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Li H, Lv Y, Teng Z, Guo R, Jiang L. Shigella Senses the Environmental Cue Leucine to Promote its Virulence Gene Expression in the Colon. J Mol Biol 2024; 436:168798. [PMID: 39303765 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2024.168798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2024] [Revised: 09/14/2024] [Accepted: 09/16/2024] [Indexed: 09/22/2024]
Abstract
Shigella is a foodborne enteropathogenic bacteria that causes severe bacillary dysentery in humans. Shigella primarily colonizes the human colon and causes disease via invasion of colon epithelial cells. However, the signal regulatory mechanisms associated with its colonization and pathogenesis in the colon remain poorly defined. Here, we report a leucine-mediated regulatory mechanism that promotes Shigella virulence gene expression and invasion of colon epithelial cells. Shigella in response to leucine, which is highly abundant in the colon, via the leucine-responsive regulator Lrp and the binding of Lrp with leucine induces the expression of a newly identified small RNA SsrV. SsrV then activates the expression of virF and downstream invasion-related virulence genes by increasing the protein level of the LysR-type transcription regulator LrhA, therefore enabling Shigella invasion of colon epithelial cells. Shigella lacking ssrV displays impaired invasion ability. Collectively, these findings suggest that Shigella employs a leucine-responsive environmental activation mechanism to establish colonization and pathogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiying Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan 250062, China; National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Yongyao Lv
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan 250062, China
| | - Zhiqi Teng
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Clinical and Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan 250062, China
| | - Rui Guo
- Shandong Center for Food and Drug Evaluation & Inspection, Jinan 250014, China
| | - Lingyan Jiang
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, Tianjin 300457, China.
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2
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Zhou Z, Li Z, Li Z. Exploring the molecular mechanisms of Lrp/AsnC-type transcription regulator DecR, an L-cysteine-responsive feast/famine regulatory protein. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 270:132519. [PMID: 38768919 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.132519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2024] [Revised: 05/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
The Lrp/AsnC family of transcriptional regulators is commonly found in prokaryotes and is associated with the regulation of amino acid metabolism. However, it remains unclear how the L-cysteine-responsive Lrp/AsnC family regulator perceives and responds to L-cysteine. Here, we try to elucidate the molecular mechanism of the L-cysteine-responsive transcriptional regulator. Through 5'RACE and EMSA, we discovered a 15 bp incompletely complementary pair palindromic sequence essential for DecR binding, which differed slightly from the binding sequence of other Lrp/AsnC transcription regulators. Using alanine scanning, we identified the L-cysteine binding site on DecR and found that different Lrp/AsnC regulators adjust their binding pocket's side-chain residues to accommodate their specific effector. MD simulations were then conducted to explore how ligand binding influences the allosteric behavior of the protein. PCA and in silico docking revealed that ligand binding induced perturbations in the linker region, triggering conformational alterations and leading to the relocalization of the DNA-binding domains, enabling the embedding of the DNA-binding region of DecR into the DNA molecule, thereby enhancing DNA-binding affinity. Our findings can broaden the understanding of the recognition and regulatory mechanisms of the Lrp/AsnC-type transcription factors, providing a theoretical basis for further investigating the molecular mechanisms of other transcription factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyou Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Zonglin Li
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China.
| | - Zhimin Li
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China; Shanghai Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomanufacturing Technology, 130 Meilong Road, Shanghai 200237, China.
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3
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Matarredona L, García-Bonete MJ, Guío J, Camacho M, Fillat MF, Esclapez J, Bonete MJ. Global Lrp regulator protein from Haloferax mediterranei: Transcriptional analysis and structural characterization. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 260:129541. [PMID: 38244746 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.129541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 01/14/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024]
Abstract
Haloferax mediterranei, an extreme halophilic archaeon thriving in hypersaline environments, has acquired significant attention in biotechnological and biochemical research due to its remarkable ability to flourish in extreme salinity conditions. Transcription factors, essential in regulating diverse cellular processes, have become focal points in understanding its adaptability. This study delves into the role of the Lrp transcription factor, exploring its modulation of glnA, nasABC, and lrp gene promoters in vivo through β-galactosidase assays. Remarkably, our findings propose Lrp as the pioneering transcriptional regulator of nitrogen metabolism identified in a haloarchaeon. This study suggests its potential role in activating or repressing assimilatory pathway enzymes (GlnA and NasA). The interaction between Lrp and these promoters is analyzed using Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay and Differential Scanning Fluorimetry, highlighting l-glutamine's indispensable role in stabilizing the Lrp-DNA complex. Our research uncovers that halophilic Lrp forms octameric structures in the presence of l-glutamine. The study reveals the three-dimensional structure of the Lrp as a homodimer using X-ray crystallography, confirming this state in solution by Small-Angle X-ray Scattering. These findings illuminate the complex molecular mechanisms driving Hfx. mediterranei's nitrogen metabolism, offering valuable insights about its gene expression regulation and enriching our comprehension of extremophile biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Matarredona
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular y Edafología y Química Agrícola, Grupo Biotecnología de Extremófilos, Universidad de Alicante, San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante, Spain
| | - María-José García-Bonete
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine. University of Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Jorge Guío
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular y Celular, Institute for Biocomputation and Physics of Complex Systems, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Mónica Camacho
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular y Edafología y Química Agrícola, Grupo Biotecnología de Extremófilos, Universidad de Alicante, San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante, Spain
| | - María F Fillat
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular y Celular, Institute for Biocomputation and Physics of Complex Systems, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Julia Esclapez
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular y Edafología y Química Agrícola, Grupo Biotecnología de Extremófilos, Universidad de Alicante, San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante, Spain.
| | - María-José Bonete
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular y Edafología y Química Agrícola, Grupo Biotecnología de Extremófilos, Universidad de Alicante, San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante, Spain.
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4
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Ziegler CA, Freddolino PL. Escherichia coli Leucine-Responsive Regulatory Protein Bridges DNA In Vivo and Tunably Dissociates in the Presence of Exogenous Leucine. mBio 2023; 14:e0269022. [PMID: 36786566 PMCID: PMC10127797 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02690-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Feast-famine response proteins are a widely conserved class of global regulators in prokaryotes, the most highly studied of which is the Escherichia coli leucine-responsive regulatory protein (Lrp). Lrp senses the environmental nutrition status and subsequently regulates up to one-third of the genes in E. coli, either directly or indirectly. Lrp exists predominantly as octamers and hexadecamers (16mers), where leucine is believed to shift the equilibrium toward the octameric state. In this study, we analyzed the effects of three oligomerization state mutants of Lrp in terms of their ability to bind to DNA and regulate gene expression in response to exogenous leucine. We find that oligomerization beyond dimers is required for Lrp's regulatory activity and that, contrary to previous speculation, exogenous leucine modulates Lrp activity at its target promoters exclusively by inhibiting Lrp binding to DNA. We also show evidence that Lrp binding bridges DNA over length scales of multiple kilobases, revealing a new range of mechanisms for Lrp-mediated transcriptional regulation. IMPORTANCE Leucine-responsive regulatory protein (Lrp) is one of the most impactful regulators in E. coli and other bacteria. Lrp senses nutrient conditions and responds by controlling strategies for virulence, cellular motility, and nutrient acquisition. Despite its importance and being evolutionarily highly conserved across bacteria and archaea, several mysteries remain regarding Lrp, including how it actually responds to leucine to change its regulation of targets. Previous studies have led to the hypothesis that Lrp switches between two states, an octamer (8 Lrp molecules together) and a hexadecamer (16 Lrp molecules together), upon exposure to leucine; these are referred to as different oligomerization states. Here, we show that contrary to previous expectations, it is Lrp's propensity to bind DNA, rather than its oligomerization state, that is directly affected by leucine in the cell's environment. Our new understanding of Lrp activity will aid in identifying and disrupting pathways used by bacteria to cause disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine A. Ziegler
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Peter L. Freddolino
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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Conway C, Beckett MC, Dorman CJ. The DNA relaxation-dependent OFF-to-ON biasing of the type 1 fimbrial genetic switch requires the Fis nucleoid-associated protein. MICROBIOLOGY (READING, ENGLAND) 2023; 169:001283. [PMID: 36748578 PMCID: PMC9993118 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The structural genes expressing type 1 fimbriae in Escherichia coli alternate between expressed (phase ON) and non-expressed (phase OFF) states due to inversion of the 314 bp fimS genetic switch. The FimB tyrosine integrase inverts fimS by site-specific recombination, alternately connecting and disconnecting the fim operon, encoding the fimbrial subunit protein and its associated secretion and adhesin factors, to and from its transcriptional promoter within fimS. Site-specific recombination by the FimB recombinase becomes biased towards phase ON as DNA supercoiling is relaxed, a condition that occurs when bacteria approach the stationary phase of the growth cycle. This effect can be mimicked in exponential phase cultures by inhibiting the negative DNA supercoiling activity of DNA gyrase. We report that this bias towards phase ON depends on the presence of the Fis nucleoid-associated protein. We mapped the Fis binding to a site within the invertible fimS switch by DNase I footprinting. Disruption of this binding site by base substitution mutagenesis abolishes both Fis binding and the ability of the mutated switch to sustain its phase ON bias when DNA is relaxed, even in bacteria that produce the Fis protein. In addition, the Fis binding site overlaps one of the sites used by the Lrp protein, a known directionality determinant of fimS inversion that also contributes to phase ON bias. The Fis–Lrp relationship at fimS is reminiscent of that between Fis and Xis when promoting DNA relaxation-dependent excision of bacteriophage λ from the E. coli chromosome. However, unlike the co-binding mechanism used by Fis and Xis at λ attR, the Fis–Lrp relationship at fimS involves competitive binding. We discuss these findings in the context of the link between fimS inversion biasing and the physiological state of the bacterium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin Conway
- Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.,Present address: Technical University of the Atlantic, Galway, Ireland
| | - Michael C Beckett
- Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Charles J Dorman
- Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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6
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Gao J, Du M, Zhao J, Yue zhang, Xu N, Du H, Ju J, Wei L, Liu J. Design of a genetically encoded biosensor to establish a high-throughput screening platform for L-cysteine overproduction. Metab Eng 2022; 73:144-157. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2022.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Revised: 07/03/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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7
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He K, Li C, Zhang Z, Zhan L, Cong C, Zhang D, Cai H. Genome-wide investigation of the ZF-HD gene family in two varieties of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and its expression pattern under alkaline stress. BMC Genomics 2022; 23:150. [PMID: 35189832 PMCID: PMC8859888 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-022-08309-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Zinc finger homeodomain (ZHD) protein is a plant-specific transcription factor and a potential regulator of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPCase)-coding genes, and it also participates in plant growth regulation and abiotic stress responses. To study the function of MsZF-HD genes in the alkaline stress response, this paper assessed biological information and performed transcriptome analysis of the MsZF-HD gene family by using the genomes of two different varieties of alfalfa (XinJiangDa Ye and Zhongmu No. 1). Results In total, 49 and 11 MsZF-HD genes were identified in the two different varieties respectively, including the alleles of XinJiangDa Ye. According to their phylogenetic relationships, the 60 MsZF-HD genes were divided into 5 ZHD subfamilies and 1 MIF subfamily. A total of 88.3% of MsZF-HD genes do not contain introns and are unevenly distributed among the 6 chromosomes of alfalfa. A collinearity analysis indicated that 26 genes of XinJiangDa Ye have no orthologous genes in Zhongmu No. 1, although these genes (such as ZHD-X1–2, ZHD-X3–2 and ZHD-X4–2) have homologous genes in Arabidopsis thaliana, Medicago truncatula and Glycine max. Through RNA-seq and qRT–PCR verification, it was found that MsZF-HD genes are downregulated to participate in the alkaline stress response. Conclusion The results of this study may lay the foundation for the cloning and functional study of MsZF-HD genes and provide a theoretical basis for revealing the difference between XinJiangDa Ye and Zhongmu No. 1 at the genome level. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-022-08309-x.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai He
- College of Life Sciences, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, China
| | - Chunxin Li
- College of Life Sciences, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, China
| | - Zhenyue Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, China
| | - Lifeng Zhan
- College of Life Sciences, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, China
| | - Chunlong Cong
- College of Life Sciences, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, China
| | - Depeng Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, China
| | - Hua Cai
- College of Life Sciences, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, China.
