Co-regulation of Acetylation and Phosphorylation of CheY, A Response Regulator in Chemotaxis of Escherichia coli

Systematic Analysis of Lysine Acetylation Reveals Diverse Functions in Azorhizobium caulinodans Strain ORS571

Protein acetylation can quickly modify the physiology of bacteria to respond to changes in environmental or nutritional conditions, but little information on these modifications is available in rhizobia. In this study, we report the lysine acetylome of Azorhizobium caulinodans strain ORS571, a model rhizobium isolated from stem nodules of the tropical legume Sesbania rostrata that is capable of fixing nitrogen in the free-living state and during symbiosis. Antibody enrichment and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis were used to characterize the acetylome. There are 2,302 acetylation sites from 982 proteins, accounting for 20.8% of the total proteins. Analysis of the acetylated motifs showed the preferences for the amino acid residues around acetylated lysines. The response regulator CheY1, previously characterized to be involved in chemotaxis in strain ORS571, was identified as an acetylated protein, and a mutation of the acetylated site of CheY1 significantly impaired the strain's motility. In addition, a Zn+-dependent deacetylase (AZC_0414) was characterized, and the construction of a deletion mutant strain showed that it played a role in chemotaxis. Our study provides the first global analysis of lysine acetylation in ORS571, suggesting that acetylation plays a role in various physiological processes. In addition, we demonstrate its involvement in the chemotaxis process. The acetylome of ORS571 provides insights to investigate the regulation mechanism of rhizobial physiology. IMPORTANCE Acetylation is an important modification that regulates protein function and has been found to regulate physiological processes in various bacteria. The physiology of rhizobium A. caulinodans ORS571 is regulated by multiple mechanisms both when free living and in symbiosis with the host; however, the regulatory role of acetylation is not yet known. Here, we took an acetylome-wide approach to identify acetylated proteins in A. caulinodans ORS571 and performed clustering analyses. Acetylation of chemotaxis proteins was preliminarily investigated, and the upstream acetylation-regulating enzyme involved in chemotaxis was characterized. These findings provide new insights to explore the physiological mechanisms of rhizobia.

Potential of gut-derived short-chain fatty acids to control enteric pathogens

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are a very important group of metabolites located in the gut that play a crucial role in the regulation of gut function and pathogen resistance. Since many enteric pathogens respond differently to various SCFAs, substantial efforts have been made to understand the regulatory effects of SCFA types on enteric pathogens. The application of protein post-translational modifications (PTMs) in bacterial research provides a new perspective for studying the regulation of enteric pathogens by different SCFAs. Existing evidence suggests that the SCFAs acetate, propionate, and butyrate influence bacterial processes by extensively promoting the acylation of key bacterial proteins. SCFAs can also prevent the invasion of pathogenic bacteria by regulating the barrier function and immune status of the host gut. In this review, we describe the mechanisms by which different SCFAs modulate the pathogenicity of enteric pathogens from multiple perspectives. We also explore some recent findings on how enteric pathogens counteract SCFA inhibition. Lastly, we discuss the prospects and limitations of applying SCFAs to control enteric pathogens.

Protein acetylation effects on enzyme activity and metabolic pathway fluxes

Acetylation of proteins seems a widespread process found in the three domains of life. Several studies have shown that besides histones, acetylation of lysine residues also occurs in non-nuclear proteins. Hence, it has been suggested that this covalent modification is a mechanism that might regulate diverse metabolic pathways by modulating enzyme activity, stability, and/or subcellular localization or interaction with other proteins. However, protein acetylation levels seem to have low correlation with modification of enzyme activity and pathway fluxes. In addition, the results obtained with mutant enzymes that presumably mimic acetylation have frequently been over-interpreted. Moreover, there is a generalized lack of rigorous enzyme kinetic analysis in parallel to acetylation level determinations. The purpose of this review is to analyze the current findings on the impact of acetylation on metabolic enzymes and its repercussion on metabolic pathways function/regulation.

