1
|
Forterre P. The Last Universal Common Ancestor of Ribosome-Encoding Organisms: Portrait of LUCA. J Mol Evol 2024:10.1007/s00239-024-10186-9. [PMID: 39158619 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-024-10186-9] [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: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 08/20/2024]
Abstract
The existence of LUCA in the distant past is the logical consequence of the binary mechanism of cell division. The biosphere in which LUCA and contemporaries were living was the product of a long cellular evolution from the origin of life to the second age of the RNA world. A parsimonious scenario suggests that the molecular fabric of LUCA was much simpler than those of modern organisms, explaining why the evolutionary tempo was faster at the time of LUCA than it was during the diversification of the three domains. Although LUCA was possibly equipped with a RNA genome and most likely lacked an ATP synthase, it was already able to perform basic metabolic functions and to produce efficient proteins. However, the proteome of LUCA and its inferred metabolism remains to be correctly explored by in-depth phylogenomic analyses and updated datasets. LUCA was probably a mesophile or a moderate thermophile since phylogenetic analyses indicate that it lacked reverse gyrase, an enzyme systematically present in all hyperthermophiles. The debate about the position of Eukarya in the tree of life, either sister group to Archaea or descendants of Archaea, has important implications to draw the portrait of LUCA. In the second alternative, one can a priori exclude the presence of specific eukaryotic features in LUCA. In contrast, if Archaea and Eukarya are sister group, some eukaryotic features, such as the spliceosome, might have been present in LUCA and later lost in Archaea and Bacteria. The nature of the LUCA virome is another matter of debate. I suggest here that DNA viruses only originated during the diversification of the three domains from an RNA-based LUCA to explain the odd distribution pattern of DNA viruses in the tree of life.
Collapse
|
2
|
Megrian D, Martinez M, Alzari PM, Wehenkel AM. Evolutionary plasticity and functional repurposing of the essential metabolic enzyme MoeA. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.07.23.604723. [PMID: 39091723 PMCID: PMC11291035 DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.23.604723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
MoeA, or gephyrin in higher eukaryotes, is crucial for molybdenum cofactor biosynthesis required in redox reactions. Gephyrin is a moonlighting protein also involved in postsynaptic receptor clustering, a feature thought to be a recent evolutionary trait. We showed previously that a repurposed copy of MoeA (Glp) is involved in bacterial cell division. To investigate how MoeA acquired multifunctionality, we used phylogenetic inference and protein structure analyses to understand the diversity and evolutionary history of MoeA. Glp-expressing Bacteria have at least two copies of the gene, and our analysis suggests that Glp has lost its enzymatic role. In Archaea we identified an ancestral duplication where one of the paralogs might bind tungsten instead of molybdenum. In eukaryotes, the acquisition of the moonlighting activity of gephyrin comprised three major events: first, MoeA was obtained from Bacteria by early eukaryotes, second, MogA was fused to the N-terminus of MoeA in the ancestor of opisthokonts, and finally, it acquired the function of anchoring GlyR receptors in neurons. Our results support the functional versatility and adaptive nature of the MoeA scaffold, which has been repurposed independently both in eukaryotes and bacteria to carry out analogous functions in network organization at the cell membrane.
Collapse
|
3
|
Meyer FM, Bramkamp M. Cell wall synthesizing complexes in Mycobacteriales. Curr Opin Microbiol 2024; 79:102478. [PMID: 38653035 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2024.102478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Members of the order Mycobacteriales are distinguished by a characteristic diderm cell envelope, setting them apart from other Actinobacteria species. In addition to the conventional peptidoglycan cell wall, these organisms feature an extra polysaccharide polymer composed of arabinose and galactose, termed arabinogalactan. The nonreducing ends of arabinose are covalently linked to mycolic acids (MAs), forming the immobile inner leaflet of the highly hydrophobic MA membrane. The contiguous outer leaflet of the MA membrane comprises trehalose mycolates and various lipid species. Similar to all actinobacteria, Mycobacteriales exhibit apical growth, facilitated by a polar localized elongasome complex. A septal cell envelope synthesis machinery, the divisome, builds instead of the cell wall structures during cytokinesis. In recent years, a growing body of knowledge has emerged regarding the cell wall synthesizing complexes of Mycobacteriales., focusing particularly on three model species: Corynebacterium glutamicum, Mycobacterium smegmatis, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fabian M Meyer
- Institute for General Microbiology, Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Am Botanischen Garten 1-9, 24118 Kiel, Germany
| | - Marc Bramkamp
- Institute for General Microbiology, Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Am Botanischen Garten 1-9, 24118 Kiel, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Cha HJ, He C, Glover DJ, Xu K, Clark DS. STORM Super-Resolution Visualization of Self-Assembled γPFD Chaperone Ultrastructures in Methanocaldococcus jannaschii. NANO LETTERS 2024; 24:6078-6083. [PMID: 38723608 PMCID: PMC11117396 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c01043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2024] [Revised: 05/04/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024]
Abstract
Gamma-prefoldin (γPFD), a unique chaperone found in the extremely thermophilic methanogen Methanocaldococcus jannaschii, self-assembles into filaments in vitro, which so far have been observed using transmission electron microscopy and cryo-electron microscopy. Utilizing three-dimensional stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (3D-STORM), here we achieve ∼20 nm resolution by precisely locating individual fluorescent molecules, hence resolving γPFD ultrastructure both in vitro and in vivo. Through CF647 NHS ester labeling, we first demonstrate the accurate visualization of filaments and bundles with purified γPFD. Next, by implementing immunofluorescence labeling after creating a 3xFLAG-tagged γPFD strain, we successfully visualize γPFD in M. jannaschii cells. Through 3D-STORM and two-color STORM imaging with DNA, we show the widespread distribution of filamentous γPFD structures within the cell. These findings provide valuable insights into the structure and localization of γPFD, opening up possibilities for studying intriguing nanoscale components not only in archaea but also in other microorganisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hee-Jeong Cha
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California—Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Changdong He
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California—Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Dominic J. Glover
- School
of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Ke Xu
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California—Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Molecular
Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Douglas S. Clark
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California—Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Molecular
Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Makarova KS, Tobiasson V, Wolf YI, Lu Z, Liu Y, Zhang S, Krupovic M, Li M, Koonin EV. Diversity, origin, and evolution of the ESCRT systems. mBio 2024; 15:e0033524. [PMID: 38380930 PMCID: PMC10936438 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00335-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRT) play key roles in protein sorting between membrane-bounded compartments of eukaryotic cells. Homologs of many ESCRT components are identifiable in various groups of archaea, especially in Asgardarchaeota, the archaeal phylum that is currently considered to include the closest relatives of eukaryotes, but not in bacteria. We performed a comprehensive search for ESCRT protein homologs in archaea and reconstructed ESCRT evolution using the phylogenetic tree of Vps4 ATPase (ESCRT IV) as a scaffold and using sensitive protein sequence analysis and comparison of structural models to identify previously unknown ESCRT proteins. Several distinct groups of ESCRT systems in archaea outside of Asgard were identified, including proteins structurally similar to ESCRT-I and ESCRT-II, and several other domains involved in protein sorting in eukaryotes, suggesting an early origin of these components. Additionally, distant homologs of CdvA proteins were identified in Thermoproteales which are likely components of the uncharacterized cell division system in these archaea. We propose an evolutionary scenario for