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Zammit M, Bartoli J, Kellenberger C, Melani P, Roussel A, Cascales E, Leone P. Structure-function analysis of PorX Fj, the PorX homolog from Flavobacterium johnsioniae, suggests a role of the CheY-like domain in type IX secretion motor activity. Sci Rep 2024; 14:6577. [PMID: 38503809 PMCID: PMC10951265 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-57089-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
The type IX secretion system (T9SS) is a large multi-protein transenvelope complex distributed into the Bacteroidetes phylum and responsible for the secretion of proteins involved in pathogenesis, carbohydrate utilization or gliding motility. In Porphyromonas gingivalis, the two-component system PorY sensor and response regulator PorX participate to T9SS gene regulation. Here, we present the crystal structure of PorXFj, the Flavobacterium johnsoniae PorX homolog. As for PorX, the PorXFj structure is comprised of a CheY-like N-terminal domain and an alkaline phosphatase-like C-terminal domain separated by a three-helix bundle central domain. While not activated and monomeric in solution, PorXFj crystallized as a dimer identical to active PorX. The CheY-like domain of PorXFj is in an active-like conformation, and PorXFj possesses phosphodiesterase activity, in agreement with the observation that the active site of its phosphatase-like domain is highly conserved with PorX.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariotte Zammit
- Laboratoire d'Ingénierie des Systèmes Macromoléculaires (LISM, UMR7255), Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée, Aix Marseille Univ, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Marseille, France
| | - Julia Bartoli
- Laboratoire d'Ingénierie des Systèmes Macromoléculaires (LISM, UMR7255), Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée, Aix Marseille Univ, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Marseille, France
| | - Christine Kellenberger
- Laboratoire de Chimie Bactérienne (LCB, UMR7283), Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée, Aix Marseille Univ, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Marseille, France
| | - Pauline Melani
- Laboratoire d'Ingénierie des Systèmes Macromoléculaires (LISM, UMR7255), Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée, Aix Marseille Univ, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Marseille, France
| | - Alain Roussel
- Laboratoire d'Ingénierie des Systèmes Macromoléculaires (LISM, UMR7255), Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée, Aix Marseille Univ, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Marseille, France
| | - Eric Cascales
- Laboratoire d'Ingénierie des Systèmes Macromoléculaires (LISM, UMR7255), Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée, Aix Marseille Univ, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Marseille, France
| | - Philippe Leone
- Laboratoire d'Ingénierie des Systèmes Macromoléculaires (LISM, UMR7255), Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée, Aix Marseille Univ, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Marseille, France.
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Schmitz C, Madej M, Nowakowska Z, Cuppari A, Jacula A, Ksiazek M, Mikruta K, Wisniewski J, Pudelko-Malik N, Saran A, Zeytuni N, Mlynarz P, Lamont RJ, Usón I, Siksnys V, Potempa J, Solà M. Response regulator PorX coordinates oligonucleotide signalling and gene expression to control the secretion of virulence factors. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:12558-12577. [PMID: 36464236 PMCID: PMC9757075 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac1103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/07/2022] Open
Abstract
The PglZ family of proteins belongs to the alkaline phosphatase superfamily, which consists of metallohydrolases with limited sequence identity but similar metal-coordination architectures in otherwise divergent active sites. Proteins with a well-defined PglZ domain are ubiquitous among prokaryotes as essential components of BREX phage defence systems and two-component systems (TCSs). Whereas other members of the alkaline phosphatase superfamily are well characterized, the activity, structure and biological function of PglZ family proteins remain unclear. We therefore investigated the structure and function of PorX, an orphan response regulator of the Porphyromonas gingivalis TCS containing a putative PglZ effector domain. The crystal structure of PorX revealed a canonical receiver domain, a helical bundle, and an unprecedented PglZ domain, similar to the general organization of the phylogenetically related BREX-PglZ proteins. The PglZ domain of PorX features an active site cleft suitable for large substrates. An extensive search for substrates revealed that PorX is a phosphodiesterase that acts on cyclic and linear oligonucleotides, including signalling molecules such as cyclic oligoadenylates. These results, combined with mutagenesis, biophysical and enzymatic analysis, suggest that PorX coordinates oligonucleotide signalling pathways and indirectly regulates gene expression to control the secretion of virulence factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claus Schmitz
- Department of Structural Biology, Molecular Biology Institute of Barcelona, CSIC, Barcelona Science Park, Barcelona E-08028, Spain
| | - Mariusz Madej
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków PL-30-387, Poland
| | - Zuzanna Nowakowska
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków PL-30-387, Poland
| | - Anna Cuppari
- Department of Structural Biology, Molecular Biology Institute of Barcelona, CSIC, Barcelona Science Park, Barcelona E-08028, Spain
| | - Anna Jacula
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków PL-30-387, Poland
| | - Miroslaw Ksiazek
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków PL-30-387, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Mikruta
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków PL-30-387, Poland
| | - Jerzy Wisniewski
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wroclaw PL-50-370, Poland
| | - Natalia Pudelko-Malik
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wroclaw PL-50-370, Poland
