1
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Cianciotto NP. The type II secretion system as an underappreciated and understudied mediator of interbacterial antagonism. Infect Immun 2024:e0020724. [PMID: 38980047 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00207-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Interbacterial antagonism involves all major phyla, occurs across the full range of ecological niches, and has great significance for the environment, clinical arena, and agricultural and industrial sectors. Though the earliest insight into interbacterial antagonism traces back to the discovery of antibiotics, a paradigm shift happened when it was learned that protein secretion systems (e.g., types VI and IV secretion systems) deliver toxic "effectors" against competitors. However, a link between interbacterial antagonism and the Gram-negative type II secretion system (T2SS), which exists in many pathogens and environmental species, is not evident in prior reviews on bacterial competition or T2SS function. A current examination of the literature revealed four examples of a T2SS or one of its known substrates having a bactericidal activity against a Gram-positive target or another Gram-negative. When further studied, the T2SS effectors proved to be peptidases that target the peptidoglycan of the competitor. There are also reports of various bacteriolytic enzymes occurring in the culture supernatants of some other Gram-negative species, and a link between these bactericidal activities and T2SS is suggested. Thus, a T2SS can be a mediator of interbacterial antagonism, and it is possible that many T2SSs have antibacterial outputs. Yet, at present, the T2SS remains relatively understudied for its role in interbacterial competition. Arguably, there is a need to analyze the T2SSs of a broader range of species for their role in interbacterial antagonism. Such investigation offers, among other things, a possible pathway toward developing new antimicrobials for treating disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas P Cianciotto
- Department of Microbiology-Immunology, Northwestern University School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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2
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Keck C, Enninga J, Swistak L. Caught in the act: In situ visualization of bacterial secretion systems by cryo-electron tomography. Mol Microbiol 2024; 121:636-645. [PMID: 37975530 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.15186] [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: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Bacterial secretion systems, such as the type 3, 4, and 6 are multiprotein nanomachines expressed at the surface of pathogens with Gram-negative like envelopes. They are known to be crucial for virulence and to translocate bacteria-encoded effector proteins into host cells to manipulate cellular functions. This facilitates either pathogen attachment or invasion of the targeted cell. Effector proteins also promote evasion of host immune recognition. Imaging by cryo-electron microscopy in combination with structure determination has become a powerful approach to understand how these nanomachines work. Still, questions on their assembly, the precise secretion mechanisms, and their direct involvement in pathogenicity remain unsolved. Here, we present an overview of the recent developments in in situ cryo-electron microscopy. We discuss its potential for the investigation of the role of bacterial secretion systems during the host-bacterial crosstalk at the molecular level. These in situ studies open new perspectives for our understanding of secretion system structure and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camille Keck
- Dynamics of Host-Pathogen Interactions, Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3691, Paris, France
| | - Jost Enninga
- Dynamics of Host-Pathogen Interactions, Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3691, Paris, France
| | - Léa Swistak
- Dynamics of Host-Pathogen Interactions, Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3691, Paris, France
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3
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Graham CI, MacMartin TL, de Kievit TR, Brassinga AKC. Molecular regulation of virulence in Legionella pneumophila. Mol Microbiol 2024; 121:167-195. [PMID: 37908155 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.15172] [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: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
Legionella pneumophila is a gram-negative bacteria found in natural and anthropogenic aquatic environments such as evaporative cooling towers, where it reproduces as an intracellular parasite of cohabiting protozoa. If L. pneumophila is aerosolized and inhaled by a susceptible person, bacteria may colonize their alveolar macrophages causing the opportunistic pneumonia Legionnaires' disease. L. pneumophila utilizes an elaborate regulatory network to control virulence processes such as the Dot/Icm Type IV secretion system and effector repertoire, responding to changing nutritional cues as their host becomes depleted. The bacteria subsequently differentiate to a transmissive state that can survive in the environment until a replacement host is encountered and colonized. In this review, we discuss the lifecycle of L. pneumophila and the molecular regulatory network that senses nutritional depletion via the stringent response, a link to stationary phase-like metabolic changes via alternative sigma factors, and two-component systems that are homologous to stress sensors in other pathogens, to regulate differentiation between the intracellular replicative phase and more transmissible states. Together, we highlight how this prototypic intracellular pathogen offers enormous potential in understanding how molecular mechanisms enable intracellular parasitism and pathogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher I Graham
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Teassa L MacMartin
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Teresa R de Kievit
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Ann Karen C Brassinga
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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4
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Guilvout I, Samsudin F, Huber RG, Bond PJ, Bardiaux B, Francetic O. Membrane platform protein PulF of the Klebsiella type II secretion system forms a trimeric ion channel essential for endopilus assembly and protein secretion. mBio 2024; 15:e0142323. [PMID: 38063437 PMCID: PMC10790770 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01423-23] [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: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Type IV pili and type II secretion systems are members of the widespread type IV filament (T4F) superfamily of nanomachines that assemble dynamic and versatile surface fibers in archaea and bacteria. The assembly and retraction of T4 filaments with diverse surface properties and functions require the plasma membrane platform proteins of the GspF/PilC superfamily. Generally considered dimeric, platform proteins are thought to function as passive transmitters of the mechanical energy generated by the ATPase motor, to somehow promote insertion of pilin subunits into the nascent pilus fibers. Here, we generate and experimentally validate structural predictions that support the trimeric state of a platform protein PulF from a type II secretion system. The PulF trimers form selective proton or sodium channels which might energize pilus assembly using the membrane potential. The conservation of the channel sequence and structural features implies a common mechanism for all T4F assembly systems. We propose a model of the oligomeric PulF-PulE ATPase complex that provides an essential framework to investigate and understand the pilus assembly mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingrid Guilvout
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 3528, Biochemistry of Macromolecular Interactions Unit, Paris, France
| | | | | | - Peter J. Bond
- Bioinformatics Institute (A-STAR), Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Benjamin Bardiaux
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 3528, Structural Bioinformatics Unit, Paris, France
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 3528, Bacterial Transmembrane Systems Unit, Paris, France
| | - Olivera Francetic
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 3528, Biochemistry of Macromolecular Interactions Unit, Paris, France
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5
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Izadi-Pruneyre N, Karami Y, Nilges M. Structure and Dynamics of Type 4a Pili and Type 2 Secretion System Endopili. Subcell Biochem 2024; 104:549-563. [PMID: 38963500 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-58843-3_21] [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: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
Within the highly diverse type four filament (TFF or T4F) superfamily, the machineries of type IVa pili (T4aP) and the type 2 secretion system (T2SS) in diderm bacteria exhibit a substantial sequence similarity despite divergent functions and distinct appearances: T4aP can extend micrometers beyond the outer membrane, whereas the endopili in the T2SS are restricted to the periplasm. The determination of the structure of individual components and entire filaments is crucial to understand how their structure enables them to serve different functions. However, the dynamics of these filaments poses a challenge for their high-resolution structure determination. This review presents different approaches that have been used to study the structure and dynamics of T4aP and T2SS endopili by means of integrative structural biology, cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), and molecular dynamics simulations. Their conserved features and differences are presented. The non-helical stretch in the long-conserved N-terminal helix which is characteristic of all members of the TFF and the impact of calcium on structure, function, and dynamics of these filaments are discussed in detail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia Izadi-Pruneyre
- Bacterial Transmembrane Systems Unit, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR, Paris, France
| | - Yasaman Karami
- Structural Bioinformatics Unit, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR, Paris, France
| | - Michael Nilges
- Structural Bioinformatics Unit, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR, Paris, France.
