1
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Chen X, Bi S, Ma X, Sourjik V, Lai L. Discovery of a New Chemoeffector for Escherichia coli Chemoreceptor Tsr and Identification of a Molecular Mechanism of Repellent Sensing. ACS BIO & MED CHEM AU 2022; 2:386-394. [PMID: 37102165 PMCID: PMC10125284 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomedchemau.1c00055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/28/2023]
Abstract
Motile bacteria use chemotaxis to search for nutrients and escape from harmful chemicals. While the sensing mechanisms for chemical attractants are well established, the molecular details of chemorepellent detection are poorly understood. Here, by using combined computational and experimental approaches to screen potential chemoeffectors for the Escherichia coli chemoreceptor Tsr, we identified a specific chemorepellent, 1-aminocyclohexanecarboxylic acid (ACHC). Our study strongly suggests that ACHC directly binds to the periplasmic sensory domain of Tsr and competes with l-serine, the amino acid attractant of Tsr. We further characterized the binding features of l-serine, ACHC, and l-leucine (a natural repellent that binds Tsr) and found that Asn68 plays a key role in mediating chemotactic response. Mutating Asn68 to Ala inverted the response to l-leucine from a repellent to an attractant. Our study provides important insights into the molecular mechanisms of ligand sensing via bacterial chemoreceptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Chen
- BNLMS,
Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences at College of Chemistry and
Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Center
for Quantitative Biology, Academy of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Shuangyu Bi
- Max
Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology & LOEWE Center for
Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Marburg 35043, Germany
- State
Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Xiaomin Ma
- BNLMS,
Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences at College of Chemistry and
Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Center
for Quantitative Biology, Academy of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Victor Sourjik
- Max
Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology & LOEWE Center for
Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Marburg 35043, Germany
| | - Luhua Lai
- BNLMS,
Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences at College of Chemistry and
Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Center
for Quantitative Biology, Academy of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
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2
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Bi S, Jin F, Sourjik V. Inverted signaling by bacterial chemotaxis receptors. Nat Commun 2018; 9:2927. [PMID: 30050034 PMCID: PMC6062612 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05335-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2017] [Accepted: 07/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Microorganisms use transmembrane sensory receptors to perceive a wide range of environmental factors. It is unclear how rapidly the sensory properties of these receptors can be modified when microorganisms adapt to novel environments. Here, we demonstrate experimentally that the response of an Escherichia coli chemotaxis receptor to its chemical ligands can be easily inverted by mutations at several sites along receptor sequence. We also perform molecular dynamics simulations to shed light on the mechanism of the transmembrane signaling by E. coli chemoreceptors. Finally, we use receptors with inverted signaling to map determinants that enable the same receptor to sense multiple environmental factors, including metal ions, aromatic compounds, osmotic pressure, and salt ions. Our findings demonstrate high plasticity of signaling and provide further insights into the mechanisms of stimulus sensing and processing by bacterial chemoreceptors. Bacteria use chemotaxis receptors to perceive environmental factors. Here, the authors show that mutations in a chemotaxis receptor can invert the sensory response, e.g. from attractant to repellent, and use these mutants to map regions that enable the receptor to sense multiple environmental factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuangyu Bi
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology & LOEWE Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Marburg, 35043, Germany
| | - Fan Jin
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology & LOEWE Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Marburg, 35043, Germany
| | - Victor Sourjik
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology & LOEWE Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Marburg, 35043, Germany.
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3
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Yusuf R, Lawrence RJ, Eke LV, Draheim RR. Tuning Chemoreceptor Signaling by Positioning Aromatic Residues at the Lipid-Aqueous Interface. Methods Mol Biol 2018; 1729:147-158. [PMID: 29429090 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-7577-8_14] [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] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Aromatic tuning facilitates stimulus-independent modulation of receptor output. The methodology is based upon the affinity of amphipathic aromatic residues, namely Trp and Tyr, for the polar-hydrophobic interfaces found within biological membranes. Here, we describe the application of aromatic tuning within the aspartate chemoreceptor of Escherichia coli (Tar). We have also employed the method within other related proteins, such as sensor histidine kinases (SHKs), and therefore hope that other research groups find it useful to modulate signal output from their receptor of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahmi Yusuf
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
| | - Robert J Lawrence
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
| | - Lucy V Eke
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
| | - Roger R Draheim
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK.
