus subtilis: The Small Proteins SR1P and SR7P Regulate the Moonlighting Activity of Glyceraldehyde 3-Phosphate Dehydrogenase A (GapA) and Enolase in RNA Degradation. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9051046. [PMID: 34066298 PMCID: PMC8152036 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9051046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Revised: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Moonlighting proteins are proteins with more than one function. During the past 25 years, they have been found to be rather widespread in bacteria. In Bacillus subtilis, moonlighting has been disclosed to occur via DNA, protein or RNA binding or protein phosphorylation. In addition, two metabolic enzymes, enolase and phosphofructokinase, were localized in the degradosome-like network (DLN) where they were thought to be scaffolding components. The DLN comprises the major endoribonuclease RNase Y, 3'-5' exoribonuclease PnpA, endo/5'-3' exoribonucleases J1/J2 and helicase CshA. We have ascertained that the metabolic enzyme GapA is an additional component of the DLN. In addition, we identified two small proteins that bind scaffolding components of the degradosome: SR1P encoded by the dual-function sRNA SR1 binds GapA, promotes the GapA-RNase J1 interaction and increases the RNase J1 activity. SR7P encoded by the dual-function antisense RNA SR7 binds to enolase thereby enhancing the enzymatic activity of enolase bound RNase Y. We discuss the role of small proteins in modulating the activity of two moonlighting proteins.
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Li Y, Chen Z, Matthews LA, Simmons LA, Biteen JS. Dynamic Exchange of Two Essential DNA Polymerases during Replication and after Fork Arrest. Biophys J 2019; 116:684-693. [PMID: 30686488 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2019.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2018] [Revised: 11/23/2018] [Accepted: 01/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The replisome is a multiprotein machine responsible for the faithful replication of chromosomal and plasmid DNA. Using single-molecule super-resolution imaging, we characterized the dynamics of three replisomal proteins in live Bacillus subtilis cells: the two replicative DNA polymerases, PolC and DnaE, and a processivity clamp loader subunit, DnaX. We quantified the protein mobility and dwell times during normal replication and following replication fork stress using damage-independent and damage-dependent conditions. With these results, we report the dynamic and cooperative process of DNA replication based on changes in the measured diffusion coefficients and dwell times. These experiments show that the replication proteins are all highly dynamic and that the exchange rate depends on whether DNA synthesis is active or arrested. Our results also suggest coupling between PolC and DnaX in the DNA replication process and indicate that DnaX provides an important role in synthesis during repair. Furthermore, our results suggest that DnaE provides a limited contribution to chromosomal replication and repair in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yilai Li
- Department of Biophysics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Ziyuan Chen
- Department of Biophysics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Lindsay A Matthews
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Lyle A Simmons
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
| | - Julie S Biteen
- Department of Biophysics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
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Huang X, Cao L, Qin Z, Li S, Kong W, Liu Y. Tat-Independent Secretion of Polyethylene Terephthalate Hydrolase PETase in Bacillus subtilis 168 Mediated by Its Native Signal Peptide. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2018; 66:13217-13227. [PMID: 30465427 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.8b05038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Widespread utilization of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has caused critical environmental pollution. The enzymatic degradation of PET is a promising solution to this problem. In this study, PETase, which exhibits much higher PET-hydrolytic activity than other enzymes, was successfully secreted into extracellular milieu from Bacillus subtilis 168 under the direction of its native signal peptide (named SPPETase). SPPETase is predicted to be a twin-arginine signal peptide. Intriguingly, inactivation of twin-arginine translocation (Tat) complexes improved the secretion amount by 3.8-fold, indicating that PETase was exported via Tat-independent pathway. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the improvement of Tat-independent secretion by inactivating Tat components of B. subtilis 168 in LB medium. Furthermore, PET film degradation assay showed that the secreted PETase was fully active. This study paves the first step to construct an efficient engineered strain for PET degradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Huang
- School of Life Sciences, Institute of Aquatic Economic Animals and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Aquatic Economic Animals, National Engineering Center for Marine Biotechnology of South China Sea , Sun Yat-Sen University , Guangzhou 510275 , P. R. China
| | - Lichuang Cao
- School of Life Sciences, Institute of Aquatic Economic Animals and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Aquatic Economic Animals, National Engineering Center for Marine Biotechnology of South China Sea , Sun Yat-Sen University , Guangzhou 510275 , P. R. China
| | - Zongmin Qin
- School of Life Sciences, Institute of Aquatic Economic Animals and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Aquatic Economic Animals, National Engineering Center for Marine Biotechnology of South China Sea , Sun Yat-Sen University , Guangzhou 510275 , P. R. China
| | - Shuifeng Li
- School of Life Sciences, Institute of Aquatic Economic Animals and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Aquatic Economic Animals, National Engineering Center for Marine Biotechnology of South China Sea , Sun Yat-Sen University , Guangzhou 510275 , P. R. China
| | - Wei Kong
- School of Life Sciences, Institute of Aquatic Economic Animals and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Aquatic Economic Animals, National Engineering Center for Marine Biotechnology of South China Sea , Sun Yat-Sen University , Guangzhou 510275 , P. R. China
| | - Yuhuan Liu
- School of Life Sciences, Institute of Aquatic Economic Animals and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Aquatic Economic Animals, National Engineering Center for Marine Biotechnology of South China Sea , Sun Yat-Sen University , Guangzhou 510275 , P. R. China
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11
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Newly Identified Nucleoid-Associated-Like Protein YlxR Regulates Metabolic Gene Expression in Bacillus subtilis. mSphere 2018; 3:3/5/e00501-18. [PMID: 30355672 PMCID: PMC6200986 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00501-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Expression of genes encoding NAPs is often temporally regulated. According to results from single-cell analysis, the ylxR gene is induced by glucose and expressed in a bistable mode. These characteristics have not previously been reported for NAP gene expression. Transcriptional profiling of the ylxR disruptant revealed a change in the expression levels of approximately 400 genes, including genes for synthesis of 12 amino acids and 4 nucleotides, in addition to the SigX/M regulons. Thus, YlxR is a critical regulator of glucose response in B. subtilis. Glucose is the most favorable carbon source for the majority of bacteria, which have several glucose-responsive gene networks. Recently, we found that in Bacillus subtilis, glucose induces expression of the extracellular sigma factor genes sigX/M. To explore the factors affecting this phenomenon, we performed a transposon mutagenesis screen for mutants with no glucose induction (GI) of sigX-lacZ and identified ylxR. YlxR is widely conserved in eubacteria. Further analysis revealed that ylxR is induced by glucose addition. In vitro DNA-binding and cytological studies suggested that YlxR is a nucleoid-associated protein (NAP) in B. subtilis. In many cases, NAPs influence transcription, recombination, and genome stability. Thus, we performed transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis to evaluate the impact of ylxR disruption on the transcriptome in the presence of glucose and observed that YlxR has a profound impact on metabolic gene expression in addition to that of four sigma factor genes. The wide fluctuations of gene expression may result in abolition of GI of sigX/M in the ylxR disruptant. IMPORTANCE Expression of genes encoding NAPs is often temporally regulated. According to results from single-cell analysis, the ylxR gene is induced by glucose and expressed in a bistable mode. These characteristics have not previously been reported for NAP gene expression. Transcriptional profiling of the ylxR disruptant revealed a change in the expression levels of approximately 400 genes, including genes for synthesis of 12 amino acids and 4 nucleotides, in addition to the SigX/M regulons. Thus, YlxR is a critical regulator of glucose response in B. subtilis.