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6
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Buxboim A, Kronenberg-Tenga R, Salajkova S, Avidan N, Shahak H, Thurston A, Medalia O. Scaffold, mechanics and functions of nuclear lamins. FEBS Lett 2023; 597:2791-2805. [PMID: 37813648 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.14750] [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: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
Nuclear lamins are type-V intermediate filaments that are involved in many nuclear processes. In mammals, A- and B-type lamins assemble into separate physical meshwork underneath the inner nuclear membrane, the nuclear lamina, with some residual fraction localized within the nucleoplasm. Lamins are the major part of the nucleoskeleton, providing mechanical strength and flexibility to protect the genome and allow nuclear deformability, while also contributing to gene regulation via interactions with chromatin. While lamins are the evolutionary ancestors of all intermediate filament family proteins, their ultimate filamentous assembly is markedly different from their cytoplasmic counterparts. Interestingly, hundreds of genetic mutations in the lamina proteins have been causally linked with a broad range of human pathologies, termed laminopathies. These include muscular, neurological and metabolic disorders, as well as premature aging diseases. Recent technological advances have contributed to resolving the filamentous structure of lamins and the corresponding lamina organization. In this review, we revisit the multiscale lamin organization and discuss its implications on nuclear mechanics and chromatin organization within lamina-associated domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amnon Buxboim
- The Rachel and Selim Benin School of Computer Science and Engineering and The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
| | | | - Sarka Salajkova
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Nili Avidan
- The Rachel and Selim Benin School of Computer Science and Engineering and The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Hen Shahak
- The Rachel and Selim Benin School of Computer Science and Engineering and The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Alice Thurston
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ohad Medalia
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Switzerland
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7
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Barbat B, Douzi B, Ball G, Tribout M, El Karkouri K, Kellenberger C, Voulhoux R. Insights into dynamics and gating properties of T2SS secretins. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadg6996. [PMID: 37792935 PMCID: PMC10550240 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adg6996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023]
Abstract
Secretins are outer membrane (OM) channels found in various bacterial nanomachines that secrete or assemble large extracellular structures. High-resolution 3D structures of type 2 secretion system (T2SS) secretins revealed bimodular channels with a C-module, holding a conserved central gate and an optional top gate, followed by an N-module for which multiple structural organizations have been proposed. Here, we perform a structure-driven in vivo study of the XcpD secretin, which validates one of the organizations of the N-module whose flexibility enables alternative conformations. We also show the existence of the central gate in vivo and its required flexibility, which is key for substrate passage and watertightness control. Last, functional, genomic, and phylogenetic analyses indicate that the optional top gate provides a gain of watertightness. Our data illustrate how the gating properties of T2SS secretins allow these large channels to overcome the duality between the necessity of preserving the OM impermeability while simultaneously promoting the secretion of large, folded effectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brice Barbat
- LCB-UMR7283, CNRS, Aix Marseille Université, IMM, Marseille, France
| | - Badreddine Douzi
- LCB-UMR7283, CNRS, Aix Marseille Université, IMM, Marseille, France
- Université de Lorraine, INRAE, DynAMic, Nancy, F-54000 France
| | - Geneviève Ball
- LCB-UMR7283, CNRS, Aix Marseille Université, IMM, Marseille, France
| | - Mathilde Tribout
- LCB-UMR7283, CNRS, Aix Marseille Université, IMM, Marseille, France
| | | | | | - Romé Voulhoux
- LCB-UMR7283, CNRS, Aix Marseille Université, IMM, Marseille, France
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8
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Yu Z, Wu Y, Chen M, Huo T, Zheng W, Ludtke SJ, Shi X, Wang Z. Membrane translocation process revealed by in situ structures of type II secretion system secretins. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4025. [PMID: 37419909 PMCID: PMC10329019 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39583-2] [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: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The GspD secretin is the outer membrane channel of the bacterial type II secretion system (T2SS) which secrets diverse toxins that cause severe diseases such as diarrhea and cholera. GspD needs to translocate from the inner to the outer membrane to exert its function, and this process is an essential step for T2SS to assemble. Here, we investigate two types of secretins discovered so far in Escherichia coli, GspDα, and GspDβ. By electron cryotomography subtomogram averaging, we determine in situ structures of key intermediate states of GspDα and GspDβ in the translocation process, with resolution ranging from 9 Å to 19 Å. In our results, GspDα and GspDβ present entirely different membrane interaction patterns and ways of transitioning the peptidoglycan layer. From this, we hypothesize two distinct models for the membrane translocation of GspDα and GspDβ, providing a comprehensive perspective on the inner to outer membrane biogenesis of T2SS secretins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhili Yu
- Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Yaoming Wu
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, 221004, China
| | - Muyuan Chen
- Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Division of CryoEM and Bioimaging, SSRL, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA
| | - Tong Huo
- Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Wei Zheng
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, 221004, China
| | - Steven J Ludtke
- Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Cryo Electron Microscopy and Tomography Core, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Xiaodong Shi
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, 221004, China.
| | - Zhao Wang
- Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
- Cryo Electron Microscopy and Tomography Core, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
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9
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Kaplan M, Chang YW, Oikonomou CM, Nicolas WJ, Jewett AI, Kreida S, Dutka P, Rettberg LA, Maggi S, Jensen GJ. Bdellovibrio predation cycle characterized at nanometre-scale resolution with cryo-electron tomography. Nat Microbiol 2023; 8:1267-1279. [PMID: 37349588 PMCID: PMC11061892 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-023-01401-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023]
Abstract
Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus is a microbial predator that offers promise as a living antibiotic for its ability to kill Gram-negative bacteria, including human pathogens. Even after six decades of study, fundamental details of its predation cycle remain mysterious. Here we used cryo-electron tomography to comprehensively image the lifecycle of B. bacteriovorus at nanometre-scale resolution. With high-resolution images of predation in a native (hydrated, unstained) state, we discover several surprising features of the process, including macromolecular complexes involved in prey attachment/invasion and a flexible portal structure lining a hole in the prey peptidoglycan that tightly seals the prey outer membrane around the predator during entry. Unexpectedly, we find that B. bacteriovorus does not shed its flagellum during invasion, but rather resorbs it into its periplasm for degradation. Finally, following growth and division in the bdelloplast, we observe a transient and extensive ribosomal lattice on the condensed B. bacteriovorus nucleoid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed Kaplan
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
- Department of Microbiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
| | - Yi-Wei Chang
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Catherine M Oikonomou
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - William J Nicolas
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Andrew I Jewett
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Stefan Kreida
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institute, Solna, Sweden
| | - Przemysław Dutka
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | | | - Stefano Maggi
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Grant J Jensen
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA.
