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Kouvela A, Zaravinos A, Stamatopoulou V. Adaptor Molecules Epitranscriptome Reprograms Bacterial Pathogenicity. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:8409. [PMID: 34445114 PMCID: PMC8395126 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22168409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2021] [Revised: 07/31/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The strong decoration of tRNAs with post-transcriptional modifications provides an unprecedented adaptability of this class of non-coding RNAs leading to the regulation of bacterial growth and pathogenicity. Accumulating data indicate that tRNA post-transcriptional modifications possess a central role in both the formation of bacterial cell wall and the modulation of transcription and translation fidelity, but also in the expression of virulence factors. Evolutionary conserved modifications in tRNA nucleosides ensure the proper folding and stability redounding to a totally functional molecule. However, environmental factors including stress conditions can cause various alterations in tRNA modifications, disturbing the pathogen homeostasis. Post-transcriptional modifications adjacent to the anticodon stem-loop, for instance, have been tightly linked to bacterial infectivity. Currently, advances in high throughput methodologies have facilitated the identification and functional investigation of such tRNA modifications offering a broader pool of putative alternative molecular targets and therapeutic avenues against bacterial infections. Herein, we focus on tRNA epitranscriptome shaping regarding modifications with a key role in bacterial infectivity including opportunistic pathogens of the human microbiome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adamantia Kouvela
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, University of Patras, 26504 Patras, Greece;
| | - Apostolos Zaravinos
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Sciences, European University Cyprus, Nicosia 2404, Cyprus
- Cancer Genetics, Genomics and Systems Biology Group, Basic and Translational Cancer Research Center (BTCRC), Nicosia 1516, Cyprus
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de Crécy-Lagard V, Jaroch M. Functions of Bacterial tRNA Modifications: From Ubiquity to Diversity. Trends Microbiol 2020; 29:41-53. [PMID: 32718697 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2020.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2020] [Revised: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 06/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Modified nucleotides in tRNA are critical components of the translation apparatus, but their importance in the process of translational regulation had until recently been greatly overlooked. Two breakthroughs have recently allowed a fuller understanding of the importance of tRNA modifications in bacterial physiology. One is the identification of the full set of tRNA modification genes in model organisms such as Escherichia coli K12. The second is the improvement of available analytical tools to monitor tRNA modification patterns. The role of tRNA modifications varies greatly with the specific modification within a given tRNA and with the organism studied. The absence of these modifications or reductions can lead to cell death or pleiotropic phenotypes or may have no apparent visible effect. By linking translation through their decoding functions to metabolism through their biosynthetic pathways, tRNA modifications are emerging as important components of the bacterial regulatory toolbox.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valérie de Crécy-Lagard
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA; Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
| | - Marshall Jaroch
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
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Fislage M, Wauters L, Versées W. Invited review: MnmE, a GTPase that drives a complex tRNA modification reaction. Biopolymers 2017; 105:568-79. [PMID: 26832457 DOI: 10.1002/bip.22813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2015] [Revised: 01/19/2016] [Accepted: 01/27/2016] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
MnmE is a multi-domain GTPase that is conserved from bacteria to man. Together with its partner protein MnmG it is involved in the synthesis of a tRNA wobble uridine modification. The orthologues of these proteins in eukaryotes are targeted to mitochondria and mutations in the encoding genes are associated with severe mitochondrial diseases. While classical small GTP-binding proteins are regulated via auxiliary GEFs and GAPs, the GTPase activity of MnmE is activated via potassium-dependent homodimerization of its G domains. In this review we focus on the catalytic mechanism of GTP hydrolysis by MnmE and the large scale conformational changes that are triggered throughout the GTPase cycle. We also discuss how these conformational changes might be used to drive and tune the complex tRNA modification reaction. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 105: 568-579, 2016.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcus Fislage
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032
| | - Lina Wauters
- Department of Cell Biochemistry, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, Groningen, 9747 AG, Netherlands.,Structural Biology Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, Brussel, 1050, Belgium.,Structural Biology Research Center, VIB, Pleinlaan 2, Brussel, 1050, Belgium
| | - Wim Versées
- Structural Biology Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, Brussel, 1050, Belgium.,Structural Biology Research Center, VIB, Pleinlaan 2, Brussel, 1050, Belgium
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Abstract
Enteric pathogens of the family Enterobacteriaceae colonize various niches within animals and humans in which they compete with intestinal commensals and are attacked by the host immune system. To survive these hostile environments they possess complex, multilayer regulatory networks that coordinate the control of virulence factors, host-adapted metabolic functions and stress resistance. An important part of these intricate control networks are RNA-based control systems that enable the pathogen to fine-tune its responses. Recent next-generation sequencing approaches revealed a large repertoire of conserved and species-specific riboregulators, including numerous cis- and trans-acting non-coding RNAs, sensory RNA elements (RNA thermometers, riboswitches), regulatory RNA-binding proteins and RNA degrading enzymes which regulate colonization factors, toxins, host defense processes and virulence-relevant physiological and metabolic processes. All of which are important cues for pathogens to sense and respond to fluctuating conditions during the infection. This review covers infection-relevant riboregulators of E. coli, Salmonella, Shigella and Yersinia, highlights their versatile regulatory mechanisms, complex target regulons and functions, and discusses emerging topics and future challenges to fully understand and exploit RNA-based control to combat bacterial infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann Kathrin Heroven