Post-translational Lysine Ac(et)ylation in Bacteria: A Biochemical, Structural, and Synthetic Biological Perspective

Ac(et)ylation is a post-translational modification present in all domains of life. First identified in mammals in histones to regulate RNA synthesis, today it is known that is regulates fundamental cellular processes also in bacteria: transcription, translation, metabolism, cell motility. Ac(et)ylation can occur at the ε-amino group of lysine side chains or at the α-amino group of a protein. Furthermore small molecules such as polyamines and antibiotics can be acetylated and deacetylated enzymatically at amino groups. While much research focused on N-(ε)-ac(et)ylation of lysine side chains, much less is known about the occurrence, the regulation and the physiological roles on N-(α)-ac(et)ylation of protein amino termini in bacteria. Lysine ac(et)ylation was shown to affect protein function by various mechanisms ranging from quenching of the positive charge, increasing the lysine side chains’ size affecting the protein surface complementarity, increasing the hydrophobicity and by interfering with other post-translational modifications. While N-(ε)-lysine ac(et)ylation was shown to be reversible, dynamically regulated by lysine acetyltransferases and lysine deacetylases, for N-(α)-ac(et)ylation only N-terminal acetyltransferases were identified and so far no deacetylases were discovered neither in bacteria nor in mammals. To this end, N-terminal ac(et)ylation is regarded as being irreversible. Besides enzymatic ac(et)ylation, recent data showed that ac(et)ylation of lysine side chains and of the proteins N-termini can also occur non-enzymatically by the high-energy molecules acetyl-coenzyme A and acetyl-phosphate. Acetyl-phosphate is supposed to be the key molecule that drives non-enzymatic ac(et)ylation in bacteria. Non-enzymatic ac(et)ylation can occur site-specifically with both, the protein primary sequence and the three dimensional structure affecting its efficiency. Ac(et)ylation is tightly controlled by the cellular metabolic state as acetyltransferases use ac(et)yl-CoA as donor molecule for the ac(et)ylation and sirtuin deacetylases use NAD⁺ as co-substrate for the deac(et)ylation. Moreover, the accumulation of ac(et)yl-CoA and acetyl-phosphate is dependent on the cellular metabolic state. This constitutes a feedback control mechanism as activities of many metabolic enzymes were shown to be regulated by lysine ac(et)ylation. Our knowledge on lysine ac(et)ylation significantly increased in the last decade predominantly due to the huge methodological advances that were made in fields such as mass-spectrometry, structural biology and synthetic biology. This also includes the identification of additional acylations occurring on lysine side chains with supposedly different regulatory potential. This review highlights recent advances in the research field. Our knowledge on enzymatic regulation of lysine ac(et)ylation will be summarized with a special focus on structural and mechanistic characterization of the enzymes, the mechanisms underlying non-enzymatic/chemical ac(et)ylation are explained, recent technological progress in the field are presented and selected examples highlighting the important physiological roles of lysine ac(et)ylation are summarized.

The switching mechanism of the bacterial rotary motor combines tight regulation with inherent flexibility

Regulatory switches are wide spread in many biological systems. Uniquely among them, the switch of the bacterial flagellar motor is not an on/off switch but rather controls the motor’s direction of rotation in response to binding of the signaling protein CheY. Despite its extensive study, the molecular mechanism underlying this switch has remained largely unclear. Here, we resolved the functions of each of the three CheY‐binding sites at the switch in E. coli, as well as their different dependencies on phosphorylation and acetylation of CheY. Based on this, we propose that CheY motor switching activity is potentiated upon binding to the first site. Binding of potentiated CheY to the second site produces unstable switching and at the same time enables CheY binding to the third site, an event that stabilizes the switched state. Thereby, this mechanism exemplifies a unique combination of tight motor regulation with inherent switching flexibility.