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12
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Matthews LA, Simmons LA. Cryptic protein interactions regulate DNA replication initiation. Mol Microbiol 2018; 111:118-130. [PMID: 30285297 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2018] [Revised: 09/25/2018] [Accepted: 09/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
DNA replication is a fundamental biological process that is tightly regulated in all cells. In bacteria, DnaA controls when and where replication begins by building a step-wise complex that loads the replicative helicase onto chromosomal DNA. In many low-GC Gram-positive species, DnaA recruits the DnaD and DnaB proteins to function as adaptors to assist in helicase loading. How DnaA, its adaptors and the helicase form a complex at the origin is unclear. We addressed this question using the bacterial two-hybrid assay to determine how the initiation proteins from Bacillus subtilis interact with each other. We show that cryptic interaction sites play a key role in this process and we map these regions for the entire pathway. In addition, we found that the SirA regulator that blocks initiation in sporulating cells binds to a surface on DnaA that overlaps with DnaD. The interaction between DnaA and DnaD was also mapped to the same DnaA surface in the human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus, demonstrating the broad conservation of this surface. Therefore, our study has unveiled key protein interactions essential for initiation and our approach is widely applicable for mapping interactions in other signaling pathways that are governed by cryptic binding surfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay A Matthews
- Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1048, USA
| | - Lyle A Simmons
- Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1048, USA
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The Multifaceted Antibacterial Mechanisms of the Pioneering Peptide Antibiotics Tyrocidine and Gramicidin S. mBio 2018; 9:mBio.00802-18. [PMID: 30301848 PMCID: PMC6178620 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00802-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyclic β-sheet decapeptides, such as tyrocidines and gramicidin S, were among the first antibiotics in clinical application. Although they have been used for such a long time, there is virtually no resistance to them, which has led to a renewed interest in this peptide class. Both tyrocidines and gramicidin S are thought to disrupt the bacterial membrane. However, this knowledge is mainly derived from in vitro studies, and there is surprisingly little knowledge about how these long-established antibiotics kill bacteria. Our results shed new light on the antibacterial mechanism of β-sheet peptide antibiotics and explain why they are still so effective and why there is so little resistance to them. Cyclic β-sheet decapeptides from the tyrocidine group and the homologous gramicidin S were the first commercially used antibiotics, yet it remains unclear exactly how they kill bacteria. We investigated their mode of action using a bacterial cytological profiling approach. Tyrocidines form defined ion-conducting pores, induce lipid phase separation, and strongly reduce membrane fluidity, resulting in delocalization of a broad range of peripheral and integral membrane proteins. Interestingly, they also cause DNA damage and interfere with DNA-binding proteins. Despite sharing 50% sequence identity with tyrocidines, gramicidin S causes only mild lipid demixing with minor effects on membrane fluidity and permeability. Gramicidin S delocalizes peripheral membrane proteins involved in cell division and cell envelope synthesis but does not affect integral membrane proteins or DNA. Our results shed a new light on the multifaceted antibacterial mechanisms of these antibiotics and explain why resistance to them is virtually nonexistent.
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Lucena D, Mauri M, Schmidt F, Eckhardt B, Graumann PL. Microdomain formation is a general property of bacterial membrane proteins and induces heterogeneity of diffusion patterns. BMC Biol 2018; 16:97. [PMID: 30173665 PMCID: PMC6120080 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-018-0561-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2018] [Accepted: 08/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Proteins within the cytoplasmic membrane display distinct localization patterns and arrangements. While multiple models exist describing the dynamics of membrane proteins, to date, there have been few systematic studies, particularly in bacteria, to evaluate how protein size, number of transmembrane domains, and temperature affect their diffusion, and if conserved localization patterns exist. Results We have used fluorescence microscopy, single-molecule tracking (SMT), and computer-aided visualization methods to obtain a better understanding of the three-dimensional organization of bacterial membrane proteins, using the model bacterium Bacillus subtilis. First, we carried out a systematic study of the localization of over 200 B. subtilis membrane proteins, tagged with monomeric mVenus-YFP at their original gene locus. Their subcellular localization could be discriminated in polar, septal, patchy, and punctate patterns. Almost 20% of membrane proteins specifically localized to the cell poles, and a vast majority of all proteins localized in distinct structures, which we term microdomains. Dynamics were analyzed for selected membrane proteins, using SMT. Diffusion coefficients of the analyzed transmembrane proteins did not correlate with protein molecular weight, but correlated inversely with the number of transmembrane helices, i.e., transmembrane radius. We observed that temperature can strongly influence diffusion on the membrane, in that upon growth temperature upshift, diffusion coefficients of membrane proteins increased and still correlated inversely to the number of transmembrane domains, following the Saffman–Delbrück relation. Conclusions The vast majority of membrane proteins localized to distinct multimeric assemblies. Diffusion of membrane proteins can be suitably described by discriminating diffusion coefficients into two protein populations, one mobile and one immobile, the latter likely constituting microdomains. Our results show there is high heterogeneity and yet structural order in the cell membrane, and provide a roadmap for our understanding of membrane organization in prokaryotes. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12915-018-0561-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniella Lucena
- SYNMIKRO, LOEWE Center for Synthetic Microbiology, Marburg, Germany.,Fachbereich Chemie, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Marco Mauri
- SYNMIKRO, LOEWE Center for Synthetic Microbiology, Marburg, Germany.,INRIA Grenoble - Rhône-Alpes, Montbonnot, France
| | - Felix Schmidt
- SYNMIKRO, LOEWE Center for Synthetic Microbiology, Marburg, Germany.,Fachbereich Physik, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Bruno Eckhardt
- SYNMIKRO, LOEWE Center for Synthetic Microbiology, Marburg, Germany.,Fachbereich Physik, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Peter L Graumann
- SYNMIKRO, LOEWE Center for Synthetic Microbiology, Marburg, Germany. .,Fachbereich Chemie, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany.
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15
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Li Y, Schroeder JW, Simmons LA, Biteen JS. Visualizing bacterial DNA replication and repair with molecular resolution. Curr Opin Microbiol 2018; 43:38-45. [PMID: 29197672 PMCID: PMC5984126 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2017.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2017] [Revised: 09/28/2017] [Accepted: 11/06/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Although DNA replication and repair in bacteria have been extensively studied for many decades, in recent years the development of single-molecule microscopy has provided a new perspective on these fundamental processes. Because single-molecule imaging super-resolves the nanometer-scale dynamics of molecules, and because single-molecule imaging is sensitive to heterogeneities within a sample, this nanoscopic microscopy technique measures the motions, localizations, and interactions of proteins in real time without averaging ensemble observations, both in vitro and in vivo. In this Review, we provide an overview of several recent single-molecule fluorescence microscopy studies on DNA replication and repair. These experiments have shown that, in both Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis the DNA replication proteins are highly dynamic. In particular, even highly processive replicative DNA polymerases exchange to and from the replication fork on the scale of a few seconds. Furthermore, single-molecule investigations of the DNA mismatch repair (MMR) pathway have measured the complex interactions between MMR proteins, replication proteins, and DNA. Single-molecule imaging will continue to improve our understanding of fundamental processes in bacteria including DNA replication and repair.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yilai Li
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States
| | - Jeremy W Schroeder
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States; University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, United States
| | - Lyle A Simmons
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States
| | - Julie S Biteen
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, United States.
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16
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The Conserved DNA Binding Protein WhiA Influences Chromosome Segregation in Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol 2018; 200:JB.00633-17. [PMID: 29378890 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00633-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2017] [Accepted: 01/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The DNA binding protein WhiA is conserved in Gram-positive bacteria and is present in the genetically simple cell wall-lacking mycoplasmas. The protein shows homology to eukaryotic homing endonucleases but lacks nuclease activity. WhiA was first characterized in streptomycetes, where it regulates the expression of key differentiation genes, including the cell division gene ftsZ, which is essential for sporulation. For Bacillus subtilis, it was shown that WhiA is essential when certain cell division genes are deleted. However, in B. subtilis, WhiA is not required for sporulation, and it does not seem to function as a transcription factor, despite its DNA binding activity. The exact function of B. subtilis WhiA remains elusive. We noticed that whiA mutants show an increased space between their nucleoids, and here, we describe the results of fluorescence microscopy, genetic, and transcriptional experiments to further investigate this phenomenon. It appeared that the deletion of whiA is synthetic lethal when either the DNA replication and segregation regulator ParB or the DNA replication inhibitor YabA is absent. However, WhiA does not seem to affect replication initiation. We found that a ΔwhiA mutant is highly sensitive for DNA-damaging agents. Further tests revealed that the deletion of parAB induces the SOS response, including the cell division inhibitor YneA. When yneA was inactivated, the viability of the synthetic lethal ΔwhiA ΔparAB mutant was restored. However, the nucleoid segregation phenotype remained. These findings underline the importance of WhiA for cell division and indicate that the protein also plays a role in DNA segregation.IMPORTANCE The conserved WhiA protein family can be found in most Gram-positive bacteria, including the genetically simple cell wall-lacking mycoplasmas, and these proteins play a role in cell division. WhiA has some homology with eukaryotic homing endonucleases but lacks nuclease activity. Because of its DNA binding activity, it is assumed that the protein functions as a transcription factor, but this is not the case in the model system B. subtilis The function of this protein in B. subtilis remains unclear. We noticed that a whiA mutant has a mild chromosome segregation defect. Further studies of this phenomenon provided new support for a functional role of WhiA in cell division and indicated that the protein is required for normal chromosome segregation.