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8
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Femerling G, Gama-Castro S, Lara P, Ledezma-Tejeida D, Tierrafría VH, Muñiz-Rascado L, Bonavides-Martínez C, Collado-Vides J. Sensory Systems and Transcriptional Regulation in Escherichia coli. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:823240. [PMID: 35237580 PMCID: PMC8882922 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.823240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In free-living bacteria, the ability to regulate gene expression is at the core of adapting and interacting with the environment. For these systems to have a logic, a signal must trigger a genetic change that helps the cell to deal with what implies its presence in the environment; briefly, the response is expected to include a feedback to the signal. Thus, it makes sense to think of genetic sensory mechanisms of gene regulation. Escherichia coli K-12 is the bacterium model for which the largest number of regulatory systems and its sensing capabilities have been studied in detail at the molecular level. In this special issue focused on biomolecular sensing systems, we offer an overview of the transcriptional regulatory corpus of knowledge for E. coli that has been gathered in our database, RegulonDB, from the perspective of sensing regulatory systems. Thus, we start with the beginning of the information flux, which is the signal's chemical or physical elements detected by the cell as changes in the environment; these signals are internally transduced to transcription factors and alter their conformation. Signals transduced to effectors bind allosterically to transcription factors, and this defines the dominant sensing mechanism in E. coli. We offer an updated list of the repertoire of known allosteric effectors, as well as a list of the currently known different mechanisms of this sensing capability. Our previous definition of elementary genetic sensory-response units, GENSOR units for short, that integrate signals, transport, gene regulation, and the biochemical response of the regulated gene products of a given transcriptional factor fit perfectly with the purpose of this overview. We summarize the functional heterogeneity of their response, based on our updated collection of GENSORs, and we use them to identify the expected feedback as part of their response. Finally, we address the question of multiple sensing in the regulatory network of E. coli. This overview introduces the architecture of sensing and regulation of native components in E.coli K-12, which might be a source of inspiration to bioengineering applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgette Femerling
- Centro de Ciencias Genómicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, México
| | - Socorro Gama-Castro
- Centro de Ciencias Genómicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, México
| | - Paloma Lara
- Centro de Ciencias Genómicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, México
| | | | - Víctor H. Tierrafría
- Centro de Ciencias Genómicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, México
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Luis Muñiz-Rascado
- Centro de Ciencias Genómicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, México
| | | | - Julio Collado-Vides
- Centro de Ciencias Genómicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, México
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
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9
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Duan Y, Liu S, Gao Y, Zhang P, Mao D, Luo Y. Macrolides mediate transcriptional activation of the msr(E)-mph(E) operon through histone-like nucleoid-structuring protein (HNS) and cAMP receptor protein (CRP). J Antimicrob Chemother 2021; 77:391-399. [PMID: 34747464 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkab395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The msr(E)-mph(E) operon exists widely in diverse species of bacteria and msr(E) and mph(E) genes confer high resistance to macrolides. We aimed to explore whether macrolides regulate the transcription of the operon. METHODS Antibiotic resistance genes in clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae were analysed by WGS. The transcription of the msr(E)-mph(E) operon was investigated by quantitative PCR. Construction of enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) reporter plasmids, gene knockout and complementation experiments were used to further explore the induction mechanism of macrolides for the operon. Sequence analysis was finally used to investigate whether the operon exists widely in diverse species of bacteria. RESULTS We originally found that the treatment of a pandrug-resistant isolate of K. pneumoniae (KP1517) with macrolides obviously up-regulated the msr(E)-mph(E) operon, which was further confirmed in another nine clinical isolates of K. pneumoniae. The induction mechanism of macrolides for the operon was partly elucidated. Macrolides could activate the operon promoter, and the J10/J35 regions (J10: 5'-AGTTATCAT-3'; J35: 5'-TTGTCT-3') of the promoter were determined. Histone-like nucleoid-structuring protein (HNS) and cAMP receptor protein (CRP) were involved in the erythromycin-mediated activation of the operon promoter. The 476 strains of bacteria carrying the msr(E)-mph(E) operon currently in the NCBI database are mainly Acinetobacter baumannii (158; 33%), K. pneumoniae (95; 20%), Escherichia coli (26; 5%) and Proteus mirabilis (25; 5%). They were mainly isolated from human clinical samples (287; 60%) and had a wide geographical distribution. CONCLUSIONS Macrolides could activate transcription of the msr(E)-mph(E) operon through HNS and CRP in K. pneumoniae and E. coli, and this might occur in diverse species of bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yitao Duan
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin, China.,Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Shuangqing Liu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Yuting Gao
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Peng Zhang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Daqing Mao
- School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Yi Luo
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin, China.,State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
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10
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Leucine-Responsive Regulatory Protein in Acetic Acid Bacteria Is Stable and Functions at a Wide Range of Intracellular pH Levels. J Bacteriol 2021; 203:e0016221. [PMID: 34228496 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00162-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Acetic acid bacteria grow while producing acetic acid, resulting in acidification of the culture. Limited reports elucidate the effect of changes in intracellular pH on transcriptional factors. In the present study, the intracellular pH of Komagataeibacter europaeus was monitored with a pH-sensitive green fluorescent protein, showing that the intracellular pH decreased from 6.3 to 4.7 accompanied by acetic acid production during cell growth. The leucine-responsive regulatory protein of K. europaeus (KeLrp) was used as a model to examine pH-dependent effects, and its properties were compared with those of the Escherichia coli ortholog (EcLrp) at different pH levels. The DNA-binding activities of EcLrp and KeLrp with the target DNA (Ec-ilvI and Ke-ilvI) were examined by gel mobility shift assays under various pH conditions. EcLrp showed the highest affinity with the target at pH 8.0 (Kd [dissociation constant], 0.7 μM), decreasing to a minimum of 3.4 μM at pH 4.0. Conversely, KeLrp did not show significant differences in binding affinity between pH 4 and 7 (Kd, 1.0 to 1.5 μM), and the highest affinity was at pH 5.0 (Kd, 1.0 μM). Circular dichroism spectroscopy revealed that the α-helical content of KeLrp was the highest at pH 5.0 (49%) and was almost unchanged while being maintained at >45% over a range of pH levels examined, while that of EcLrp decreased from its maximum (49% at pH 7.0) to its minimum (36% at pH 4.0). These data indicate that KeLrp is stable and functions over a wide range of intracellular pH levels. IMPORTANCE Lrp is a highly conserved transcriptional regulator found in bacteria and archaea and regulates transcriptions of various genes. The intracellular pH of acetic acid bacteria (AAB) changes accompanied by acetic acid production during cell growth. The Lrp of AAB K. europaeus (KeLrp) was structurally stable over a wide range of pH and maintained DNA-binding activity even at low pH compared with Lrp from E. coli living in a neutral environment. An in vitro experiment showed DNA-binding activity of KeLrp to the target varied with changes in pH. In AAB, change of the intracellular pH during a cell growth would be an important trigger in controlling the activity of Lrp in vivo.