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10
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Boamah D, Gilmore M, Bourget S, Ghosh A, Hossain M, Vogel J, Cava F, O’Connor T. Peptidoglycan deacetylation controls type IV secretion and the intracellular survival of the bacterial pathogen Legionella pneumophila. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2119658120. [PMID: 37252954 PMCID: PMC10266036 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2119658120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Peptidoglycan is a critical component of the bacteria cell envelope. Remodeling of the peptidoglycan is required for numerous essential cellular processes and has been linked to bacterial pathogenesis. Peptidoglycan deacetylases that remove the acetyl group of the N-acetylglucosamine (NAG) subunit protect bacterial pathogens from immune recognition and digestive enzymes secreted at the site of infection. However, the full extent of this modification on bacterial physiology and pathogenesis is not known. Here, we identify a polysaccharide deacetylase of the intracellular bacterial pathogen Legionella pneumophila and define a two-tiered role for this enzyme in Legionella pathogenesis. First, NAG deacetylation is important for the proper localization and function of the Type IVb secretion system, linking peptidoglycan editing to the modulation of host cellular processes through the action of secreted virulence factors. As a consequence, the Legionella vacuole mis-traffics along the endocytic pathway to the lysosome, preventing the formation of a replication permissive compartment. Second, within the lysosome, the inability to deacetylate the peptidoglycan renders the bacteria more sensitive to lysozyme-mediated degradation, resulting in increased bacterial death. Thus, the ability to deacetylate NAG is important for bacteria to persist within host cells and in turn, Legionella virulence. Collectively, these results expand the function of peptidoglycan deacetylases in bacteria, linking peptidoglycan editing, Type IV secretion, and the intracellular fate of a bacterial pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Boamah
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD21205
| | - Michael C. Gilmore
- Department of Molecular Biology, Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden, Umeå Centre for Microbial Research, Umeå University, Umeå90187, Sweden
| | - Sarah Bourget
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD21205
| | - Anushka Ghosh
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD21205
| | - Mohammad J. Hossain
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD21205
| | - Joseph P. Vogel
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO63110
| | - Felipe Cava
- Department of Molecular Biology, Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden, Umeå Centre for Microbial Research, Umeå University, Umeå90187, Sweden
| | - Tamara J. O’Connor
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD21205
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11
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Lai TF, Ford RM, Huwiler SG. Advances in cellular and molecular predatory biology of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus six decades after discovery. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1168709. [PMID: 37256055 PMCID: PMC10225642 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1168709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Since its discovery six decades ago, the predatory bacterium Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus has sparked recent interest as a potential remedy to the antibiotic resistance crisis. Here we give a comprehensive historical overview from discovery to progressive developments in microscopy and molecular mechanisms. Research on B. bacteriovorus has moved from curiosity to a new model organism, revealing over time more details on its physiology and fascinating predatory life cycle with the help of a variety of methods. Based on recent findings in cryo-electron tomography, we recapitulate on the intricate molecular details known in the predatory life cycle including how this predator searches for its prey bacterium, to how it attaches, grows, and divides all from within the prey cell. Finally, the newly developed B. bacteriovorus progeny leave the prey cell remnants in the exit phase. While we end with some unanswered questions remaining in the field, new imaging technologies and quantitative, systematic advances will likely help to unravel them in the next decades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting F. Lai
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Rhian M. Ford
- School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Loughborough, United Kingdom
| | - Simona G. Huwiler
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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12
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Shaliutina-Loginova A, Francetic O, Doležal P. Bacterial Type II Secretion System and Its Mitochondrial Counterpart. mBio 2023; 14:e0314522. [PMID: 36971557 PMCID: PMC10128026 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.03145-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the billions of years that bacteria have been around, they have evolved several sophisticated protein secretion nanomachines to deliver toxins, hydrolytic enzymes, and effector proteins into their environments. Of these, the type II secretion system (T2SS) is used by Gram-negative bacteria to export a wide range of folded proteins from the periplasm across the outer membrane.
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13
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Garnett JA. I shall be released: Assembly platform dynamics during type II secretion. Structure 2023; 31:123-125. [PMID: 36736296 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2023.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
In this issue of Structure, Dazzoni et al. solve the high-resolution homo- and hetero-dimeric structures of the Klebsiella oxytoca PulL and PulM C-terminal domains and unravel an uncharacterized dynamic interaction interface that is required for correct function of the type II secretion system.
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Affiliation(s)
- James A Garnett
- Centre for Host-Microbiome Interactions, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK.
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14
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Dazzoni R, Li Y, López-Castilla A, Brier S, Mechaly A, Cordier F, Haouz A, Nilges M, Francetic O, Bardiaux B, Izadi-Pruneyre N. Structure and dynamic association of an assembly platform subcomplex of the bacterial type II secretion system. Structure 2023; 31:152-165.e7. [PMID: 36586404 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2022.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Type II secretion systems (T2SSs) allow diderm bacteria to secrete hydrolytic enzymes, adhesins, or toxins important for growth and virulence. To promote secretion of folded proteins, T2SSs assemble periplasmic filaments called pseudopili or endopili at an inner membrane subcomplex, the assembly platform (AP). Here, we combined biophysical approaches, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and X-ray crystallography, to study the Klebsiella AP components PulL and PulM. We determined the structure and associations of their periplasmic domains and describe the structure of the heterodimer formed by their ferredoxin-like domains. We show how structural complementarity and plasticity favor their association during the secretion process. Cysteine scanning and crosslinking data provided additional constraints to build a structural model of the PulL-PulM assembly in the cellular context. Our structural and functional insights, together with the relative cellular abundance of its components, support the role of AP as a dynamic hub that orchestrates pilus polymerization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Régine Dazzoni
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3528, Structural Bioinformatics Unit, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Yuanyuan Li
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3528, Biochemistry of Macromolecular Interactions Unit, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Aracelys López-Castilla
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3528, Structural Bioinformatics Unit, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Sébastien Brier
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3528, Biological NMR and HDX-MS Technological Platform, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Ariel Mechaly
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3528, Crystallography Platform, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Florence Cordier
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3528, Structural Bioinformatics Unit, 75015 Paris, France; Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3528, Biological NMR and HDX-MS Technological Platform, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Ahmed Haouz
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3528, Crystallography Platform, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Michael Nilges
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3528, Structural Bioinformatics Unit, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Olivera Francetic
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3528, Biochemistry of Macromolecular Interactions Unit, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Benjamin Bardiaux
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3528, Structural Bioinformatics Unit, 75015 Paris, France; Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3528, Bacterial Transmembrane Systems Unit, 75015 Paris.
| | - Nadia Izadi-Pruneyre
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3528, Structural Bioinformatics Unit, 75015 Paris, France; Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3528, Bacterial Transmembrane Systems Unit, 75015 Paris.
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15
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Barbat B, Douzi B, Voulhoux R. Structural lessons on bacterial secretins. Biochimie 2023; 205:110-116. [PMID: 36096236 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2022.08.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Revised: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
To exchange and communicate with their surroundings, bacteria have evolved multiple active and passive mechanisms for trans-envelope transport. Among the pore-forming complexes found in the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, secretins are distinctive homo-oligomeric channels dedicated to the active translocation of voluminous structures such as folded proteins, assembled fibers, virus particles or DNA. Members of the bacterial secretin family share a common cylinder-shaped structure with a gated pore-forming part inserted in the outer membrane, and a periplasmic channel connected to the inner membrane components of the corresponding nanomachine. In this mini-review, we will present what recently determined 3D structures have told us about the mechanisms of translocation through secretins of large substrates to the bacterial surface or in the extracellular milieu.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brice Barbat
- LCB-UMR7283, CNRS, Aix Marseille Université, IMM, 13009, Marseille, France
| | | | - Romé Voulhoux
- LCB-UMR7283, CNRS, Aix Marseille Université, IMM, 13009, Marseille, France.