the origin of eukaryotic and Asgard ESCRT complexes from ancestral building blocks, namely, the Vps4 ATPase, ESCRT-III components, wH (winged helix-turn-helix fold) and possibly also coiled-coil, and Vps28-like domains. The last archaeal common ancestor likely encompassed a complex ESCRT system that was involved in protein sorting. Subsequent evolution involved either simplification, as in the TACK superphylum, where ESCRT was co-opted for cell division, or complexification as in Asgardarchaeota. In Asgardarchaeota, the connection between ESCRT and the ubiquitin system that was previously considered a eukaryotic signature was already established.IMPORTANCEAll eukaryotic cells possess complex intracellular membrane organization. Endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRT) play a central role in membrane remodeling which is essential for cellular functionality in eukaryotes. Recently, it has been shown that Asgard archaea, the archaeal phylum that includes the closest known relatives of eukaryotes, encode homologs of many components of the ESCRT systems. We employed protein sequence and structure comparisons to reconstruct the evolution of ESCRT systems in archaea and identified several previously unknown homologs of ESCRT subunits, some of which can be predicted to participate in cell division. The results of this reconstruction indicate that the last archaeal common ancestor already encoded a complex ESCRT system that was involved in protein sorting. In Asgard archaea, ESCRT systems evolved toward greater complexity, and in particular, the connection between ESCRT and the ubiquitin system that was previously considered a eukaryotic signature was established.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kira S. Makarova
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Victor Tobiasson
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Yuri I. Wolf
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Zhongyi Lu
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yang Liu
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Siyu Zhang
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Mart Krupovic
- Archaeal Virology Unit, Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Meng Li
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Eugene V. Koonin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Mills J, Gebhard LJ, Schubotz F, Shevchenko A, Speth DR, Liao Y, Duggin IG, Marchfelder A, Erdmann S. Extracellular vesicle formation in Euryarchaeota is driven by a small GTPase. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2311321121. [PMID: 38408251 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2311321121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/14/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Since their discovery, extracellular vesicles (EVs) have changed our view on how organisms interact with their extracellular world. EVs are able to traffic a diverse array of molecules across different species and even domains, facilitating numerous functions. In this study, we investigate EV production in Euryarchaeota, using the model organism Haloferax volcanii. We uncover that EVs enclose RNA, with specific transcripts preferentially enriched, including those with regulatory potential, and conclude that EVs can act as an RNA communication system between haloarchaea. We demonstrate the key role of an EV-associated small GTPase for EV formation in H. volcanii that is also present across other diverse evolutionary branches of Archaea. We propose the name, ArvA, for the identified family of archaeal vesiculating GTPases. Additionally, we show that two genes in the same operon with arvA (arvB and arvC) are also involved in EV formation. Both, arvB and arvC, are closely associated with arvA in the majority of other archaea encoding ArvA. Our work demonstrates that small GTPases involved in membrane deformation and vesiculation, ubiquitous in Eukaryotes, are also present in Archaea and are widely distributed across diverse archaeal phyla.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Mills
- Archaeal Virology, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen 28359, Germany
| | - L Johanna Gebhard
- Archaeal Virology, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen 28359, Germany
| | - Florence Schubotz
- MARUM Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen 28359, Germany
| | - Anna Shevchenko
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden 01307, Germany
| | - Daan R Speth
- Department of Biogeochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen 28359, Germany
| | - Yan Liao
- The Australian Institute for Microbiology and Infection, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Iain G Duggin
- The Australian Institute for Microbiology and Infection, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
| | | | - Susanne Erdmann
- Archaeal Virology, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen 28359, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Nußbaum P, Kureisaite-Ciziene D, Bellini D, van der Does C, Kojic M, Taib N, Yeates A, Tourte M, Gribaldo S, Loose M, Löwe J, Albers SV. Proteins containing photosynthetic reaction centre domains modulate FtsZ-based archaeal cell division. Nat Microbiol 2024; 9:698-711. [PMID: 38443575 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-024-01600-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Cell division in all domains of life requires the orchestration of many proteins, but in Archaea most of the machinery remains poorly characterized. Here we investigate the FtsZ-based cell division mechanism in Haloferax volcanii and find proteins containing photosynthetic reaction centre (PRC) barrel domains that play an essential role in archaeal cell division. We rename these proteins cell division protein B 1 (CdpB1) and CdpB2. Depletions and deletions in their respective genes cause severe cell division defects, generating drastically enlarged cells. Fluorescence microscopy of tagged FtsZ1, FtsZ2 and SepF in CdpB1 and CdpB2 mutant strains revealed an unusually disordered divisome that is not organized into a distinct ring-like structure. Biochemical analysis shows that SepF forms a tripartite complex with CdpB1/2 and crystal structures suggest that these two proteins might form filaments, possibly aligning SepF and the FtsZ2 ring during cell division. Overall our results indicate that PRC-domain proteins play essential roles in FtsZ-based cell division in Archaea.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Phillip Nußbaum
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | | | - Dom Bellini
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Chris van der Does
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Marko Kojic
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Najwa Taib
- Evolutionary Biology of the Microbial Cell Laboratory, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
- Bioinformatics and Biostatistics Hub, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Anna Yeates
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Maxime Tourte
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Simonetta Gribaldo
- Evolutionary Biology of the Microbial Cell Laboratory, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Martin Loose
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Jan Löwe
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sonja-Verena Albers
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
- Signalling Research Centres BIOSS and CIBSS, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Radler P, Loose M. A dynamic duo: Understanding the roles of FtsZ and FtsA for Escherichia coli cell division through in vitro approaches. Eur J Cell Biol 2024; 103:151380. [PMID: 38218128 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejcb.2023.151380] [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: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Bacteria divide by binary fission. The protein machine responsible for this process is the divisome, a transient assembly of more than 30 proteins in and on the surface of the cytoplasmic membrane. Together, they constrict the cell envelope and remodel the peptidoglycan layer to eventually split the cell into two. For Escherichia coli, most molecular players involved in this process have probably been identified, but obtaining the quantitative information needed for a mechanistic understanding can often not be achieved from experiments in vivo alone. Since the discovery of the Z-ring more than 30 years ago, in vitro reconstitution experiments have been crucial to shed light on molecular processes normally hidden in the complex environment of the living cell. In this review, we summarize how rebuilding the divisome from purified components - or at least parts of it - have been instrumental to obtain the detailed mechanistic understanding of the bacterial cell division machinery that we have today.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Radler
- Institute for Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), Am Campus 1, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria; University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Wien, Austria.