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11
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Ziegler CA, Freddolino PL. The leucine-responsive regulatory proteins/feast-famine regulatory proteins: an ancient and complex class of transcriptional regulators in bacteria and archaea. Crit Rev Biochem Mol Biol 2021; 56:373-400. [PMID: 34151666 DOI: 10.1080/10409238.2021.1925215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Since the discovery of the Escherichia coli leucine-responsive regulatory protein (Lrp) almost 50 years ago, hundreds of Lrp homologs have been discovered, occurring in 45% of sequenced bacteria and almost all sequenced archaea. Lrp-like proteins are often referred to as the feast/famine regulatory proteins (FFRPs), reflecting their common regulatory roles. Acting as either global or local transcriptional regulators, FFRPs detect the environmental nutritional status by sensing small effector molecules (usually amino acids) and regulate the expression of genes involved in metabolism, virulence, motility, nutrient transport, stress tolerance, and antibiotic resistance to implement appropriate behaviors for the specific ecological niche of each organism. Despite FFRPs' complexity, a significant role in gene regulation, and prevalence throughout prokaryotes, the last comprehensive review on this family of proteins was published about a decade ago. In this review, we integrate recent notable findings regarding E. coli Lrp and other FFRPs across bacteria and archaea with previous observations to synthesize a more complete view on the mechanistic details and biological roles of this ancient class of transcription factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine A Ziegler
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Peter L Freddolino
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.,Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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12
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Zamora M, Ziegler CA, Freddolino PL, Wolfe AJ. A Thermosensitive, Phase-Variable Epigenetic Switch: pap Revisited. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2020; 84:e00030-17. [PMID: 32727743 PMCID: PMC7392537 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00030-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
It has been more than a decade since the last comprehensive review of the phase-variable uropathogen-associated pyelonephritis-associated pilus (pap) genetic switch. Since then, important data have come to light, including additional factors that regulate pap expression, better characterization of H-NS regulation, the structure of the Lrp octamer in complex with pap regulatory DNA, the temperature-insensitive phenotype of a mutant lacking the acetyltransferase RimJ, evidence that key components of the regulatory machinery are acetylated, and new insights into the role of DNA binding by key regulators in shaping both the physical structure and regulatory state of the papI and papBA promoters. This review revisits pap, integrating these newer observations with older ones to produce a new model for the concerted behavior of this virulence-regulatory region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Zamora
- Stritch School of Medicine, Health Sciences Division, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, Illinois, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stritch School of Medicine, Health Sciences Division, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, Illinois, USA
| | - Christine A Ziegler
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Peter L Freddolino
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Alan J Wolfe
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stritch School of Medicine, Health Sciences Division, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, Illinois, USA
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13
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Bervoets I, Charlier D. Diversity, versatility and complexity of bacterial gene regulation mechanisms: opportunities and drawbacks for applications in synthetic biology. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2019; 43:304-339. [PMID: 30721976 PMCID: PMC6524683 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuz001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2018] [Accepted: 01/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Gene expression occurs in two essential steps: transcription and translation. In bacteria, the two processes are tightly coupled in time and space, and highly regulated. Tight regulation of gene expression is crucial. It limits wasteful consumption of resources and energy, prevents accumulation of potentially growth inhibiting reaction intermediates, and sustains the fitness and potential virulence of the organism in a fluctuating, competitive and frequently stressful environment. Since the onset of studies on regulation of enzyme synthesis, numerous distinct regulatory mechanisms modulating transcription and/or translation have been discovered. Mostly, various regulatory mechanisms operating at different levels in the flow of genetic information are used in combination to control and modulate the expression of a single gene or operon. Here, we provide an extensive overview of the very diverse and versatile bacterial gene regulatory mechanisms with major emphasis on their combined occurrence, intricate intertwinement and versatility. Furthermore, we discuss the potential of well-characterized basal expression and regulatory elements in synthetic biology applications, where they may ensure orthogonal, predictable and tunable expression of (heterologous) target genes and pathways, aiming at a minimal burden for the host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Indra Bervoets
- Research Group of Microbiology, Department of Bioengineering Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Daniel Charlier
- Research Group of Microbiology, Department of Bioengineering Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
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14
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Torres Montaguth OE, Bervoets I, Peeters E, Charlier D. Competitive Repression of the artPIQM Operon for Arginine and Ornithine Transport by Arginine Repressor and Leucine-Responsive Regulatory Protein in Escherichia coli. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:1563. [PMID: 31354664 PMCID: PMC6640053 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.01563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2019] [Accepted: 06/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Two out of the three major uptake systems for arginine in Escherichia coli are encoded by the artJ-artPIQM gene cluster. ArtJ is the high-affinity periplasmic arginine-specific binding protein (ArgBP-I), whereas artI encodes the arginine and ornithine periplasmic binding protein (AO). Both ArtJ and ArtI are supposed to combine with the inner membrane-associated ArtQMP2 transport complex of the ATP-binding cassette-type (ABC). Transcription of artJ is repressed by arginine repressor (ArgR) and the artPIQM operon is regulated by the transcriptional regulators ArgR and Leucine-responsive regulatory protein (Lrp). Whereas repression by ArgR requires arginine as corepressor, repression of PartP by Lrp is partially counteracted by leucine, its major effector molecule. We demonstrate that binding of dimeric Lrp to the artP control region generates four complexes with a distinct migration velocity, and that leucine has an effect on both global binding affinity and cooperativity in the binding. We identify the binding sites for Lrp in the artP control region, reveal interferences in the binding of ArgR and Lrp in vitro and demonstrate that the two transcription factors act as competitive repressors in vivo, each one being a more potent regulator in the absence of the other. This competitive behavior may be explained by the partial steric overlap of their respective binding sites. Furthermore, we demonstrate ArgR binding to an unusual position in the control region of the lrp gene, downstream of the transcription initiation site. From this unusual position for an ArgR-specific operator, ArgR has little direct effect on lrp expression, but interferes with the negative leucine-sensitive autoregulation exerted by Lrp. Direct arginine and ArgR-dependent repression of lrp could be observed with a 25-bp deletion mutant, in which the ArgR binding site was artificially moved to a position immediately downstream of the lrp transcription initiation site. This finding is reminiscent of a previous observation made for the carAB operon encoding carbamoylphosphate synthase, where ArgR bound in overlap with the downstream promoter P2 does not block transcription initiated 67 bp upstream at the P1 promoter, and further supports the hypothesis that ArgR does not act as an efficient roadblock.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oscar E Torres Montaguth
- Research Group of Microbiology, Department of Bioengineering Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Indra Bervoets
- Research Group of Microbiology, Department of Bioengineering Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Eveline Peeters
- Research Group of Microbiology, Department of Bioengineering Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Daniel Charlier
- Research Group of Microbiology, Department of Bioengineering Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
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15
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The Leucine-Responsive Regulatory Protein Lrp Participates in Virulence Regulation Downstream of Small RNA ArcZ in Erwinia amylovora. mBio 2019; 10:mBio.00757-19. [PMID: 31138749 PMCID: PMC6538786 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00757-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Fire blight disease continues to plague the commercial production of apples and pears despite more than a century of research into disease epidemiology and disease control. The causative agent of fire blight, Erwinia amylovora coordinates turning on or off specific virulence-associated traits at the appropriate time during disease development. The development of novel control strategies requires an in-depth understanding of E. amylovora regulatory mechanisms, including regulatory control of virulence-associated traits. This study investigates how the small RNA ArcZ regulates motility at the transcriptional level and identifies the transcription factor Lrp as a novel participant in the regulation of several virulence-associated traits. We report that ArcZ and Lrp together affect key virulence-associated traits through integration of transcriptional and posttranscriptional mechanisms. Further understanding of the topology of virulence regulatory networks can uncover weak points that can subsequently be exploited to control E. amylovora. Erwinia amylovora causes the devastating fire blight disease of apple and pear trees. During systemic infection of host trees, pathogen cells must rapidly respond to changes in their environment as they move through different host tissues that present distinct challenges and sources of nutrition. Growing evidence indicates that small RNAs (sRNAs) play an important role in disease progression as posttranscriptional regulators. The sRNA ArcZ positively regulates the motility phenotype and transcription of flagellar genes in E. amylovora Ea1189 yet is a direct repressor of translation of the flagellar master regulator, FlhD. We utilized transposon mutagenesis to conduct a forward genetic screen and identified suppressor mutations that increase motility in the Ea1189ΔarcZ mutant background. This enabled us to determine that the mechanism of transcriptional activation of the flhDC mRNA by ArcZ is mediated by the leucine-responsive regulatory protein, Lrp. We show that Lrp contributes to expression of virulence and several virulence-associated traits, including production of the exopolysaccharide amylovoran, levansucrase activity, and biofilm formation. We further show that Lrp is regulated posttranscriptionally by ArcZ through destabilization of lrp mRNA. Thus, ArcZ regulation of FlhDC directly and indirectly through Lrp forms an incoherent feed-forward loop that regulates levansucrase activity and motility as outputs. This work identifies Lrp as a novel participant in virulence regulation in E. amylovora and places it in the context of a virulence-associated regulatory network.
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16
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Kroner GM, Wolfe MB, Freddolino PL. Escherichia coli Lrp Regulates One-Third of the Genome via Direct, Cooperative, and Indirect Routes. J Bacteriol 2019; 201:e00411-18. [PMID: 30420454 PMCID: PMC6349092 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00411-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2018] [Accepted: 11/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The global regulator Lrp plays a crucial role in regulating metabolism, virulence, and motility in response to environmental conditions. Lrp has previously been shown to activate or repress approximately 10% of the genes in Escherichia coli However, the full spectrum of targets, and how Lrp acts to regulate them, have stymied earlier study. We have combined matched chromatin-immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) under nine physiological conditions to comprehensively map the binding and regulatory activity of Lrp as it directs responses to nutrient abundance. In addition to identifying hundreds of novel Lrp targets, we observe two new global trends, as follows: first, that Lrp will often bind to promoters in a poised position under conditions when it has no regulatory activity to enable combinatorial interactions with other regulators, and second, that nutrient levels induce a global shift in the equilibrium between less-sequence-specific and more-sequence-specific DNA binding. The overall regulatory behavior of Lrp, which as we now show extends to 38% of E. coli genes directly or indirectly under at least one condition, thus arises from the interaction between changes in Lrp binding specificity and cooperative action with other regulators.IMPORTANCE To survive, bacteria such as E. coli must rapidly respond to changing environmental conditions, including nutrient levels. A decrease in nutrient availability causes bacteria to stop rapid replication and enter stationary phase, where they perform limited to no cell division. The E. coli global regulatory protein Lrp has been previously implicated in modulating the expression of genes particularly important at this transition from rapid to slowed growth. Here, we monitor Lrp's DNA binding locations and effect on gene expression under three different nutrient conditions across three growth stages. We find that Lrp's role is even broader than previously suspected and that it appears to interact with many other bacterial regulators to perform its function in a condition-specific manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace M Kroner
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Cellular Biotechnology Training Program, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Michael B Wolfe
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Department of Computational Medicine & Bioinformatics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Peter L Freddolino
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Department of Computational Medicine & Bioinformatics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
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17
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Alanine dehydrogenases in mycobacteria. J Microbiol 2019; 57:81-92. [PMID: 30706339 DOI: 10.1007/s12275-019-8543-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2018] [Revised: 10/31/2018] [Accepted: 11/07/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Since NAD(H)-dependent L-alanine dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.4.1; Ald) was identified as one of the major antigens present in culture filtrates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, many studies on the enzyme have been conducted. Ald catalyzes the reversible conversion of pyruvate to alanine with concomitant oxidation of NADH to NAD+ and has a homohexameric quaternary structure. Expression of the ald genes was observed to be strongly upregulated in M. tuberculosis and Mycobacterium smegmatis grown in the presence of alanine. Furthermore, expression of the ald genes in some mycobacteria was observed to increase under respiration-inhibitory conditions such as oxygen-limiting and nutrient-starvation conditions. Upregulation of ald expression by alanine or under respiration-inhibitory conditions is mediated by AldR, a member of the Lrp/AsnC family of transcriptional regulators. Mycobacterial Alds were demonstrated to be the enzymes required for utilization of alanine as a nitrogen source and to help mycobacteria survive under respiration-inhibitory conditions by maintaining cellular NADH/NAD+ homeostasis. Several inhibitors of Ald have been developed, and their application in combination with respiration-inhibitory antitubercular drugs such as Q203 and bedaquiline was recently suggested.