Control of acetyl phosphate-dependent phosphorylation of the response regulator CiaR by acetate kinase in Streptococcus pneumoniae

The two-component regulatory system CiaRH of Streptococcus pneumoniae affects a large variety of physiological processes including ß-lactam resistance, competence development, maintenance of cell integrity, bacteriocin production, but also host colonization and virulence. The response regulator CiaR is active under a wide variety of conditions and the cognate CiaH kinase is not always needed to maintain CiaR activity. Using tetracycline-controlled expression of ciaR and variants, acetyl phosphate was identified in vivo as the alternative source of CiaR phosphorylation in the absence of CiaH. Concomitant inactivation of ciaH and the acetate kinase gene ackA led to very high levels of CiaR-mediated promoter activation. Strong transcriptional activation was accompanied by a high phosphorylation status of CiaR as determined by Phos-tag gel electrophoresis of S. pneumoniae cell extracts. Furthermore, AckA acted negatively upon acetyl phosphate-dependent phosphorylation of CiaR. Experiments using the Escherichia coli two-hybrid system based on adenylate cyclase reconstitution indicated binding of AckA to CiaR and therefore direct regulation. Subsequent in vitro CiaR phosphorylation experiments confirmed in vivo observations. Purified AckA was able to inhibit acetyl phosphate-dependent phosphorylation. Inhibition required the presence of ADP. AckA-mediated regulation of CiaR phosphorylation is the first example for a regulatory connection of acetate kinase to a response regulator besides controlling acetyl phosphate levels. It will be interesting to see if this novel regulation applies to other response regulators in S. pneumoniae or even in other organisms.

Protein expression in the obligate hydrocarbon-degrading psychrophile Oleispira antarctica RB-8 during alkane degradation and cold tolerance

In cold marine environments, the obligate hydrocarbon‐degrading psychrophile Oleispira antarctica RB‐8, which utilizes aliphatic alkanes almost exclusively as substrates, dominates microbial communities following oil spills. In this study, LC–MS/MS shotgun proteomics was used to identify changes in the proteome induced during growth on n‐alkanes and in cold temperatures. Specifically, proteins with significantly higher relative abundance during growth on tetradecane (n‐C₁₄) at 16°C and 4°C have been quantified. During growth on n‐C₁₄, O. antarctica expressed a complete pathway for the terminal oxidation of n‐alkanes including two alkane monooxygenases, two alcohol dehydrogenases, two aldehyde dehydrogenases, a fatty‐acid‐CoA ligase, a fatty acid desaturase and associated oxidoreductases. Increased biosynthesis of these proteins ranged from 3‐ to 21‐fold compared with growth on a non‐hydrocarbon control. This study also highlights mechanisms O. antarctica may utilize to provide it with ecological competitiveness at low temperatures. This was evidenced by an increase in spectral counts for proteins involved in flagella structure/output to overcome higher viscosity, flagella rotation to accumulate cells and proline metabolism to counteract oxidative stress, during growth at 4°C compared with 16°C. Such species‐specific understanding of the physiology during hydrocarbon degradation can be important for parameterizing models that predict the fate of marine oil spills.

Metabolic intermediate acetyl phosphate modulates bacterial virulence via acetylation

Accumulating evidence indicates that bacterial metabolism plays an important role in virulence. Acetyl phosphate (AcP), the high-energy intermediate of the phosphotransacetylase-acetate kinase pathway, is the major acetyl donor in E. coli. PhoP is an essential transcription factor for bacterial virulence. Here, we show in Salmonella typhimurium that PhoP is non-enzymatically acetylated by AcP, which modifies its transcriptional activity, demonstrating that the acetylation of Lysine 102 (K102) is dependent on the intracellular AcP. The acetylation level of K102 decreases under PhoP-activating conditions including low magnesium, acid stress or following phagocytosis. Notably, in vitro assays show that K102 acetylation affects PhoP phosphorylation and inhibits its transcriptional activity. Both cell and mouse models show that K102 is critical to Salmonella virulence, and suggest acetylation is involved in regulating PhoP activity. Together, the current study highlights the importance of the metabolism in bacterial virulence, and shows AcP might be a key mediator.

Protein Acetylation and Its Role in Bacterial Virulence

Protein acetylation is a universal post-translational modification which is found in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. This process is achieved enzymatically by the protein acetyltransferase Pat, and nonenzymatically by metabolic intermediates (e.g., acetyl phosphate) in bacteria. Protein acetylation plays a role in bacterial chemotaxis, metabolism, DNA replication, and other cellular processes. Recently, accumulating evidence has suggested that protein acetylation might be involved in bacterial virulence because a number of bacterial virulence factors are acetylated. In this review, we summarize the progress in understanding bacterial protein acetylation and discuss how it mediates bacterial virulence.

