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Corsi ID, Dutta S, van Hoof A, Koehler TM. AtxA-Controlled Small RNAs of Bacillus anthracis Virulence Plasmid pXO1 Regulate Gene Expression in trans. Front Microbiol 2021; 11:610036. [PMID: 33519762 PMCID: PMC7843513 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.610036] [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: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) are short transcripts that base-pair to mRNA targets or interact with regulatory proteins. sRNA function has been studied extensively in Gram-negative bacteria; comparatively less is known about sRNAs in Firmicutes. Here we investigate two sRNAs encoded by virulence plasmid pXO1 of Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax. The sRNAs, named “XrrA and XrrB” (for pXO1-encoded regulatory RNA) are abundant and highly stable primary transcripts, whose expression is dependent upon AtxA, the master virulence regulator of B. anthracis. sRNA levels are highest during culture conditions that promote AtxA expression and activity, and sRNA levels are unaltered in Hfq RNA chaperone null-mutants. Comparison of the transcriptome of a virulent Ames-derived strain to the transcriptome of isogenic sRNA-null mutants revealed multiple 4.0- to >100-fold differences in gene expression. Most regulatory effects were associated with XrrA, although regulation of some transcripts suggests functional overlap between the XrrA and XrrB. Many sRNA-regulated targets were chromosome genes associated with branched-chain amino acid metabolism, proteolysis, and transmembrane transport. Finally, in a mouse model for systemic anthrax, the lungs and livers of animals infected with xrrA-null mutants had a small reduction in bacterial burden, suggesting a role for XrrA in B. anthracis pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ileana D Corsi
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States.,MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Soumita Dutta
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Ambro van Hoof
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States.,MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Theresa M Koehler
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States.,MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas, Houston, TX, United States
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Samuels DS, Lybecker MC, Yang XF, Ouyang Z, Bourret TJ, Boyle WK, Stevenson B, Drecktrah D, Caimano MJ. Gene Regulation and Transcriptomics. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2020; 42:223-266. [PMID: 33300497 DOI: 10.21775/cimb.042.223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Borrelia (Borreliella) burgdorferi, along with closely related species, is the etiologic agent of Lyme disease. The spirochete subsists in an enzootic cycle that encompasses acquisition from a vertebrate host to a tick vector and transmission from a tick vector to a vertebrate host. To adapt to its environment and persist in each phase of its enzootic cycle, B. burgdorferi wields three systems to regulate the expression of genes: the RpoN-RpoS alternative sigma factor cascade, the Hk1/Rrp1 two-component system and its product c-di-GMP, and the stringent response mediated by RelBbu and DksA. These regulatory systems respond to enzootic phase-specific signals and are controlled or fine- tuned by transcription factors, including BosR and BadR, as well as small RNAs, including DsrABb and Bb6S RNA. In addition, several other DNA-binding and RNA-binding proteins have been identified, although their functions have not all been defined. Global changes in gene expression revealed by high-throughput transcriptomic studies have elucidated various regulons, albeit technical obstacles have mostly limited this experimental approach to cultivated spirochetes. Regardless, we know that the spirochete, which carries a relatively small genome, regulates the expression of a considerable number of genes required for the transitions between the tick vector and the vertebrate host as well as the adaptation to each.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Scott Samuels
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Meghan C Lybecker
- Department of Biology, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, CO 80918, USA
| | - X Frank Yang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Zhiming Ouyang
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Travis J Bourret
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, 68105 USA
| | - William K Boyle
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, 68105 USA
| | - Brian Stevenson
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky School of Medicine, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
| | - Dan Drecktrah
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Melissa J Caimano
- Departments of Medicine, Pediatrics, and Molecular Biology and Biophysics, UConn Health, Farmington, CT, USA
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3