- a Department of Molecular Infection Biology , Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research , Braunschweig , Germany
| | - Aaron M Nuss
- a Department of Molecular Infection Biology , Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research , Braunschweig , Germany
| | - Petra Dersch
- a Department of Molecular Infection Biology , Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research , Braunschweig , Germany
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Shippy DC, Fadl AA. RNA modification enzymes encoded by the gid operon: Implications in biology and virulence of bacteria. Microb Pathog 2015; 89:100-7. [PMID: 26427881 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2015.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2015] [Accepted: 09/23/2015] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules consist of numerous chemically modified nucleosides that are highly conserved in eukarya, archeae, and bacteria, while others are unique to each domain of life. In bacteria, hundreds of RNA modification enzymes have been identified and implicated in biological pathways associated with many cell processes. The glucose-inhibited division (gid) operon encodes genes for two RNA modification enzymes named GidA and GidB. Studies have shown GidA is essential for the proper biosynthesis of 5-methylaminomethyl-2-thiouridine (mnm(5)s(2)U) of bacterial transfer RNA (tRNA) with GidB responsible for the methylation of the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA). Furthermore, deletion of gidA and gidB has shown to alter numerous bacterial properties like virulence, stress response, morphology, growth, antibiotic susceptibility, and others. In this review, we discuss the present knowledge of the RNA modification enzymes GidA and GidB, and their potential role in the biology and virulence of bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel C Shippy
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Amin A Fadl
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
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tRNA modification enzymes GidA and MnmE: potential role in virulence of bacterial pathogens. Int J Mol Sci 2014; 15:18267-80. [PMID: 25310651 PMCID: PMC4227215 DOI: 10.3390/ijms151018267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2014] [Revised: 10/02/2014] [Accepted: 10/08/2014] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Transfer RNA (tRNA) is an RNA molecule that carries amino acids to the ribosomes for protein synthesis. These tRNAs function at the peptidyl (P) and aminoacyl (A) binding sites of the ribosome during translation, with each codon being recognized by a specific tRNA. Due to this specificity, tRNA modification is essential for translational efficiency. Many enzymes have been implicated in the modification of bacterial tRNAs, and these enzymes may complex with one another or interact individually with the tRNA. Approximately, 100 tRNA modification enzymes have been identified with glucose-inhibited division (GidA) protein and MnmE being two of the enzymes studied. In Escherichia coli and Salmonella, GidA and MnmE bind together to form a functional complex responsible for the proper biosynthesis of 5-methylaminomethyl-2-thiouridine (mnm5s2U34) of tRNAs. Studies have implicated this pathway in a major pathogenic regulatory mechanism as deletion of gidA and/or mnmE has attenuated several bacterial pathogens like Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, Pseudomonas syringae, Aeromonas hydrophila, and many others. In this review, we summarize the potential role of the GidA/MnmE tRNA modification pathway in bacterial virulence, interactions with the host, and potential therapeutic strategies resulting from a greater understanding of this regulatory mechanism.
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In vivo mRNA profiling of uropathogenic Escherichia coli from diverse phylogroups reveals common and group-specific gene expression profiles. mBio 2014; 5:e01075-14. [PMID: 25096872 PMCID: PMC4128348 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01075-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
mRNA profiling of pathogens during the course of human infections gives detailed information on the expression levels of relevant genes that drive pathogenicity and adaptation and at the same time allows for the delineation of phylogenetic relatedness of pathogens that cause specific diseases. In this study, we used mRNA sequencing to acquire information on the expression of Escherichia coli pathogenicity genes during urinary tract infections (UTI) in humans and to assign the UTI-associated E. coli isolates to different phylogenetic groups. Whereas the in vivo gene expression profiles of the majority of genes were conserved among 21 E. coli strains in the urine of elderly patients suffering from an acute UTI, the specific gene expression profiles of the flexible genomes was diverse and reflected phylogenetic relationships. Furthermore, genes transcribed in vivo relative to laboratory media included well-described virulence factors, small regulatory RNAs, as well as genes not previously linked to bacterial virulence. Knowledge on relevant transcriptional responses that drive pathogenicity and adaptation of isolates to the human host might lead to the introduction of a virulence typing strategy into clinical microbiology, potentially facilitating management and prevention of the disease. Urinary tract infections (UTI) are very common; at least half of all women experience UTI, most of which are caused by pathogenic Escherichia coli strains. In this study, we applied massive parallel cDNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to provide unbiased, deep, and accurate insight into the nature and the dimension of the uropathogenic E. coli gene expression profile during an acute UTI within the human host. This work was undertaken to identify key players in physiological adaptation processes and, hence, potential targets for new infection prevention and therapy interventions specifically aimed at sabotaging bacterial adaptation to the human host.
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A novel gene involved in the survival of Streptococcus mutans under stress conditions. Appl Environ Microbiol 2013; 80:97-103. [PMID: 24123744 DOI: 10.1128/aem.02549-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
A Streptococcus mutans mutant defective in aciduricity was constructed by random-insertion mutagenesis. Sequence analysis of the mutant revealed a mutation in gidA, which is known to be involved in tRNA modification in Streptococcus pyogenes. Complementation of gidA by S. pyogenes gidA recovered the acid tolerance of S. mutans. Although the gidA-inactivated S. pyogenes mutant exhibited significantly reduced expression of multiple extracellular virulence proteins, the S. mutans mutant did not. On the other hand, the gidA mutant of S. mutans showed reduced ability to withstand exposure to other stress conditions (high osmotic pressure, high temperature, and bacitracin stress) besides an acidic environment. In addition, loss of GidA decreased the capacity for glucose-dependent biofilm formation by over 50%. This study revealed that gidA plays critical roles in the survival of S. mutans under stress conditions, including lower pH.
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