| | - Martin Loose
- Institute for Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), Am Campus 1, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Barillà D. Finding pieces in the archaeal cell division puzzle. Nat Microbiol 2024; 9:591-592. [PMID: 38443573 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-024-01621-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Barillà
- Department of Biology, University of York, York, UK.
- York Biomedical Research Institute, University of York, York, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Zhao S, Makarova KS, Zheng W, Zhan L, Wan Q, Liu Y, Gong H, Krupovic M, Lutkenhaus J, Chen X, Koonin EV, Du S. Widespread photosynthesis reaction centre barrel proteins are necessary for haloarchaeal cell division. Nat Microbiol 2024; 9:712-726. [PMID: 38443574 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-024-01615-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Cell division is fundamental to all cellular life. Most archaea depend on either the prokaryotic tubulin homologue FtsZ or the endosomal sorting complex required for transport for division but neither system has been robustly characterized. Here, we show that three of the four photosynthesis reaction centre barrel domain proteins of Haloferax volcanii (renamed cell division proteins B1/2/3 (CdpB1/2/3)) play important roles in cell division. CdpB1 interacts directly with the FtsZ membrane anchor SepF and is essential for cell division, whereas deletion of cdpB2 and cdpB3 causes a major and a minor division defect, respectively. Orthologues of CdpB proteins are also involved in cell division in other haloarchaea, indicating a conserved function of these proteins. Phylogenetic analysis shows that photosynthetic reaction centre barrel proteins are widely distributed among archaea and appear to be central to cell division in most if not all archaea.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shan Zhao
- Department of Microbiology, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Kira S Makarova
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Wenchao Zheng
- Department of Microbiology, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Le Zhan
- Department of Microbiology, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Qianqian Wan
- Department of Microbiology, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yafei Liu
- Department of Microbiology, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Han Gong
- Department of Microbiology, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Mart Krupovic
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Archaeal Virology Unit, Paris, France
| | - Joe Lutkenhaus
- Department of Microbiology, Molecular Genetics and Immunology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
| | - Xiangdong Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Eugene V Koonin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Shishen Du
- Department of Microbiology, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Liu W, Zhang C, Zhang H, Ma S, Deng J, Wang D, Chang Z, Yang J. Molecular basis for curvature formation in SepF polymerization. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2316922121. [PMID: 38381790 PMCID: PMC10907229 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2316922121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
The self-assembly of proteins into curved structures plays an important role in many cellular processes. One good example of this phenomenon is observed in the septum-forming protein (SepF), which forms polymerized structures with uniform curvatures. SepF is essential for regulating the thickness of the septum during bacteria cell division. In Bacillus subtilis, SepF polymerization involves two distinct interfaces, the β-β and α-α interfaces, which define the assembly unit and contact interfaces, respectively. However, the mechanism of curvature formation in this step is not yet fully understood. In this study, we employed solid-state NMR (SSNMR) to compare the structures of cyclic wild-type SepF assemblies with linear assemblies resulting from a mutation of G137 on the β-β interface. Our results demonstrate that while the sequence differences arise from the internal assembly unit, the dramatic changes in the shape of the assemblies depend on the α-α interface between the units. We further provide atomic-level insights into how the angular variation of the α2 helix on the α-α interface affects the curvature of the assemblies, using a combination of SSNMR, cryo-electron microscopy, and simulation methods. Our findings shed light on the shape control of protein assemblies and emphasize the importance of interhelical contacts in retaining curvature.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wenjing Liu
- National Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan430071, People’s Republic of China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100049, People’s Republic of China
| | - Chang Zhang
- National Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan430071, People’s Republic of China
| | - Huawei Zhang
- Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen518055, People’s Republic of China
- Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen518055, People’s Republic of China
| | - Shaojie Ma
- National Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan430071, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jing Deng
- National Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan430071, People’s Republic of China
| | - Daping Wang
- Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen518055, People’s Republic of China
- Department of Orthopedics, Shenzhen Intelligent Orthopaedics and Biomedical Innovation Platform, Guangdong Provincial Research Center for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Orthopedic Technology, Shenzhen Second People’s Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen518000, People’s Republic of China
| | - Ziwei Chang
- National Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan430071, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jun Yang
- National Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance in Biological Systems, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan430071, People’s Republic of China
- Interdisciplinary Institute of NMR and Molecular Sciences, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, The State Key Laboratory of Refractories and Metallurgy, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan430081, People’s Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Makarova KS, Tobiasson V, Wolf YI, Lu Z, Liu Y, Zhang S, Krupovic M, Li M, Koonin EV. Diversity, Origin and Evolution of the ESCRT Systems. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.06.579148. [PMID: 38903064 PMCID: PMC11188069 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.06.579148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/22/2024]
Abstract