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Snow S, Bacon E, Bergeron J, Katzman D, Wilhelm A, Lewis O, Syangtan D, Calkins A, Archambault L, Anacker ML, Schlax PJ. Transcript decay mediated by RNase III in Borrelia burgdorferi. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2020; 529:386-391. [PMID: 32703440 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2020.05.201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The causative agent of Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, requires shifts in gene expression to undergo its natural enzootic cycle between tick and vertebrate hosts. mRNA decay mechanisms play significant roles in governing gene expression in other bacteria, but are not yet characterized in B. burgdorferi. RNase III is an important enzyme in processing ribosomal RNA, but it also plays a role in mRNA decay in many bacteria. We compared RNA decay profiles and steady-state abundances of transcripts in wild-type Borrelia burgdorferi strain B31 and in an RNase III null (rnc-) mutant. Transcripts encoding RNA polymerase subunits (rpoA and rpoS), ribosomal proteins (rpsD, rpsK, rpsM, rplQ, and rpsO), a nuclease (pnp), a flagellar protein (flaB), and a translational regulator (bpuR) decayed more rapidly in the wild-type strain than in the slow growing rnc- mutant indicating that RNA turnover is mediated by RNase III in the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. Additionally, in wild type bacteria, RNA decay rates of rpoS, rpoN, ospA, ospC, bpuR and dbpA transcripts are only modestly affected by changes in the osmolarity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santina Snow
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Bates College, Lewiston, ME, USA
| | - Emily Bacon
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Bates College, Lewiston, ME, USA
| | - Jennifer Bergeron
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Bates College, Lewiston, ME, USA
| | - David Katzman
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Bates College, Lewiston, ME, USA
| | - Amelia Wilhelm
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Bates College, Lewiston, ME, USA
| | - Owen Lewis
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Bates College, Lewiston, ME, USA
| | - Deepsing Syangtan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Bates College, Lewiston, ME, USA
| | - Andrew Calkins
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Bates College, Lewiston, ME, USA
| | - Linda Archambault
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Bates College, Lewiston, ME, USA
| | - Melissa L Anacker
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
| | - Paula Jean Schlax
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Bates College, Lewiston, ME, USA.
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Orr MW, Weiss CA, Severin GB, Turdiev H, Kim SK, Turdiev A, Liu K, Tu BP, Waters CM, Winkler WC, Lee VT. A Subset of Exoribonucleases Serve as Degradative Enzymes for pGpG in c-di-GMP Signaling. J Bacteriol 2018; 200:e00300-18. [PMID: 30249708 PMCID: PMC6256023 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00300-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2018] [Accepted: 09/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Bis-(3'-5')-cyclic dimeric GMP (c-di-GMP) is a bacterial second messenger that regulates processes, such as biofilm formation and virulence. During degradation, c-di-GMP is first linearized to 5'-phosphoguanylyl-(3',5')-guanosine (pGpG) and subsequently hydrolyzed to two GMPs by a previously unknown enzyme, which was recently identified in Pseudomonas aeruginosa as the 3'-to-5' exoribonuclease oligoribonuclease (Orn). Mutants of orn accumulated pGpG, which inhibited the linearization of c-di-GMP. This product inhibition led to elevated c-di-GMP levels, resulting in increased aggregate and biofilm formation. Thus, the hydrolysis of pGpG is crucial to the maintenance of c-di-GMP homeostasis. How species that utilize c-di-GMP signaling but lack an orn ortholog hydrolyze pGpG remains unknown. Because Orn is an exoribonuclease, we asked whether pGpG hydrolysis can be carried out by genes that encode protein domains found in exoribonucleases. From a screen of these genes from Vibrio cholerae and Bacillus anthracis, we found that only enzymes known to cleave oligoribonucleotides (orn and nrnA) rescued the P. aeruginosa Δorn mutant phenotypes to the wild type. Thus, we tested additional RNases with demonstrated activity against short oligoribonucleotides. These experiments show that only exoribonucleases previously reported to degrade short RNAs (nrnA, nrnB, nrnC, and orn) can also hydrolyze pGpG. A B. subtilisnrnA nrnB mutant had elevated c-di-GMP, suggesting that these two genes serve as the primary enzymes to degrade pGpG. These results indicate that the requirement for pGpG hydrolysis to complete c-di-GMP signaling is conserved across species. The final steps of RNA turnover and c-di-GMP turnover appear to converge at a subset of RNases specific for short oligoribonucleotides.IMPORTANCE The bacterial bis-(3'-5')-cyclic dimeric GMP (c-di-GMP) signaling molecule regulates complex processes, such as