Functional characterization of a mycothiol peroxidase in Corynebacterium glutamicum that uses both mycoredoxin and thioredoxin reducing systems in the response to oxidative stress

Regulation of oxidative stress response and antioxidant modification in Corynebacterium glutamicum

As an efficient and safe industrial bacterium, Corynebacterium glutamicum has extensive application in amino acid production. However, it often faces oxidative stress induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to diminished production efficiency. To enhance the robustness of C. glutamicum, numerous studies have focused on elucidating its regulatory mechanisms under various stress conditions such as heat, acid, and sulfur stress. However, a comprehensive review of its defense mechanisms against oxidative stress is needed. This review offers an in-depth overview of the mechanisms C. glutamicum employs to manage oxidative stress. It covers both enzymatic and non-enzymatic systems, including antioxidant enzymes, regulatory protein families, sigma factors involved in transcription, and physiological redox reduction pathways. This review provides insights for advancing research on the antioxidant mechanisms of C. glutamicum and sheds light on its potential applications in industrial production.

A pyocin-like T6SS effector mediates bacterial competition in Yersinia pseudotuberculosis

Within the realm of Gram-negative bacteria, bacteriocins are secreted almost everywhere, and the most representative are colicin and pyocin, which are secreted by Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, respectively. Signal peptides at the amino terminus of bacteriocins or ABC transporters can secrete bacteriocins, which then enter bacteria through cell membrane receptors and exert toxicity. In general, the bactericidal spectrum is usually narrow, killing only the kin or closely related species. Our previous research indicates that YPK_0952 is an effector of the third Type VI secretion system (T6SS-3) in Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. Next, we sought to determine its identity and characterize its toxicity. We found that YPK_0952 (a pyocin-like effector) can achieve intra-species and inter-species competitive advantages through both contact-dependent and contact-independent mechanisms mediated by the T6SS-3 while enhancing the intestinal colonization capacity of Y. pseudotuberculosis. We further identified YPK_0952 as a DNase dependent on Mg2+, Ni2+, Mn2+, and Co2+ bivalent metal ions, and the homologous immune protein YPK_0953 can inhibit its activity. In summary, YPK_0952 exerts toxicity by degrading nucleic acids from competing cells, and YPK_0953 prevents self-attack in Y. pseudotuberculosis.IMPORTANCEBacteriocins secreted by Gram-negative bacteria generally enter cells through specific interactions on the cell surface, resulting in a narrow bactericidal spectrum. First, we identified a new pyocin-like effector protein, YPK_0952, in the third Type VI secretion system (T6SS-3) of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. YPK_0952 is secreted by T6SS-3 and can exert DNase activity through contact-dependent and contact-independent entry into nearby cells of the same and other species (e.g., Escherichia coli) to help Y. pseudotuberculosis to exert a competitive advantage and promote intestinal colonization. This discovery lays the foundation for an in-depth study of the different effector protein types within the T6SS and their complexity in competing interactions. At the same time, this study provides a new development for the toolbox of toxin/immune pairs for studying Gram-negative bacteriocin translocation.

Corynebacterium glutamicum cell factory design for the efficient production of cis, cis-muconic acid

Cis, cis-muconic acid (MA) is widely used as a key starting material in the synthesis of diverse polymers. The growing demand in these industries has led to an increased need for MA. Here, we constructed recombinant Corynebacterium glutamicum by systems metabolic engineering, which exhibit high efficiency in the production of MA. Firstly, the three major degradation pathways were disrupted in the MA production process. Subsequently, metabolic optimization strategies were predicted by computational design and the shikimate pathway was reconstructed, significantly enhancing its metabolic flux. Finally, through optimization and integration of key genes involved in MA production, the recombinant strain produced 88.2 g/L of MA with the yield of 0.30 mol/mol glucose in the 5 L bioreactor. This titer represents the highest reported titer achieved using glucose as the carbon source in current studies, and the yield is the highest reported for MA production from glucose in Corynebacterium glutamicum. Furthermore, to enable the utilization of more cost-effective glucose derived from corn straw hydrolysate, we subjected the strain to adaptive laboratory evolution in corn straw hydrolysate. Ultimately, we successfully achieved MA production in a high solid loading of corn straw hydrolysate (with the glucose concentration of 83.56 g/L), resulting in a titer of 19.9 g/L for MA, which is 4.1 times higher than that of the original strain. Additionally, the glucose yield was improved to 0.33 mol/mol. These provide possibilities for a greener and more sustainable production of MA.