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18
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Liu J, Chen Y, Wang W, Ren M, Wu P, Wang Y, Li C, Zhang L, Wu H, Weaver DT, Zhang B. Engineering of an Lrp family regulator SACE_Lrp improves erythromycin production in Saccharopolyspora erythraea. Metab Eng 2017; 39:29-37. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2016.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2016] [Revised: 10/05/2016] [Accepted: 10/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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19
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Abstract
If fully stretched out, a typical bacterial chromosome would be nearly 1 mm long, approximately 1,000 times the length of a cell. Not only must cells massively compact their genetic material, but they must also organize their DNA in a manner that is compatible with a range of cellular processes, including DNA replication, DNA repair, homologous recombination, and horizontal gene transfer. Recent work, driven in part by technological advances, has begun to reveal the general principles of chromosome organization in bacteria. Here, drawing on studies of many different organisms, we review the emerging picture of how bacterial chromosomes are structured at multiple length scales, highlighting the functions of various DNA-binding proteins and the impact of physical forces. Additionally, we discuss the spatial dynamics of chromosomes, particularly during their segregation to daughter cells. Although there has been tremendous progress, we also highlight gaps that remain in understanding chromosome organization and segregation.
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20
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Unoarumhi Y, Blumenthal RM, Matson JS. Evolution of a global regulator: Lrp in four orders of γ-Proteobacteria. BMC Evol Biol 2016; 16:111. [PMID: 27206730 PMCID: PMC4875751 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-016-0685-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2016] [Accepted: 05/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Bacterial global regulators each regulate the expression of several hundred genes. In Escherichia coli, the top seven global regulators together control over half of all genes. Leucine-responsive regulatory protein (Lrp) is one of these top seven global regulators. Lrp orthologs are very widely distributed, among both Bacteria and Archaea. Surprisingly, even within the phylum γ-Proteobacteria (which includes E. coli), Lrp is a global regulator in some orders and a local regulator in others. This raises questions about the evolution of Lrp and, more broadly, of global regulators. Results We examined Lrp sequences from four bacterial orders of the γ-Proteobacteria using phylogenetic and Logo analyses. The orders studied were Enterobacteriales and Vibrionales, in which Lrp plays a global role in tested species; Pasteurellales, in which Lrp is a local regulator in the tested species; and Alteromonadales, an order closely related to the other three but in which Lrp has not yet been studied. For comparison, we analyzed the Lrp paralog AsnC, which in all tested cases is a local regulator. The Lrp and AsnC phylogenetic clusters each divided, as expected, into subclusters representing the Enterobacteriales, Vibrionales, and Pasteuralles. However the Alteromonadales did not yield coherent clusters for either Lrp or AsnC. Logo analysis revealed signatures associated with globally- vs. locally- acting Lrp orthologs, providing testable hypotheses for which portions of Lrp are responsible for a global vs. local role. These candidate regions include both ends of the Lrp polypeptide but not, interestingly, the highly-conserved helix-turn-helix motif responsible for DNA sequence specificity. Conclusions Lrp and AsnC have conserved sequence signatures that allow their unambiguous annotation, at least in γ-Proteobacteria. Among Lrp orthologs, specific residues correlated with global vs. local regulatory roles, and can now be tested to determine which are functionally relevant and which simply reflect divergence. In the Alteromonadales, it appears that there are different subgroups of Lrp orthologs, one of which may act globally while the other may act locally. These results suggest experiments to improve our understanding of the evolution of bacterial global regulators. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-016-0685-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yvette Unoarumhi
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, Ohio, USA.,Program in Bioinformatics and Proteomics/Genomics, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, USA
| | - Robert M Blumenthal
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, Ohio, USA.,Program in Bioinformatics and Proteomics/Genomics, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, USA
| | - Jyl S Matson
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, Ohio, USA.
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21
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Hussa EA, Casanova-Torres ÁM, Goodrich-Blair H. The Global Transcription Factor Lrp Controls Virulence Modulation in Xenorhabdus nematophila. J Bacteriol 2015; 197:3015-25. [PMID: 26170407 PMCID: PMC4542165 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00272-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2015] [Accepted: 07/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED The bacterium Xenorhabdus nematophila engages in phenotypic variation with respect to pathogenicity against insect larvae, yielding both virulent and attenuated subpopulations of cells from an isogenic culture. The global regulatory protein Lrp is necessary for X. nematophila virulence and immunosuppression in insects, as well as colonization of the mutualistic host nematode Steinernema carpocapsae, and mediates expression of numerous genes implicated in each of these phenotypes. Given the central role of Lrp in X. nematophila host associations, as well as its involvement in regulating phenotypic variation pathways in other bacteria, we assessed its function in virulence modulation. We discovered that expression of lrp varies within an isogenic population, in a manner that correlates with modulation of virulence. Unexpectedly, although Lrp is necessary for optimal virulence and immunosuppression, cells expressing high levels of lrp were attenuated in these processes relative to those with low to intermediate lrp expression. Furthermore, fixed expression of lrp at high and low levels resulted in attenuated and normal virulence and immunosuppression, respectively, and eliminated population variability of these phenotypes. These data suggest that fluctuating lrp expression levels are sufficient to drive phenotypic variation in X. nematophila. IMPORTANCE Many bacteria use cell-to-cell phenotypic variation, characterized by distinct phenotypic subpopulations within an isogenic population, to cope with environmental change. Pathogenic bacteria utilize this strategy to vary antigen or virulence factor expression. Our work establishes that the global transcription factor Lrp regulates phenotypic variation in the insect pathogen Xenorhabdus nematophila, leading to attenuation of virulence and immunosuppression in insect hosts. Unexpectedly, we found an inverse correlation between Lrp expression levels and virulence: high levels of expression of Lrp-dependent putative virulence genes are detrimental for virulence but may have an adaptive advantage in other aspects of the life cycle. Investigation of X. nematophila phenotypic variation facilitates dissection of this phenomenon in the context of a naturally occurring symbiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A Hussa
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | | | - Heidi Goodrich-Blair
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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22
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Regulation Mechanism of the ald Gene Encoding Alanine Dehydrogenase in Mycobacterium smegmatis and Mycobacterium tuberculosis by the Lrp/AsnC Family Regulator AldR. J Bacteriol 2015. [PMID: 26195594 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00453-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED In the presence of alanine, AldR, which belongs to the Lrp/AsnC family of transcriptional regulators and regulates ald encoding alanine dehydrogenase in Mycobacterium smegmatis, changes its quaternary structure from a homodimer to an octamer with an open-ring conformation. Four AldR-binding sites (O2, O1, O4, and O3) with a consensus sequence of GA/T-N2-NWW/WWN-N2-A/TC were identified upstream of the M. smegmatis ald gene by means of DNase I footprinting analysis. O2, O1, and O4 are required for the induction of ald expression by alanine, while O3 is directly involved in the repression of ald expression. In addition to O3, both O1 and O4 are also necessary for full repression of ald expression in the absence of alanine, due to cooperative binding of AldR dimers to O1, O4, and O3. Binding of a molecule of the AldR octamer to the ald control region was demonstrated to require two AldR-binding sites separated by three helical turns between their centers and one additional binding site that is in phase with the two AldR-binding sites. The cooperative binding of AldR dimers to DNA requires three AldR-binding sites that are aligned with a periodicity of three helical turns. The aldR gene is negatively autoregulated independently of alanine. Comparative analysis of ald expression of M. smegmatis and Mycobacterium tuberculosis in conjunction with sequence analysis of both ald control regions led us to suggest that the expression of the ald genes in both mycobacterial species is regulated by the same mechanism. IMPORTANCE In mycobacteria, alanine dehydrogenase (Ald) is the enzyme required both to utilize alanine as a nitrogen source and to grow under hypoxic conditions by maintaining the redox state of the NADH/NAD(+) pool. Expression of the ald gene was reported to be regulated by the AldR regulator that belongs to the Lrp/AsnC (feast/famine) family, but the underlying mechanism was unknown. This study revealed the regulation mechanism of ald in Mycobacterium smegmatis and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Furthermore, a generalized arrangement pattern of cis-acting regulatory sites for Lrp/AsnC (feast/famine) family regulators is suggested in this study.