Lysine acetylation regulates the function of the global anaerobic transcription factor FnrL in Rhodobacter sphaeroides

The metabolism of the purple non-sulfur bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides is versatile and it can grow under various conditions. Here, we report evidence that the anaerobic photosynthetic metabolism of R. sphaeroides is regulated by protein lysine acetylation. Using a proteomic approach, 59 acetylated peptides were detected. Among them is the global anaerobic transcription factor FnrL, which regulates the biosynthetic pathway of tetrapyrroles and synthesis of the photosynthetic apparatus. Lysine 223 of FnrL was identified as acetylated. We show that all three lysines in the DNA binding domain (K223, K213 and K175) of FnrL can be acetylated by acetyl-phosphate in vitro. A bacterial deacetylase homolog, RsCobB can deacetylate FnrL in vitro. The transcription of genes downstream of FnrL decreased when the DNA binding domain of FnrL was acetylated, as revealed by chromatin immunoprecipitation and acetylation-mimicking mutagenesis. An increasing number of acetylated lysines resulted in a further decrease in DNA binding ability. These results demonstrate that the lysine acetylation can fine tune the function of the oxygen-sensitive FnrL; thus, it might regulate anaerobic photosynthetic metabolism of R. sphaeroides.

Influence of perfluorooctanoic acid on proteomic expression and cell membrane fatty acid of Escherichia coli

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) has received an increasing attention in the agricultural and food industries due to its risk to human health. To facilitate the development of novel biomarkers of Escherichia coli against PFOA through multi-omics technologies, and to reveal the resistance mechanism of E. coli against PFOA at protein levels, the interactions among pollutant stress, protein expression and cell metabolism was investigated by using iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomic analysis. The results revealed that the 63 up-regulated proteins mainly involved in tricarboxylic acid cycle, glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism and fatty acid biosynthesis, whereas, the 69 down-regulated proteins related to oxidative phosphorylation, pyruvate metabolism and the cell cycle-caulobacter pathway, were also associated with the increase of membrane permeability, excessive expenditure of ATP, disruption of fatty acid biosynthesis under PFOA stress. The results provide novel insights into the influence mechanisms of PFOA on fatty acid and protein networks.

Glycolysis for Microbiome Generation

For a generation of microbiologists who study pathogenesis in the context of the human microbiome, understanding the diversity of bacterial metabolism is essential. In this chapter, I briefly describe how and why I became, and remain, interested in metabolism. I then will describe and compare some of the strategies used by bacteria to consume sugars as one example of metabolic diversity. I will end with a plea to embrace metabolism in the endeavor to understand pathogenesis.

Cell responses only partially shape cell-to-cell variations in protein abundances in Escherichia coli chemotaxis

Cell-to-cell variations in protein abundance in clonal cell populations are ubiquitous in living systems. Because protein composition determines responses in individual cells, it stands to reason that the variations themselves are subject to selective pressures. However, the functional role of these cell-to-cell differences is not well understood. One way to tackle questions regarding relationships between form and function is to perturb the form (e.g., change the protein abundances) and observe the resulting changes in some function. Here, we take on the form-function relationship from the inverse perspective, asking instead what specific constraints on cell-to-cell variations in protein abundance are imposed by a given functional phenotype. We develop a maximum entropy-based approach to posing questions of this type and illustrate the method by application to the well-characterized chemotactic response in Escherichia coli. We find that full determination of observed cell-to-cell variations in protein abundances is not inherent in chemotaxis itself but, in fact, appears to be jointly imposed by the chemotaxis program in conjunction with other factors (e.g., the protein synthesis machinery and/or additional nonchemotactic cell functions, such as cell metabolism). These results illustrate the power of maximum entropy as a tool for the investigation of relationships between biological form and function.