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17
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Haggett L, Bhasin A, Srivastava P, Fujita M. A revised model for the control of fatty acid synthesis by master regulator Spo0A in
Bacillus subtilis. Mol Microbiol 2018; 108:424-442. [DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey Haggett
- Department of Biology and BiochemistryUniversity of HoustonHouston TX 77204‐5001 USA
| | - Archna Bhasin
- Department of Biology and BiochemistryUniversity of HoustonHouston TX 77204‐5001 USA
| | - Priyanka Srivastava
- Department of Biology and BiochemistryUniversity of HoustonHouston TX 77204‐5001 USA
| | - Masaya Fujita
- Department of Biology and BiochemistryUniversity of HoustonHouston TX 77204‐5001 USA
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Bacillus subtilis Swarmer Cells Lead the Swarm, Multiply, and Generate a Trail of Quiescent Descendants. mBio 2017; 8:mBio.02102-16. [PMID: 28174308 PMCID: PMC5296600 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02102-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteria adopt social behavior to expand into new territory, led by specialized swarmers, before forming a biofilm. Such mass migration of Bacillus subtilis on a synthetic medium produces hyperbranching dendrites that transiently (equivalent to 4 to 5 generations of growth) maintain a cellular monolayer over long distances, greatly facilitating single-cell gene expression analysis. Paradoxically, while cells in the dendrites (nonswarmers) might be expected to grow exponentially, the rate of swarm expansion is constant, suggesting that some cells are not multiplying. Little attention has been paid to which cells in a swarm are actually multiplying and contributing to the overall biomass. Here, we show in situ that DNA replication, protein translation and peptidoglycan synthesis are primarily restricted to the swarmer cells at dendrite tips. Thus, these specialized cells not only lead the population forward but are apparently the source of all cells in the stems of early dendrites. We developed a simple mathematical model that supports this conclusion. Swarming motility enables rapid coordinated surface translocation of a microbial community, preceding the formation of a biofilm. This movement occurs in thin films and involves specialized swarmer cells localized to a narrow zone at the extreme swarm edge. In the B. subtilis system, using a synthetic medium, the swarm front remains as a cellular monolayer for up to 1.5 cm. Swarmers display high-velocity whirls and vortexing and are often assumed to drive community expansion at the expense of cell growth. Surprisingly, little attention has been paid to which cells in a swarm are actually growing and contributing to the overall biomass. Here, we show that swarmers not only lead the population forward but continue to multiply as a source of all cells in the community. We present a model that explains how exponential growth of only a few cells is compatible with the linear expansion rate of the swarm.
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19
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Liu Y, Li J, Du G, Chen J, Liu L. Metabolic engineering of Bacillus subtilis fueled by systems biology: Recent advances and future directions. Biotechnol Adv 2017; 35:20-30. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2016.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2016] [Revised: 10/21/2016] [Accepted: 11/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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20
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Cascante-Estepa N, Gunka K, Stülke J. Localization of Components of the RNA-Degrading Machine in Bacillus subtilis. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:1492. [PMID: 27708634 PMCID: PMC5030255 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.01492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2016] [Accepted: 09/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In bacteria, the control of mRNA stability is crucial to allow rapid adaptation to changing conditions. In most bacteria, RNA degradation is catalyzed by the RNA degradosome, a protein complex composed of endo- and exoribonucleases, RNA helicases, and accessory proteins. In the Gram-positive model organism Bacillus subtilis, the existence of a RNA degradosome assembled around the membrane-bound endoribonuclease RNase Y has been proposed. Here, we have studied the intracellular localization of the protein that have been implicated in the potential B. subtilis RNA degradosome, i.e., polynucleotide phosphorylase, the exoribonucleases J1 and J2, the DEAD-box RNA helicase CshA, and the glycolytic enzymes enolase and phosphofructokinase. Our data suggests that the bulk of these enzymes is located in the cytoplasm. The RNases J1 and J2 as well as the RNA helicase CshA were mainly localized in the peripheral regions of the cell where also the bulk of messenger RNA is localized. We were able to demonstrate active exclusion of these proteins from the transcribing nucleoid. Taken together, our findings suggest that the interactions of the enzymes involved in RNA degradation in B. subtilis are rather transient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora Cascante-Estepa
- Department of General Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen Göttingen, Germany
| | - Katrin Gunka
- Department of General Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen Göttingen, Germany
| | - Jörg Stülke
- Department of General Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen Göttingen, Germany
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21
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Mwita L, Chan WY, Pretorius T, Lyantagaye SL, Lapa SV, Avdeeva LV, Reva ON. Gene expression regulation in the plant growth promoting Bacillus atrophaeus UCMB-5137 stimulated by maize root exudates. Gene 2016; 590:18-28. [PMID: 27259668 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2016.05.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2016] [Revised: 05/04/2016] [Accepted: 05/31/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Despite successful use of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) in agriculture, little is known about specific mechanisms of gene regulation facilitating the effective communication between bacteria and plants during plant colonization. Active PGPR strain Bacillus atrophaeus UCMB-5137 was studied in this research. RNA sequencing profiles were generated in experiments where root exudate stimulations were used to mimic interactions between bacteria and plants. It was found that the gene regulation in B. atrophaeus UCMB-5137 in response to the root exudate stimuli differed from the reported gene regulation at similar conditions in B. amyloliquefaciens FZB42, which was considered as a paradigm PGPR. This difference was explained by hypersensitivity of UCMB-5137 to the root exudate stimuli impelling it to a sessile root colonization behavior through the CcpA-CodY-AbrB regulation. It was found that the transcriptional factor DegU also could play an important role in gene regulations during plant colonization. A significant stress caused by the root exudates on in vitro cultivated B. atrophaeus UCMB-5137 was noticed and discussed. Multiple cases of conflicted gene regulations showed scantiness of our knowledge on the regulatory network in Bacillus. Some of these conflicted regulations could be explained by interference of non-coding RNA (ncRNA). Search through differential expressed intergenic regions revealed 49 putative loci of ncRNA regulated by the root exudate stimuli. Possible target mRNA were predicted and a general regulatory network of B. atrophaeus UCMB-5137 genome was designed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liberata Mwita
- Centre for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Dep. Biochemistry, University of Pretoria, Lynnwood Rd, Hillcrest, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
| | - Wai Yin Chan
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of Pretoria, Lynnwood Rd, Hillcrest, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
| | - Theresa Pretorius
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of Pretoria, Lynnwood Rd, Hillcrest, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
| | - Sylvester L Lyantagaye
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, College of Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Dar es Salaam, P.O. Box 35179, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Svitlana V Lapa
- Dep. Antibiotics, D. K. Zabolotnogo Institute of Microbiology and Virology, 154 Zabolotnogo Str., Kiev, Ukraine
| | - Lilia V Avdeeva
- Dep. Antibiotics, D. K. Zabolotnogo Institute of Microbiology and Virology, 154 Zabolotnogo Str., Kiev, Ukraine
| | - Oleg N Reva
- Centre for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Dep. Biochemistry, University of Pretoria, Lynnwood Rd, Hillcrest, Pretoria 0002, South Africa.