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23
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Shimada T, Saito N, Maeda M, Tanaka K, Ishihama A. Expanded roles of leucine-responsive regulatory protein in transcription regulation of the Escherichia coli genome: Genomic SELEX screening of the regulation targets. Microb Genom 2015; 1:e000001. [PMID: 28348809 PMCID: PMC5320599 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2015] [Accepted: 05/26/2015] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Leucine-responsive regulatory protein (Lrp) is a transcriptional regulator for the genes involved in transport, biosynthesis and catabolism of amino acids in Escherichia coli. In order to identify the whole set of genes under the direct control of Lrp, we performed Genomic SELEX screening and identified a total of 314 Lrp-binding sites on the E. coli genome. As a result, the regulation target of Lrp was predicted to expand from the hitherto identified genes for amino acid metabolism to a set of novel target genes for utilization of amino acids for protein synthesis, including tRNAs, aminoacyl-tRNA synthases and rRNAs. Northern blot analysis indicated alteration of mRNA levels for at least some novel targets, including the aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase genes. Phenotype MicroArray of the lrp mutant indicated significant alteration in utilization of amino acids and peptides, whilst metabolome analysis showed variations in the concentration of amino acids in the lrp mutant. From these two datasets we realized a reverse correlation between amino acid levels and cell growth rate: fast-growing cells contain low-level amino acids, whilst a high level of amino acids exists in slow-growing cells. Taken together, we propose that Lrp is a global regulator of transcription of a large number of the genes involved in not only amino acid transport and metabolism, but also amino acid utilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomohiro Shimada
- Research Center for Micro-Nano Technology, Hosei University, Koganei, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Frontier Bioscience, Hosei University, Koganei, Tokyo, Japan.,Chemical Resources Laboratory, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Nagatsuta, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Natsumi Saito
- Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Keio University, Yamagata, Japan.,Department of Chemistry and Material Engineering, Tsuruoka National College of Technology, Yamagata, Japan
| | - Michihisa Maeda
- School of Agriculture, Meiji University, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Kan Tanaka
- Chemical Resources Laboratory, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Nagatsuta, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Akira Ishihama
- Research Center for Micro-Nano Technology, Hosei University, Koganei, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Frontier Bioscience, Hosei University, Koganei, Tokyo, Japan
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24
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Lewis DL, Notey JS, Chandrayan SK, Loder AJ, Lipscomb GL, Adams MWW, Kelly RM. A mutant ('lab strain') of the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus, lacking flagella, has unusual growth physiology. Extremophiles 2014; 19:269-81. [PMID: 25472011 DOI: 10.1007/s00792-014-0712-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2014] [Accepted: 11/16/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
A mutant ('lab strain') of the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus DSM3638 exhibited an extended exponential phase and atypical cell aggregation behavior. Genomic DNA from the mutant culture was sequenced and compared to wild-type (WT) DSM3638, revealing 145 genes with one or more insertions, deletions, or substitutions (12 silent, 33 amino acid substitutions, and 100 frame shifts). Approximately, half of the mutated genes were transposases or hypothetical proteins. The WT transcriptome revealed numerous changes in amino acid and pyrimidine biosynthesis pathways coincidental with growth phase transitions, unlike the mutant whose transcriptome reflected the observed prolonged exponential phase. Targeted gene deletions, based on frame-shifted ORFs in the mutant genome, in a genetically tractable strain of P. furiosus (COM1) could not generate the extended exponential phase behavior observed for the mutant. For example, a putative radical SAM family protein (PF2064) was the most highly up-regulated ORF (>25-fold) in the WT between exponential and stationary phase, although this ORF was unresponsive in the mutant; deletion of this gene in P. furiosus COM1 resulted in no apparent phenotype. On the other hand, frame-shifting mutations in the mutant genome negatively impacted transcription of a flagellar biosynthesis operon (PF0329-PF0338).Consequently, cells in the mutant culture lacked flagella and, unlike the WT, showed minimal evidence of exopolysaccharide-based cell aggregation in post-exponential phase. Electron microscopy of PF0331-PF0337 deletions in P. furiosus COM1 showed that absence of flagella impacted normal cell aggregation behavior and, furthermore, indicated that flagella play a key role, beyond motility, in the growth physiology of P. furiosus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derrick L Lewis
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, EB-1,911 Partners Way, Raleigh, NC, 27695-7905, US
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25
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Liu H, Orell A, Maes D, van Wolferen M, Lindås AC, Bernander R, Albers SV, Charlier D, Peeters E. BarR, an Lrp-type transcription factor in Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, regulates an aminotransferase gene in a β-alanine responsive manner. Mol Microbiol 2014; 92:625-39. [PMID: 24646198 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.12583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/15/2014] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
In archaea, nothing is known about the β-alanine degradation pathway or its regulation. In this work, we identify and characterize BarR, a novel Lrp-like transcription factor and the first one that has a non-proteinogenic amino acid ligand. BarR is conserved in Sulfolobus acidocaldarius and Sulfolobus tokodaii and is located in a divergent operon with a gene predicted to encode β-alanine aminotransferase. Deletion of barR resulted in a reduced exponential growth rate in the presence of β-alanine. Furthermore, qRT-PCR and promoter activity assays demonstrated that BarR activates the expression of the adjacent aminotransferase gene, but only upon β-alanine supplementation. In contrast, auto-activation proved to be β-alanine independent. Heterologously produced BarR is an octamer in solution and forms a single complex by interacting with multiple sites in the 170 bp long intergenic region separating the divergently transcribed genes. In vitro, DNA binding is specifically responsive to β-alanine and site-mutant analyses indicated that β-alanine directly interacts with the ligand-binding pocket. Altogether, this work contributes to the growing body of evidence that in archaea, Lrp-like transcription factors have physiological roles that go beyond the regulation of α-amino acid metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Liu
- Research Group of Microbiology, Department of Bio-engineering Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050, Brussels, Belgium
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26
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Regulation of the ald gene encoding alanine dehydrogenase by AldR in Mycobacterium smegmatis. J Bacteriol 2013; 195:3610-20. [PMID: 23749971 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00482-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The regulatory gene aldR was identified 95 bp upstream of the ald gene encoding L-alanine dehydrogenase in Mycobacterium smegmatis. The AldR protein shows sequence similarity to the regulatory proteins of the Lrp/AsnC family. Using an aldR deletion mutant, we demonstrated that AldR serves as both activator and repressor for the regulation of ald gene expression, depending on the presence or absence of L-alanine. The purified AldR protein exists as a homodimer in the absence of L-alanine, while it adopts the quaternary structure of a homohexamer in the presence of L-alanine. The binding affinity of AldR for the ald control region was shown to be increased significantly by L-alanine. Two AldR binding sites (O1 and O2) with the consensus sequence GA-N₂-ATC-N₂-TC and one putative AldR binding site with the sequence GA-N₂-GTT-N₂-TC were identified upstream of the ald gene. Alanine and cysteine were demonstrated to be the effector molecules directly involved in the induction of ald expression. The cellular level of L-alanine was shown to be increased in M. smegmatis cells grown under hypoxic conditions, and the hypoxic induction of ald expression appears to be mediated by AldR, which senses the intracellular level of alanine.
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Song N, Nguyen Duc T, van Oeffelen L, Muyldermans S, Peeters E, Charlier D. Expanded target and cofactor repertoire for the transcriptional activator LysM from Sulfolobus. Nucleic Acids Res 2013; 41:2932-49. [PMID: 23355617 PMCID: PMC3597687 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkt021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Previously, Lrp-like transcriptional regulator LysM from the hyperthermoacidophilic crenarchaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus was proposed to have a single target, the lysWXJK operon of lysine biosynthesis, and a single effector molecule, l-lysine. Here we identify ∼70 novel binding sites for LysM in the S. solfataricus genome with a LysM-specific nanobody-based chromatin immunoprecipitation assay coupled to microarray hybridization (ChIP-chip) and in silico target site prediction using an energy-based position weight matrix, and validate these findings with in vitro binding. LysM binds to intergenic and coding regions, including promoters of various amino acid biosynthesis and transport genes. We confirm that l-lysine is the most potent effector molecule that reduces, but does not completely abolish, LysM binding, and show that several other amino acids and derivatives, including d-lysine, l-arginine, l-homoarginine, l-glutamine and l-methionine and branched-chain amino acids l-leucine, l-isoleucine and l-valine, significantly affect DNA-binding properties of LysM. Therefore, it appears from this study that LysM is a much more versatile regulator than previously thought, and that it uses a variety of amino acids to sense nutritional quality of the environment and to modulate expression of the metabolic machinery of Sulfolobus accordingly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ningning Song
- Research Group of Microbiology, Department of Bio-engineering Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
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Vassart A, Van Wolferen M, Orell A, Hong Y, Peeters E, Albers SV, Charlier D. Sa-Lrp from Sulfolobus acidocaldarius is a versatile, glutamine-responsive, and architectural transcriptional regulator. Microbiologyopen 2012; 2:75-93. [PMID: 23255531 PMCID: PMC3584215 DOI: 10.1002/mbo3.58] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2012] [Revised: 11/12/2012] [Accepted: 11/13/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Sa-Lrp is a member of the leucine-responsive regulatory protein (Lrp)-like family of transcriptional regulators in Sulfolobus acidocaldarius. Previously, we demonstrated the binding of Sa-Lrp to the control region of its own gene in vitro. However, the function and cofactor of Sa-Lrp remained an enigma. In this work, we demonstrate that glutamine is the cofactor of Sa-Lrp by inducing the formation of octamers and increasing the DNA-binding affinity and sequence specificity. In vitro protein-DNA interaction assays indicate that Sa-Lrp binds to promoter regions of genes with a variety of functions including ammonia assimilation, transcriptional control, and UV-induced pili synthesis. DNA binding occurs with a specific affinity for AT-rich binding sites, and the protein induces DNA bending and wrapping upon binding, indicating an architectural role of the regulator. Furthermore, by analyzing an Sa-lrp deletion mutant, we demonstrate that the protein affects transcription of some of the genes of which the promoter region is targeted and that it is an important determinant of the cellular aggregation phenotype. Taking all these results into account, we conclude that Sa-Lrp is a glutamine-responsive global transcriptional regulator with an additional architectural role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amelia Vassart
- Research Group of Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences and Bio-engineering Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
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The TonB3 system in the human pathogen Vibrio vulnificus is under the control of the global regulators Lrp and cyclic AMP receptor protein. J Bacteriol 2012; 194:1897-911. [PMID: 22307757 DOI: 10.1128/jb.06614-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
TonB systems transduce the proton motive force of the cytoplasmic membrane to energize substrate transport through a specific TonB-dependent transporter across the outer membrane. Vibrio vulnificus, an opportunistic marine pathogen that can cause a fatal septicemic disease in humans and eels, possesses three TonB systems. While the TonB1 and TonB2 systems are iron regulated, the TonB3 system is induced when the bacterium grows in human serum. In this work we have determined the essential roles of the leucine-responsive protein (Lrp) and cyclic AMP (cAMP) receptor protein (CRP) in the transcriptional activation of this system. Whereas Lrp shows at least four very distinctive DNA binding regions spread out from position -59 to -509, cAMP-CRP binds exclusively in a region centered at position -122.5 from the start point of the transcription. Our results suggest that both proteins bind simultaneously to the region closer to the RNA polymerase binding site. Importantly, we report that the TonB3 system is induced not only by serum but also during growth in minimal medium with glycerol as the sole carbon source and low concentrations of Casamino Acids. In addition to catabolite repression by glucose, l-leucine acts by inhibiting the binding of Lrp to the promoter region, hence preventing transcription of the TonB3 operon. Thus, this TonB system is under the direct control of two global regulators that can integrate different environmental signals (i.e., glucose starvation and the transition between "feast" and "famine"). These results shed light on new mechanisms of regulation for a TonB system that could be widespread in other organisms.