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16
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Lai L, Cheung YW, Martinez M, Kixmoeller K, Palao L, Steimle S, Ho MC, Black BE, Lai EM, Chang YW. In Situ Structure Determination of Bacterial Surface Nanomachines Using Cryo-Electron Tomography. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2646:211-248. [PMID: 36842118 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3060-0_18] [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] [Indexed: 04/13/2023]
Abstract
Bacterial surface nanomachines are often refractory to structural determination in their intact form due to their extensive association with the cell envelope preventing them from being properly purified for traditional structural biology methods. Cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) is an emerging branch of cryo-electron microscopy that can visualize supramolecular complexes directly inside frozen-hydrated cells in 3D at nanometer resolution, therefore posing a unique capability to study the intact structures of bacterial surface nanomachines in situ and reveal their molecular association with other cellular components. Furthermore, the resolution of cryo-ET is continually improving alongside methodological advancement. Here, using the type IV pilus machine in Myxococcus xanthus as an example, we describe a step-by-step workflow for in situ structure determination including sample preparation and screening, microscope and camera tuning, tilt series acquisition, data processing and tomogram reconstruction, subtomogram averaging, and structural analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Longsheng Lai
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Yee-Wai Cheung
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Matthew Martinez
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Kathryn Kixmoeller
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Leon Palao
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Stefan Steimle
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Meng-Chiao Ho
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Biochemical Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ben E Black
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Erh-Min Lai
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Wei Chang
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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17
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Theillet FX, Luchinat E. In-cell NMR: Why and how? PROGRESS IN NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY 2022; 132-133:1-112. [PMID: 36496255 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnmrs.2022.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
NMR spectroscopy has been applied to cells and tissues analysis since its beginnings, as early as 1950. We have attempted to gather here in a didactic fashion the broad diversity of data and ideas that emerged from NMR investigations on living cells. Covering a large proportion of the periodic table, NMR spectroscopy permits scrutiny of a great variety of atomic nuclei in all living organisms non-invasively. It has thus provided quantitative information on cellular atoms and their chemical environment, dynamics, or interactions. We will show that NMR studies have generated valuable knowledge on a vast array of cellular molecules and events, from water, salts, metabolites, cell walls, proteins, nucleic acids, drugs and drug targets, to pH, redox equilibria and chemical reactions. The characterization of such a multitude of objects at the atomic scale has thus shaped our mental representation of cellular life at multiple levels, together with major techniques like mass-spectrometry or microscopies. NMR studies on cells has accompanied the developments of MRI and metabolomics, and various subfields have flourished, coined with appealing names: fluxomics, foodomics, MRI and MRS (i.e. imaging and localized spectroscopy of living tissues, respectively), whole-cell NMR, on-cell ligand-based NMR, systems NMR, cellular structural biology, in-cell NMR… All these have not grown separately, but rather by reinforcing each other like a braided trunk. Hence, we try here to provide an analytical account of a large ensemble of intricately linked approaches, whose integration has been and will be key to their success. We present extensive overviews, firstly on the various types of information provided by NMR in a cellular environment (the "why", oriented towards a broad readership), and secondly on the employed NMR techniques and setups (the "how", where we discuss the past, current and future methods). Each subsection is constructed as a historical anthology, showing how the intrinsic properties of NMR spectroscopy and its developments structured the accessible knowledge on cellular phenomena. Using this systematic approach, we sought i) to make this review accessible to the broadest audience and ii) to highlight some early techniques that may find renewed interest. Finally, we present a brief discussion on what may be potential and desirable developments in the context of integrative studies in biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francois-Xavier Theillet
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
| | - Enrico Luchinat
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-Alimentari, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, Piazza Goidanich 60, 47521 Cesena, Italy; CERM - Magnetic Resonance Center, and Neurofarba Department, Università degli Studi di Firenze, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
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18
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Hughes-Games A, Davis SA, Hill DJ. Direct visualization of sequence-specific DNA binding by gonococcal type IV pili. MICROBIOLOGY (READING, ENGLAND) 2022; 168. [PMID: 35920810 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the causative agent of gonorrhoea, is a major burden on global healthcare systems, with an estimated ~80-90 million new global cases annually. This burden is exacerbated by increasing levels of antimicrobial resistance, which has greatly limited viable antimicrobial therapies. Decreasing gonococcal drug susceptibility has been driven largely by accumulation of chromosomal resistance determinants, which can be acquired through natural transformation, whereby DNA in the extracellular milieu is imported into cells and incorporated into the genome by homologous recombination. N. gonorrhoeae possesses a specialized system for DNA uptake, which strongly biases transformation in favour of DNA from closely related bacteria by recognizing a 10-12 bp DNA uptake sequence (DUS) motif, which is highly overrepresented in their chromosomal DNA. This process relies on numerous proteins, including the DUS-specific receptor ComP, which assemble retractile protein filaments termed type IV pili (T4P) extending from the cell surface, and one model for neisserial DNA uptake proposes that these filaments bind DNA in a DUS-dependent manner before retracting to transport DNA into the periplasm. However, conflicting evidence indicates that elongated pilus filaments may not have such a direct role in DNA binding uptake as this model suggests. Here, we quantitatively measured DNA binding to gonococcal T4P fibres by directly visualizing binding complexes with confocal fluorescence microscopy in order to confirm the sequence-specific, comP-dependent DNA binding capacity of elongated T4P fibres. This supports the idea that pilus filaments could be responsible for initially capturing DNA in the first step of sequence-specific DNA uptake.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Hughes-Games
- School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.,Bristol Centre for Functional Nanomaterials, HH Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.,School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Sean A Davis
- School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Darryl J Hill
- School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
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19
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Discovery of a Novel Inner Membrane-Associated Bacterial Structure Related to the Flagellar Type III Secretion System. J Bacteriol 2022; 204:e0014422. [PMID: 35862756 PMCID: PMC9380563 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00144-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The bacterial flagellar type III secretion system (fT3SS) is a suite of membrane-embedded and cytoplasmic proteins responsible for building the flagellar motility machinery. Homologous nonflagellar (NF-T3SS) proteins form the injectisome machinery that bacteria use to deliver effector proteins into eukaryotic cells, and other family members were recently reported to be involved in the formation of membrane nanotubes. Here, we describe a novel, evolutionarily widespread, hat-shaped structure embedded in the inner membranes of bacteria, of yet-unidentified function, that is present in species containing fT3SS. Mutant analysis suggests a relationship between this novel structure and the fT3SS, but not the NF-T3SS. While the function of this novel structure remains unknown, we hypothesize that either some of the fT3SS proteins assemble within the hat-like structure, perhaps including the fT3SS core complex, or that fT3SS components regulate other proteins that form part of this novel structure. IMPORTANCE The type III secretion system (T3SS) is a fascinating suite of proteins involved in building diverse macromolecular systems, including the bacterial flagellar motility machine, the injectisome machinery that bacteria use to inject effector proteins into host cells, and probably membrane nanotubes which connect bacterial cells. Here, we accidentally discovered a novel inner membrane-associated complex related to the flagellar T3SS. Examining our lab database, which is comprised of more than 40,000 cryo-tomograms of dozens of species, we discovered that this novel structure is both ubiquitous and ancient, being present in highly divergent classes of bacteria. Discovering a novel, widespread structure related to what are among the best-studied molecular machines in bacteria will open new venues for research aiming at understanding the function and evolution of T3SS proteins.