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22
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Sastre DE, Bisson-Filho A, de Mendoza D, Gueiros-Filho FJ. Revisiting the cell biology of the acyl-ACP:phosphate transacylase PlsX suggests that the phospholipid synthesis and cell division machineries are not coupled inBacillus subtilis. Mol Microbiol 2016; 100:621-34. [DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Diego Emiliano Sastre
- Departamento de Bioquímica; Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo; São Paulo SP Brazil
| | - Alexandre Bisson-Filho
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) Center for Systems Biology; Harvard University; Cambridge MA 02138 USA
| | - Diego de Mendoza
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario (IBR-CONICET), and Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas; Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Ocampo y Esmeralda, Predio CONICET Rosario; 2000 Rosario Argentina
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23
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Dantas GC, Martins PMM, Martins DAB, Gomes E, Ferreira H. A protein expression system for tandem affinity purification in Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri. Braz J Microbiol 2016; 47:518-26. [PMID: 26991273 PMCID: PMC4874617 DOI: 10.1016/j.bjm.2016.01.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2015] [Accepted: 10/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Citrus canker, caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (Xac), is one of the most devastating diseases to affect citrus crops. There is no treatment for citrus canker; effective control against the spread of Xac is usually achieved by the elimination of affected plants along with that of asymptomatic neighbors. An in depth understanding of the pathogen is the keystone for understanding of the disease; to this effect we are committed to the development of strategies to ease the study of Xac. Genome sequencing and annotation of Xac revealed that ∼37% of the genome is composed of hypothetical ORFs. To start a systematic characterization of novel factors encoded by Xac, we constructed integrative-vectors for protein expression specific to this bacterium. The vectors allow for the production of TAP-tagged proteins in Xac under the regulation of the xylose promoter. In this study, we show that a TAP-expression vector, integrated into the amy locus of Xac, does not compromise its virulence. Furthermore, our results also demonstrate that the polypeptide TAP can be overproduced in Xac and purified from the soluble phase of cell extracts. Our results substantiate the use of our vectors for protein expression in Xac thus contributing a novel tool for the characterization of proteins and protein complexes generated by this bacterium in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giordanni C Dantas
- Depto. de Bioquimica e Microbiologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
| | - Paula M M Martins
- Depto. de Bioquimica e Microbiologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
| | - Daniela A B Martins
- Depto. de Bioquímica e Tecnologia Química, Instituto de Química, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Araraquara, SP, Brazil
| | - Eleni Gomes
- Depto. de Biologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista, São Jose do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Henrique Ferreira
- Depto. de Bioquimica e Microbiologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil.
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Somani VK, Aggarwal S, Singh D, Prasad T, Bhatnagar R. Identification of Novel Raft Marker Protein, FlotP in Bacillus anthracis. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:169. [PMID: 26925042 PMCID: PMC4756111 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.00169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2015] [Accepted: 02/01/2016] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Lipid rafts are dynamic, nanoscale assemblies of specific proteins and lipids, distributed heterogeneously on eukaryotic membrane. Flotillin-1, a conserved eukaryotic raft marker protein (RMP) harbor SPFH (Stomatin, Prohibitin, Flotillin, and HflK/C) and oligomerization domains to regulate various cellular processes through its interactions with other signaling or transport proteins. Rafts were thought to be absent in prokaryotes hitherto, but recent report of its presence and significance in physiology of Bacillus subtilis prompted us to investigate the same in pathogenic bacteria (PB) also. In prokaryotes, proteins of SPFH2a subfamily show highest identity to SPFH domain of Flotillin-1. Moreover, bacterial genome organization revealed that Flotillin homolog harboring SPFH2a domain exists in an operon with an upstream gene containing NFeD domain. Here, presence of RMP in PB was initially investigated in silico by analyzing the presence of SPFH2a, oligomerization domains in the concerned gene and NfeD domain in the adjacent upstream gene. After investigating 300 PB, four were found to harbor RMP. Among them, domains of Bas0525 (FlotP) of Bacillus anthracis (BA) showed highest identity with characteristic domains of RMP. Considering the global threat of BA as the bioterror agent, it was selected as a model for further in vitro characterization of rafts in PB. In silico and in vitro analysis showed significant similarity of FlotP with numerous attributes of Flotillin-1. Its punctate distribution on membrane with exclusive localization in detergent resistant membrane fraction; strongly favors presence of raft with RMP FlotP in BA. Furthermore, significant effect of Zaragozic acid (ZA), a raft associated lipid biosynthesis inhibitor, on several patho-physiological attributes of BA such as growth, morphology, membrane rigidity etc., were also observed. Specifically, a considerable decrease in membrane rigidity, strongly recommended presence of an unknown raft associated lipid molecule on membrane of BA. In addition, treatment with ZA decreased secretion of anthrax toxins and FlotP expression, suggesting potential role of raft in pathogenesis and physiology of BA. Thus, the present study not only suggest the existence and role of raft like entity in pathophysiology of BA but also its possible use for the development of novel drugs or vaccines against anthrax.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vikas K Somani
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi, India
| | - Somya Aggarwal
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi, India
| | - Damini Singh
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi, India
| | | | - Rakesh Bhatnagar
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering, School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi, India
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25
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Unden G, Wörner S, Monzel C. Cooperation of Secondary Transporters and Sensor Kinases in Transmembrane Signalling: The DctA/DcuS and DcuB/DcuS Sensor Complexes of Escherichia coli. Adv Microb Physiol 2016; 68:139-67. [PMID: 27134023 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ampbs.2016.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Many membrane-bound sensor kinases require accessory proteins for function. The review describes functional control of membrane-bound sensors by transporters. The C4-dicarboxylate sensor kinase DcuS requires the aerobic or anaerobic C4-dicarboxylate transporters DctA or DcuB, respectively, for function and forms DctA/DcuS or DcuB/DcuS sensor complexes. Free DcuS is in the permanent (ligand independent) ON state. The DctA/DcuS and DcuB/DcuS complexes, on the other hand, control expression in response to C4-dicarboxylates. In DctA/DcuS, helix 8b of DctA and the PASC domain of DcuS are involved in interaction. The stimulus is perceived by the extracytoplasmic sensor domain (PASP) of DcuS. The signal is transmitted across the membrane by a piston-type movement of TM2 of DcuS which appears to be pulled (by analogy to the homologous citrate sensor CitA) by compaction of PASP after C4-dicarboxylate binding. In the cytoplasm, the signal is perceived by the PASC domain of DcuS. PASC inhibits together with DctA the kinase domain of DcuS which is released after C4-dicarboxylate binding. DcuS exhibits two modes for regulating expression of target genes. At higher C4-dicarboxylate levels, DcuS is part of the DctA/DcuS complex and in the C4-dicarboxylate-responsive form which stimulates expression of target genes in response to the concentration of the C4-dicarboxylates (catabolic use of C4-dicarboxylates, mode I regulation). At limiting C4-dicarboxylate concentrations (≤0.05mM), expression of DctA drops and free DcuS appears. Free DcuS is in the permanent ON state (mode II regulation) and stimulates low level (C4-dicarboxylate independent) DctA synthesis for DctA/DcuS complex formation and anabolic C4-dicarboxylate uptake.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Unden
- Institute for Microbiology and Wine Research, University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
| | - S Wörner
- Institute for Microbiology and Wine Research, University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - C Monzel
- Institute for Microbiology and Wine Research, University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
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26
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Benoist C, Guérin C, Noirot P, Dervyn E. Constitutive Stringent Response Restores Viability of Bacillus subtilis Lacking Structural Maintenance of Chromosome Protein. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0142308. [PMID: 26539825 PMCID: PMC4634966 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0142308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2015] [Accepted: 10/19/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacillus subtilis mutants lacking the SMC-ScpAB complex are severely impaired for chromosome condensation and partitioning, DNA repair, and cells are not viable under standard laboratory conditions. We isolated suppressor mutations that restored the capacity of a smc deletion mutant (Δsmc) to grow under standard conditions. These suppressor mutations reduced chromosome segregation defects and abrogated hypersensitivity to gyrase inhibitors of Δsmc. Three suppressor mutations were mapped in genes involved in tRNA aminoacylation and maturation pathways. A transcriptomic survey of isolated suppressor mutations pointed to a potential link between suppression of Δsmc and induction of the stringent response. This link was confirmed by (p)ppGpp quantification which indicated a constitutive induction of the stringent response in multiple suppressor strains. Furthermore, sublethal concentrations of arginine hydroxamate (RHX), a potent inducer of stringent response, restored growth of Δsmc under non permissive conditions. We showed that production of (p)ppGpp alone was sufficient to suppress the thermosensitivity exhibited by the Δsmc mutant. Our findings shed new light on the coordination between chromosome dynamics mediated by SMC-ScpAB and other cellular processes during rapid bacterial growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camille Benoist
- INRA, UMR1319 Micalis, 78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France