Endosomal Sorting Complexes Required for Transport (ESCRT) play key roles in protein sorting between membrane-bounded compartments of eukaryotic cells. Homologs of many ESCRT components are identifiable in various groups of archaea, especially in Asgardarchaeota, the archaeal phylum that is currently considered to include the closest relatives of eukaryotes, but not in bacteria. We performed a comprehensive search for ESCRT protein homologs in archaea and reconstructed ESCRT evolution using the phylogenetic tree of Vps4 ATPase (ESCRT IV) as a scaffold, using sensitive protein sequence analysis and comparison of structural models to identify previously unknown ESCRT proteins. Several distinct groups of ESCRT systems in archaea outside of Asgard were identified, including proteins structurally similar to ESCRT-I and ESCRT-II, and several other domains involved in protein sorting in eukaryotes, suggesting an early origin of these components. Additionally, distant homologs of CdvA proteins were identified in Thermoproteales which are likely components of the uncharacterized cell division system in these archaea. We propose an evolutionary scenario for the origin of eukaryotic and Asgard ESCRT complexes from ancestral building blocks, namely, the Vps4 ATPase, ESCRT-III components, wH (winged helix-turn-helix fold) and possibly also coiled-coil, and Vps28-like domains. The Last Archaeal Common Ancestor likely encompassed a complex ESCRT system that was involved in protein sorting. Subsequent evolution involved either simplification, as in the TACK superphylum, where ESCRT was co-opted for cell division, or complexification as in Asgardarchaeota. In Asgardarchaeota, the connection between ESCRT and the ubiquitin system that was previously considered a eukaryotic signature was already established.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kira S. Makarova
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Victor Tobiasson
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Yuri I. Wolf
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Zhongyi Lu
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Yang Liu
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Siyu Zhang
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Mart Krupovic
- Archaeal Virology Unit, Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - Meng Li
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Eugene V Koonin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Cramer K, Reinhardt SCM, Auer A, Shin JY, Jungmann R. Comparing divisome organization between vegetative and sporulating Bacillus subtilis at the nanoscale using DNA-PAINT. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadk5847. [PMID: 38198550 PMCID: PMC10780868 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adk5847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Spore-forming bacteria have two distinct division modes: sporulation and vegetative division. The placement of the foundational division machinery component (Z-ring) within the division plane is contingent on the division mode. However, investigating if and how division is performed differently between sporulating and vegetative cells remains challenging, particularly at the nanoscale. Here, we use DNA-PAINT super-resolution microscopy to compare the 3D assembly and distribution patterns of key division proteins SepF, ZapA, DivIVA, and FtsZ. We determine that ZapA and SepF placement within the division plane mimics that of the Z-ring in vegetative and sporulating cells. We find that DivIVA assemblies differ between vegetative and sporulating cells. Furthermore, we reveal that SepF assembles into ~50-nm arcs independent of division mode. We propose a nanoscale model in which symmetric or asymmetric placement of the Z-ring and early divisome proteins is a defining characteristic of vegetative or sporulating cells, respectively, and regulation of septal thickness differs between division modes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly Cramer
- Faculty of Physics and Center for Nanoscience, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
- Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Susanne C. M. Reinhardt
- Faculty of Physics and Center for Nanoscience, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
- Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Alexander Auer
- Faculty of Physics and Center for Nanoscience, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
- Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Jae Yen Shin
- Faculty of Physics and Center for Nanoscience, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
| | - Ralf Jungmann
- Faculty of Physics and Center for Nanoscience, Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
- Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Cameron TA, Margolin W. Insights into the assembly and regulation of the bacterial divisome. Nat Rev Microbiol 2024; 22:33-45. [PMID: 37524757 PMCID: PMC11102604 DOI: 10.1038/s41579-023-00942-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
The ability to split one cell into two is fundamental to all life, and many bacteria can accomplish this feat several times per hour with high accuracy. Most bacteria call on an ancient homologue of tubulin, called FtsZ, to localize and organize the cell division machinery, the divisome, into a ring-like structure at the cell midpoint. The divisome includes numerous other proteins, often including an actin homologue (FtsA), that interact with each other at the cytoplasmic membrane. Once assembled, the protein complexes that comprise the dynamic divisome coordinate membrane constriction with synthesis of a division septum, but only after overcoming checkpoints mediated by specialized protein-protein interactions. In this Review, we summarize the most recent evidence showing how the divisome proteins of Escherichia coli assemble at the cell midpoint, interact with each other and regulate activation of septum synthesis. We also briefly discuss the potential of divisome proteins as novel antibiotic targets.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Todd A Cameron
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX, USA
| | - William Margolin
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Naha A, Haeusser DP, Margolin W. Anchors: A way for FtsZ filaments to stay membrane bound. Mol Microbiol 2023; 120:525-538. [PMID: 37503768 PMCID: PMC10593102 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.15067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
Most bacteria use the tubulin homolog FtsZ to organize their cell division. FtsZ polymers initially assemble into mobile complexes that circle around a ring-like structure at the cell midpoint, followed by the recruitment of other proteins that will constrict the cytoplasmic membrane and synthesize septal peptidoglycan to divide the cell. Despite the need for FtsZ polymers to associate with the membrane, FtsZ lacks intrinsic membrane binding ability. Consequently, FtsZ polymers have evolved to interact with the membrane through adaptor proteins that both bind FtsZ and the membrane. Here, we discuss recent progress in understanding the functions of these FtsZ membrane tethers. Some, such as FtsA and SepF, are widely conserved and assemble into varied oligomeric structures bound to the membrane through an amphipathic helix. Other less-conserved proteins, such as EzrA and ZipA, have transmembrane domains, make extended structures, and seem to bind to FtsZ through two separate interactions. This review emphasizes that most FtsZs use multiple membrane tethers with overlapping functions, which not only attach FtsZ polymers to the membrane but also organize them in specific higher-order structures that can optimize cell division activity. We discuss gaps in our knowledge of these concepts and how future studies can address them.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Arindam Naha
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, UTHealth-Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Daniel P. Haeusser
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, UTHealth-Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Biology, Canisius College, Buffalo, NY 14208, USA
| | - William Margolin
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, UTHealth-Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Zhao S, Makarova KS, Zheng W, Liu Y, Zhan L, Wan Q, Gong H, Krupovic M, Lutkenhaus J, Chen X, Koonin EV, Du S. Widespread PRC barrel proteins play critical roles in archaeal cell division. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.28.534520. [PMID: 37090588 PMCID: PMC10120694 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.28.534520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