Characterization of oxidative stress-induced cgahp, a gene coding for alkyl hydroperoxide reductase, from industrial importance Corynebacterium glutamicum

Alkyl hydroperoxide reductase (Ahp), comprised of four different subunits AhpC, AhpD, AhpE, and AhpF, is a thiol-based antioxidative enzyme with the ability to protect bacteria against oxidative stress. Functionally, AhpC and AhpE considered as peroxidases directly detoxify peroxides, while AhpD and AhpF as oxidoreductases restore oxidized peroxidases to their reduced form. Corynebacterium glutamicum ncgl0877 encodes a putative Ahp with a unique Cys-Pro-Phe-Cys (C-P-G-C) active-site motif, similar with those of the thiol-disulfide oxidoreductases such as thioredoxin (Trx), mycoredoxin-1 (Mrx1) and AhpD. However, its physiological and biochemical functions remain unknown in C. glutamicum. Here, we report that NCgl0877, designated CgAhp, is involved in the protection against organic peroxide (OP) stress. The cgahp-deleted strain is notably more sensitive to OP stress. The cgahp expression is controlled by a MarR-type transcriptional repressor OasR (organic peroxide- and antibiotic-sensing regulator). The physiological role of CgAhp in resistance to OP stresses is corroborated by its induced expression under stresses. Although CgAhp has a weak peroxidase activity toward OP, it mainly supports the OP-scavenging activity of the thiol-dependent peroxidase preferentially linked to the dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (Lpd)/dihydrolipoamide succinyltransferase (SucB)/NADH system. The C-P-G-C motif of CgAhp is essential to maintain the reductase activity. In conclusion, our study identifies CgAhp, behaving like AhpD, as a key disulfide oxidoreductase involved in the oxidative stress tolerance and the functional electron donor for peroxidase.

The flavohaemoprotein hmp maintains redox homeostasis in response to reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in Corynebacterium glutamicum

BACKGROUND

During the production of L-arginine through high dissolved oxygen and nitrogen supply fermentation, the industrial workhorse Corynebacterium glutamicum is exposed to oxidative stress. This generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS), which are harmful to the bacteria. To address the issue and to maintain redox homeostasis during fermentation, the flavohaemoprotein (Hmp) was employed.

RESULTS

The results showed that the overexpression of Hmp led to a decrease in ROS and RNS content by 9.4% and 22.7%, respectively, and improved the survivability of strains. When the strains were treated with H2O2 and NaNO2, the RT-qPCR analysis indicated an up-regulation of ammonium absorption and transporter genes amtB and glnD. Conversely, the deletion of hmp gives rise to the up-regulation of eight oxidative stress-related genes. These findings suggested that hmp is associated with oxidative stress and intracellular nitrogen metabolism genes. Finally, we released the inhibitory effect of ArnR on hmp. The Cc-ΔarnR-hmp strain produced 48.4 g/L L-arginine during batch-feeding fermentation, 34.3% higher than the original strain.

CONCLUSIONS

This report revealed the influence of dissolved oxygen and nitrogen concentration on reactive species of Corynebacterium glutamicum and the role of the Hmp in coping with oxidative stress. The Hmp first demonstrates related to redox homeostasis and nitrite metabolism, providing a feasible strategy for improving the robustness of strains.

Precise and versatile microplate reader-based analyses of biosensor signals from arrayed microbial colonies

Genetically encoded fluorescent biosensors have emerged as a powerful tool to support phenotypic screenings of microbes. Optical analyses of fluorescent sensor signals from colonies grown on solid media can be challenging as imaging devices need to be equipped with appropriate filters matching the properties of fluorescent biosensors. Toward versatile fluorescence analyses of different types of biosensor signals derived from arrayed colonies, we investigate here the use of monochromator equipped microplate readers as an alternative to imaging approaches. Indeed, for analyses of the LacI-controlled expression of the reporter mCherry in Corynebacterium glutamicum, or promoter activity using GFP as reporter in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, an improved sensitivity and dynamic range was observed for a microplate reader-based analyses compared to their analyses via imaging. The microplate reader allowed us to capture signals of ratiometric fluorescent reporter proteins (FRPs) with a high sensitivity and thereby to further improve the analysis of internal pH via the pH-sensitive FRP mCherryEA in Escherichia coli colonies. Applicability of this novel technique was further demonstrated by assessing redox states in C. glutamicum colonies using the FRP Mrx1-roGFP2. By the use of a microplate reader, oxidative redox shifts were measured in a mutant strain lacking the non-enzymatic antioxidant mycothiol (MSH), indicating its major role for maintaining a reduced redox state also in colonies on agar plates. Taken together, analyses of biosensor signals from microbial colonies using a microplate reader allows comprehensive phenotypic screenings and thus facilitates further development of new strains for metabolic engineering and systems biology.