- AgroParisTech, UMR Micalis 1319, 78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Cyprien Guérin
- Mathématiques et Informatique Appliquées du Génome à l’Environnement, UR1404, INRA, Domaine de Vilvert, 78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Philippe Noirot
- INRA, UMR1319 Micalis, 78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France
- AgroParisTech, UMR Micalis 1319, 78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Etienne Dervyn
- INRA, UMR1319 Micalis, 78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France
- AgroParisTech, UMR Micalis 1319, 78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France
- * E-mail:
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Experimental evolution of enhanced growth by Bacillus subtilis at low atmospheric pressure: genomic changes revealed by whole-genome sequencing. Appl Environ Microbiol 2015; 81:7525-32. [PMID: 26296725 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01690-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2015] [Accepted: 08/14/2015] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Knowledge of how microorganisms respond and adapt to low-pressure (LP) environments is limited. Previously, Bacillus subtilis strain WN624 was grown at the near-inhibitory LP of 5 kPa for 1,000 generations and strain WN1106, which exhibited increased relative fitness at 5 kPa, was isolated. Genomic sequence differences between ancestral strain WN624 and LP-evolved strain WN1106 were identified using whole-genome sequencing. LP-evolved strain WN1106 carried amino acid-altering mutations in the coding sequences of only seven genes (fliI, parC, ytoI, bacD, resD, walK, and yvlD) and a single 9-nucleotide in-frame deletion in the rnjB gene that encodes RNase J2, a component of the RNA degradosome. By using a collection of frozen stocks of the LP-evolved culture taken at 50-generation intervals, it was determined that (i) the fitness increase at LP occurred rapidly, while (ii) mutation acquisition exhibited complex kinetics. A knockout mutant of rnjB was shown to increase the competitive fitness of B. subtilis at both LP and standard atmospheric pressure.
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López D. Connection of KinC to flotillins and potassium leakage in Bacillus subtilis. MICROBIOLOGY-SGM 2015; 161:1180-1. [PMID: 25934647 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.000089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel López
- Research Centre for Infectious Diseases - Institute for Molecular Infection Biology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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Devi SN, Vishnoi M, Kiehler B, Haggett L, Fujita M. In vivo functional characterization of the transmembrane histidine kinase KinC in Bacillus subtilis. MICROBIOLOGY-SGM 2015; 161:1092-1104. [PMID: 25701730 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.000054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2014] [Accepted: 02/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
In response to starvation, Bacillus subtilis cells differentiate into different subsets, undergoing cannibalism, biofilm formation or sporulation. These processes require a multiple component phosphorelay, wherein the master regulator Spo0A is activated upon phosphorylation by one or a combination of five histidine kinases (KinA-KinE) via two intermediate phosphotransferases, Spo0F and Spo0B. In this study, we focused on KinC, which was originally identified as a sporulation kinase and was later shown to regulate cannibalism and biofilm formation. First, genetic experiments using both the domesticated and undomesticated (biofilm forming) strains revealed that KinC activity and the membrane localization are independent of both the lipid raft marker proteins FloTA and cytoplasmic potassium concentration, which were previously shown to be required for the kinase activity. Next, we demonstrated that KinC controls cannibalism and biofilm formation in a manner dependent on phosphorelay. For further detailed characterization of KinC, we established an IPTG-inducible expression system in the domesticated strain, in which biofilm formation is defective, for simplicity of study. Using this system, we found that the N-terminal transmembrane domain is dispensable but the PAS domain is needed for the kinase activity. An in vivo chemical cross-linking experiment demonstrated that the soluble and functional KinC (KinC(ΔTM1+2)) forms a tetramer. Based on these results, we propose a revised model in which KinC becomes active by forming a homotetramer via the N-terminal PAS domain, but its activity is independent of both the lipid raft and the potassium leakage, which was previously suggested to be induced by surfactin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seram Nganbiton Devi
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-5001, USA
| | - Monika Vishnoi
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-5001, USA
| | - Brittany Kiehler
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-5001, USA
| | - Lindsey Haggett
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-5001, USA
| | - Masaya Fujita
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-5001, USA
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Scheu PD, Steinmetz PA, Dempwolff F, Graumann PL, Unden G. Polar localization of a tripartite complex of the two-component system DcuS/DcuR and the transporter DctA in Escherichia coli depends on the sensor kinase DcuS. PLoS One 2014; 9:e115534. [PMID: 25549248 PMCID: PMC4280142 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0115534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2014] [Accepted: 11/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The C4-dicarboxylate responsive sensor kinase DcuS of the DcuS/DcuR two-component system of E. coli is membrane-bound and reveals a polar localization. DcuS uses the C4-dicarboxylate transporter DctA as a co-regulator forming DctA/DcuS sensor units. Here it is shown by fluorescence microscopy with fusion proteins that DcuS has a dynamic and preferential polar localization, even at very low expression levels. Single assemblies of DcuS had high mobility in fast time lapse acquisitions, and fast recovery in FRAP experiments, excluding polar accumulation due to aggregation. DctA and DcuR fused to derivatives of the YFP protein are dispersed in the membrane or in the cytosol, respectively, when expressed without DcuS, but co-localize with DcuS when co-expressed at appropriate levels. Thus, DcuS is required for location of DctA and DcuR at the poles and formation of tripartite DctA/DcuS/DcuR sensor/regulator complexes. Vice versa, DctA, DcuR and the alternative succinate transporter DauA were not essential for polar localization of DcuS, suggesting that the polar trapping occurs by DcuS. Cardiolipin, the high curvature at the cell poles, and the cytoskeletal protein MreB were not required for polar localization. In contrast, polar localization of DcuS required the presence of the cytoplasmic PAS(C) and the kinase domains of DcuS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick D. Scheu
- Institute for Microbiology and Wine Research, University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Philipp A. Steinmetz
- Institute for Microbiology and Wine Research, University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Felix Dempwolff
- Microbiology, Faculty for Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Peter L. Graumann
- Microbiology, Faculty for Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Gottfried Unden
- Institute for Microbiology and Wine Research, University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- * E-mail:
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Yao Z, Carballido-López R. Fluorescence Imaging for Bacterial Cell Biology: From Localization to Dynamics, From Ensembles to Single Molecules. Annu Rev Microbiol 2014; 68:459-76. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-micro-091213-113034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Zhizhong Yao
- INRA, UMR1319 Micalis, F-78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France;
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Withers R, Doherty GP, Jordan M, Yang X, Dixon NE, Lewis PJ. AtfA, a new factor in global regulation of transcription in Acinetobacter spp. Mol Microbiol 2014; 93:1130-43. [PMID: 25047957 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.12723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/18/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Acinetobacter species are widely distributed bacteria in the environment, and have recently gained notoriety as opportunistic nosocomial pathogens. Here we characterize a novel RNA polymerase-interacting protein named acidic transcription factor A, AtfA. It is small and highly acidic, and is widely distributed throughout the γ proteobacteria, including other significant pathogens in the genera Moraxella, Pseudomonas, Legionella and Vibrio. In the model species A. baylyi ADP1, deletion of atfA significantly affects expression of over 500 genes, resulting in a large cell phenotype, reduced cell fitness, impaired biofilm formation and twitching motility, and increased sensitivity to antibiotics. Deletion of atfA also causes dramatically enhanced sensitivity to ethanol, which is an important growth promoter and virulence factor in Acinetobacter spp. The results suggest that auxiliary factors of RNA polymerase with important biological roles remain to be discovered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan Withers
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
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Abstract
Cardiolipin (CL) is an anionic phospholipid with a characteristically large curvature and is of growing interest for two primary reasons: (i) it binds to and regulates many peripheral membrane proteins in bacteria and mitochondria, and (ii) it is distributed asymmetrically in rod-shaped cells and is concentrated at the poles and division septum. Despite the growing number of studies of CL, its function in bacteria remains unknown. 10-N-Nonyl acridine orange (NAO) is widely used to image CL in bacteria and mitochondria, as its interaction with CL is reported to produce a characteristic red-shifted fluorescence emission. Using a suite of biophysical techniques, we quantitatively studied the interaction of NAO with anionic phospholipids under physiologically relevant conditions. We found that NAO is promiscuous in its binding and has photophysical properties that are largely insensitive to the structure of diverse anionic phospholipids to which it binds. Being unable to rely solely on NAO to characterize the localization of CL in Escherichia coli cells, we instead used quantitative fluorescence microscopy, mass spectrometry, and mutants deficient in specific classes of anionic phospholipids. We found CL and phosphatidylglycerol (PG) concentrated in the polar regions of E. coli cell membranes; depletion of CL by genetic approaches increased the concentration of PG at the poles. Previous studies suggested that some CL-binding proteins also have a high affinity for PG and display a pattern of cellular localization that is not influenced by depletion of CL. Framed within the context of these previous experiments, our results suggest that PG may play an essential role in bacterial physiology by maintaining the anionic character of polar membranes.