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4
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Gushchin I, Gordeliy V. Transmembrane Signal Transduction in Two-Component Systems: Piston, Scissoring, or Helical Rotation? Bioessays 2017; 40. [PMID: 29280502 DOI: 10.1002/bies.201700197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2017] [Revised: 11/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Allosteric and transmembrane (TM) signaling are among the major questions of structural biology. Here, we review and discuss signal transduction in four-helical TM bundles, focusing on histidine kinases and chemoreceptors found in two-component systems. Previously, piston, scissors, and helical rotation have been proposed as the mechanisms of TM signaling. We discuss theoretically possible conformational changes and examine the available experimental data, including the recent crystallographic structures of nitrate/nitrite sensor histidine kinase NarQ and phototaxis system NpSRII:NpHtrII. We show that TM helices can flex at multiple points and argue that the various conformational changes are not mutually exclusive, and often are observed concomitantly, throughout the TM domain or in its part. The piston and scissoring motions are the most prominent motions in the structures, but more research is needed for definitive conclusions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Gushchin
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 141700, Dolgoprudniy, Russia
| | - Valentin Gordeliy
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 141700, Dolgoprudniy, Russia.,Université Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS, IBS, F-38000, Grenoble, France.,Institute of Complex Systems (ICS), ICS-6: Structural Biochemistry, Research Centre Jülich, 52425, Jülich, Germany
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5
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Lehning CE, Heidelberger JB, Reinhard J, Nørholm MHH, Draheim RR. A Modular High-Throughput In Vivo Screening Platform Based on Chimeric Bacterial Receptors. ACS Synth Biol 2017; 6:1315-1326. [PMID: 28372360 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.6b00288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Multidrug resistance (MDR) is a globally relevant problem that requires novel approaches. Two-component systems are a promising, yet untapped target for novel antibacterials. They are prevalent in bacteria and absent in mammals, and their activity can be modulated upon perception of various stimuli. Screening pre-existing compound libraries could reveal small molecules that inhibit stimulus-perception by virulence-modulating receptors, reduce signal output from essential receptors or identify artificial stimulatory ligands for novel SHKs that are involved in virulence. Those small molecules could possess desirable therapeutic properties to combat MDR. We propose that a modular screening platform in which the periplasmic domain of the targeted receptors are fused to the cytoplasmic domain of a well-characterized receptor that governs fluorescence reporter genes could be employed to rapidly screen currently existing small molecule libraries. Here, we have examined two previously created Tar-EnvZ chimeras and a novel NarX-EnvZ chimera. We demonstrate that it is possible to couple periplasmic stimulus-perceiving domains to an invariable cytoplasmic domain that governs transcription of a dynamic fluorescent reporter system. Furthermore, we show that aromatic tuning, or repositioning the aromatic residues at the end of the second transmembrane helix (TM2), modulates baseline signal output from the tested chimeras and even restores output from a nonfunctional NarX-EnvZ chimera. Finally, we observe an inverse correlation between baseline signal output and the degree of response to cognate stimuli. In summary, we propose that the platform described here, a fluorescent Escherichia coli reporter strain with plasmid-based expression of the aromatically tuned chimeric receptors, represents a synthetic biology approach to rapidly screen pre-existing compound libraries for receptor-modulating activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina E. Lehning
- Novo
Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Building 220, Kemitorvet, DK-2800, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | | | - John Reinhard
- Buchmann
Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Straße 15, D-60438, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Morten H. H. Nørholm
- Novo
Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Building 220, Kemitorvet, DK-2800, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
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6
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Sukomon N, Widom J, Borbat PP, Freed JH, Crane BR. Stability and Conformation of a Chemoreceptor HAMP Domain Chimera Correlates with Signaling Properties. Biophys J 2017; 112:1383-1395. [PMID: 28402881 PMCID: PMC5390053 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2017.02.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2016] [Revised: 02/15/2017] [Accepted: 02/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