Acetylation reduces the ability of CheY to undergo autophosphorylation

CheY, the response regulator of the chemotaxis system in Escherichia coli, can be regulated by two covalent modifications - phosphorylation and acetylation. Both covalent modifications are involved in chemotaxis, but the mechanism and role of the acetylation are still obscure. While acetylation was shown to repress the binding of CheY to its target proteins, the effect of acetylation on the ability of CheY to undergo autophosphorylate with AcP is not fully investigated. To obtain more information on the function of this acetylation, we successfully expressed and purified CheY protein with a 6 × His-tag on the C-terminus. Subsequently, acetylated CheY (AcCheY) was obtained with AcCoA as the acetyl donor, and the acetylation level of AcCheY was confirmed by Western blotting and then mass spectrometry. Using tryptophan fluorescence intensity measurements as a monitor of phosphorylation, we showed that acetylation reduces the ability of CheY to undergo autophosphorylation.

Acetylation of the response regulator RcsB controls transcription from a small RNA promoter

Nε-lysine acetylation was recently discovered on many bacterial proteins that function in diverse cellular processes. Thus, many questions remain unanswered. For example, what mechanisms regulate lysine acetylation? Does acetylation affect physiology? To help answer these questions, we studied the Escherichia coli response regulator and transcription factor RcsB, which is reported to be acetylated in vitro. To characterize RcsB acetylation, we monitored transcription from the rprA promoter, which requires RcsB. The conventional view is that RcsB is activated by phosphorylation through either the Rcs phosphorelay or acetyl phosphate. We affirmed that rprA transcription requires phosphorylated RcsB and showed that acetyl-phosphate (AcP) is a phosphoryl group donor to RcsB. However, a mutant that accumulates AcP (ackA) exhibited a reduction in rprA transcription instead of the predicted increase. rprA transcription also diminished in the cobB mutant, which lacks the only known E. coli protein deacetylase. This suggests the existence of an inhibitory mechanism that involves lysine acetylation, a supposition supported by the observation that RcsB isolated from the ackA or cobB mutant was hyperacetylated. Finally, we used a genetic approach to identify an AckA- and CobB-sensitive lysine (Lys-154) that controls RcsB activity. We propose that acetylation inhibits RcsB activity and that some of this inhibition acts through the acetylation of Lys-154.

Major soluble proteome changes in Deinococcus deserti over the earliest stages following gamma-ray irradiation

BACKGROUND

Deinococcus deserti VCD115 has been isolated from Sahara surface sand. This radiotolerant bacterium represents an experimental model of choice to understand adaptation to harsh conditions encountered in hot arid deserts. We analysed the soluble proteome dynamics in this environmentally relevant model after exposure to 3 kGy gamma radiation, a non-lethal dose that generates massive DNA damages. For this, cells were harvested at different time lapses after irradiation and their soluble proteome contents have been analysed by 2-DE and mass spectrometry.

RESULTS

In the first stage of the time course we observed accumulation of DNA damage response protein DdrB (that shows the highest fold change ~11), SSB, and two different RecA proteins (RecAP and RecAC). Induction of DNA repair protein PprA, DNA damage response protein DdrD and the two gyrase subunits (GyrA and GyrB) was also detected. A response regulator of the SarP family, a type II site-specific deoxyribonuclease and a putative N-acetyltransferase are three new proteins found to be induced. In a more delayed stage, we observed accumulation of several proteins related to central metabolism and protein turn-over, as well as helicase UvrD and novel forms of both gyrase subunits differing in terms of isoelectric point and molecular weight.

CONCLUSIONS

Post-translational modifications of GyrA (N-terminal methionine removal and acetylation) have been evidenced and their significance discussed. We found that the Deide_02842 restriction enzyme, which is specifically found in D. deserti, is a new potential member of the radiation/desiccation response regulon, highlighting the specificities of D. deserti compared to the D. radiodurans model.