Cell division is fundamental to all cellular life. Most of the archaea employ one of two alternative division machineries, one centered around the prokaryotic tubulin homolog FtsZ and the other around the endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT). However, neither of these mechanisms has been thoroughly characterized in archaea. Here, we show that three of the four PRC (Photosynthetic Reaction Center) barrel domain proteins of Haloferax volcanii (renamed Cell division proteins B1/2/3 (CdpB1/2/3)), play important roles in division. CdpB1 interacts directly with the FtsZ membrane anchor SepF and is essential for division, whereas deletion of cdpB2 and cdpB3 causes a major and a minor division defect, respectively. Orthologs of CdpB proteins are also involved in cell division in other haloarchaea. Phylogenetic analysis shows that PRC barrel proteins are widely distributed among archaea, including the highly conserved CdvA protein of the crenarchaeal ESCRT-based division system. Thus, diverse PRC barrel proteins appear to be central to cell division in most if not all archaea. Further study of these proteins is expected to elucidate the division mechanisms in archaea and their evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shan Zhao
- Department of Microbiology, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Kira S Makarova
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Wenchao Zheng
- Department of Microbiology, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Yafei Liu
- Department of Microbiology, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Le Zhan
- Department of Microbiology, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Qianqian Wan
- Department of Microbiology, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Han Gong
- Department of Microbiology, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Mart Krupovic
- Institut Pasteur, Unité Biologie Moléculaire du Gène chez les Extrêmophiles, Paris, France
| | - Joe Lutkenhaus
- Department of Microbiology, Molecular Genetics and Immunology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas, USA
| | - Xiangdong Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Eugene V Koonin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Shishen Du
- Department of Microbiology, Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Martinez M, Petit J, Leyva A, Sogues A, Megrian D, Rodriguez A, Gaday Q, Ben Assaya M, Portela M, Haouz A, Ducret A, Grangeasse C, Alzari PM, Durán R, Wehenkel A. Eukaryotic-like gephyrin and cognate membrane receptor coordinate corynebacterial cell division and polar elongation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.01.526586. [PMID: 36778425 PMCID: PMC9915583 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.01.526586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The order Corynebacteriales includes major industrial and pathogenic actinobacteria such as Corynebacterium glutamicum or Mycobacterium tuberculosis . Their elaborate multi-layered cell wall, composed primarily of the mycolyl-arabinogalactan-peptidoglycan complex, and their polar growth mode impose a stringent coordination between the septal divisome, organized around the tubulin-like protein FtsZ, and the polar elongasome, assembled around the tropomyosin-like protein Wag31. Here, we report the identification of two new divisome members, a gephyrin-like repurposed molybdotransferase (GLP) and its membrane receptor (GLPR). We show that the interplay between the GLPR/GLP module, FtsZ and Wag31 is crucial for orchestrating cell cycle progression. Our results provide a detailed molecular understanding of the crosstalk between two essential machineries, the divisome and elongasome, and reveal that Corynebacteriales have evolved a protein scaffold to control cell division and morphogenesis similar to the gephyrin/GlyR system that in higher eukaryotes mediates synaptic signaling through network organization of membrane receptors and the microtubule cytoskeleton.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M. Martinez
- Structural Microbiology Unit, Institut Pasteur, CNRS UMR 3528, Université Paris Cité, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - J. Petit
- Structural Microbiology Unit, Institut Pasteur, CNRS UMR 3528, Université Paris Cité, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - A. Leyva
- Analytical Biochemistry and Proteomics Unit, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - A. Sogues
- Structural Microbiology Unit, Institut Pasteur, CNRS UMR 3528, Université Paris Cité, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - D. Megrian
- Structural Microbiology Unit, Institut Pasteur, CNRS UMR 3528, Université Paris Cité, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - A. Rodriguez
- Analytical Biochemistry and Proteomics Unit, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Q. Gaday
- Structural Microbiology Unit, Institut Pasteur, CNRS UMR 3528, Université Paris Cité, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - M. Ben Assaya
- Structural Microbiology Unit, Institut Pasteur, CNRS UMR 3528, Université Paris Cité, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - M. Portela
- Analytical Biochemistry and Proteomics Unit, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - A. Haouz
- Plate-forme de cristallographie, C2RT-Institut Pasteur, CNRS, UMR 3528, Université Paris Cité, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - A. Ducret
- Molecular Microbiology and Structural Biochemistry, CNRS UMR 5086, Université de Lyon, 7 passage du Vercors, 69367 Lyon, France
| | - C. Grangeasse
- Molecular Microbiology and Structural Biochemistry, CNRS UMR 5086, Université de Lyon, 7 passage du Vercors, 69367 Lyon, France
| | - P. M. Alzari
- Structural Microbiology Unit, Institut Pasteur, CNRS UMR 3528, Université Paris Cité, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - R. Durán
- Analytical Biochemistry and Proteomics Unit, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - A. Wehenkel
- Structural Microbiology Unit, Institut Pasteur, CNRS UMR 3528, Université Paris Cité, F-75015 Paris, France
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
The archaeal Cdv cell division system. Trends Microbiol 2023; 31:601-615. [PMID: 36658033 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2022.12.006] [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: 03/23/2022] [Revised: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The Cdv system is the protein machinery that performs cell division and other membrane-deforming processes in a subset of archaea. Evolutionarily, the system is closely related to the eukaryotic ESCRT machinery, with which it shares many structural and functional similarities. Since its first description 15 years ago, the understanding of the Cdv system progressed rather slowly, but recent discoveries sparked renewed interest and insights. The emerging physical picture appears to be that CdvA acts as a membrane anchor, CdvB as a scaffold that localizes division to the mid-cell position, CdvB1 and CvdB2 as the actual constriction machinery, and CdvC as the ATPase that detaches Cdv proteins from the membrane. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the research done on Cdv and explains how this relatively understudied machinery acts to perform its cell-division function. Understanding of the Cdv system helps to better grasp the biophysics and evolution of archaea, and furthermore provides new opportunities for the bottom-up building of a divisome for synthetic cells.