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Recognition of DNA by the helix-turn-helix global regulatory protein Lrp is modulated by the amino terminus. J Bacteriol 2011; 193:3794-803. [PMID: 21642464 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00191-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The AsnC/Lrp family of regulatory proteins links bacterial and archaeal transcription patterns to metabolism. In Escherichia coli, Lrp regulates approximately 400 genes, over 200 of them directly. In earlier studies, lrp genes from Vibrio cholerae, Proteus mirabilis, and E. coli were introduced into the same E. coli background and yielded overlapping but significantly different regulons. These differences were seen despite amino acid sequence identities of 92% (Vibrio) and 98% (Proteus) to E. coli Lrp, including complete conservation of the helix-turn-helix motifs. The N-terminal region contains many of the sequence differences among these Lrp orthologs, which led us to investigate its role in Lrp function. Through the generation of hybrid proteins, we found that the N-terminal diversity is responsible for some of the differences between orthologs in terms of DNA binding (as revealed by mobility shift assays) and multimerization (as revealed by gel filtration, dynamic light scattering, and analytical ultracentrifugation). These observations indicate that the N-terminal tail plays a significant role in modulating Lrp function, similar to what is seen for a number of other regulatory proteins.
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The E. coli anti-sigma factor Rsd: studies on the specificity and regulation of its expression. PLoS One 2011; 6:e19235. [PMID: 21573101 PMCID: PMC3089606 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0019235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2011] [Accepted: 03/23/2011] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Among the seven different sigma factors in E. coli σ70 has the highest concentration and affinity for the core RNA polymerase. The E. coli protein Rsd is regarded as an anti-sigma factor, inhibiting σ70-dependent transcription at the onset of stationary growth. Although binding of Rsd to σ70 has been shown and numerous structural studies on Rsd have been performed the detailed mechanism of action is still unknown. Methodology/Principal Findings We have performed studies to unravel the function and regulation of Rsd expression in vitro and in vivo. Cross-linking and affinity binding revealed that Rsd is able to interact with σ70, with the core enzyme of RNA polymerase and is able to form dimers in solution. Unexpectedly, we find that Rsd does also interact with σ38, the stationary phase-specific sigma factor. This interaction was further corroborated by gel retardation and footprinting studies with different promoter fragments and σ38- or σ70-containing RNA polymerase in presence of Rsd. Under competitive in vitro transcription conditions, in presence of both sigma factors, a selective inhibition of σ70-dependent transcription was prevailing, however. Analysis of rsd expression revealed that the nucleoid-associated proteins H-NS and FIS, StpA and LRP bind to the regulatory region of the rsd promoters. Furthermore, the major promoter P2 was shown to be down-regulated in vivo by RpoS, the stationary phase-specific sigma factor and the transcription factor DksA, while induction of the stringent control enhanced rsd promoter activity. Most notably, the dam-dependent methylation of a cluster of GATC sites turned out to be important for efficient rsd transcription. Conclusions/Significance The results contribute to a better understanding of the intricate mechanism of Rsd-mediated sigma factor specificity changes during stationary phase.
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Unexpected coregulator range for the global regulator Lrp of Escherichia coli and Proteus mirabilis. J Bacteriol 2010; 193:1054-64. [PMID: 21169483 DOI: 10.1128/jb.01183-10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The Lrp/AsnC family of transcription factors links gene regulation to metabolism in bacteria and archaea. Members of this family, collectively, respond to a wide range of amino acids as coregulators. In Escherichia coli, Lrp regulates over 200 genes directly and is well known to respond to leucine and, to a somewhat lesser extent, alanine. We focused on Lrp from Proteus mirabilis and E. coli, orthologs with 98% identity overall and identical helix-turn-helix motifs, for which a previous study nevertheless found functional differences. Sequence differences between these orthologs, within and adjacent to the amino acid-responsive RAM domain, led us to test for differential sensitivity to coregulatory amino acids. In the course of this investigation, we found, via in vivo reporter fusion assays and in vitro electrophoretic mobility shift experiments, that E. coli Lrp itself responded to a broader range of amino acids than was previously appreciated. In particular, for both the E. coli and P. mirabilis orthologs, Lrp responsiveness to methionine was similar in magnitude to that to leucine. Both Lrp orthologs are also fairly sensitive to Ile, His, and Thr. These observations suggest that Lrp ties gene expression in the Enterobacteriaceae rather extensively to physiological status, as reflected in amino acid pools. These findings also have substantial implications for attempts to model regulatory architecture from transcriptome measurements or to infer such architecture from genome sequences, and they suggest that even well-studied regulators deserve ongoing exploration.
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The Lrp family of transcription regulators in archaea. ARCHAEA-AN INTERNATIONAL MICROBIOLOGICAL JOURNAL 2010; 2010:750457. [PMID: 21151646 PMCID: PMC2995911 DOI: 10.1155/2010/750457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2010] [Accepted: 10/20/2010] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Archaea possess a eukaryotic-type basal transcription apparatus that is regulated by bacteria-like transcription regulators. A universal and abundant family of transcription regulators are the bacterial/archaeal Lrp-like regulators. The Lrp family is one of the best studied regulator families in archaea, illustrated by investigations of proteins from the archaeal model organisms: Sulfolobus, Pyrococcus, Methanocaldococcus, and Halobacterium. These regulators are extremely versatile in their DNA-binding properties, response to effector molecules, and molecular regulatory mechanisms. Besides being involved in the regulation of the amino acid metabolism, they also regulate central metabolic processes. It appears that these regulatory proteins are also involved in large regulatory networks, because of hierarchical regulations and the possible combinatorial use of different Lrp-like proteins. Here, we discuss the recent developments in our understanding of this important class of regulators.
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Abstract
Emerging models of the bacterial nucleoid show that nucleoid-associated proteins (NAPs) and transcription contribute in combination to the dynamic nature of nucleoid structure. NAPs and other DNA-binding proteins that display gene-silencing and anti-silencing activities are emerging as key antagonistic regulators of nucleoid structure. Furthermore, it is becoming clear that the boundary between NAPs and conventional transcriptional regulators is quite blurred and that NAPs facilitate the evolution of novel gene regulatory circuits. Here, NAP biology is considered from the standpoints of both gene regulation and nucleoid structure.
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Peeters E, Nguyen Le Minh P, Foulquié-Moreno M, Charlier D. Competitive activation of the Escherichia coli argO gene coding for an arginine exporter by the transcriptional regulators Lrp and ArgP. Mol Microbiol 2009; 74:1513-26. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2009.06950.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Shrivastava T, Dey A, Ramachandran R. Ligand-Induced Structural Transitions, Mutational Analysis, and ‘Open’ Quaternary Structure of the M. tuberculosis Feast/Famine Regulatory Protein (Rv3291c). J Mol Biol 2009; 392:1007-19. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2009.07.084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2009] [Revised: 07/16/2009] [Accepted: 07/22/2009] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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Pritchett MA, Wilkinson SP, Geiduschek EP, Ouhammouch M. Hybrid Ptr2-like activators of archaeal transcription. Mol Microbiol 2009; 74:582-93. [PMID: 19775246 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2009.06884.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Methanocaldococcus jannaschii Ptr2, a member of the Lrp/AsnC family of bacterial DNA-binding proteins, is an activator of its eukaryal-type core transcription apparatus. In Lrp-family proteins, an N-terminal helix-turn-helix DNA-binding and dimerizing domain is joined to a C-terminal effector and multimerizing domain. A cysteine-scanning surface mutagenesis shows that the C-terminal domain of Ptr2 is responsible for transcriptional activation; two types of DNA binding-positive but activation-defective mutants are found: those unable to recruit the TBP and TFB initiation factors to the promoter, and those failing at a post-recruitment step. Transcriptional activation through the C-terminal Ptr2 effector domain is exploited in a screen of other Lrp effector domains for activation capability by constructing hybrid proteins with the N-terminal DNA-binding domain of Ptr2. Two hybrid proteins are effective activators: Ptr-H10, fusing the effector domain of Pyrococcus furiosus LrpA, and Ptr-H16, fusing the P. furiosus ORF1231 effector domain. Both new activators exhibit distinguishing characteristics: unlike octameric Ptr2, Ptr-H10 is a dimer; unlike Ptr2, the octameric Ptr-H16 poorly recruits TBP to the promoter, but more effectively co-recruits TFB with TBP. In contrast, the effector domain of Ptr1, the M. jannaschii Ptr2 paralogue, yields only very weak activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A Pritchett
- Division of Biological Sciences and Center for Molecular Genetics, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0634, USA
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The leucine-responsive regulatory protein, Lrp, modulates microcin J25 intrinsic resistance in Escherichia coli by regulating expression of the YojI microcin exporter. J Bacteriol 2008; 191:1343-8. [PMID: 19074390 DOI: 10.1128/jb.01074-08] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Many Escherichia coli K-12 strains display an intrinsic resistance to the peptide antibiotic microcin J25. In this study, we present results showing that the leucine-responsive regulatory protein, Lrp, is involved in this phenotype by acting as a positive regulator of YojI, a chromosomally encoded efflux pump which expels microcin out of cells. Exogenous leucine antagonizes the effect of Lrp, leading to a diminished expression of the pump and an increased susceptibility to microcin J25.