Protein acetylation in prokaryotes

Protein acetylation plays a critical regulatory role in eukaryotes but until recently its significance and function in bacteria and the archaea were obscure. It is now clear, however, that prokaryotes have the capacity to acetylate both the α-amino groups of N-terminal residues and the ε-amino groups of lysine side chains. In this review, we bring together information indicating that such acetylation is widespread and that it is likely to regulate fundamental cellular processes. We particularly focus on lysine acetylation, which recent studies show can occur in proteins involved in transcription, translation, pathways associated with central metabolism and stress responses. Intriguingly, specific acetylated lysine residues map to critical regions in the three-dimensional structures of key proteins, e.g. to active sites or to surfaces that dock with other major cellular components. Like phosphorylation, acetylation appears to be an ancient reversible modification that can be present at multiple sites in proteins, thereby potentially producing epigenetic combinatorial complexity. It may be particularly important in regulating central metabolism in prokaryotes due to the requirement for acetyl-CoA and NAD(+) for protein acetyltransferases and Sir2-type deacetylases, respectively.

Acetylation represses the binding of CheY to its target proteins

The ability of CheY, the response regulator of bacterial chemotaxis, to generate clockwise rotation is regulated by two covalent modifications - phosphorylation and acetylation. While the function and signal propagation of the former are widely understood, the mechanism and role of the latter are still obscure. To obtain information on the function of this acetylation, we non-enzymatically acetylated CheY to a level similar to that found in vivo, and examined its binding to its kinase CheA, its phosphatase CheZ and the switch protein FliM - its target at the flagellar switch complex. Acetylation repressed the binding to all three proteins. These results suggest that both phosphorylation and acetylation determine CheY's ability to bind to its target proteins, thus providing two levels of regulation, fast and slow respectively. The fast level is modulated by environmental signals (e.g. chemotactic and thermotactic stimuli). The slow one is regulated by the metabolic state of the cell and it determines, at each metabolic state, the fraction of CheY molecules that can participate in signalling.

CobB regulates Escherichia coli chemotaxis by deacetylating the response regulator CheY

The silent information regulator (Sir2) family proteins are NAD+-dependent deacetylases. Although a few substrates have been identified, functions of the bacteria Sir2-like protein (CobB) still remain unclear. Here the role of CobB on Escherichia coli chemotaxis was investigated. We used Western blotting and mass spectrometry to show that the response regulator CheY is a substrate of CobB. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) indicated that acetylation affects the interaction between CheY and the flagellar switch protein FliM. The presence of intact flagella in knockout strains DeltacobB, Deltaacs, Delta(cobB) Delta(acs), Delta(cheA) Delta(cheZ), Delta(cheA) Delta(cheZ) Delta(cobB) and Delta(cheA) Delta(cheZ) Delta(acs) was confirmed by electron microscopy. Genetic analysis of these knockout strains showed that: (i) the DeltacobB mutant exhibited reduced responses to chemotactic stimuli in chemotactic assays, whereas the Deltaacs mutant was indistinguishable from the parental strain, (ii) CheY from the DeltacobB mutant showed a higher level of acetylation, indicating that CobB can mediate the deacetylation of CheY in vivo, and (iii) deletion of cobB reversed the phenotype of Delta(cheA) Delta(cheZ). Our findings suggest that CobB regulates E. coli chemotaxis by deacetylating CheY. Thus a new function of bacterial cobB was identified and also new insights of regulation of bacterial chemotaxis were provided.

In vivo acetylation of CheY, a response regulator in chemotaxis of Escherichia coli

CheY, the excitatory response regulator in the chemotaxis system of Escherichia coli, can be modulated by two covalent modifications: phosphorylation and acetylation. Both modifications have been detected in vitro only. The role of CheY acetylation is still obscure, although it is known to be involved in chemotaxis and to occur in vitro by two mechanisms--acetyl-CoA synthetase-catalyzed transfer of acetyl groups from acetate to CheY and autocatalyzed transfer from AcCoA. Here, we succeeded in detecting CheY acetylation in vivo by three means--Western blotting with a specific anti-acetyl-lysine antibody, mass spectrometry, and radiolabeling with [(14)C]acetate in the presence of protein-synthesis inhibitor. Unexpectedly, the level and rate of CheY acetylation in vivo were much higher than that in vitro. Thus, before any treatment, 9-13% of the lysine residues were found acetylated, depending on the growth phase, meaning that, on average, essentially every CheY molecule was acetylated in vivo. This high level was mainly the outcome of autoacetylation. Addition of acetate caused an incremental increase in the acetylation level, in which acetyl-CoA synthetase was involved too. These findings may have far-reaching implications for the structure-function relationship of CheY.