HAMP domains are dimeric, four-helix bundles that transduce conformational signals in bacterial receptors. Genetic studies of the Escherichia coli serine receptor (Tsr) provide an opportunity to understand HAMP conformational behavior in terms of functional output. To increase its stability, the Tsr HAMP domain was spliced into a poly-HAMP unit from the Pseudomonas aeruginosa Aer2 receptor. Within the chimera, the Tsr HAMP undergoes a thermal melting transition at a temperature much lower than that of the Aer2 HAMP domains. Pulse-dipolar electron spin resonance spectroscopy and site-specific spin-labeling confirm that the Tsr HAMP maintains a four-helix bundle. Pulse-dipolar electron spin resonance spectroscopy was also used to study three well-characterized HAMP mutational phenotypes: those that cause flagella rotation that is counterclockwise (CCW) A and kinase-off; CCW B and also kinase-off; and, clockwise (CW) and kinase-on. Conformational properties of the three HAMP variants support a biphasic model of dynamic bundle stability, but also indicate distinct conformational changes within the helix bundle. Functional kinase-on (CW) and kinase-off (CCW A) states differ by concerted changes in the positions of spin-label sites at the base of the bundle. Opposite shifts in the subunit separation distances of neighboring residues at the C-termini of the α1 and α2 helices are consistent with a helix scissors motion or a gearbox rotational model of HAMP activation. In the drastic kinase-off lesion of CCW B, the α1 helices unfold and the α2 helices form a tight two-helix coiled-coil. The substitution of a critical residue in the Tsr N-terminal linker or control cable reduces conformational heterogeneity at the N-terminus of α1 but does not affect structure at the C-terminus of α2. Overall, the data suggest that transitions from on- to off-states involve decreased motional amplitudes of the Tsr HAMP coupled with helix rotations and movements toward a two-helix packing mode.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nattakan Sukomon
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
| | - Joanne Widom
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
| | - Peter P Borbat
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York; National Biomedical Center for Advanced ESR Technologies, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
| | - Jack H Freed
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York; National Biomedical Center for Advanced ESR Technologies, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
| | - Brian R Crane
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.
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7
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Ames P, Hunter S, Parkinson JS. Evidence for a Helix-Clutch Mechanism of Transmembrane Signaling in a Bacterial Chemoreceptor. J Mol Biol 2016; 428:3776-88. [PMID: 27019297 PMCID: PMC5023463 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2016.03.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2016] [Revised: 03/14/2016] [Accepted: 03/15/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The Escherichia coli Tsr protein contains a periplasmic serine-binding domain that transmits ligand occupancy information to a cytoplasmic kinase-control domain to regulate the cell's flagellar motors. The Tsr input and output domains communicate through conformational changes transmitted through a transmembrane helix (TM2), a five-residue control cable helix at the membrane-cytoplasm interface, and a four-helix HAMP bundle. Changes in serine occupancy are known to promote TM2 piston displacements in one subunit of the Tsr homodimer. We explored how such piston motions might be relayed through the control cable to reach the input AS1 helix of HAMP by constructing and characterizing mutant receptors that had one-residue insertions or deletions in the TM2-control cable segment of Tsr. TM2 deletions caused kinase-off output shifts; TM2 insertions caused kinase-on shifts. In contrast, control cable deletions caused kinase-on output, whereas insertions at the TM2-control cable junction caused kinase-off output. These findings rule out direct mechanical transmission of TM2 conformational changes to HAMP. Instead, we suggest that the Tsr control cable transmits input signals to HAMP by modulating the intensity of structural clashes between out-of-register TM2 and AS1 helices. Inward displacement of TM2 might alter the sidechain environment of control cable residues at the membrane core-headgroup interface, causing a break in the control cable helix to attenuate the register mismatch and enhance HAMP packing stability, leading to a kinase-off output response. This helix-clutch model offers a new perspective on the mechanism of transmembrane signaling in chemoreceptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Ames
- Biology Department, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA
| | - Samuel Hunter
- Biology Department, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA
| | - John S Parkinson
- Biology Department, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA.