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20
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Scaffolding Protein GspB/OutB Facilitates Assembly of the Dickeya dadantii Type 2 Secretion System by Anchoring the Outer Membrane Secretin Pore to the Inner Membrane and to the Peptidoglycan Cell Wall. mBio 2022; 13:e0025322. [PMID: 35546537 PMCID: PMC9239104 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00253-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The phytopathogenic proteobacterium Dickeya dadantii secretes an array of plant cell wall-degrading enzymes and other virulence factors via the type 2 secretion system (T2SS). T2SSs are widespread among important plant, animal, and human bacterial pathogens. This multiprotein complex spans the double membrane cell envelope and secretes fully folded proteins through a large outer membrane pore formed by 15 subunits of the secretin GspD. Secretins are also found in the type 3 secretion system and the type 4 pili. Usually, specialized lipoproteins termed pilotins assist the targeting and assembly of secretins into the outer membrane. Here, we show that in D. dadantii, the pilotin acts in concert with the scaffolding protein GspB. Deletion of gspB profoundly impacts secretin assembly, pectinase secretion, and virulence. Structural studies reveal that GspB possesses a conserved periplasmic homology region domain that interacts directly with the N-terminal secretin domain. Site-specific photo-cross-linking unravels molecular details of the GspB-GspD complex in vivo. We show that GspB facilitates outer membrane targeting and assembly of the secretin pores and anchors them to the inner membrane while the C-terminal extension of GspB provides a scaffold for the secretin channel in the peptidoglycan cell wall. Phylogenetic analysis shows that in other bacteria, GspB homologs vary in length and domain composition and act in concert with either a cognate ATPase GspA or the pilotin GspS.
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21
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Abstract
In-cell structural biology aims at extracting structural information about proteins or nucleic acids in their native, cellular environment. This emerging field holds great promise and is already providing new facts and outlooks of interest at both fundamental and applied levels. NMR spectroscopy has important contributions on this stage: It brings information on a broad variety of nuclei at the atomic scale, which ensures its great versatility and uniqueness. Here, we detail the methods, the fundamental knowledge, and the applications in biomedical engineering related to in-cell structural biology by NMR. We finally propose a brief overview of the main other techniques in the field (EPR, smFRET, cryo-ET, etc.) to draw some advisable developments for in-cell NMR. In the era of large-scale screenings and deep learning, both accurate and qualitative experimental evidence are as essential as ever to understand the interior life of cells. In-cell structural biology by NMR spectroscopy can generate such a knowledge, and it does so at the atomic scale. This review is meant to deliver comprehensive but accessible information, with advanced technical details and reflections on the methods, the nature of the results, and the future of the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francois-Xavier Theillet
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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22
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Vankadari N, Shepherd DC, Carter SD, Ghosal D. Three-dimensional insights into human enveloped viruses in vitro and in situ. Biochem Soc Trans 2022; 50:95-105. [PMID: 35076655 PMCID: PMC9022983 DOI: 10.1042/bst20210433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Revised: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Viruses can be enveloped or non-enveloped, and require a host cell to replicate and package their genomes into new virions to infect new cells. To accomplish this task, viruses hijack the host-cell machinery to facilitate their replication by subverting and manipulating normal host cell function. Enveloped viruses can have severe consequences for human health, causing various diseases such as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), seasonal influenza, COVID-19, and Ebola virus disease. The complex arrangement and pleomorphic architecture of many enveloped viruses pose a challenge for the more widely used structural biology techniques, such as X-ray crystallography. Cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET), however, is a particularly well-suited tool for overcoming the limitations associated with visualizing the irregular shapes and morphology enveloped viruses possess at macromolecular resolution. The purpose of this review is to explore the latest structural insights that cryo-ET has revealed about enveloped viruses, with particular attention given to their architectures, mechanisms of entry, replication, assembly, maturation and egress during infection. Cryo-ET is unique in its ability to visualize cellular landscapes at 3-5 nanometer resolution. Therefore, it is the most suited technique to study asymmetric elements and structural rearrangements of enveloped viruses during infection in their native cellular context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naveen Vankadari
- Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Doulin C. Shepherd
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Stephen D. Carter
- Centre for Virus Research, Medical Research Council-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, U.K
| | - Debnath Ghosal
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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23
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Garnett JA, Atherton J. Structure Determination of Microtubules and Pili: Past, Present, and Future Directions. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 8:830304. [PMID: 35096976 PMCID: PMC8795688 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.830304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Historically proteins that form highly polymeric and filamentous assemblies have been notoriously difficult to study using high resolution structural techniques. This has been due to several factors that include structural heterogeneity, their large molecular mass, and available yields. However, over the past decade we are now seeing a major shift towards atomic resolution insight and the study of more complex heterogenous samples and in situ/ex vivo examination of multi-subunit complexes. Although supported by developments in solid state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (ssNMR) and computational approaches, this has primarily been due to advances in cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM). The study of eukaryotic microtubules and bacterial pili are good examples, and in this review, we will give an overview of the technical innovations that have enabled this transition and highlight the advancements that have been made for these two systems. Looking to the future we will also describe systems that remain difficult to study and where further technical breakthroughs are required.
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Affiliation(s)
- James A. Garnett
- Centre for Host-Microbiome Interactions, Faculty of Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Sciences, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Joseph Atherton
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
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24
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Böhning J, Bharat TAM, Collins SM. Compressed sensing for electron cryotomography and high-resolution subtomogram averaging of biological specimens. Structure 2022; 30:408-417.e4. [PMID: 35051366 PMCID: PMC8919266 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2021.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Revised: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Cryoelectron tomography (cryo-ET) and subtomogram averaging (STA) allow direct visualization and structural studies of biological macromolecules in their native cellular environment, in situ. Often, low signal-to-noise ratios in tomograms, low particle abundance within the cell, and low throughput in typical cryo-ET workflows severely limit the obtainable structural information. To help mitigate these limitations, here we apply a compressed sensing approach using 3D second-order total variation (CS-TV2) to tomographic reconstruction. We show that CS-TV2 increases the signal-to-noise ratio in tomograms, enhancing direct visualization of macromolecules, while preserving high-resolution information up to the secondary structure level. We show that, particularly with small datasets, CS-TV2 allows improvement of the resolution of STA maps. We further demonstrate that the CS-TV2 algorithm is applicable to cellular specimens, leading to increased visibility of molecular detail within tomograms. This work highlights the potential of compressed sensing-based reconstruction algorithms for cryo-ET and in situ structural biology. Compressed sensing (CS-TV2) for cryo-ET using 3D second-order total variation CS-TV2 increases signal contrast while retaining high-resolution information Improved subtomogram averaging from CS-TV2 reconstructions of small datasets Increased contrast and detail in CS-TV2 reconstructions of cellular specimens
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Böhning
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK
| | - Tanmay A M Bharat
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK; Structural Studies Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Francis Crick Avenue, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK.
| | - Sean M Collins
- School of Chemical and Process Engineering & School of Chemistry, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.