biofilm formation. c-di-GMP is degraded in two-steps, linearization into pGpG and subsequent cleavage to two GMPs. The 3'-to-5' exonuclease oligoribonuclease (Orn) serves as the enzyme that degrades pGpG in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Many phyla contain species that utilize c-di-GMP signaling but lack an Orn homolog, and the protein that functions to degrade pGpG remains uncharacterized. Here, systematic screening of genes encoding proteins containing domains found in exoribonucleases revealed a subset of genes encoded within the genomes of Bacillus anthracis and Vibrio cholerae that degrade pGpG to GMP and are functionally analogous to Orn. Feedback inhibition by pGpG is a conserved process, as strains lacking these genes accumulate c-di-GMP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mona W Orr
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Cordelia A Weiss
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Geoffrey B Severin
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Husan Turdiev
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Soo-Kyoung Kim
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Asan Turdiev
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Kuanqing Liu
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Benjamin P Tu
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Christopher M Waters
- Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Wade C Winkler
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Vincent T Lee
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
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5
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Hardouin P, Velours C, Bou-Nader C, Assrir N, Laalami S, Putzer H, Durand D, Golinelli-Pimpaneau B. Dissociation of the Dimer of the Intrinsically Disordered Domain of RNase Y upon Antibody Binding. Biophys J 2018; 115:2102-2113. [PMID: 30447990 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2018.10.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2018] [Revised: 09/17/2018] [Accepted: 10/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Although RNase Y acts as the key enzyme initiating messenger RNA decay in Bacillus subtilis and likely in many other Gram-positive bacteria, its three-dimensional structure remains unknown. An antibody belonging to the rare immunoglobulin G (IgG) 2b λx isotype was raised against a 12-residue conserved peptide from the N-terminal noncatalytic domain of B. subtilis RNase Y (BsRNaseY) that is predicted to be intrinsically disordered. Here, we show that this domain can be produced as a stand-alone protein called Nter-BsRNaseY that undergoes conformational changes between monomeric and dimeric forms. Circular dichroism and size exclusion chromatography coupled with multiangle light scattering or with small angle x-ray scattering indicate that the Nter-BsRNaseY dimer displays an elongated form and a high content of α-helices, in agreement with the existence of a central coiled-coil structure appended with flexible ends, and that the monomeric state of Nter-BsRNaseY is favored upon binding the fragment antigen binding (Fab) of the antibody. The dissociation constants of the IgG/BsRNaseY, IgG/Nter-BsRNaseY, and IgG/peptide complexes indicate that the affinity of the IgG for Nter-BsRNaseY is in the nM range and suggest that the peptide is less accessible in BsRNaseY than in Nter-BsRNaseY. The crystal structure of the Fab in complex with the peptide antigen shows that the peptide adopts an elongated U-shaped conformation in which the unique hydrophobic residue of the peptide, Leu6, is completely buried. The peptide/Fab complex may mimic the interaction of a microdomain of the N-terminal domain of BsRNaseY with one of its cellular partners within the degradosome complex. Altogether, our results suggest that BsRNaseY may become accessible for protein interaction upon dissociation of its N-terminal domain into the monomeric form.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Hardouin
- Laboratoire de Chimie des Processus Biologiques, UMR 8229 CNRS, Collège de France, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris CEDEX 05, France
| | - Christophe Velours
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette CEDEX, France
| | - Charles Bou-Nader
- Laboratoire de Chimie des Processus Biologiques, UMR 8229 CNRS, Collège de France, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris CEDEX 05, France
| | - Nadine Assrir
- Structural Chemistry and Biology Team, Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, CNRS UPR 2301, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Soumaya Laalami
- CNRS UMR8261-Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Paris, France
| | - Harald Putzer
- CNRS UMR8261-Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Paris, France
| | - Dominique Durand
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette CEDEX, France
| | - Béatrice Golinelli-Pimpaneau
- Laboratoire de Chimie des Processus Biologiques, UMR 8229 CNRS, Collège de France, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris CEDEX 05, France.