Collapse
|
19
|
Santana-Molina C, del Saz-Navarro DM, Devos DP. Early origin and evolution of the FtsZ/tubulin protein family. Front Microbiol 2023; 13:1100249. [PMID: 36704558 PMCID: PMC9871819 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1100249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The origin of the FtsZ/tubulin protein family was extremely relevant for life since these proteins are present in nearly all organisms, carrying out essential functions such as cell division or forming a major part of the cytoskeleton in eukaryotes. Therefore, investigating the early evolution of the FtsZ/tubulin protein family could reveal crucial aspects of the diversification of the three domains of life. In this study, we revisited the phylogenies of the FtsZ/tubulin protein family in an extensive prokaryotic diversity, focusing on the main evolutionary events that occurred during its evolution. We found evidence of its early origin in the last universal common ancestor since FtsZ was present in the last common ancestor of Bacteria and Archaea. In bacteria, ftsZ genes are genomically associated with the bacterial division gene cluster, while in archaea, ftsZ duplicated prior to archaeal diversification, and one of the copies is associated with protein biosynthesis genes. Archaea have expanded the FtsZ/tubulin protein family with sequences closely related to eukaryotic tubulins. In addition, we report novel CetZ-like groups in Halobacterota and Asgardarchaeota. Investigating the C-termini of prokaryotic paralogs basal to eukaryotic tubulins, we show that archaeal CetZ, as well as the plasmidic TubZ from Firmicutes, most likely originated from archaeal FtsZ. Finally, prokaryotic tubulins are restricted to Odinarchaeaota and Prosthecobacter species, and they seem to belong to different molecular systems. However, their phylogenies suggest that they are closely related to α/β-tubulins pointing to a potential ancestrality of these eukaryotic paralogs of tubulins.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Santana-Molina
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Junta de Andalucía, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Seville, Spain
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), University of Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - DMaría del Saz-Navarro
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Junta de Andalucía, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Seville, Spain
| | - Damien P. Devos
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Junta de Andalucía, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Seville, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Ancient origin and constrained evolution of the division and cell wall gene cluster in Bacteria. Nat Microbiol 2022; 7:2114-2127. [PMID: 36411352 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-022-01257-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The division and cell wall (dcw) gene cluster in Bacteria comprises 17 genes encoding key steps in peptidoglycan synthesis and cytokinesis. To understand the origin and evolution of this cluster, we analysed its presence in over 1,000 bacterial genomes. We show that the dcw gene cluster is strikingly conserved in both gene content and gene order across all Bacteria and has undergone only a few rearrangements in some phyla, potentially linked to cell envelope specificities, but not directly to cell shape. A large concatenation of the 12 most conserved dcw cluster genes produced a robust tree of Bacteria that is largely consistent with recent phylogenies based on frequently used markers. Moreover, evolutionary divergence analyses show that the dcw gene cluster offers advantages in defining high-rank taxonomic boundaries and indicate at least two main phyla in the Candidate Phyla Radiation (CPR) matching a sharp dichotomy in dcw gene cluster arrangement. Our results place the origin of the dcw gene cluster in the Last Bacterial Common Ancestor and show that it has evolved vertically for billions of years, similar to major cellular machineries such as the ribosome. The strong phylogenetic signal, combined with conserved genomic synteny at large evolutionary distances, makes the dcw gene cluster a robust alternative set of markers to resolve the ever-growing tree of Bacteria.
Collapse
|
21
|
van Wolferen M, Pulschen AA, Baum B, Gribaldo S, Albers SV. The cell biology of archaea. Nat Microbiol 2022; 7:1744-1755. [PMID: 36253512 PMCID: PMC7613921 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-022-01215-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The past decade has revealed the diversity and ubiquity of archaea in nature, with a growing number of studies highlighting their importance in ecology, biotechnology and even human health. Myriad lineages have been discovered, which expanded the phylogenetic breadth of archaea and revealed their central role in the evolutionary origins of eukaryotes. These discoveries, coupled with advances that enable the culturing and live imaging of archaeal cells under extreme environments, have underpinned a better understanding of their biology. In this Review we focus on the shape, internal organization and surface structures that are characteristic of archaeal cells as well as membrane remodelling, cell growth and division. We also highlight some of the technical challenges faced and discuss how new and improved technologies will help address many of the key unanswered questions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marleen van Wolferen
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Institute of Biology II, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | | | - Buzz Baum
- Division of Cell Biology, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Simonetta Gribaldo
- Evolutionary Biology of the Microbial Cell Unit, CNRS UMR2001, Department of Microbiology, Institute Pasteur, Paris, France.
| | - Sonja-Verena Albers
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Institute of Biology II, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Kohtz AJ, Jay ZJ, Lynes MM, Krukenberg V, Hatzenpichler R. Culexarchaeia, a novel archaeal class of anaerobic generalists inhabiting geothermal environments. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2022; 2:86. [PMID: 37938354 PMCID: PMC9723716 DOI: 10.1038/s43705-022-00175-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Revised: 09/03/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
Geothermal environments, including terrestrial hot springs and deep-sea hydrothermal sediments, often contain many poorly understood lineages of archaea. Here, we recovered ten metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from geothermal sediments and propose that they constitute a new archaeal class within the TACK superphylum, "Candidatus Culexarchaeia", named after the Culex Basin in Yellowstone National Park. Culexarchaeia harbor distinct sets of proteins involved in key cellular processes that are either phylogenetically divergent or are absent from other closely related TACK lineages, with a particular divergence in cell division and cytoskeletal proteins. Metabolic reconstruction revealed that Culexarchaeia have the capacity to metabolize a wide variety of organic and inorganic substrates. Notably, Culexarchaeia encode a unique modular, membrane associated, and energy conserving [NiFe]-hydrogenase complex that potentially interacts with heterodisulfide reductase (Hdr) subunits. Comparison of this [NiFe]-hydrogenase complex with similar complexes from other archaea suggests that interactions between membrane associated [NiFe]-hydrogenases and Hdr may be more widespread than previously appreciated in both methanogenic and non-methanogenic lifestyles. The analysis of Culexarchaeia further expands our understanding of the phylogenetic and functional diversity of lineages within the TACK superphylum and the ecology, physiology, and evolution of these organisms in extreme environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anthony J Kohtz
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Center for Biofilm Engineering, and Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Zackary J Jay
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Center for Biofilm Engineering, and Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Mackenzie M Lynes
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Center for Biofilm Engineering, and Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Viola Krukenberg
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Center for Biofilm Engineering, and Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Roland Hatzenpichler