| | - Anshu Saran
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec H3A 0C7, Canada
| | - Natalie Zeytuni
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec H3A 0C7, Canada
| | - Piotr Mlynarz
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wroclaw PL-50-370, Poland
| | - Richard J Lamont
- Department of Oral Immunology and Infectious Diseases, School of Dentistry, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, USA
| | - Isabel Usón
- Department of Structural Biology, Molecular Biology Institute of Barcelona, CSIC, Barcelona Science Park, Barcelona E-08028, Spain
- ICREA Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Barcelona E-08010, Spain
| | - Virginijus Siksnys
- Institute of Biotechnology, Vilnius University, Vilnius 10257, Lithuania
| | - Jan Potempa
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków PL-30-387, Poland
- Department of Oral Immunology and Infectious Diseases, School of Dentistry, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, USA
| | - Maria Solà
- Department of Structural Biology, Molecular Biology Institute of Barcelona, CSIC, Barcelona Science Park, Barcelona E-08028, Spain
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Saran A, Weerasinghe N, Thibodeaux CJ, Zeytuni N. Purification, crystallization and crystallographic analysis of the PorX response regulator associated with the type IX secretion system. Acta Crystallogr F Struct Biol Commun 2022; 78:354-362. [PMID: 36189719 PMCID: PMC9527653 DOI: 10.1107/s2053230x22008500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Pathogenic bacteria utilize specialized macromolecular secretion systems to transport virulence factors across membrane(s) and manipulate their infected host. To date, 11 secretion systems have been identified, including the type IX secretion system (T9SS) associated with human, avian and farmed-fish diseases. As a bacterial secretion system, the T9SS also facilitates gliding motility and the degradation of different macromolecules by the secretion of metabolic enzymes in nonpathogenic bacteria. PorX is a highly conserved protein that regulates the transcription of essential T9SS components and additionally mediates the function of T9SS via direct interaction with PorL, the rotary motor protein of the T9SS. PorX is also a member of a two-component system regulatory cascade, where it serves as the response regulator that relays a signal transduced from a conserved sensor histidine kinase, PorY, to a designated sigma factor. Here, the recombinant expression and purification of PorX homologous proteins from the pathogenic bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis and the nonpathogenic bacterium Flavobacterium johnsoniae are reported. A bioinformatical characterization of the different domains comprising the PorX protein is also provided, and the crystallization and X-ray analysis of PorX from F. johnsoniae are reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anshu Saran
- The Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology and the Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Nuwani Weerasinghe
- The Department of Chemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | | | - Natalie Zeytuni
- The Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology and the Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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A PorX/PorY and σ P Feedforward Regulatory Loop Controls Gene Expression Essential for Porphyromonas gingivalis Virulence. mSphere 2021; 6:e0042821. [PMID: 34047648 PMCID: PMC8265659 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00428-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The PorX/PorY two-component system in the periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis controls the expression of the por genes, encoding a type IX secretion system, and the sigP gene, encoding sigma factor σP. Previous results implied that PorX/PorY and σP formed a regulatory cascade because the PorX/PorY-activated σP enhanced the por genes, including porT, via binding to their promoters. We recently showed that PorX also binds to the por promoters, thus suggesting that an alternative mechanism is required for the PorX/PorY- and σP-governed expression. Here, our in vitro assays show the PorX response regulator binds to the sigP promoter at a sequence shared with the porT promoter and enhances its transcription, mediated by a reconstituted P. gingivalis RNA polymerase holoenzyme. Merely producing σP in trans fails to reverse the porT transcription in a porX mutant, which further argues against the action of the proposed regulatory cascade. An in vitro transcription assay using a reconstituted RNA polymerase-σP holoenzyme verifies the direct role of PorX in porT transcription, since transcription is enhanced by a pure PorX protein. Accordingly, we propose that the PorX/PorY system coordinates with σP to construct a coherent regulatory mechanism, known as the feedforward loop. Specifically, PorX will not only bind to the sigP promoter to stimulate the expression of σP, but also bind to the porT promoter to facilitate the RNA polymerase-σP-dependent transcription. Importantly, mutations at the porX and sigP genes attenuate bacterial virulence in a mouse model, demonstrating that this regulatory mechanism is essential for P. gingivalis pathogenesis. IMPORTANCE The anaerobic bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis is not only the major etiologic agent for chronic periodontitis, but also prevalent in some common noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, and rheumatoid arthritis. We present genetic, biochemical, and biological results to demonstrate that the PorX/PorY two-component system and sigma factor σP build a specific regulatory network to coordinately control transcription of the genes encoding the type IX secretion system, and perhaps also other virulence factors. Results in this study verify that the response regulator PorX stimulates the expression of the genes encoding both σP and the type IX secretion system by binding to their promoters. This study also provides evidence that σP, like the PorX/PorY system, contributes to P. gingivalis virulence in a mouse model.
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