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6
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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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Gimpel M, Brantl S. Dual-function sRNA encoded peptide SR1P modulates moonlighting activity of B. subtilis GapA. RNA Biol 2016; 13:916-26. [PMID: 27449348 PMCID: PMC5013986 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2016.1208894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022] Open
Abstract
SR1 is a dual-function sRNA from B. subtilis that acts as a base-pairing regulatory RNA and as a peptide-encoding mRNA. Both functions of SR1 are highly conserved. Previously, we uncovered that the SR1 encoded peptide SR1P binds the glycolytic enzyme GapA resulting in stabilization of gapA mRNA. Here, we demonstrate that GapA interacts with RNases Y and J1, and this interaction was RNA-independent. About 1% of GapA molecules purified from B. subtilis carry RNase J1 and about 2% RNase Y. In contrast to the GapA/RNase Y interaction, the GapA/RNaseJ1 interaction was stronger in the presence of SR1P. GapA/SR1P-J1/Y displayed in vitro RNase activity on known RNase J1 substrates. Moreover, the RNase J1 substrate SR5 has altered half-lives in a ΔgapA strain and a Δsr1 strain, suggesting in vivo functions of the GapA/SR1P/J1 interaction. Our results demonstrate that the metabolic enzyme GapA moonlights in recruiting RNases while GapA bound SR1P promotes binding of RNase J1 and enhances its activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Gimpel
- a AG Bakteriengenetik, Lehrstuhl für Genetik, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena , Philosophenweg , Jena , Germany
| | - Sabine Brantl
- a AG Bakteriengenetik, Lehrstuhl für Genetik, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena , Philosophenweg , Jena , Germany
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DiChiara JM, Liu B, Figaro S, Condon C, Bechhofer DH. Mapping of internal monophosphate 5' ends of Bacillus subtilis messenger RNAs and ribosomal RNAs in wild-type and ribonuclease-mutant strains. Nucleic Acids Res 2016; 44:3373-89. [PMID: 26883633 PMCID: PMC4838370 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkw073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2015] [Accepted: 01/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The recent findings that the narrow-specificity endoribonuclease RNase III and the 5′ exonuclease RNase J1 are not essential in the Gram-positive model organism, Bacillus subtilis, facilitated a global analysis of internal 5′ ends that are generated or acted upon by these enzymes. An RNA-Seq protocol known as PARE (Parallel Analysis of RNA Ends) was used to capture 5′ monophosphorylated RNA ends in ribonuclease wild-type and mutant strains. Comparison of PARE peaks in strains with RNase III present or absent showed that, in addition to its well-known role in ribosomal (rRNA) processing, many coding sequences and intergenic regions appeared to be direct targets of RNase III. These target sites were, in most cases, not associated with a known antisense RNA. The PARE analysis also revealed an accumulation of 3′-proximal peaks that correlated with the absence of RNase J1, confirming the importance of RNase J1 in degrading RNA fragments that contain the transcription terminator structure. A significant result from the PARE analysis was the discovery of an endonuclease cleavage just 2 nts downstream of the 16S rRNA 3′ end. This latter observation begins to answer, at least for B. subtilis, a long-standing question on the exonucleolytic versus endonucleolytic nature of 16S rRNA maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeanne M DiChiara
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Box 1603, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Bo Liu
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Box 1603, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Sabine Figaro
- CNRS UMR8261 (affiliated with Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité), Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, 13 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Ciarán Condon
- CNRS UMR8261 (affiliated with Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité), Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, 13 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris, France
| | - David H Bechhofer
- Department of Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Box 1603, 1 Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA
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Zhao Y, Lu M, Zhang H, Hu J, Zhou C, Xu Q, Ul Hussain Shah AM, Xu H, Wang L, Hua Y. Structural insights into catalysis and dimerization enhanced exonuclease activity of RNase J. Nucleic Acids Res 2015; 43:5550-9. [PMID: 25940620 PMCID: PMC4477667 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkv444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2015] [Accepted: 04/24/2015] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
RNase J is a conserved ribonuclease that belongs to the β-CASP family of nucleases. It possesses both endo- and exo-ribonuclease activities, which play a key role in pre-rRNA maturation and mRNA decay. Here we report high-resolution crystal structures of Deinococcus radiodurans RNase J complexed with RNA or uridine 5′-monophosphate in the presence of manganese ions. Biochemical and structural studies revealed that RNase J uses zinc ions for two-metal-ion catalysis. One residue conserved among RNase J orthologues (motif B) forms specific electrostatic interactions with the scissile phosphate of the RNA that is critical for the catalysis and product stabilization. The additional manganese ion, which is coordinated by conserved residues at the dimer interface, is critical for RNase J dimerization and exonuclease activity. The structures may also shed light on the mechanism of RNase J exo- and endonucleolytic activity switch.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Chinese Ministry of Agriculture for Nuclear-Agricultural Sciences, Institute of Nuclear-Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang University, China
| | - Meihua Lu
- Key Laboratory of Chinese Ministry of Agriculture for Nuclear-Agricultural Sciences, Institute of Nuclear-Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang University, China
| | - Hui Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Chinese Ministry of Agriculture for Nuclear-Agricultural Sciences, Institute of Nuclear-Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang University, China China Tobacco Gene Research Center, Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute of CNTC, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Jing Hu
- Key Laboratory of Chinese Ministry of Agriculture for Nuclear-Agricultural Sciences, Institute of Nuclear-Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang University, China
| | - Congli Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Chinese Ministry of Agriculture for Nuclear-Agricultural Sciences, Institute of Nuclear-Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang University, China