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25
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Budowa i znaczenie II systemu sekrecji białek w ekologii i patogenezie Legionella pneumophila. POSTEP HIG MED DOSW 2021. [DOI: 10.2478/ahem-2021-0034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Pałeczki Legionella pneumophila pasożytują w komórkach odległych filogenetycznie gospodarzy, w środowisku wodnym w pierwotniakach, a w organizmie człowieka w makrofagach alweolarnych. Zdolność tych bakterii do wewnątrzkomórkowego namnażania się w komórkach fagocytujących, wyspecjalizowanych do niszczenia mikroorganizmów, ma podstawowe znaczenie dla rozwoju nietypowego zapalenia płuc zwanego chorobą legionistów. Umiejscowione na kilku różnych loci chromosomu bakteryjnego geny II systemu sekrecji L. pneumophila kodują co najmniej 25 białek, w tym enzymy o aktywności lipolitycznej, proteolitycznej, rybonukleazy oraz białka unikalne bakterii Legionella. W środowisku naturalnym T2SS L. pneumophila odgrywa decydującą rolę w ekologii tych drobnoustrojów determinując ich zdolność do przeżycia zarówno w postaci planktonicznej, jak i w strukturach biofilmu w słodkowodnych zbiornikach o niskiej temperaturze. Białka T2SS umożliwiają L. pneumophila zakażenie różnych gatunków pierwotniaków, a substraty tego systemu określają zakres pierwotniaczego gospodarza. Namnażanie się bakterii w różnorodnych pierwotniakach przyczynia się do ich rozsiewania oraz transmisji do antropogenicznych źródeł. Białka wydzielane za pomocą II systemu sekrecji determinują również zdolność L. pneumophila do zakażania mysich makrofagów alweolarnych i szpiku kostnego, ludzkich makrofagów linii U937 i THP-1 oraz komórek nabłonkowych pęcherzyków płucnych. Enzymy wydzielane za pomocą tego systemu, takie jak: proteazy, aminopeptydazy czy fosfolipazy umożliwiają pozyskanie substancji pokarmowych oraz powodują destrukcję tkanki płucnej myszy. W organizmie człowieka białka T2SS przyczyniają się do osłabienia wrodzonej odpowiedzi immunologicznej na zakażenie L. pneumophila przez hamowanie indukcji prozapalnych cytokin (IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1 oraz IL-8).
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26
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Shepherd DC, Dalvi S, Ghosal D. From cells to atoms: Cryo-EM as an essential tool to investigate pathogen biology, host-pathogen interaction, and drug discovery. Mol Microbiol 2021; 117:610-617. [PMID: 34592048 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14820] [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: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) has lately emerged as a powerful method in structural biology and cell biology. While cryo-EM single-particle analysis (SPA) is now routinely delivering structures of purified proteins and protein complexes at near-atomic resolution, the use of electron cryo-tomography (cryo-ET), together with subtomogram averaging, is allowing visualization of macromolecular complexes in their native cellular environment, at unprecedented resolution. The unique ability of cryo-EM to provide information at many spatial resolution scales from ångströms to microns makes it an invaluable tool that bridges the classic "resolution-gap" between structural biology and cell biology domains. Like in many other fields of biology, in recent years, cryo-EM has revolutionized our understanding of pathogen biology, host-pathogen interaction and has made significant strides toward structure-based drug discovery. In a very recent example, during the ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the structure of the stabilized severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein was deciphered by SPA. This led to the development of multiple vaccines. Alongside, cryo-ET provided key insights into the structure of the native virion, mechanism of its entry, replication, and budding; demonstrating the unrivaled power of cryo-EM in investigating pathogen biology, host-pathogen interaction, and drug discovery. In this review, we showcase a few examples of how different imaging modalities within cryo-EM have enabled the study of microbiology and host-pathogen interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doulin C Shepherd
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Somavally Dalvi
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Debnath Ghosal
- Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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27
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Kaplan M, Chreifi G, Metskas LA, Liedtke J, Wood CR, Oikonomou CM, Nicolas WJ, Subramanian P, Zacharoff LA, Wang Y, Chang YW, Beeby M, Dobro MJ, Zhu Y, McBride MJ, Briegel A, Shaffer CL, Jensen GJ. In situ imaging of bacterial outer membrane projections and associated protein complexes using electron cryo-tomography. eLife 2021; 10:73099. [PMID: 34468314 PMCID: PMC8455137 DOI: 10.7554/elife.73099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to produce outer membrane projections in the form of tubular membrane extensions (MEs) and membrane vesicles (MVs) is a widespread phenomenon among diderm bacteria. Despite this, our knowledge of the ultrastructure of these extensions and their associated protein complexes remains limited. Here, we surveyed the ultrastructure and formation of MEs and MVs, and their associated protein complexes, in tens of thousands of electron cryo-tomograms of ~90 bacterial species that we have collected for various projects over the past 15 years (Jensen lab database), in addition to data generated in the Briegel lab. We identified outer MEs and MVs in 13 diderm bacterial species and classified several major ultrastructures: (1) tubes with a uniform diameter (with or without an internal scaffold), (2) tubes with irregular diameter, (3) tubes with a vesicular dilation at their tip, (4) pearling tubes, (5) connected chains of vesicles (with or without neck-like connectors), (6) budding vesicles and nanopods. We also identified several protein complexes associated with these MEs and MVs which were distributed either randomly or exclusively at the tip. These complexes include a secretin-like structure and a novel crown-shaped structure observed primarily in vesicles from lysed cells. In total, this work helps to characterize the diversity of bacterial membrane projections and lays the groundwork for future research in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed Kaplan
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, United States
| | - Georges Chreifi
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, United States
| | - Lauren Ann Metskas
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, United States
| | - Janine Liedtke
- Leiden University, Sylvius Laboratories, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Cecily R Wood
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, United States
| | - Catherine M Oikonomou
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, United States
| | - William J Nicolas
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, United States
| | - Poorna Subramanian
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, United States
| | - Lori A Zacharoff
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States
| | - Yuhang Wang
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, United States
| | - Yi-Wei Chang
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
| | - Morgan Beeby
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Yongtao Zhu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Minnesota State University, Mankato, United States
| | - Mark J McBride
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, United States
| | - Ariane Briegel
- Leiden University, Sylvius Laboratories, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Carrie L Shaffer
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, United States.,Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, United States.,Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, United States
| | - Grant J Jensen
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, United States.,Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, United States
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Llontop EE, Cenens W, Favaro DC, Sgro GG, Salinas RK, Guzzo CR, Farah CS. The PilB-PilZ-FimX regulatory complex of the Type IV pilus from Xanthomonas citri. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009808. [PMID: 34398935 PMCID: PMC8389850 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Revised: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 07/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Type IV pili (T4P) are thin and flexible filaments found on the surface of a wide range of Gram-negative bacteria that undergo cycles of extension and retraction and participate in a variety of important functions related to lifestyle, defense and pathogenesis. During pilus extensions, the PilB ATPase energizes the polymerization of pilin monomers from the inner membrane. In Xanthomonas citri, two cytosolic proteins, PilZ and the c-di-GMP receptor FimX, are involved in the regulation of T4P biogenesis through interactions with PilB. In vivo fluorescence microscopy studies show that PilB, PilZ and FimX all colocalize to the leading poles of X. citri cells during twitching motility and that this colocalization is dependent on the presence of all three proteins. We demonstrate that full-length PilB, PilZ and FimX can interact to form a stable complex as can PilB N-terminal, PilZ and FimX C-terminal fragments. We present the crystal structures of two binary complexes: i) that of the PilB N-terminal domain, encompassing sub-domains ND0 and ND1, bound to PilZ and ii) PilZ bound to the FimX EAL domain within a larger fragment containing both GGDEF and EAL domains. Evaluation of PilZ interactions with PilB and the FimX EAL domain in these and previously published structures, in conjunction with mutagenesis studies and functional assays, allow us to propose an internally consistent model for the PilB-PilZ-FimX complex and its interactions with the PilM-PilN complex in the context of the inner membrane platform of the X. citri Type IV pilus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edgar E. Llontop