A hitchhiker's guide through advances and conceptual changes in chemotaxis

Chemotaxis is a basic recognition process, governed by protein network that translates molecular-based information on the surrounding environment into a guided motional response of the recipient cell or organism. This process is prevalent from bacteria to human beings. Some of the chemotaxis systems--like that of the bacterium Escherichia coli--are well established; others--like that of mammalian sperm cells--are at their relatively early stages of research. In contrast to mammalian sperm chemotaxis, where studies have so far been limited to the phenomenological level primarily, the model of bacterial chemotaxis is known down to the angstrom resolution. Despite this difference in depth of understanding, many fundamental questions are open not only in the new but also in the old chemotaxis fields of research, and recent advances in them are raising additional intriguing questions. This review summarizes some of these surprises and previously unasked or overlooked questions, and as such it offers a guided tour through conceptual changes in chemotaxis.

Microbial cell individuality and the underlying sources of heterogeneity

Single cells in genetically homogeneous microbial cultures exhibit marked phenotypic individuality, a biological phenomenon that is considered to bolster the fitness of populations. Major phenotypes that are characterized by heterogeneity span the breadth of microbiology, in fields ranging from pathogenicity to ecology. The cell cycle, cell ageing and epigenetic regulation are proven drivers of heterogeneity in several of the best-known phenotypic examples. However, the full contribution of factors such as stochastic gene expression is yet to be realized.

The chemotaxis response regulator CheY can catalyze its own acetylation

One of the processes by which CheY, the excitatory response regulator of chemotaxis in Escherichia coli, can be activated to generate clockwise flagellar rotation is by acetyl-CoA synthetase (Acs)-mediated acetylation. Deletion of Acs results in defective chemotaxis, indicating the involvement of Acs-mediated acetylation in chemotaxis. To investigate whether Acs is the sole acetylating agent of CheY, we purified the latter from a delta acs mutant. Mass spectrometry analysis revealed that this protein is partially acetylated in spite of the absence of Acs, suggesting that CheY can be post-translationally acetylated in vivo by additional means. Using [14C]AcCoA in the absence of Acs, we demonstrated that one of these means is autoacetylation, with AcCoA serving as an acetyl donor and with a rate similar to that of Acs-mediated acetylation. Biochemical characterization of autoacetylated CheY and mass spectrometry analysis of its tryptic digests revealed that its acetylated lysine residues are those found in CheY acetylated by Acs, but the acetylation-level distribution among the acetylation sites was different. Like CheY acetylated by Acs, autoacetylated CheY could be deacetylated by Acs. Also similarly to the case of Acs-mediated acetylation, the phosphodonors of CheY, CheA and acetyl phosphate, each inhibited the autoacetylation of CheY, whereas the phosphatase of CheY, CheZ, enhanced it. A reduced AcCoA level interfered with chemotaxis to repellents, suggesting that CheY autoacetylation may be involved in chemotaxis of E. coli. Interestingly, this interference was restricted to repellent addition and was not observed with attractant removal, thus endorsing our earlier suggestion that the signaling pathway triggered by repellent addition is not identical to that triggered by attractant removal.