| | - Qiang Xu
- Zhejiang Provincial Key laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Zhejiang Cancer Research Institute, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou, China
| | - Amir Miraj Ul Hussain Shah
- Key Laboratory of Chinese Ministry of Agriculture for Nuclear-Agricultural Sciences, Institute of Nuclear-Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang University, China
| | - Hong Xu
- Key Laboratory of Chinese Ministry of Agriculture for Nuclear-Agricultural Sciences, Institute of Nuclear-Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang University, China
| | - Liangyan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Chinese Ministry of Agriculture for Nuclear-Agricultural Sciences, Institute of Nuclear-Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang University, China
| | - Yuejin Hua
- Key Laboratory of Chinese Ministry of Agriculture for Nuclear-Agricultural Sciences, Institute of Nuclear-Agricultural Sciences, Zhejiang University, China
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10
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Chen X, Liu N, Khajotia S, Qi F, Merritt J. RNases J1 and J2 are critical pleiotropic regulators in Streptococcus mutans. MICROBIOLOGY-SGM 2015; 161:797-806. [PMID: 25635274 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.000039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2014] [Accepted: 01/16/2015] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, it has become increasingly evident that post-transcriptional control mechanisms are the principal source of gene regulation for a large number of prokaryotic genetic pathways, particularly those involved in virulence and environmental adaptation. Post-transcriptional regulation is largely governed by RNA stability, which itself is determined by target accessibility to RNase degradation. In most Firmicutes species, mRNA stability is strongly impacted by the activity of two recently discovered RNases referred to as RNase J1 and RNase J2. Little is known about RNase J1 function in bacteria and even less is known about RNase J2. In the current study, we mutated both RNase J orthologues in Streptococcus mutans to determine their functional roles in the cell. Single and double RNase J mutants were viable, but grew very slowly on agar plates. All of the mutants shared substantial defects in growth, morphology, acid tolerance, natural competence and biofilm formation. However, most of these defects were more severe in the RNase J2 mutant. Phenotypic suppression results also implicate a role for RNase J2 as a regulator of RNase J1 function. Unlike Bacillus subtilis, RNase J2 is a major pleiotropic regulator in S. mutans, which indicates some fundamental differences from B. subtilis in global gene regulation. Key conserved residues among the RNase J2 orthologues of lactic acid bacteria may hint at a greater role for RNase J2 in these species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Chen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
| | - Nan Liu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
| | - Sharukh Khajotia
- Department of Dental Materials, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
| | - Fengxia Qi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA Division of Oral Biology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, OK 73104, USA
| | - Justin Merritt
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA Division of Oral Biology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, OK 73104, USA
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Rosenzweig JA, Chopra AK. The exoribonuclease Polynucleotide Phosphorylase influences the virulence and stress responses of yersiniae and many other pathogens. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2013; 3:81. [PMID: 24312901 PMCID: PMC3832800 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2013.00081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2013] [Accepted: 10/30/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbes are incessantly challenged by both biotic and abiotic stressors threatening their existence. Therefore, bacterial pathogens must possess mechanisms to successfully subvert host immune defenses as well as overcome the stress associated with host-cell encounters. To achieve this, bacterial pathogens typically experience a genetic re-programming whereby anti-host/stress factors become expressed and eventually translated into effector proteins. In that vein, the bacterial host-cell induced stress-response is similar to any other abiotic stress to which bacteria respond by up-regulating specific stress-responsive genes. Following the stress encounter, bacteria must degrade unnecessary stress responsive transcripts through RNA decay mechanisms. The three pathogenic yersiniae (Yersinia pestis, Y. pseudo-tuberculosis, and Y. enterocolitica) are all psychrotropic bacteria capable of growth at 4°C; however, cold growth is dependent on the presence of an exoribonuclease, polynucleotide phosphorylase (PNPase). PNPase has also been implicated as a virulence factor in several notable pathogens including the salmonellae, Helicobacter pylori, and the yersiniae [where it typically influences the type three secretion system (TTSS)]. Further, PNPase has been shown to associate with ribonuclease E (endoribonuclease), RhlB (RNA helicase), and enolase (glycolytic enzyme) in several Gram-negative bacteria forming a large, multi-protein complex known as the RNA degradosome. This review will highlight studies demonstrating the influence of PNPase on the virulence potentials and stress responses of various bacterial pathogens as well as focusing on the degradosome-dependent and -independent roles played by PNPase in yersiniae stress responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason A Rosenzweig
- Department of Biology, Center for Bionanotechnology and Environmental Research, Texas Southern University Houston, TX, USA ; Department of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Texas Southern University Houston, TX, USA
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Abstract
The importance of gene regulation in the enzootic cycle of Borrelia burgdorferi, the spirochete that causes Lyme disease, is well established. B. burgdorferi regulates gene expression in response to changes in environmental stimuli associated with changing hosts. In this study, we monitored mRNA decay in B. burgdorferi following transcriptional arrest with actinomycin D. The time-dependent decay of transcripts encoding RNA polymerase subunits (rpoA and rpoS), ribosomal proteins (rpsD, rpsK, rpsM, rplQ, and rpsO), a nuclease (pnp), outer surface lipoproteins (ospA and ospC), and a flagellar protein (flaB) have different profiles and indicate half-lives ranging from approximately 1 min to more than 45 min in cells cultured at 35°C. Our results provide a first step in characterizing mRNA decay in B. burgdorferi and in investigating its role in gene expression and regulation.