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8
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Mise T. Structural Analysis of the Ligand-Binding Domain of the Aspartate Receptor Tar from Escherichia coli. Biochemistry 2016; 55:3708-13. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.6b00160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Takeshi Mise
- 2-19-3 Misato, Okinawa-shi, Okinawa 904-2153, Japan
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9
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Heininger A, Yusuf R, Lawrence RJ, Draheim RR. Identification of transmembrane helix 1 (TM1) surfaces important for EnvZ dimerisation and signal output. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2016; 1858:1868-75. [PMID: 27155567 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2016.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2015] [Revised: 04/12/2016] [Accepted: 05/03/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The Escherichia coli sensor kinase EnvZ modulates porin expression in response to various stimuli, including extracellular osmolarity, the presence of procaine and interaction with an accessory protein, MzrA. Two major outer membrane porins, OmpF and OmpC, act as passive diffusion-limited pores that allow compounds, including certain classes of antibiotics such as β-lactams and fluoroquinolones, to enter the bacterial cell. Even though the mechanisms by which EnvZ detects and processes the presence of various stimuli are a fundamental component of microbial physiology, they are not yet fully understood. Here, we assess the role of TM1 during signal transduction in response to the presence of extracellular osmolarity. Various mechanisms of transmembrane communication have been proposed including rotation of individual helices within the transmembrane domain, dynamic movement of the membrane-distal portion of the cytoplasmic domain and regulated intra-protein unfolding. To assess these possibilities, we have created a library of single-Cys-containing EnvZ proteins in order to facilitate sulfhydryl-reactivity experimentation. Our results demonstrate that the major TM1-TM1' interface falls along a single surface consisting of residue positions 19, 23, 26, 30 and 34. In addition, we show that Cys substitutions within the N- and C-terminal regions of TM1 result in drastic changes to EnvZ signal output. Finally, we demonstrate that core residues within TM1 are responsible for both TM1 dimerisation and maintenance of steady-state signal output. Overall, our results suggest that no major rearrangement of the TM1-TM1' interface occurs during transmembrane communication in response to extracellular osmolarity. We conclude by discussing these results within the frameworks of several proposed models for transmembrane communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annika Heininger
- Institute of Biochemistry, Biocenter, Goethe University Frankfurt, D-60438 Frankfurt, Germany.
| | - Rahmi Yusuf
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth PO1 2DT, England, UK.
| | - Robert J Lawrence
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth PO1 2DT, England, UK.
| | - Roger R Draheim
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth PO1 2DT, England, UK; Institute of Biomedical and Biomolecular Science, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth PO1 2DT, England, UK.
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10
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Yusuf R, Draheim RR. Employing aromatic tuning to modulate output from two-component signaling circuits. J Biol Eng 2015; 9:7. [PMID: 26000034 PMCID: PMC4440246 DOI: 10.1186/s13036-015-0003-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2015] [Accepted: 05/01/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Two-component signaling circuits (TCSs) govern the majority of environmental, pathogenic and industrial processes undertaken by bacteria. Therefore, controlling signal output from these circuits in a stimulus-independent manner is of central importance to synthetic microbiologists. Aromatic tuning, or repositioning the aromatic residues commonly found at the cytoplasmic end of the final TM helix has been shown to modulate signal output from the aspartate chemoreceptor (Tar) and the major osmosensor (EnvZ) of Escherichia coli. Aromatic residues are found in a similar location within other bacterial membrane-spanning receptors, suggesting that aromatic tuning could be harnessed for a wide-range of applications. Here, a brief synopsis of the data underpinning aromatic tuning, the initial successes with the method and the inherent advantages over those previously employed for modulating TCS signal output are presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahmi Yusuf
- Division of Pharmacy, Durham University, Queen's Campus, Stockton-on-Tees, TS17 6BH England UK
| | - Roger R Draheim
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, St. Michael's Building, White Swan Road, Portsmouth, PO1 2DT, England UK
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11
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Nørholm MHH, von Heijne G, Draheim RR. Forcing the issue: aromatic tuning facilitates stimulus-independent modulation of a two-component signaling circuit. ACS Synth Biol 2015; 4:474-81. [PMID: 25162177 PMCID: PMC4410910 DOI: 10.1021/sb500261t] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Two-component signaling circuits allow bacteria to detect and respond to external stimuli. Unfortunately, the input stimulus remains unidentified for the majority of these circuits. Therefore, development of a synthetic method for stimulus-independent modulation of these circuits is highly desirable because particular physiological or developmental processes could be controlled for biotechnological purposes without the need to identify the stimulus itself. Here, we demonstrate that aromatic tuning, i.e., repositioning the aromatic residues commonly found at the cytoplasmic end of the receptor (EnvZ) transmembrane domain, facilitates stimulus-independent modulation of signal output from the EnvZ/OmpR osmosensing circuit of Escherichia coli. We found that these osmosensing circuits retained the ability to respond appropriately to increased external osmolarity, suggesting that the tuned receptors were not locked in a single conformation. We also noted that circuits containing aromatically tuned variants became more sensitive to changes in the receptor concentration than their wild-type counterpart, suggesting a new way to study mechanisms underpinning receptor concentration-dependent robustness. We believe that aromatic tuning has several advantages compared to previous methods aimed at stimulus-independent modulation of receptors and that it will be generally applicable to a wide-range of two-component circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morten H. H. Nørholm