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RecO and RecR are necessary for RecA loading in response to DNA damage and replication fork stress. J Bacteriol 2014; 196:2851-60. [PMID: 24891441 DOI: 10.1128/jb.01494-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
RecA is central to maintaining genome integrity in bacterial cells. Despite the near-ubiquitous conservation of RecA in eubacteria, the pathways that facilitate RecA loading and repair center assembly have remained poorly understood in Bacillus subtilis. Here, we show that RecA rapidly colocalizes with the DNA polymerase complex (replisome) immediately following DNA damage or damage-independent replication fork arrest. In Escherichia coli, the RecFOR and RecBCD pathways serve to load RecA and the choice between these two pathways depends on the type of damage under repair. We found in B. subtilis that the rapid localization of RecA to repair centers is strictly dependent on RecO and RecR in response to all types of damage examined, including a site-specific double-stranded break and damage-independent replication fork arrest. Furthermore, we provide evidence that, although RecF is not required for RecA repair center formation in vivo, RecF does increase the efficiency of repair center assembly, suggesting that RecF may influence the initial stages of RecA nucleation or filament extension. We further identify single-stranded DNA binding protein (SSB) as an additional component important for RecA repair center assembly. Truncation of the SSB C terminus impairs the ability of B. subtilis to form repair centers in response to damage and damage-independent fork arrest. With these results, we conclude that the SSB-dependent recruitment of RecOR to the replisome is necessary for loading and organizing RecA into repair centers in response to DNA damage and replication fork arrest.
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Tone T, Takeuchi A, Makino O. Functional linkages between replication proteins of genes 1, 3 and 5 of Bacillus subtilis phage φ29. Genes Genet Syst 2013; 87:347-56. [PMID: 23558641 DOI: 10.1266/ggs.87.347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Gene 1 product (gp1) of Bacillus subtilis phage φ29 has been shown to be involved in viral DNA replication in vivo, but the essential role is still unknown. As part of an ongoing effort to understand the role of gp1 in viral DNA replication, we investigated genetic interaction between gene 1 and other viral genes. Because φ29 mutants which do not produce functional gp1 show temperature-sensitive growth, we isolated temperature-resistant phages from the φ29 gene 1 mutants, and eventually, obtained nine extragenic suppressors. These suppressor mutations were located in two essential genes for φ29 DNA replication in vivo: gene 3 encoding terminal/primer protein (gp3) or gene 5 encoding viral single-stranded DNA binding protein (gp5). Most of these mutations resulted in single amino acid substitutions in the products. By trans-complementation assay, we confirmed that the absence of gp1 at non-permissive temperature can be compensated by the suppressors which have the single amino acid substitution in either gp5 or gp3. These results indicate that gp1 has functional relationship to gp5 and gp3. From the positions of amino acid substitutions in gp3, we propose its new regulatory subdomain at which other molecules including gp1 would interact with and regulate functions of gp3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takahiro Tone
- Laboratory of genetics, Department of Material and Life Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan
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Bidnenko V, Shi L, Kobir A, Ventroux M, Pigeonneau N, Henry C, Trubuil A, Noirot-Gros MF, Mijakovic I. Bacillus subtilis serine/threonine protein kinase YabT is involved in spore development via phosphorylation of a bacterial recombinase. Mol Microbiol 2013; 88:921-35. [PMID: 23634894 PMCID: PMC3708118 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.12233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/09/2013] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
We characterized YabT, a serine/threonine kinase of the Hanks family, from Bacillus subtilis. YabT is a putative transmembrane kinase that lacks the canonical extracellular signal receptor domain. We demonstrate that YabT possesses a DNA-binding motif essential for its activation. In vivo YabT is expressed during sporulation and localizes to the asymmetric septum. Cells devoid of YabT sporulate more slowly and exhibit reduced resistance to DNA damage during sporulation. We established that YabT phosphorylates DNA-recombinase RecA at the residue serine 2. A non-phosphorylatable mutant of RecA exhibits the same phenotype as the ΔyabT mutant, and a phosphomimetic mutant of RecA complements ΔyabT, suggesting that YabT acts via RecA phosphorylation in vivo. During spore development, phosphorylation facilitates the formation of transient and mobile RecA foci that exhibit a scanning-like movement associated to the nucleoid in the mother cell. In some cells these foci persist at the end of spore development. We show that persistent RecA foci, which presumably coincide with irreparable lesions, are mutually exclusive with the completion of spore morphogenesis. Our results highlight similarities between the bacterial serine/threonine kinase YabT and eukaryal kinases C-Abl and Mec1, which are also activated by DNA, and phosphorylate proteins involved in DNA damage repair.
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The role of lipid domains in bacterial cell processes. Int J Mol Sci 2013; 14:4050-65. [PMID: 23429192 PMCID: PMC3588084 DOI: 10.3390/ijms14024050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2012] [Revised: 01/25/2013] [Accepted: 01/28/2013] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Membranes are vital structures for cellular life forms. As thin, hydrophobic films, they provide a physical barrier separating the aqueous cytoplasm from the outside world or from the interiors of other cellular compartments. They maintain a selective permeability for the import and export of water-soluble compounds, enabling the living cell to maintain a stable chemical environment for biological processes. Cell membranes are primarily composed of two crucial substances, lipids and proteins. Bacterial membranes can sense environmental changes or communication signals from other cells and they support different cell processes, including cell division, differentiation, protein secretion and supplementary protein functions. The original fluid mosaic model of membrane structure has been recently revised because it has become apparent that domains of different lipid composition are present in both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell membranes. In this review, we summarize different aspects of phospholipid domain formation in bacterial membranes, mainly in Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Gram-positive Bacillus subtilis. We describe the role of these lipid domains in membrane dynamics and the localization of specific proteins and protein complexes in relation to the regulation of cellular function.