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Xie Z. PROG BIOCHEM BIOPHYS 2013; 39:1174-1177. [DOI: 10.3724/sp.j.1206.2012.00226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
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Maeda T, Wachi M. 3' Untranslated region-dependent degradation of the aceA mRNA, encoding the glyoxylate cycle enzyme isocitrate lyase, by RNase E/G in Corynebacterium glutamicum. Appl Environ Microbiol 2012; 78:8753-61. [PMID: 23042181 PMCID: PMC3502937 DOI: 10.1128/aem.02304-12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2012] [Accepted: 10/02/2012] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
We previously reported that the Corynebacterium glutamicum RNase E/G encoded by the rneG gene (NCgl2281) is required for the 5' maturation of 5S rRNA. In the search for the intracellular target RNAs of RNase E/G other than the 5S rRNA precursor, we detected that the amount of isocitrate lyase, an enzyme of the glyoxylate cycle, increased in rneG knockout mutant cells grown on sodium acetate as the sole carbon source. Rifampin chase experiments showed that the half-life of the aceA mRNA was about 4 times longer in the rneG knockout mutant than in the wild type. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis also confirmed that the level of aceA mRNA was approximately 3-fold higher in the rneG knockout mutant strain than in the wild type. Such differences were not observed in other mRNAs encoding enzymes involved in acetate metabolism. Analysis by 3' rapid amplification of cDNA ends suggested that RNase E/G cleaves the aceA mRNA at a single-stranded AU-rich region in the 3' untranslated region (3'-UTR). The lacZ fusion assay showed that the 3'-UTR rendered lacZ mRNA RNase E/G dependent. These findings indicate that RNase E/G is a novel regulator of the glyoxylate cycle in C. glutamicum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomoya Maeda
- Department of Bioengineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan
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Marincola G, Schäfer T, Behler J, Bernhardt J, Ohlsen K, Goerke C, Wolz C. RNase Y of Staphylococcus aureus and its role in the activation of virulence genes. Mol Microbiol 2012; 85:817-32. [PMID: 22780584 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2012.08144.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
RNase Y of Bacillus subtilis is a key member of the degradosome and important for bulk mRNA turnover. In contrast to B. subtilis, the RNase Y homologue (rny/cvfA) of Staphylococcus aureus is not essential for growth. Here we found that RNase Y plays a major role in virulence gene regulation. Accordingly, rny deletion mutants demonstrated impaired virulence in a murine bacteraemia model. RNase Y is important for the processing and stabilization of the immature transcript of the global virulence regulator system SaePQRS. Moreover, RNase Y is involved in the activation of virulence gene expression at the promoter level. This control is independent of both the virulence regulator agr and the saePQRS processing and may be mediated by small RNAs some of which were shown to be degraded by RNase Y. Besides this regulatory effect, mRNA levels of several operons were significantly increased in the rny mutant and the half-life of one of these operons was shown to be extremely extended. However, the half-life of many mRNA species was not significantly altered. Thus, RNase Y in S. aureus influences mRNA expression in a tightly controlled regulatory manner and is essential for coordinated activation of virulence genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriella Marincola
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, Germany
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