- Novo
Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kogle Alle 6, DK-2970 Hørsholm, Denmark
| | - Gunnar von Heijne
- Department
of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius
väg 16C, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
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12
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Parkinson JS, Hazelbauer GL, Falke JJ. Signaling and sensory adaptation in Escherichia coli chemoreceptors: 2015 update. Trends Microbiol 2015; 23:257-66. [PMID: 25834953 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2015.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 253] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2015] [Revised: 03/03/2015] [Accepted: 03/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Motile Escherichia coli cells track gradients of attractant and repellent chemicals in their environment with transmembrane chemoreceptor proteins. These receptors operate in cooperative arrays to produce large changes in the activity of a signaling kinase, CheA, in response to small changes in chemoeffector concentration. Recent research has provided a much deeper understanding of the structure and function of core receptor signaling complexes and the architecture of higher-order receptor arrays, which, in turn, has led to new insights into the molecular signaling mechanisms of chemoreceptor networks. Current evidence supports a new view of receptor signaling in which stimulus information travels within receptor molecules through shifts in the dynamic properties of adjoining structural elements rather than through a few discrete conformational states.
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Affiliation(s)
- John S Parkinson
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, 257 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.
| | - Gerald L Hazelbauer
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri Columbia, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Joseph J Falke
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
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13
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Bi S, Lai L. Bacterial chemoreceptors and chemoeffectors. Cell Mol Life Sci 2015; 72:691-708. [PMID: 25374297 PMCID: PMC11113376 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-014-1770-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2014] [Revised: 10/05/2014] [Accepted: 10/23/2014] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Bacteria use chemotaxis signaling pathways to sense environmental changes. Escherichia coli chemotaxis system represents an ideal model that illustrates fundamental principles of biological signaling processes. Chemoreceptors are crucial signaling proteins that mediate taxis toward a wide range of chemoeffectors. Recently, in deep study of the biochemical and structural features of chemoreceptors, the organization of higher-order clusters in native cells, and the signal transduction mechanisms related to the on-off signal output provides us with general insights to understand how chemotaxis performs high sensitivity, precise adaptation, signal amplification, and wide dynamic range. Along with the increasing knowledge, bacterial chemoreceptors can be engineered to sense novel chemoeffectors, which has extensive applications in therapeutics and industry. Here we mainly review recent advances in the E. coli chemotaxis system involving structure and organization of chemoreceptors, discovery, design, and characterization of chemoeffectors, and signal recognition and transduction mechanisms. Possible strategies for changing the specificity of bacterial chemoreceptors to sense novel chemoeffectors are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuangyu Bi
- Center for Quantitative Biology, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 China
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Luhua Lai
- Center for Quantitative Biology, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 China
- BNLMS, State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences at College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 China
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14
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Ribonucleotide reductase NrdR as a novel regulator for motility and chemotaxis during adherent-invasive Escherichia coli infection. Infect Immun 2015; 83:1305-17. [PMID: 25605769 DOI: 10.1128/iai.02772-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
A critical step in the life cycle of all organisms is the duplication of the genetic material during cell division. Ribonucleotide reductases (RNRs) are essential enzymes for this step because they control the de novo production of the deoxyribonucleotides required for DNA synthesis and repair. Enterobacteriaceae have three functional classes of RNRs (Ia, Ib, and III), which are transcribed from separate operons and encoded by the genes nrdAB, nrdHIEF, and nrdDG, respectively. Here, we investigated the role of RNRs in the virulence of adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC) isolated from Crohn's disease (CD) patients. Interestingly, the LF82 strain of AIEC harbors four different RNRs (two class Ia, one class Ib, and one class III). Although the E. coli RNR enzymes have been extensively characterized both biochemically and enzymatically, little is known about their roles during bacterial infection. We found that RNR expression was modified in AIEC LF82 bacteria during cell infection, suggesting that RNRs play an important role in AIEC virulence. Knockout of the nrdR and nrdD genes, which encode a transcriptional regulator of RNRs and class III anaerobic RNR, respectively, decreased AIEC LF82's ability to colonize the gut mucosa of transgenic mice that express human CEACAM6 (carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 6). Microarray experiments demonstrated that NrdR plays an indirect role in AIEC virulence by interfering with bacterial motility and chemotaxis. Thus, the development of drugs targeting RNR classes, in particular NrdR and NrdD, could be a promising new strategy to control gut colonization by AIEC bacteria in CD patients.