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - William Cenens
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Denize C. Favaro
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Departamento de Química Orgânica, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
| | - Germán G. Sgro
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Roberto K. Salinas
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Cristiane R. Guzzo
- Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Chuck S. Farah
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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29
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Ultrastructure of phytoplasma-infected jujube leaves with witches' broom disease. Micron 2021; 148:103108. [PMID: 34237476 DOI: 10.1016/j.micron.2021.103108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2021] [Revised: 06/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The subcellular characteristics of phytoplasma-infected jujube (Ziziphus jujuba) leaves were investigated using transmission electron microscopy. Midrib fragments of witches' broom-diseased jujube leaves were collected from abnormally small leaves at an early stage of branch clustering. The diseased jujube leaves showed multivesicular bodies (MVBs) with vesicles and tubules in the phloem parenchyma cells and sieve elements. The MVBs were connected to the plasma membrane appressed to the cell wall. There were increased callose collars at the pore-plasmodesma unit ends of the sieve elements in the diseased leaves than in control leaves. The proliferation of MVBs in the diseased jujube leaves could be associated with endoplasmic reticulum stress-dependent exosome release. The phytoplasma produced pleomorphic cells in sieve elements. Several types of putative extracellular structures were observed on the phytoplasma cells: (i) fimbriae-like threads, (ii) pili-like projections, (iii) flagella-like appendages, and (iv) tube-like structures. This study provides novel insights into intracellular obligate cell wall-less prokaryotes and host phloem structures.
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30
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Structural interactions define assembly adapter function of a type II secretion system pseudopilin. Structure 2021; 29:1116-1127.e8. [PMID: 34139172 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2021.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Revised: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The type IV filament superfamily comprises widespread membrane-associated polymers in prokaryotes. The type II secretion system (T2SS), a virulence pathway in many pathogens, belongs to this superfamily. A knowledge gap in understanding of the T2SS is the molecular role of a small "pseudopilin" protein. Using multiple biophysical techniques, we have deciphered how this missing component of the Xcp T2SS architecture is structurally integrated, and thereby unlocked its function. We demonstrate that low-abundance XcpH is the adapter that bridges a trimeric initiating tip complex, XcpIJK, with a periplasmic filament of XcpG subunits. Each pseudopilin protein caps an XcpG protofilament in an overall pseudopilus compatible with dimensions of the periplasm and the outer membrane-spanning secretin through which substrates pass. Unexpectedly, to fulfill its adapter function, the XcpH N-terminal helix must be unwound, a property shared with XcpG subunits. We provide an experimentally validated three-dimensional structural model of a complete type IV filament.
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31
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Chauhan D, Shames SR. Pathogenicity and Virulence of Legionella: Intracellular replication and host response. Virulence 2021; 12:1122-1144. [PMID: 33843434 PMCID: PMC8043192 DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2021.1903199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteria of the genus Legionella are natural pathogens of amoebae that can cause a severe pneumonia in humans called Legionnaires’ Disease. Human disease results from inhalation of Legionella-contaminated aerosols and subsequent bacterial replication within alveolar macrophages. Legionella pathogenicity in humans has resulted from extensive co-evolution with diverse genera of amoebae. To replicate intracellularly, Legionella generates a replication-permissive compartment called the Legionella-containing vacuole (LCV) through the concerted action of hundreds of Dot/Icm-translocated effector proteins. In this review, we present a collective overview of Legionella pathogenicity including infection mechanisms, secretion systems, and translocated effector function. We also discuss innate and adaptive immune responses to L. pneumophila, the implications of Legionella genome diversity and future avenues for the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepika Chauhan
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, USA
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32
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Single- or double-membrane-bound vesicles and P, Ca, and Fe-containing granules in Xanthomonas citri cultured on a solid medium. Micron 2021; 143:103024. [PMID: 33549851 DOI: 10.1016/j.micron.2021.103024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2020] [Revised: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The organelle-like structures of Xanthomonas citri, a bacterial pathogen that causes citrus canker, were investigated using an analytical transmission electron microscope. After high-pressure freezing, the bacteria were then freeze-substituted for imaging and element analysis. Miniscule electron-dense structures of varying shapes without a membrane enclosure were frequently observed near the cell poles in a 3-day culture. The bacteria formed cytoplasmic electron-dense spherical structures measuring approximately 50 nm in diameter. Furthermore, X. citri produced electron-dense or translucent ellipsoidal intracellular or extracellular granules. Single- or double-membrane-bound vesicles, including outer-inner membrane vesicles, were observed both inside and outside the cells. Most cells had been lysed in the 3-week X. citri culture, but they harbored one or two electron-dense spherical structures. Contrast-inverted scanning transmission electron microscopy images revealed distinct white spherical structures within the cytoplasm of X. citri. Likewise, energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry showed the spatial heterogeneity and co-localization of phosphorus, oxygen, calcium, and iron only in the cytoplasmic electron-dense spherical structures, thus corroborating the nature of polyphosphate granules.
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33
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Muralidharan K, Van Camp MM, Lyon AM. Structure and regulation of phospholipase Cβ and ε at the membrane. Chem Phys Lipids 2021; 235:105050. [PMID: 33422547 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemphyslip.2021.105050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Revised: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Phospholipase C (PLC) β and ε enzymes hydrolyze phosphatidylinositol (PI) lipids in response to direct interactions with heterotrimeric G protein subunits and small GTPases, which are activated downstream of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs). PI hydrolysis generates second messengers that increase the intracellular Ca2+ concentration and activate protein kinase C (PKC), thereby regulating numerous physiological processes. PLCβ and PLCε share a highly conserved core required for lipase activity, but use different strategies and structural elements to autoinhibit basal activity, bind membranes, and engage G protein activators. In this review, we discuss recent structural insights into these enzymes and the implications for how they engage membranes alone or in complex with their G protein regulators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaushik Muralidharan
- Department of Biological Sciences, 560 Oval Drive, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, United States.
| | - Michelle M Van Camp
- Department of Chemistry, 560 Oval Drive, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, United States.
| | - Angeline M Lyon
- Department of Biological Sciences, 560 Oval Drive, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, United States; Department of Chemistry, 560 Oval Drive, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, United States.