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Early steps of double-strand break repair in Bacillus subtilis. DNA Repair (Amst) 2013; 12:162-76. [PMID: 23380520 DOI: 10.1016/j.dnarep.2012.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2012] [Revised: 12/04/2012] [Accepted: 12/14/2012] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
All organisms rely on integrated networks to repair DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) in order to preserve the integrity of the genetic information, to re-establish replication, and to ensure proper chromosomal segregation. Genetic, cytological, biochemical and structural approaches have been used to analyze how Bacillus subtilis senses DNA damage and responds to DSBs. RecN, which is among the first responders to DNA DSBs, promotes the ordered recruitment of repair proteins to the site of a lesion. Cells have evolved different mechanisms for efficient end processing to create a 3'-tailed duplex DNA, the substrate for RecA binding, in the repair of one- and two-ended DSBs. Strand continuity is re-established via homologous recombination (HR), utilizing an intact homologous DNA molecule as a template. In the absence of transient diploidy or of HR, however, two-ended DSBs can be directly re-ligated via error-prone non-homologous end-joining. Here we review recent findings that shed light on the early stages of DSB repair in Firmicutes.
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Monteferrante CG, MacKichan C, Marchadier E, Prejean MV, Carballido-López R, van Dijl JM. Mapping the twin-arginine protein translocation network of Bacillus subtilis. Proteomics 2013. [PMID: 23180473 DOI: 10.1002/pmic.201200416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Bacteria employ twin-arginine translocation (Tat) pathways for the transport of folded proteins to extracytoplasmic destinations. In recent years, most studies on bacterial Tat pathways addressed the membrane-bound TatA(B)C subunits of the Tat translocase, and the specific interactions between this translocase and its substrate proteins. In contrast, relatively few studies investigated possible coactors in the TatA(B)C-dependent protein translocation process. The present studies were aimed at identifying interaction partners of the Tat pathway of Bacillus subtilis, which is a paradigm for studies on protein secretion by Gram-positive bacteria. Specifically, 36 interaction partners of the TatA and TatC subunits were identified by rigorous application of the yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) approach. Our Y2H analyses revealed that the three TatA isoforms of B. subtilis can form homo- and heterodimers. Subsequently, the secretion of the Tat substrates YwbN and PhoD was tested in mutant strains lacking genes for the TatAC interaction partners identified in our genome-wide Y2H screens. Our results show that the cell wall-bound protease WprA is important for YwbN secretion, and that the HemAT and CsbC proteins are required for PhoD secretion under phosphate starvation conditions. Taken together, our findings imply that the Bacillus Tat pathway is embedded in an intricate protein-protein interaction network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmine G Monteferrante
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
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Abstract
From microbes to multicellular eukaryotic organisms, all cells contain pathways responsible for genome maintenance. DNA replication allows for the faithful duplication of the genome, whereas DNA repair pathways preserve DNA integrity in response to damage originating from endogenous and exogenous sources. The basic pathways important for DNA replication and repair are often conserved throughout biology. In bacteria, high-fidelity repair is balanced with low-fidelity repair and mutagenesis. Such a balance is important for maintaining viability while providing an opportunity for the advantageous selection of mutations when faced with a changing environment. Over the last decade, studies of DNA repair pathways in bacteria have demonstrated considerable differences between Gram-positive and Gram-negative organisms. Here we review and discuss the DNA repair, genome maintenance, and DNA damage checkpoint pathways of the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis. We present their molecular mechanisms and compare the functions and regulation of several pathways with known information on other organisms. We also discuss DNA repair during different growth phases and the developmental program of sporulation. In summary, we present a review of the function, regulation, and molecular mechanisms of DNA repair and mutagenesis in Gram-positive bacteria, with a strong emphasis on B. subtilis.
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Papanastasiou M, Orfanoudaki G, Koukaki M, Kountourakis N, Sardis MF, Aivaliotis M, Karamanou S, Economou A. The Escherichia coli peripheral inner membrane proteome. Mol Cell Proteomics 2012; 12:599-610. [PMID: 23230279 DOI: 10.1074/mcp.m112.024711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Biological membranes are essential for cell viability. Their functional characteristics strongly depend on their protein content, which consists of transmembrane (integral) and peripherally associated membrane proteins. Both integral and peripheral inner membrane proteins mediate a plethora of biological processes. Whereas transmembrane proteins have characteristic hydrophobic stretches and can be predicted using bioinformatics approaches, peripheral inner membrane proteins are hydrophilic, exist in equilibria with soluble pools, and carry no discernible membrane targeting signals. We experimentally determined the cytoplasmic peripheral inner membrane proteome of the model organism Escherichia coli using a multidisciplinary approach. Initially, we extensively re-annotated the theoretical proteome regarding subcellular localization using literature searches, manual curation, and multi-combinatorial bioinformatics searches of the available databases. Next we used sequential biochemical fractionations coupled to direct identification of individual proteins and protein complexes using high resolution mass spectrometry. We determined that the proposed cytoplasmic peripheral inner membrane proteome occupies a previously unsuspected ∼19% of the basic E. coli BL21(DE3) proteome, and the detected peripheral inner membrane proteome occupies ∼25% of the estimated expressed proteome of this cell grown in LB medium to mid-log phase. This value might increase when fleeting interactions, not studied here, are taken into account. Several proteins previously regarded as exclusively cytoplasmic bind membranes avidly. Many of these proteins are organized in functional or/and structural oligomeric complexes that bind to the membrane with multiple interactions. Identified proteins cover the full spectrum of biological activities, and more than half of them are essential. Our data suggest that the cytoplasmic proteome displays remarkably dynamic and extensive communication with biological membrane surfaces that we are only beginning to decipher.
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High-salinity growth conditions promote Tat-independent secretion of Tat substrates in Bacillus subtilis. Appl Environ Microbiol 2012; 78:7733-44. [PMID: 22923407 DOI: 10.1128/aem.02093-12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis contains two Tat translocases, which can facilitate transport of folded proteins across the plasma membrane. Previous research has shown that Tat-dependent protein secretion in B. subtilis is a highly selective process and that heterologous proteins, such as the green fluorescent protein (GFP), are poor Tat substrates in this organism. Nevertheless, when expressed in Escherichia coli, both B. subtilis Tat translocases facilitated exclusively Tat-dependent export of folded GFP when the twin-arginine (RR) signal peptides of the E. coli AmiA, DmsA, or MdoD proteins were attached. Therefore, the present studies were aimed at determining whether the same RR signal peptide-GFP precursors would also be exported Tat dependently in B. subtilis. In addition, we investigated the secretion of GFP fused to the full-length YwbN protein, a strict Tat substrate in B. subtilis. Several investigated GFP fusion proteins were indeed secreted in B. subtilis, but this secretion was shown to be completely Tat independent. At high-salinity growth conditions, the Tat-independent secretion of GFP as directed by the RR signal peptides from the E. coli AmiA, DmsA, or MdoD proteins was significantly enhanced, and this effect was strongest in strains lacking the TatAy-TatCy translocase. This implies that high environmental salinity has a negative influence on the avoidance of Tat-independent secretion of AmiA-GFP, DmsA-GFP, and MdoD-GFP. We conclude that as-yet-unidentified control mechanisms reject the investigated GFP fusion proteins for translocation by the B. subtilis Tat machinery and, at the same time, set limits to their Tat-independent secretion, presumably via the Sec pathway.
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Abstract
Much of our knowledge of the initiation of DNA replication comes from studies in the gram-negative model organism Escherichia coli. However, the location and structure of the origin of replication within the E. coli genome and the identification and study of the proteins which constitute the E. coli initiation complex suggest that it might not be as universal as once thought. The archetypal low-G+C-content gram-positive Firmicutes initiate DNA replication via a unique primosomal machinery, quite distinct from that seen in E. coli, and an examination of oriC in the Firmicutes species Bacillus subtilis indicates that it might provide a better model for the ancestral bacterial origin of replication. Therefore, the study of replication initiation in organisms other than E. coli, such as B. subtilis, will greatly advance our knowledge and understanding of these processes as a whole. In this minireview, we highlight the structure-function relationships of the Firmicutes primosomal proteins, discuss the significance of their oriC architecture, and present a model for replication initiation at oriC.