Two-Carbon Compounds and Fatty Acids as Carbon Sources

This review concerns the uptake and degradation of those molecules that are wholly or largely converted to acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) in the first stage of metabolism in Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica. These include acetate, acetoacetate, butyrate and longer fatty acids in wild type cells plus ethanol and some longer alcohols in certain mutant strains. Entering metabolism as acetyl-CoA has two important general consequences. First, generation of energy from acetyl-CoA requires operation of both the citric acid cycle and the respiratory chain to oxidize the NADH produced. Hence, acetyl-CoA serves as an energy source only during aerobic growth or during anaerobic respiration with such alternative electron acceptors as nitrate or trimethylamine oxide. In the absence of a suitable oxidant, acetyl-CoA is converted to a mixture of acetic acid and ethanol by the pathways of anaerobic fermentation. Catabolism of acetyl-CoA via the citric acid cycle releases both carbon atoms of the acetyl moiety as carbon dioxide and growth on these substrates as sole carbon source therefore requires the operation of the glyoxylate bypass to generate cell material. The pair of related two-carbon compounds, glycolate and glyoxylate are also discussed. However, despite having two carbons, these are metabolized via malate and glycerate, not via acetyl-CoA. In addition, mutants of E. coli capable of growth on ethylene glycol metabolize it via the glycolate pathway, rather than via acetyl- CoA. Propionate metabolism is also discussed because in many respects its pathway is analogous to that of acetate. The transcriptional regulation of these pathways is discussed in detail.

The acetate switch

To succeed, many cells must alternate between life-styles that permit rapid growth in the presence of abundant nutrients and ones that enhance survival in the absence of those nutrients. One such change in life-style, the "acetate switch," occurs as cells deplete their environment of acetate-producing carbon sources and begin to rely on their ability to scavenge for acetate. This review explains why, when, and how cells excrete or dissimilate acetate. The central components of the "switch" (phosphotransacetylase [PTA], acetate kinase [ACK], and AMP-forming acetyl coenzyme A synthetase [AMP-ACS]) and the behavior of cells that lack these components are introduced. Acetyl phosphate (acetyl approximately P), the high-energy intermediate of acetate dissimilation, is discussed, and conditions that influence its intracellular concentration are described. Evidence is provided that acetyl approximately P influences cellular processes from organelle biogenesis to cell cycle regulation and from biofilm development to pathogenesis. The merits of each mechanism proposed to explain the interaction of acetyl approximately P with two-component signal transduction pathways are addressed. A short list of enzymes that generate acetyl approximately P by PTA-ACKA-independent mechanisms is introduced and discussed briefly. Attention is then directed to the mechanisms used by cells to "flip the switch," the induction and activation of the acetate-scavenging AMP-ACS. First, evidence is presented that nucleoid proteins orchestrate a progression of distinct nucleoprotein complexes to ensure proper transcription of its gene. Next, the way in which cells regulate AMP-ACS activity through reversible acetylation is described. Finally, the "acetate switch" as it exists in selected eubacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes, including humans, is described.

Acetylation of the chemotaxis response regulator CheY by acetyl-CoA synthetase purified from Escherichia coli

Acetylation of CheY, the excitatory response regulator of bacterial chemotaxis, by the enzyme acetyl-CoA synthetase (Acs) is involved in Escherichia coli chemotaxis, but its function is obscure. Here, we overproduced Acs from E.coli, purified it in quantities sufficient for biochemical work, and characterized both the enzyme and the CheY acetylation reaction that it catalyzes. Such characterization is essential for revealing the function of CheY acetylation in chemotaxis. The enzyme exhibited characteristics typical of prokaryotic Acs enzymes, and it could use either acetate or AcCoA as an acetyl donor for CheY acetylation. The Acs-catalyzed acetylation of CheY was reversible, an essential property for a regulatory process, and cooperative (Hill coefficient approximately 3). By Western blotting with specific anti-acetyl-lysine antibody we demonstrated that Acs undergoes autoacetylation, that CheY is acetylated to a small extent when isolated, and that the extent is elevated following in vitro acetylation. Exposing the intact protein to matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and electro-spray mass spectrometry, we found that, in most cases, purified CheY is a mixture of species having zero to six acetyl groups per molecule, with non-acetylated CheY being the most abundant species. By proteolytic in-gel digestion of non-treated CheY followed by peptide fingerprinting, precursor ion scan, and tandem mass spectrometry, we found that the acetylation sites of CheY are clustered at the C terminus of the protein, with lysine residues 91, 92, 109, 119, 122 and 126 being the main acetylation sites. Following in vitro acetylation, the main change that seemed to occur was an incremental increase in the extent of acetylation of the same lysine residues. Thus, CheY is similar to many eukaryotic proteins involved in signaling, which undergo both phosphorylation and multiple acetylation, and in which the acetylation sites are restricted to a particular region.