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34
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Naskar S, Hohl M, Tassinari M, Low HH. The structure and mechanism of the bacterial type II secretion system. Mol Microbiol 2020; 115:412-424. [PMID: 33283907 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Revised: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The type II secretion system (T2SS) is a multi-protein complex used by many bacteria to move substrates across their cell membrane. Substrates released into the environment serve as local and long-range effectors that promote nutrient acquisition, biofilm formation, and pathogenicity. In both animals and plants, the T2SS is increasingly recognized as a key driver of virulence. The T2SS spans the bacterial cell envelope and extrudes substrates through an outer membrane secretin channel using a pseudopilus. An inner membrane assembly platform and a cytoplasmic motor controls pseudopilus assembly. This microreview focuses on the structure and mechanism of the T2SS. Advances in cryo-electron microscopy are enabling increasingly elaborate sub-complexes to be resolved. However, key questions remain regarding the mechanism of pseudopilus extension and retraction, and how this is coupled with the choreography of the substrate moving through the secretion system. The T2SS is part of an ancient type IV filament superfamily that may have been present within the last universal common ancestor (LUCA). Overall, mechanistic principles that underlie T2SS function have implication for other closely related systems such as the type IV and tight adherence pilus systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Souvik Naskar
- Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College, London, UK
| | - Michael Hohl
- Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College, London, UK
| | | | - Harry H Low
- Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College, London, UK
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35
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Turk M, Baumeister W. The promise and the challenges of cryo-electron tomography. FEBS Lett 2020; 594:3243-3261. [PMID: 33020915 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.13948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 144] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Revised: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Structural biologists have traditionally approached cellular complexity in a reductionist manner in which the cellular molecular components are fractionated and purified before being studied individually. This 'divide and conquer' approach has been highly successful. However, awareness has grown in recent years that biological functions can rarely be attributed to individual macromolecules. Most cellular functions arise from their concerted action, and there is thus a need for methods enabling structural studies performed in situ, ideally in unperturbed cellular environments. Cryo-electron tomography (Cryo-ET) combines the power of 3D molecular-level imaging with the best structural preservation that is physically possible to achieve. Thus, it has a unique potential to reveal the supramolecular architecture or 'molecular sociology' of cells and to discover the unexpected. Here, we review state-of-the-art Cryo-ET workflows, provide examples of biological applications, and discuss what is needed to realize the full potential of Cryo-ET.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Turk
- Department of Molecular Structural Biology, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Baumeister
- Department of Molecular Structural Biology, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
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36
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Weaver SJ, Ortega DR, Sazinsky MH, Dalia TN, Dalia AB, Jensen GJ. CryoEM structure of the type IVa pilus secretin required for natural competence in Vibrio cholerae. Nat Commun 2020; 11:5080. [PMID: 33033258 PMCID: PMC7545093 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18866-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Natural transformation is the process by which bacteria take up genetic material from their environment and integrate it into their genome by homologous recombination. It represents one mode of horizontal gene transfer and contributes to the spread of traits like antibiotic resistance. In Vibrio cholerae, a type IVa pilus (T4aP) is thought to facilitate natural transformation by extending from the cell surface, binding to exogenous DNA, and retracting to thread this DNA through the outer membrane secretin, PilQ. Here, we use a functional tagged allele of VcPilQ purified from native V. cholerae cells to determine the cryoEM structure of the VcPilQ secretin in amphipol to ~2.7 Å. We use bioinformatics to examine the domain architecture and gene neighborhood of T4aP secretins in Proteobacteria in comparison with VcPilQ. This structure highlights differences in the architecture of the T4aP secretin from the type II and type III secretion system secretins. Based on our cryoEM structure, we design a series of mutants to reversibly regulate VcPilQ gate dynamics. These experiments support the idea of VcPilQ as a potential druggable target and provide insight into the channel that DNA likely traverses to promote the spread of antibiotic resistance via horizontal gene transfer by natural transformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara J Weaver
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, Departments of Biological Chemistry and Physiology, University of California Los Angeles, 615 Charles E Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Davi R Ortega
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA
| | - Matthew H Sazinsky
- Department of Chemistry, Pomona College, 333N. College Way, Claremont, CA, 91711, USA
| | - Triana N Dalia
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, 107S. Indiana Avenue, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA
| | - Ankur B Dalia
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, 107S. Indiana Avenue, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA
| | - Grant J Jensen
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA.
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37
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Tenga R, Medalia O. Structure and unique mechanical aspects of nuclear lamin filaments. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2020; 64:152-159. [DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2020.06.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2020] [Revised: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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38
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Rehman S, Grigoryeva LS, Richardson KH, Corsini P, White RC, Shaw R, Portlock TJ, Dorgan B, Zanjani ZS, Fornili A, Cianciotto NP, Garnett JA. Structure and functional analysis of the Legionella pneumophila chitinase ChiA reveals a novel mechanism of metal-dependent mucin degradation. PLoS Pathog 2020; 16:e1008342. [PMID: 32365117 PMCID: PMC7224574 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2019] [Revised: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Chitinases are important enzymes that contribute to the generation of carbon and nitrogen from chitin, a long chain polymer of N-acetylglucosamine that is abundant in insects, fungi, invertebrates and fish. Although mammals do not produce chitin, chitinases have been identified in bacteria that are key virulence factors in severe respiratory, gastrointestinal and urinary diseases. However, it is unclear how these enzymes are able to carry out this dual function. Legionella pneumophila is the causative agent of Legionnaires' disease, an often-fatal pneumonia and its chitinase ChiA is essential for the survival of L. pneumophila in the lung. Here we report the first atomic resolution insight into the pathogenic mechanism of a bacterial chitinase. We derive an experimental model of intact ChiA and show how its N-terminal region targets ChiA to the bacterial surface after its secretion. We provide the first evidence that L. pneumophila can bind mucins on its surface, but this is not dependent on ChiA. This demonstrates that additional peripheral mucin binding proteins are also expressed in L. pneumophila. We also show that the ChiA C-terminal chitinase domain has novel Zn2+-dependent peptidase activity against mammalian mucin-like proteins, namely MUC5AC and the C1-esterase inhibitor, and that ChiA promotes bacterial penetration of mucin gels. Our findings suggest that ChiA can facilitate passage of L. pneumophila through the alveolar mucosa, can modulate the host complement system and that ChiA may be a promising target for vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saima Rehman
- Centre for Host-Microbiome Interactions, Dental Institute, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Lubov S. Grigoryeva
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Katherine H. Richardson
- Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Paula Corsini
- Centre for Host-Microbiome Interactions, Dental Institute, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
- Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Richard C. White
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Rosie Shaw
- Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Theo J. Portlock
- Centre for Host-Microbiome Interactions, Dental Institute, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
- Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Benjamin Dorgan
- Centre for Host-Microbiome Interactions, Dental Institute, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
- Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Zeinab S. Zanjani
- Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Arianna Fornili
- Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Nicholas P. Cianciotto
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - James A. Garnett
- Centre for Host-Microbiome Interactions, Dental Institute, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
- Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
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