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Toueille M, Mirabella B, Guérin P, Bouthier de la Tour C, Boisnard S, Nguyen HH, Blanchard L, Servant P, de Groot A, Sommer S, Armengaud J. A comparative proteomic approach to better define Deinococcus nucleoid specificities. J Proteomics 2012; 75:2588-600. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2012.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2012] [Revised: 02/23/2012] [Accepted: 03/01/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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Doherty G, Mettrick K, Grainge I, Lewis PJ. Imaging fluorescent protein fusions in live bacteria. J Microbiol Methods 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-08-099387-4.00004-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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Hou B, Brüser T. The Tat-dependent protein translocation pathway. Biomol Concepts 2011; 2:507-23. [DOI: 10.1515/bmc.2011.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2011] [Accepted: 08/05/2011] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractThe twin-arginine translocation (Tat) pathway is found in bacteria, archaea, and plant chloroplasts, where it is dedicated to the transmembrane transport of fully folded proteins. These proteins contain N-terminal signal peptides with a specific Tat-system binding motif that is recognized by the transport machinery. In contrast to other protein transport systems, the Tat system consists of multiple copies of only two or three usually small (∼8–30 kDa) membrane proteins that oligomerize to two large complexes that transiently interact during translocation. Only one of these complexes includes a polytopic membrane protein, TatC. The other complex consists of TatA. Tat systems of plants, proteobacteria, and several other phyla contain a third component, TatB. TatB is evolutionarily and structurally related to TatA and usually forms tight complexes with TatC. Minimal two-component Tat systems lacking TatB are found in many bacterial and archaeal phyla. They consist of a ‘bifunctional’ TatA that also covers TatB functionalities, and a TatC. Recent insights into the structure and interactions of the Tat proteins have various important implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Hou
- Institute of Microbiology, Leibniz University Hannover, Schneiderberg 50, D-30167 Hannover, Germany
| | - Thomas Brüser
- Institute of Microbiology, Leibniz University Hannover, Schneiderberg 50, D-30167 Hannover, Germany
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Bacteriophage infection in rod-shaped gram-positive bacteria: evidence for a preferential polar route for phage SPP1 entry in Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol 2011; 193:4893-903. [PMID: 21705600 DOI: 10.1128/jb.05104-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Entry into the host bacterial cell is one of the least understood steps in the life cycle of bacteriophages. The different envelopes of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, with a fluid outer membrane and exposing a thick peptidoglycan wall to the environment respectively, impose distinct challenges for bacteriophage binding and (re)distribution on the bacterial surface. Here, infection of the Gram-positive rod-shaped bacterium Bacillus subtilis by bacteriophage SPP1 was monitored in space and time. We found that SPP1 reversible adsorption occurs preferentially at the cell poles. This initial binding facilitates irreversible adsorption to the SPP1 phage receptor protein YueB, which is encoded by a putative type VII secretion system gene cluster. YueB was found to concentrate at the cell poles and to display a punctate peripheral distribution along the sidewalls of B. subtilis cells. The kinetics of SPP1 DNA entry and replication were visualized during infection. Most of the infecting phages DNA entered and initiated replication near the cell poles. Altogether, our results reveal that the preferentially polar topology of SPP1 receptors on the surface of the host cell determines the site of phage DNA entry and subsequent replication, which occurs in discrete foci.
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Marchadier E, Carballido-López R, Brinster S, Fabret C, Mervelet P, Bessières P, Noirot-Gros MF, Fromion V, Noirot P. An expanded protein-protein interaction network in Bacillus subtilis reveals a group of hubs: Exploration by an integrative approach. Proteomics 2011; 11:2981-91. [PMID: 21630458 DOI: 10.1002/pmic.201000791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2010] [Revised: 02/28/2011] [Accepted: 03/22/2011] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
We have generated a protein-protein interaction network in Bacillus subtilis focused on several essential cellular processes such as cell division, cell responses to various stresses, the bacterial cytoskeleton, DNA replication and chromosome maintenance by careful application of the yeast two-hybrid approach. This network, composed of 793 interactions linking 287 proteins with an average connectivity of five interactions per protein, represents a valuable resource for future functional analyses. A striking feature of the network is a group of highly connected hubs (GoH) linking many different cellular processes. Most of the proteins of the GoH have unknown functions and are associated to the membrane. By the integration of available knowledge, in particular of transcriptome data sets, the GoH was decomposed into subgroups of party hubs corresponding to protein complexes or regulatory pathways expressed under different conditions. At a global level, the GoH might function as a very robust group of date hubs having partially redundant functions to integrate information from the different cellular pathways. Our analyses also provide a rational way to study the highly redundant functions of the GoH by a genetic approach.
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Su'etsugu M, Errington J. The replicase sliding clamp dynamically accumulates behind progressing replication forks in Bacillus subtilis cells. Mol Cell 2011; 41:720-32. [PMID: 21419346 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2011.02.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2010] [Revised: 01/25/2011] [Accepted: 02/23/2011] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The sliding clamp is an essential component of the replisome required for processivity of DNA synthesis and several other aspects of chromosome metabolism. However, the in vivo dynamics of the clamp are poorly understood. We have used various biochemical and cell biological methods to study the dynamics of clamp association with the replisome in Bacillus subtilis cells. We find that clamps form large assemblies on DNA, called "clamp zones." Loading depends on DnaG primase and is probably driven by Okazaki fragment initiation on the lagging strand. Unloading, which is probably regulated, only occurs after many clamps have accumulated on the DNA. On/off cycling allows chromosomal zones of about 200 accumulated clamps to follow the replisome. Since we also show that clamp zones recruit proteins bearing a clamp-binding sequence to replication foci, the results highlight the clamp as a central organizer in the structure and function of replication foci.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masayuki Su'etsugu
- Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology, Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Newcastle University, Richardson Road, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE24AX, UK
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Merrikh H, Machón C, Grainger WH, Grossman AD, Soultanas P. Co-directional replication-transcription conflicts lead to replication restart. Nature 2011; 470:554-7. [PMID: 21350489 PMCID: PMC3059490 DOI: 10.1038/nature09758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 134] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2010] [Accepted: 12/09/2010] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Head-on encounters between the replication and transcription machineries on the lagging DNA strand can lead to replication fork arrest and genomic instability. To avoid head-on encounters, most genes, especially essential and highly transcribed genes, are encoded on the leading strand such that transcription and replication are co-directional. Virtually all bacteria have the highly expressed ribosomal RNA genes co-directional with replication. In bacteria, co-directional encounters seem inevitable because the rate of replication is about 10-20-fold greater than the rate of transcription. However, these encounters are generally thought to be benign. Biochemical analyses indicate that head-on encounters are more deleterious than co-directional encounters and that in both situations, replication resumes without the need for any auxiliary restart proteins, at least in vitro. Here we show that in vivo, co-directional transcription can disrupt replication, leading to the involvement of replication restart proteins. We found that highly transcribed rRNA genes are hotspots for co-directional conflicts between replication and transcription in rapidly growing Bacillus subtilis cells. We observed a transcription-dependent increase in association of the replicative helicase and replication restart proteins where head-on and co-directional conflicts occur. Our results indicate that there are co-directional conflicts between replication and transcription in vivo. Furthermore, in contrast to the findings in vitro, the replication restart machinery is involved in vivo in resolving potentially deleterious encounters due to head-on and co-directional conflicts. These conflicts probably occur in many organisms and at many chromosomal locations and help to explain the presence of important auxiliary proteins involved in replication restart and in helping to clear a path along the DNA for the replisome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Houra Merrikh
- Department of Biology, Building 68-530, M.I.T., Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Cristina Machón
- Centre for Biomolecular Sciences, School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
| | - William H. Grainger
- Centre for Biomolecular Sciences, School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Alan D. Grossman
- Department of Biology, Building 68-530, M.I.T., Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Panos Soultanas
- Centre for Biomolecular Sciences, School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
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