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McFarland KA, Dorman CJ. Autoregulated expression of the gene coding for the leucine-responsive protein, Lrp, a global regulator in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. MICROBIOLOGY-SGM 2008; 154:2008-2016. [PMID: 18599829 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.2008/018358-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
In this study, the lrp gene encoding the leucine-responsive regulatory protein (Lrp) in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium was found to be negatively autoregulated. Its transcription start site was determined by primer extension analysis, showing that the lrp promoter is located at a different site to that inferred previously from the S. Typhimurium genome sequence. Chromosomal DNA fragments that include the promoter region were bound by purified Lrp protein in vitro, producing up to four distinct protein-DNA complexes. DNase I footprinting identified regions that were protected by the protein in vitro as well as bases that became hypersensitive to DNase I treatment following Lrp binding. A clear pattern of periodic hypersensitivity was detected between positions -130 and +15 that was consistent with wrapping of the DNA around Lrp in a nucleoprotein complex that includes the putative promoter region. Lrp-DNA interaction in this region was fully consistent with the observed repression of lrp transcription by this protein. Leucine was found to modulate Lrp-mediated autorepression by remodelling the Lrp-DNA nucleoprotein complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsty A McFarland
- Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Charles J Dorman
- Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
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Kumarevel T, Nakano N, Ponnuraj K, Gopinath SCB, Sakamoto K, Shinkai A, Kumar PKR, Yokoyama S. Crystal structure of glutamine receptor protein from Sulfolobus tokodaii strain 7 in complex with its effector L-glutamine: implications of effector binding in molecular association and DNA binding. Nucleic Acids Res 2008; 36:4808-20. [PMID: 18653535 PMCID: PMC2504300 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkn456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2008] [Revised: 06/30/2008] [Accepted: 07/02/2008] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Genome analyses have revealed that members of the Lrp/AsnC family of transcriptional regulators are widely distributed among prokaryotes, including both bacteria and archaea. These regulatory proteins are involved in cellular metabolism in both global and specific manners, depending on the availability of the exogenous amino acid effectors. Here we report the first crystal structure of glutamine receptor protein (Grp) from Sulfolobus tokodaii strain 7, in the ligand-free and glutamine-bound (Grp-Gln) forms. Although the overall structures of both molecules are similar, a significant conformational change was observed at the ligand [L-glutamine (Gln)] binding site in the effector domain, which may be essential for further stabilization of the octameric structure, and in turn for facilitating DNA binding. In addition, we predicted promoter for the grp gene, and these analyses suggested the importance of cooperative binding to the protein. To gain insights into the ligand-induced conformational changes, we mutated all of the ligand-binding residues in Grp, and revealed the importance of Gln binding by biochemical and structural analyses. Further structural analyses showed that Y77 is crucial for ligand binding, and that the residues T132 and T134, which are highly conserved among the Lrp family of proteins, fluctuates between the active and inactive conformations, thus affecting protein oligomerization for DNA binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thirumananseri Kumarevel
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, Harima Institute, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan, Center of Advanced Study in Crystallography and Biophysics, University of Madras, Guindy Campus, Chennai 600 025, Tamil Nadu, India, Institute for Biological Resources and Functions, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Central 6, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8566, Systems and Structural Biology Center, Yokohama Institute, RIKEN, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi, Yokohama 230-0045 and Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Noboru Nakano
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, Harima Institute, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan, Center of Advanced Study in Crystallography and Biophysics, University of Madras, Guindy Campus, Chennai 600 025, Tamil Nadu, India, Institute for Biological Resources and Functions, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Central 6, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8566, Systems and Structural Biology Center, Yokohama Institute, RIKEN, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi, Yokohama 230-0045 and Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Karthe Ponnuraj
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, Harima Institute, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan, Center of Advanced Study in Crystallography and Biophysics, University of Madras, Guindy Campus, Chennai 600 025, Tamil Nadu, India, Institute for Biological Resources and Functions, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Central 6, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8566, Systems and Structural Biology Center, Yokohama Institute, RIKEN, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi, Yokohama 230-0045 and Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Subash C. B. Gopinath
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, Harima Institute, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan, Center of Advanced Study in Crystallography and Biophysics, University of Madras, Guindy Campus, Chennai 600 025, Tamil Nadu, India, Institute for Biological Resources and Functions, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Central 6, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8566, Systems and Structural Biology Center, Yokohama Institute, RIKEN, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi, Yokohama 230-0045 and Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Keiko Sakamoto
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, Harima Institute, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan, Center of Advanced Study in Crystallography and Biophysics, University of Madras, Guindy Campus, Chennai 600 025, Tamil Nadu, India, Institute for Biological Resources and Functions, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Central 6, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8566, Systems and Structural Biology Center, Yokohama Institute, RIKEN, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi, Yokohama 230-0045 and Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Akeo Shinkai
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, Harima Institute, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan, Center of Advanced Study in Crystallography and Biophysics, University of Madras, Guindy Campus, Chennai 600 025, Tamil Nadu, India, Institute for Biological Resources and Functions, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Central 6, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8566, Systems and Structural Biology Center, Yokohama Institute, RIKEN, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi, Yokohama 230-0045 and Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Penmetcha K. R. Kumar
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, Harima Institute, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan, Center of Advanced Study in Crystallography and Biophysics, University of Madras, Guindy Campus, Chennai 600 025, Tamil Nadu, India, Institute for Biological Resources and Functions, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Central 6, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8566, Systems and Structural Biology Center, Yokohama Institute, RIKEN, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi, Yokohama 230-0045 and Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Shigeyuki Yokoyama
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, Harima Institute, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan, Center of Advanced Study in Crystallography and Biophysics, University of Madras, Guindy Campus, Chennai 600 025, Tamil Nadu, India, Institute for Biological Resources and Functions, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Central 6, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8566, Systems and Structural Biology Center, Yokohama Institute, RIKEN, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi, Yokohama 230-0045 and Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
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Lintner RE, Mishra PK, Srivastava P, Martinez-Vaz BM, Khodursky AB, Blumenthal RM. Limited functional conservation of a global regulator among related bacterial genera: Lrp in Escherichia, Proteus and Vibrio. BMC Microbiol 2008; 8:60. [PMID: 18405378 PMCID: PMC2374795 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2180-8-60] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2007] [Accepted: 04/11/2008] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Bacterial genome sequences are being determined rapidly, but few species are physiologically well characterized. Predicting regulation from genome sequences usually involves extrapolation from better-studied bacteria, using the hypothesis that a conserved regulator, conserved target gene, and predicted regulator-binding site in the target promoter imply conserved regulation between the two species. However many compared organisms are ecologically and physiologically diverse, and the limits of extrapolation have not been well tested. In E. coli K-12 the leucine-responsive regulatory protein (Lrp) affects expression of ~400 genes. Proteus mirabilis and Vibrio cholerae have highly-conserved lrp orthologs (98% and 92% identity to E. coli lrp). The functional equivalence of Lrp from these related species was assessed. Results Heterologous Lrp regulated gltB, livK and lrp transcriptional fusions in an E. coli background in the same general way as the native Lrp, though with significant differences in extent. Microarray analysis of these strains revealed that the heterologous Lrp proteins significantly influence only about half of the genes affected by native Lrp. In P. mirabilis, heterologous Lrp restored swarming, though with some pattern differences. P. mirabilis produced substantially more Lrp than E. coli or V. cholerae under some conditions. Lrp regulation of target gene orthologs differed among the three native hosts. Strikingly, while Lrp negatively regulates its own gene in E. coli, and was shown to do so even more strongly in P. mirabilis, Lrp appears to activate its own gene in V. cholerae. Conclusion The overall similarity of regulatory effects of the Lrp orthologs supports the use of extrapolation between related strains for general purposes. However this study also revealed intrinsic differences even between orthologous regulators sharing >90% overall identity, and 100% identity for the DNA-binding helix-turn-helix motif, as well as differences in the amounts of those regulators. These results suggest that predicting regulation of specific target genes based on genome sequence comparisons alone should be done on a conservative basis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert E Lintner
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Toledo Health Sciences Center, Toledo, OH 43614-2598, USA.
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Kawashima T, Aramaki H, Oyamada T, Makino K, Yamada M, Okamura H, Yokoyama K, Ishijima SA, Suzuki M. Transcription Regulation by Feast/Famine Regulatory Proteins, FFRPs, in Archaea and Eubacteria. Biol Pharm Bull 2008; 31:173-86. [DOI: 10.1248/bpb.31.173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tsuyoshi Kawashima
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
- Japan Science and Technology Agency, Core Research for Evolutionary Science and Technology
- Yokohama College of Pharmacy, Laboratory of Molecular Biology
| | - Hironori Aramaki
- Department of Molecular Biology, Daiichi College of Pharmaceutical Sciences
| | - Tomoya Oyamada
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Defense Academy
| | - Kozo Makino
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Defense Academy
| | - Mitsugu Yamada
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
- Japan Science and Technology Agency, Core Research for Evolutionary Science and Technology
| | - Hideyasu Okamura
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
- Japan Science and Technology Agency, Core Research for Evolutionary Science and Technology
| | - Katsushi Yokoyama
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
- Japan Science and Technology Agency, Core Research for Evolutionary Science and Technology
| | - Sanae Arakawa Ishijima
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
- Japan Science and Technology Agency, Core Research for Evolutionary Science and Technology
| | - Masashi Suzuki
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
- Japan Science and Technology Agency, Core Research for Evolutionary Science and Technology
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Reddy MCM, Gokulan K, Jacobs WR, Ioerger TR, Sacchettini JC. Crystal structure of Mycobacterium tuberculosis LrpA, a leucine-responsive global regulator associated with starvation response. Protein Sci 2008; 17:159-70. [PMID: 18042675 PMCID: PMC2144582 DOI: 10.1110/ps.073192208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2007] [Revised: 09/22/2007] [Accepted: 09/27/2007] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The bacterial leucine-responsive regulatory protein (Lrp) is a global transcriptional regulator that controls the expression of many genes during starvation and the transition to stationary phase. The Mycobacterium tuberculosis gene Rv3291c encodes a 150-amino acid protein (designated here as Mtb LrpA) with homology with Escherichia coli Lrp. The crystal structure of the native form of Mtb LrpA was solved at 2.1 A. The Mtb LrpA structure shows an N-terminal DNA-binding domain with a helix-turn-helix (HTH) motif, and a C-terminal regulatory domain. In comparison to the complex of E. coli AsnC with asparagine, the effector-binding pocket (including loop 100-106) in LrpA appears to be largely preserved, with hydrophobic substitutions consistent with its specificity for leucine. The effector-binding pocket is formed at the interface between adjacent dimers, with an opening to the core of the octamer as in AsnC, and an additional substrate-access channel opening to the outer surface of the octamer. Using electrophoretic mobility shift assays, purified Mtb LrpA protein was shown to form a protein-DNA complex with the lat promoter, demonstrating that the lat operon is a direct target of LrpA. Using computational analysis, a putative motif is identified in this region that is also present upstream of other operons differentially regulated under starvation. This study provides insights into the potential role of LrpA as a global regulator in the transition of M. tuberculosis to a persistent state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manchi C M Reddy
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A and M University, College Station, Texas 77843-2128, USA
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A structural code for discriminating between transcription signals revealed by the feast/famine regulatory protein DM1 in complex with ligands. Structure 2007; 15:1325-38. [PMID: 17937921 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2007.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2007] [Revised: 07/13/2007] [Accepted: 07/25/2007] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Feast/famine regulatory proteins (FFRPs) comprise the largest group of archaeal transcription factors. Crystal structures of an FFRP, DM1 from Pyrococcus, were determined in complex with isoleucine, which increases the association state of DM1 to form octamers, and with selenomethionine, which decreases it to maintain dimers under some conditions. Asp39 and Thr/Ser at 69-71 were identified as being important for interaction with the ligand main chain. By analyzing residues surrounding the ligand side chain, partner ligands were identified for various FFRPs from Pyrococcus, e.g., lysine facilitates homo-octamerization of FL11, and arginine facilitates hetero-octamerization of FL11 and DM1. Transcription of the fl11 gene and lysine synthesis are regulated by shifting the equilibrium between association states of FL11 and by shifting the equilibrium toward association with DM1, in response to amino acid availability. With FFRPs also appearing in eubacteria, the origin of such regulation can be traced back to the common ancestor of all extant organisms, serving as a prototype of transcription regulations, now highly diverged.