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15
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Botelho SC, Enquist K, von Heijne G, Draheim RR. Differential repositioning of the second transmembrane helices from E. coli Tar and EnvZ upon moving the flanking aromatic residues. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES 2014; 1848:615-21. [PMID: 25445668 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2014.11.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2014] [Revised: 10/29/2014] [Accepted: 11/17/2014] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Aromatic tuning, i.e. repositioning aromatic residues found at the cytoplasmic end of transmembrane (TM) domains within bacterial receptors, has been previously shown to modulate signal output from the aspartate chemoreceptor (Tar) and the major osmosensor EnvZ of Escherichia coli. In the case of Tar, changes in signal output consistent with the vertical position of the native Trp-Tyr aromatic tandem within TM2 were observed. In contrast, within EnvZ, where a Trp-Leu-Phe aromatic triplet was repositioned, the surface that the triplet resided upon was the major determinant governing signal output. However, these studies failed to determine whether moving the aromatic residues was sufficient to physically reposition the TM helix within a membrane. Recent coarse-grained molecular dynamics (CG-MD) simulations predicted displacement of Tar TM2 upon moving the aromatic residues at the cytoplasmic end of the helix. Here, we demonstrate that repositioning the Trp-Tyr tandem within Tar TM2 displaces the C-terminal boundary of the helix relative to the membrane. In a similar analysis of EnvZ, an abrupt initial displacement of TM2 was observed but no subsequent movement was seen, suggesting that the vertical position of TM2 is not governed by the location of the Trp-Leu-Phe triplet. Our results also provide another set of experimental data, i.e. the resistance of EnvZ TM2 to being displaced upon aromatic tuning, which could be useful for subsequent refinement of the initial CG-MD simulations. Finally, we discuss the limitations of these methodologies, how moving flanking aromatic residues might impact steady-state signal output and the potential to employ aromatic tuning in other bacterial membrane-spanning receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salomé C Botelho
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 16C, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Karl Enquist
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 16C, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Gunnar von Heijne
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 16C, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Roger R Draheim
- Division of Pharmacy, Durham University, Queen's Campus, Stockton-on-Tees TS17 6BH, England, UK; Wolfson Research Institute for Health and Wellbeing, Durham University, Queen's Campus, Stockton-on-Tees, TS17 6BH, England, UK.
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Differential regulation of staphylococcal virulence by the sensor kinase SaeS in response to neutrophil-derived stimuli. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2014; 111:E2037-45. [PMID: 24782537 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1322125111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Two-component systems (TCSs) are highly conserved across bacteria and are used to rapidly sense and respond to changing environmental conditions. The human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus uses the S. aureus exoprotein expression (sae) TCS to sense host signals and activate transcription of virulence factors essential to pathogenesis. Despite its importance, the mechanism by which the histidine kinase SaeS recognizes specific host stimuli is unknown. After mutagenizing the predicted extracellular loop of SaeS, we discovered one methionine residue (M31) was essential for the ability of S. aureus to transcribe sae target genes, including hla, lukAB/lukGH, and hlgA. This single M31A mutation also significantly reduced cytotoxicity in human neutrophils to levels observed in cells following interaction with ΔsaeS. Another important discovery was that mutation of two aromatic anchor residues (W32A and F33A) disrupted the normal basal signaling of SaeS in the absence of inducing signals, yet both mutant kinases had appropriate activation of effector genes following exposure to neutrophils. Although the transcriptional profile of aromatic mutation W32A was consistent with that of WT in response to human α-defensin 1, mutant kinase F33A did not properly transcribe the γ-toxin genes in response to this stimulus. Taken together, our results provide molecular evidence for how SaeS recognizes host signals and triggers activation of select virulence factors to facilitate evasion of innate immunity. These findings have important implications for signal transduction in prokaryotes and eukaryotes due to conservation of aromatic anchor residues across both of these domains and the important role they play in sensor protein structure and function.