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Center for Biofilm Engineering, and Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
The division protein FtsZ interacts with the small heat shock protein IbpA in Acholeplasma laidlawii. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2022; 1866:130220. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2022.130220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2021] [Revised: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 07/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
|
24
|
Zhang C, Liu W, Deng J, Ma S, Chang Z, Yang J. Structural Insights into the Interaction between Bacillus subtilis SepF Assembly and FtsZ by Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:5219-5230. [PMID: 35799411 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c02810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
In many species of Gram-positive bacteria, SepF participated in the membrane tethering of FtsZ Z-ring during bacteria division. However, atomic-level details of interaction between SepF and FtsZ in an assembled state are lacking. Here, by combining solid-state NMR (SSNMR) with biochemical analyses, the interaction of Bacillus subtilis SepF and the C-terminal domain (CTD) of FtsZ was investigated. We obtained near complete chemical shift assignments of SepF and determined the structural model of the SepF monomer. Interaction with FtsZ-CTD caused further packing of SepF rings, and SSNMR experiments revealed the affected residues locating at α1, α2, β3, and β4 of SepF. Solution NMR experiments of dimeric SepF constructed by point mutation strategy proved a prerequisite role of α-α interface formation in SepF for FtsZ binding. Overall, our results provide structural insights into the mechanisms of SepF-FtsZ interaction for better understanding the function of SepF in bacteria.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, P. R. China.,National Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, P. R. China
| | - Wenjing Liu
- National Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, P. R. China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China
| | - Jing Deng
- National Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, P. R. China
| | - Shaojie Ma
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, P. R. China.,National Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, P. R. China
| | - Ziwei Chang
- National Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, P. R. China
| | - Jun Yang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, P. R. China.,National Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, P. R. China
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Spang A, Mahendrarajah TA, Offre P, Stairs CW. Evolving Perspective on the Origin and Diversification of Cellular Life and the Virosphere. Genome Biol Evol 2022; 14:evac034. [PMID: 35218347 PMCID: PMC9169541 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evac034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The tree of life (TOL) is a powerful framework to depict the evolutionary history of cellular organisms through time, from our microbial origins to the diversification of multicellular eukaryotes that shape the visible biosphere today. During the past decades, our perception of the TOL has fundamentally changed, in part, due to profound methodological advances, which allowed a more objective approach to studying organismal and viral diversity and led to the discovery of major new branches in the TOL as well as viral lineages. Phylogenetic and comparative genomics analyses of these data have, among others, revolutionized our understanding of the deep roots and diversity of microbial life, the origin of the eukaryotic cell, eukaryotic diversity, as well as the origin, and diversification of viruses. In this review, we provide an overview of some of the recent discoveries on the evolutionary history of cellular organisms and their viruses and discuss a variety of complementary techniques that we consider crucial for making further progress in our understanding of the TOL and its interconnection with the virosphere.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anja Spang
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Utrecht University, Den Burg, The Netherlands
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Tara A Mahendrarajah
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Utrecht University, Den Burg, The Netherlands
| | - Pierre Offre
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Utrecht University, Den Burg, The Netherlands
| | - Courtney W Stairs
- Department of Biology, Microbiology research group, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Frohn BP, Härtel T, Cox J, Schwille P. Tracing back variations in archaeal ESCRT-based cell division to protein domain architectures. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0266395. [PMID: 35358274 PMCID: PMC8970359 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The Endosomal Sorting Complex Required for Transport (ESCRT) system is a multi-protein machinery that is involved in cell division of both Eukaryotes and Archaea. This spread across domains of life suggests that a precursor ESCRT machinery existed already at an evolutionary early stage of life, making it a promising candidate for the (re)construction of a minimal cell division machinery. There are, however, only few experimental data about ESCRT machineries in Archaea, due to high technical challenges in cultivation and microscopy. Here, we analyse the proteins of ESCRT machineries in archaea bioinformatically on a protein domain level, to enable mechanistical comparison without such challenging experiments. First, we infer that there are at least three different cell division mechanisms utilizing ESCRT proteins in archaea, probably similar in their constriction mechanisms but different in membrane tethering. Second, we show that ESCRT proteins in the archaeal super-phylum Asgard are highly similar to eukaryotic ESCRT proteins, strengthening the recently developed idea that all Eukaryotes descended from archaea. Third, we reconstruct a plausible evolutionary development of ESCRT machineries and suggest that a simple ESCRT-based constriction machinery existed in the last archaeal common ancestor. These findings not only give very interesting insights into the likely evolution of cell division in Archaea and Eukaryotes, but also offer new research avenues by suggesting hypothesis-driven experiments for both, cell biology and bottom-up synthetic biology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Béla P. Frohn
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biophysics, Max-Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
- Computational Systems Biochemistry Research Group, Max-Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Tobias Härtel
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biophysics, Max-Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Jürgen Cox
- Computational Systems Biochemistry Research Group, Max-Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
- Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Petra Schwille
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biophysics, Max-Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Ithurbide S, Gribaldo S, Albers SV, Pende N. Spotlight on FtsZ-based cell division in Archaea. Trends Microbiol 2022; 30:665-678. [PMID: 35246355 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2022.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Compared with the extensive knowledge on cell division in model eukaryotes and bacteria, little is known about how archaea divide. Interestingly, both endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT)-based and FtsZ-based cell division systems are found in members of the Archaea. In the past couple of years, several studies have started to shed light on FtsZ-based cell division processes in members of the Euryarchaeota. In this review we highlight recent findings in this emerging field of research. We present current knowledge of the cell division machinery of halophiles which relies on two FtsZ proteins, and we compare it with that of methanobacteria, which relies on only one FtsZ. Finally, we discuss how these differences relate to the distinct cell envelopes of these two archaeal model systems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Solenne Ithurbide
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Institute of Biology II, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Simonetta Gribaldo
- Evolutionary Biology of the Microbial Cell Unit, CNRS UMR2001, Department of Microbiology, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.