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Yokoyama K, Ishijima SA, Koike H, Kurihara C, Shimowasa A, Kabasawa M, Kawashima T, Suzuki M. Feast/Famine Regulation by Transcription Factor FL11 for the Survival of the Hyperthermophilic Archaeon Pyrococcus OT3. Structure 2007; 15:1542-54. [DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2007.10.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2007] [Revised: 10/12/2007] [Accepted: 10/12/2007] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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The leucine-responsive regulatory protein, Lrp, activates transcription of the fim operon in Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium via the fimZ regulatory gene. J Bacteriol 2007; 190:602-12. [PMID: 17981960 DOI: 10.1128/jb.01388-07] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The fim operon of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium encodes type 1 fimbriae. The expression of fim is controlled in response to environmental signals through a complex regulatory cascade involving the proteins FimW, FimY, and FimZ and a genetic locus, fimU, that encodes a rare arginine tRNA. We discovered that a knockout mutation in lrp, the gene that codes for the leucine-responsive regulatory protein (Lrp), inhibited fim transcription. The loss of fim gene expression was accompanied by a corresponding loss of the mannose-sensitive hemagglutination that is a characteristic of type 1 fimbriae. Normal type 1 fimbrial expression was restored following the introduction into the knockout mutant of a plasmid carrying a functional copy of the lrp gene. Electrophoretic mobility shift analysis revealed no interactions between purified Lrp protein and the regulatory region of the fimA, fimU, or fimW gene. Instead, Lrp produced protein-DNA complexes with the regulatory region of the fimZ gene, and the nature of these complexes was leucine sensitive. DNase I footprinting showed that Lrp binds within a region between -65 and -170 with respect to the fimZ transcription start site, consistent with the binding and wrapping of the DNA in this upstream region. Ectopic expression of the fimZ gene from an inducible promoter caused Lrp-independent type 1 fimbriation in serovar Typhimurium. These data show that Lrp makes a positive contribution to fim gene expression through direct interaction with the fimZ promoter region, possibly by antagonizing the binding of the H-NS global repressor protein.
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Shrivastava T, Ramachandran R. Mechanistic insights from the crystal structures of a feast/famine regulatory protein from Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv. Nucleic Acids Res 2007; 35:7324-35. [PMID: 17962306 PMCID: PMC2175373 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkm850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Rv3291c gene from Mycobacterium tuberculosis codes for a transcriptional regulator belonging to the (leucine responsive regulatory protein/regulator of asparigine synthase C gene product) Lrp/AsnC-family. We have identified a novel effector-binding site from crystal structures of the apo protein, complexes with a variety of amino acid effectors, X-ray based ligand screening and qualitative fluorescence spectroscopy experiments. The new effector site is in addition to the structural characterization of another distinct site in the protein conserved in the related AsnC-family of regulators. The structures reveal that the ligand-binding loops of two crystallographically independent subunits adopt different conformations to generate two distinct effector-binding sites. A change in the conformation of the binding site loop 100–106 in the B subunit is apparently necessary for octameric association and also allows the loop to interact with a bound ligand in the newly identified effector-binding site. There are four sites of each kind in the octamer and the protein preferentially binds to aromatic amino acids. While amino acids like Phe, Tyr and Trp exhibit binding to only one site, His exhibits binding to both sites. Binding of Phe is accompanied by a conformational change of 3.7 Å in the 75–83 loop, which is advantageously positioned to control formation of higher oligomers. Taken together, the present studies suggest an elegant control mechanism for global transcription regulation involving binding of ligands to the two sites, individually or collectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tripti Shrivastava
- Molecular & Structural Biology Division, Central Drug Research Institute, P.O. Box 173, Chattar Manzil, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Lucknow-226001, India
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Ren J, Sainsbury S, Combs SE, Capper RG, Jordan PW, Berrow NS, Stammers DK, Saunders NJ, Owens RJ. The Structure and Transcriptional Analysis of a Global Regulator from Neisseria meningitidis. J Biol Chem 2007; 282:14655-64. [PMID: 17374605 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m701082200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Neisseria meningitidis, a causative agent of bacterial meningitis, has a relatively small repertoire of transcription factors, including NMB0573 (annotated AsnC), a member of the Lrp-AsnC family of regulators that are widely expressed in both Bacteria and Archaea. In the present study we show that NMB0573 binds to l-leucine and l-methionine and have solved the structure of the protein with and without bound amino acids. This has shown, for the first time that amino acid binding does not induce significant conformational changes in the structure of an AsnC/Lrp regulator although it does appear to stabilize the octameric assembly of the protein. Transcriptional profiling of wild-type and NMB0573 knock-out strains of N. meningitidis has shown that NMB0573 is associated with an adaptive response to nutrient poor conditions reflected in a reduction in major surface protein expression. On the basis of its structure and the transcriptional response, we propose that NMB0573 is a global regulator in Neisseria controlling responses to nutrient availability through indicators of general amino acid abundance: leucine and methionine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingshan Ren
- Oxford Protein Production Facility and Division of Structural Biology, Henry Wellcome Building for Genomic Medicine, University of Oxford, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, UK
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Peterson SN, Dahlquist FW, Reich NO. The role of high affinity non-specific DNA binding by Lrp in transcriptional regulation and DNA organization. J Mol Biol 2007; 369:1307-17. [PMID: 17498742 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2007.04.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2006] [Revised: 03/22/2007] [Accepted: 04/10/2007] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Transcriptional regulatory proteins typically bind specific DNA sequences with approximately 10(3)-10(7)-fold higher affinity than non-specific DNA and this discrimination is essential for their in vivo function. Here we show that the bacterial leucine-responsive regulatory protein (Lrp) does not follow this trend and has a approximately 20-400-fold binding discrimination between specific and non-specific DNA sequences. We suggest that the dual function of Lrp to regulate genes and to organize DNA utilizes this unique property. A approximately 20-fold decrease in binding affinity from specific DNA is dependent upon cryptic binding sites, including the sequence GN(2-3)TTT and A-tracts. Removal of these sites still results in high binding affinity, only approximately 70-fold weaker than that of specific sites. Similar to Lrp's binding of specific sites in the pap and ilvIH promoters, Lrp binds cooperatively to non-specific DNA; thus, protein/protein interactions are important for both specific and non-specific DNA binding. When considering this cooperativity of Lrp binding, the binding selectivity to specific sites may increase to a maximum of approximately 400-fold. Neither leucine nor the pap-specific local regulator PapI alter Lrp's non-specific binding affinity or cooperative binding of non-specific DNA. We hypothesize that Lrp combines low sequence discrimination and relatively high intracellular protein concentrations to ensure its ability to regulate the transcription of specific genes while also functioning as a nucleoid-associated protein. Modeling of Lrp binding data and comparison to other proteins with regulatory and nucleoid-associated properties suggests similar mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stacey N Peterson
- Program in Biomolecular Science and Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
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Guazzaroni ME, Krell T, Gutiérrez del Arroyo P, Vélez M, Jiménez M, Rivas G, Ramos JL. The transcriptional repressor TtgV recognizes a complex operator as a tetramer and induces convex DNA bending. J Mol Biol 2007; 369:927-39. [PMID: 17482209 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2007.04.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2006] [Revised: 03/27/2007] [Accepted: 04/05/2007] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The TtgV repressor belongs to the large but infrequently investigated IclR family of transcriptional regulators. Although members of this family usually exhibit high effector specificity, TtgV possesses multidrug binding properties. The TtgV protein regulates the expression of the ttgGHI operon encoding the main solvent extrusion pump of the extremophile Pseudomonas putida DOT-T1E strain. Here we used a multidisciplinary approach to study the functional oligomeric state of TtgV during repression and derepression events, as well as the molecular basis of TtgV-DNA operator interactions. Analytical ultracentrifugation studies (AUC) show that TtgV is a tetramer in solution and that this oligomeric state does not change in the presence of effectors. We also show that the binding of effectors leads to the dissociation of TtgV as a tetramer from the DNA-TtgV complex. Previous dimethyl sulfate and DNase I footprints revealed that TtgV protected a 42 bp region. Based on AUC, electrophorectic mobility shift assays and isothermal titration calorimetry analyses we show that TtgV recognition specificity is restricted within this operator to a 34-nucleotide stretch and that TtgV may interact with intercalated inverted repeats that share no significant DNA sequence similarities within this short 34-nucleotide segment. Binding stoichiometry is one TtgV tetramer per operator, and affinity for its target DNA is around 200 nM. Circular dichroism analysis reveals that TtgV binding causes DNA distortion and atomic force microscopy imaging of TtgV-DNA operator complexes shows that TtgV induces a 57 degrees convex bend in its operator DNA. We propose that the mechanism of TtgV repression is based on the steric occlusion of the RNA polymerase binding site reinforced by DNA-bending of the ttgV-ttgG promoter region.
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Affiliation(s)
- María-Eugenia Guazzaroni
- Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Department of Environmental Protection, Granada, Spain
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