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Adase CA, Draheim RR, Rueda G, Desai R, Manson MD. Residues at the cytoplasmic end of transmembrane helix 2 determine the signal output of the TarEc chemoreceptor. Biochemistry 2013; 52:2729-38. [PMID: 23495653 DOI: 10.1021/bi4002002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Baseline signal output and communication between the periplasmic and cytoplasmic domains of the Escherichia coli aspartate chemoreceptor Tar(Ec) are both strongly influenced by residues at the C-terminus of transmembrane helix 2 (TM2). In particular, the cytoplasmic aromatic anchor, composed of residues Trp-209 and Tyr-210 in wild-type Tar(Ec), is important for determining the CheA kinase-stimulating activity of the receptor and its ability to respond to chemoeffector-induced stimuli. Here, we have studied the effect on Tar(Ec) function of the six-residue sequence at positions 207-212. Moving various combinations of aromatic residues among these positions generates substantial changes in receptor activity. Trp has the largest effect on function, both in maintaining normal activity and in altering activity when it is moved. Tyr has a weaker effect, and Phe has the weakest; however, all three aromatic residues can alter signal output when they are placed in novel positions. We also find that Gly-211 plays an important role in receptor function, perhaps because of the flexibility it introduces into the TM2-HAMP domain connector. The conservation of this Gly residue in the high-abundance chemoreceptors of E. coli and Salmonella enterica suggests that it may be important for the nuanced, bidirectional transmembrane signaling that occurs in these proteins.
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Zhu L, Bolhuis PG, Vreede J. The HAMP signal relay domain adopts multiple conformational states through collective piston and tilt motions. PLoS Comput Biol 2013; 9:e1002913. [PMID: 23468603 PMCID: PMC3585426 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2012] [Accepted: 12/21/2012] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The HAMP domain is a linker region in prokaryotic sensor proteins and relays input signals to the transmitter domain and vice versa. Functional as a dimer, the structure of HAMP shows a parallel coiled-coil motif comprising four helices. To date, it is unclear how HAMP can relay signals from one domain to another, although several models exist. In this work, we use molecular simulation to test the hypothesis that HAMP adopts different conformations, one of which represents an active, signal-relaying configuration, and another an inactive, resting state. We first performed molecular dynamics simulation on the prototype HAMP domain Af1503 from Archaeoglobus fulgidus. We explored its conformational space by taking the structure of the A291F mutant disabling HAMP activity as a starting point. These simulations revealed additional conformational states that differ in the tilt angles between the helices as well as the relative piston shifts of the helices relative to each other. By enhancing the sampling in a metadynamics set up, we investigated three mechanistic models for HAMP signal transduction. Our results indicate that HAMP can access additional conformational states characterized by piston motion. Furthermore, the piston motion of the N-terminal helix of one monomer is directly correlated with the opposite piston motion of the C-terminal helix of the other monomer. The change in piston motion is accompanied by a change in tilt angle between the monomers, thus revealing that HAMP exhibits a collective motion, i.e. a combination of changes in tilt angles and a piston-like displacement. Our results provide insights into the conformational changes that underlie the signaling mechanism involving HAMP. For survival, bacteria must constantly monitor their environmental conditions and adapt to these by generating a response. Protein sensors enable bacteria to perceive their surroundings and are typically built from modular compounds that are connected by linker regions. The HAMP domain is such a linker region that relays signals between different modules in a sensory cascade. HAMP is a dimer comprising four helices in a parallel coiled-coil interaction motif. One of the hypotheses explaining the mechanism of signal communication by HAMP is that the domain can adopt different stable conformations. In this work, we used a molecular simulation approach to investigate this hypothesis at high atomic resolution. We found that HAMP can adopt different conformations and that, in doing so, the helices shift and tilt with respect to each other. Furthermore, we found that if one helix moves upward, the helix at the other end in the other monomer moves down.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lizhe Zhu
- Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Peter G. Bolhuis
- Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jocelyne Vreede
- Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
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