| | - Sonja-Verena Albers
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Institute of Biology II, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Nika Pende
- Evolutionary Biology of the Microbial Cell Unit, CNRS UMR2001, Department of Microbiology, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
van Wolferen M, Albers SV. Progress and Challenges in Archaeal Cell Biology. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2522:365-371. [PMID: 36125763 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2445-6_24] [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: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Over the past decades there has been a growing interest in the domain of archaea. In this chapter we highlight the recent advances that have been made in studying the cell biology of archaea. We particularly focus on methods for genetic manipulation and imaging of different archaeal species and discuss the technical limitations at the often-extreme growth conditions. Several ongoing developments will help us overcoming these limitations, thereby facilitating future studies in the existing field of archaeal cell biology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marleen van Wolferen
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Institute of Biology II, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Sonja-Verena Albers
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Institute of Biology II, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Abstract
The rebuttal of the prokaryote-eukaryote dichotomy and the elaboration of the three domains concept by Carl Woese and colleagues has been a breakthrough in biology. With the methodologies available at this time, they have shown that a single molecule, the 16S ribosomal RNA, could reveal the global organization of the living world. Later on, mining archaeal genomes led to major discoveries in archaeal molecular biology, providing a third model for comparative molecular biology. These analyses revealed the strong eukaryal flavor of the basic molecular fabric of Archaea and support rooting the universal tree between Bacteria and Arcarya (the clade grouping Archaea and Eukarya). However, in contradiction with this conclusion, it remains to understand why the archaeal and bacterial mobilomes are so similar and so different from the eukaryal one. These last years, the number of recognized archaea lineages (phyla?) has exploded. The archaeal nomenclature is now in turmoil and debates about the nature of the last universal common ancestor, the last archaeal common ancestor, and the topology of the tree of life are still going on. Interestingly, the expansion of the archaeal eukaryome, especially in the Asgard archaea, has provided new opportunities to study eukaryogenesis. In recent years, the application to Archaea of the new methodologies described in the various chapters of this book have opened exciting avenues to study the molecular biology and the physiology of these fascinating microorganisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Forterre
- Institut Pasteur, 25 rue du Docteur Roux, 75015, Paris, France.
- Institute for Integrative biology of the Cell. université Paris-Saclay, Gif sur Yvette, France.
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
A Shuttle-Vector System Allows Heterologous Gene Expression in the Thermophilic Methanogen Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus ΔH. mBio 2021; 12:e0276621. [PMID: 34809461 PMCID: PMC8609365 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02766-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Thermophilic Methanothermobacter spp. are used as model microbes to study the physiology and biochemistry of the conversion of molecular hydrogen and carbon dioxide into methane (i.e., hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis). Yet, a genetic system for these model microbes was missing despite intensive work for four decades. Here, we report the successful implementation of genetic tools for Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus ΔH. We developed shuttle vectors that replicated in Escherichia coli and M. thermautotrophicus ΔH. For M. thermautotrophicus ΔH, a thermostable neomycin resistance cassette served as the selectable marker for positive selection with neomycin, and the cryptic plasmid pME2001 from Methanothermobacter marburgensis served as the replicon. The shuttle-vector DNA was transferred from E. coli into M. thermautotrophicus ΔH via interdomain conjugation. After the successful validation of DNA transfer and positive selection in M. thermautotrophicus ΔH, we demonstrated heterologous gene expression of a thermostable β-galactosidase-encoding gene (bgaB) from Geobacillus stearothermophilus under the expression control of four distinct synthetic and native promoters. In quantitative in-vitro enzyme activity assay, we found significantly different β-galactosidase activity with these distinct promoters. With a formate dehydrogenase operon-encoding shuttle vector, we allowed growth of M. thermautotrophicus ΔH on formate as the sole growth substrate, while this was not possible for the empty-vector control.
Collapse
|
31
|
Di Giulio M. The phylogenetic distribution of the cell division system would not imply a cellular LUCA but a progenotic LUCA. Biosystems 2021; 210:104563. [PMID: 34653531 DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2021.104563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Revised: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The stage reached by the evolution of cellularity in the Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA) has not yet been identified. In actual fact, it has not been clarified whether the LUCA was a cell (genote) or a protocell (progenote). Recently, Pende et al. (2021) analysed the phylogenetic distribution of the cell division system present in bacteria and archaea reaching the conclusion that LUCA was a cell and not a progenote. I find this conclusion unreasonable with respect to the observations they presented. One of the points is that the presence in the domains of life of many genes - some paralogs - which would define the membrane-remodeling superfamily would seem to imply a tempo and a mode of evolution for the LUCA more typical of the progenote than the genote. Indeed, the simultaneous presence of different genes - in a given evolutionary stage and with functions that are also partially correlated - would seem to define a heterogeneity that would appear to be the expression of a rapid and progressive evolution precisely because this evolution would have taken place in the diversification of all these genes. Furthermore, the presence of different genes coding for the function of cell division and related functions could reflect a progenotic status in LUCA, precisely because these functions might have originated from a single ancestral gene instead coding for a protein (or proteins) with multiple functions, and therefore an expression of a rapid and progressive evolution typical of the progenote. I also criticize other aspects of considerations made by Pende at al. (2021). The arguments presented here together with those existing in the literature make the hypothesis of a cellular LUCA favoured by Pende et al. (2021) unlikely.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Massimo Di Giulio
- The Ionian School, Genetic Code and tRNA Origin Laboratory, Via Roma 19, 67030, Alfedena (L'Aquila), Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
The archaeal protein SepF is essential for cell division in Haloferax volcanii. Nat Commun 2021; 12:3469. [PMID: 34103513 PMCID: PMC8187382 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23686-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2020] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
In most bacteria, cell division depends on the tubulin homolog FtsZ and other proteins, such as SepF, that form a complex termed the divisome. Cell division also depends on FtsZ in many archaea, but other components of the divisome are unknown. Here, we demonstrate that a SepF homolog plays important roles in cell division in Haloferax volcanii, a halophilic archaeon that is known to have two FtsZ homologs with slightly different functions (FtsZ1 and FtsZ2). SepF co-localizes with both FtsZ1 and FtsZ2 at midcell. Attempts to generate a sepF deletion mutant were unsuccessful, suggesting an essential role. Indeed, SepF depletion leads to severe cell division defects and formation of large cells. Overexpression of FtsZ1-GFP or FtsZ2-GFP in SepF-depleted cells results in formation of filamentous cells with a high number of FtsZ1 rings, while the number of FtsZ2 rings is not affected. Pull-down assays support that SepF interacts with FtsZ2 but not with FtsZ1, although SepF appears delocalized in the absence of FtsZ1. Archaeal SepF homologs lack a glycine residue known to be important for polymerization and function in bacteria, and purified H. volcanii SepF forms dimers, suggesting that polymerization might not be important for the function of archaeal SepF.
Collapse
|