Crystal structure of apo and copper bound HP0894 toxin from Helicobacter pylori 26695 and insight into mRNase activity

Effect of Divalent Metal Ions on the Ribonuclease Activity of the Toxin Molecule HP0894 from Helicobacter pylori

Bacteria and archaea respond and adapt to environmental stress conditions by modulating the toxin-antitoxin (TA) system for survival. Within the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, the protein HP0894 is a key player in the HP0894-HP0895 TA system, in which HP0894 serves as a toxin and HP0895 as an antitoxin. HP0894 has intrinsic ribonuclease (RNase) activity that regulates gene expression and translation, significantly influencing bacterial physiology and survival. This activity is influenced by the presence of metal ions such as Mg2+. In this study, we explore the metal-dependent RNase activity of HP0894. Surprisingly, all tested metal ions lead to a reduction in RNase activity, with zinc ions (Zn2+) causing the most significant decrease. The secondary structure of HP0894 remained largely unaffected by Zn2+ binding, whereas structural rigidity was notably increased, as revealed using CD analysis. NMR characterized the Zn2+ binding, implicating numerous His, Asp, and Glu residues in HP0894. In summary, these results suggest that metal ions play a regulatory role in the RNase activity of HP0894, contributing to maintaining the toxin molecule in an inactive state under normal conditions.

Rapid growth inhibitory activity of a YafQ-family endonuclease toxin of the Helicobacter pylori tfs4 integrative and conjugative element

Prokaryotic and archaeal chromosomes encode a diversity of toxin–antitoxin (TA) systems that contribute to a variety of stress-induced cellular processes in addition to stability and maintenance of mobile elements. Here, we find DinJ-YafQ family TA systems to be broadly distributed amongst diverse phyla, consistent with other ParE/RelE superfamily TAs, but more unusually occurring as a multiplicity of species-specific subtypes. In the gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori we identify six distinct subtypes, of which three are predominantly associated with the mobilome, including the disease-associated integrative and conjugative element (ICE), tfs4. Whereas, the ICE-encoded proteins have characteristic features of DinJ-YafQ family Type II TA systems in general, the toxin component is distinguished by a broad metal-ion-dependent endonuclease activity with specificity for both RNA and DNA. We show that the remarkably rapid growth inhibitory activity of the ICE toxin is a correlate of a C-terminal lysine doublet which likely augments catalytic activity by increasing the positive electrostatic potential in the vicinity of the conserved active site. Our collective results reveal a structural feature of an ICE TA toxin that influences substrate catalysis and toxin function which may be relevant to specific TA-mediated responses in diverse genera of bacteria.

Mechanisms of Bacterial Tolerance and Persistence in the Gastrointestinal and Respiratory Environments

Pathogens that infect the gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts are subjected to intense pressure due to the environmental conditions of the surroundings. This pressure has led to the development of mechanisms of bacterial tolerance or persistence which enable microorganisms to survive in these locations. In this review, we analyze the general stress response (RpoS mediated), reactive oxygen species (ROS) tolerance, energy metabolism, drug efflux pumps, SOS response, quorum sensing (QS) bacterial communication, (p)ppGpp signaling, and toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems of pathogens, such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., Vibrio spp., Helicobacter spp., Campylobacter jejuni, Enterococcus spp., Shigella spp., Yersinia spp., and Clostridium difficile, all of which inhabit the gastrointestinal tract. The following respiratory tract pathogens are also considered: Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, Burkholderia cenocepacia, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis Knowledge of the molecular mechanisms regulating the bacterial tolerance and persistence phenotypes is essential in the fight against multiresistant pathogens, as it will enable the identification of new targets for developing innovative anti-infective treatments.

Transcriptional Profiling of Type II Toxin-Antitoxin Genes of Helicobacter pylori under Different Environmental Conditions: Identification of HP0967-HP0968 System

Helicobacter pylori is a Gram-negative bacterium that colonizes the human gastric mucosa and is responsible for causing peptic ulcers and gastric carcinoma. The expression of virulence factors allows the persistence of H. pylori in the stomach, which results in a chronic, sometimes uncontrolled inflammatory response. Type II toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems have emerged as important virulence factors in many pathogenic bacteria. Three type II TA systems have previously been identified in the genome of H. pylori 26695: HP0315-HP0316, HP0892-HP0893, and HP0894-HP0895. Here we characterized a heretofore undescribed type II TA system in H. pylori, HP0967-HP0968, which is encoded by the bicistronic operon hp0968-hp0967 and belongs to the Vap family. The predicted HP0967 protein is a toxin with ribonuclease activity whereas HP0968 is an antitoxin that binds to its own regulatory region. We found that all type II TA systems were expressed in H. pylori during early stationary growth phase, and differentially expressed in the presence of urea, nickel, and iron, although, the hp0968-hp0967 pair was the most affected under these environmental conditions. Transcription of hp0968-hp0967 was strongly induced in a mature H. pylori biofilm and when the bacteria interacted with AGS epithelial cells. Kanamycin and chloramphenicol considerably boosted transcription levels of all the four type II TA systems. The hp0968-hp0967 TA system was the most frequent among 317 H. pylori strains isolated from all over the world. This study is the first report on the transcription of type II TA genes in H. pylori under different environmental conditions. Our data show that the HP0967 and HP0968 proteins constitute a bona fide type II TA system in H. pylori, whose expression is regulated by environmental cues, which are relevant in the context of infection of the human gastric mucosa.

Crystal structure of toxin HP0892 from Helicobacter pylori with two Zn(II) at 1.8 Å resolution

Antibiotic resistance and microorganism virulence have been consistently exhibited by bacteria and archaea, which survive in conditions of environmental stress through toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems. The HP0892-HP0893 TA system is one of the two known TA systems belonging to Helicobacter pylori. The antitoxin, HP0893, binds and inhibits the HP0892 toxin and regulates the transcription of the TA operon. Here, we present the crystal structure of the zinc-bound HP0892 toxin at 1.8 Å resolution. Reorientation of residues at the mRNase active site was shown. The involved residues, namely E58A, H86A, and H58A/ H60A, were mutated and the binding affinity was monitored by ITC studies. Through the structural difference between the apo and the metal-bound state, and using a homology modeling tool, the involvement of the metal ion in mRNase active site could be identified. The most catalytically important residue, His86, reorients itself to exhibit RNase activity. His47, Glu58, and His60 are involved in metal binding where Glu58 acts as a general base and His47 and His60 may also act as a general acid in enzymatic activity. Glu58 and Asp64 are involved in substrate binding and specific sequence recognition. Arg83 is involved in phosphate binding and stabilization of the transition state, and Phe90 is involved in base packing and substrate orientation.