Mycothiol Peroxidase Activity as a Part of the Self-Resistance Mechanisms against the Antitumor Antibiotic Cosmomycin D

Antibiotic-producing microorganisms usually require one or more self-resistance determinants to survive antibiotic production. The effectors of these mechanisms are proteins that inactivate the antibiotic, facilitate its transport, or modify the target to render it insensitive to the molecule. Streptomyces bacteria biosynthesize various bioactive natural products and possess resistance systems for most metabolites, which are coregulated with antibiotic biosynthesis genes. Streptomyces olindensis strain DAUFPE 5622 produces the antitumor antibiotic cosmomycin D (COSD), a member of the anthracycline family. In this study, we propose three self-resistance mechanisms, anchored or based in the COSD biosynthetic gene cluster. These include cosIJ (an ABC transporter), cosU (a UvrA class IIa protein), and a new self-resistance mechanism encoded by cosP, which shows response against peroxides by the enzyme mycothiol peroxidase (MPx). Activity-based investigations of MPx and its mutant enzyme confirmed peroxidation during the production of COSD. Overexpression of the ABC transporter, the UvrA class IIa protein, and the MPx led to an effective response against toxic anthracyclines, such as cosmomycins. Our findings help to understand how thiol peroxidases play an antioxidant role in the anthracycline producer S. olindensis DAUFPE 5622, a mechanism which has been reported for neoplastic cells that are resistant to doxorubicin (DOX).

IMPORTANCE Anthracycline compounds are DNA intercalating agents widely used in cancer chemotherapeutic protocols. This work focused on the self-resistance mechanisms developed by the cosmomycin-producing bacterium Streptomyces olindensis. Our findings showed that cysteine peroxidases, such as mycothiol peroxidase, encoded by the gene cosP, protected S. olindensis against peroxidation during cosmomycin production. This observation can contribute to much better understanding of resistance both in the producers, eventually enhancing production, and in some tumoral cell lines.

Involvement of a mycothiol-dependent reductase NCgl0018 in oxidative stress response of Corynebacterium glutamicum

Corynebacterium glutamicum is an important industrial strain for amino acids and a key model organism for human pathogens. The study of C. glutamicum oxidoreductases, such as mycoredoxin 1 (Mrx1), dithiol-disulfide isomerase DsbA, and DsbA-like Mrx1, is helpful for understanding the survival, pathogenic infection, and stress resistance of its homologous species. However, the action mode and enzymatic function of C. glutamicum NCgl0018 preserving the Cys-Pro-Phe-Cys motif, annotated as a putative DsbA, have remained enigmatic. Here, we report that the NCgl0018-deleted strain increased sensitivity to various oxidative stresses. The ncgl0018 expression was induced in the stress-responsive extracytoplasmic function-sigma (ECF-σ) factor SigH- and organic peroxide- and antibiotic-sensing regulator (OasR)-dependent manner by stress. NCgl0018 reduced S-mycothiolated mixed disulfides and intramolecular disulfides via a monothiol-disulfide mechanism preferentially linking the mycothiol/mycothione reductase/NADPH electron pathway. Site-directed mutagenesis confirmed Cys107 was the resolving Cys residue, while Cys104 was the nucleophilic cysteine that was oxidized to a sulfenic acid and then could form an intramolecular disulfide bond with Cys107 or a mixed disulfide with mycothiol under stress. Biochemical analyses indicated that NCgl0018 lacked oxidase properties like the classical DsbA. Further, enzymatic rates and substrate preferences of NCgl0018 were highly similar to those of DsbA-like Mrx1. Collectively, our study presented the first evidence that NCgl0018 protected against stresses by functioning as a novel DsbA-like Mrx1 but not DsbA and Mrx1.

A novel mycothiol-dependent thiol-disulfide reductase in Corynebacterium glutamicum involving oxidative stress resistance

ncgl2478 gene from Corynebacterium glutamicum encodes a thiol–disulfide oxidoreductase enzyme annotated as dithiol–disulfide isomerase DsbA. It preserves a Cys–Pro–Phe–Cys active-site motif, which is presumed to be an exclusive characteristic of the novel DsbA–mycoredoxin 1 (Mrx1) cluster. However, the real mode of action, the nature of the electron donor pathway and biological functions of NCgl2478 in C. glutamicum have remained enigmatic so far. Herein, we report that NCgl2478 plays an important role in stress resistance. Deletion of the ncgl2478 gene increases the size of growth inhibition zones. The ncgl2478 expression is induced in the stress-responsive extra-cytoplasmic function-sigma (ECF-σ) factor SigH-dependent manner by stress. It receives electrons preferentially from the mycothiol (MSH)/mycothione reductase (Mtr)/NADPH pathway. Further, NCgl2478 reduces S-mycothiolated mixed disulfides and intramolecular disulfides via a monothiol–disulfide and a dithiol–disulfide exchange mechanism, respectively. NCgl2478 lacks oxidase activity; kinetic properties of its demycothiolation are different from those of Mrx1. Site-directed mutagenesis confirms Cys24 is the resolving Cys residue, while Cys21 is the nucleophilic cysteine that is oxidized to a sulfenic acid and then forms an intramolecular disulfide bond with Cys24 or a mixed disulfide with MSH under oxidative stress. In conclusion, our study presents the first evidence that NCgl2478 protects against various stresses by acting as an MSH-dependent thiol–disulfide reductase, belonging to a novel DsbA–Mrx1 cluster.

Contact-independent killing mediated by a T6SS effector with intrinsic cell-entry properties

Bacterial type VI secretion systems (T6SSs) inject toxic effectors into adjacent eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. It is generally thought that this process requires physical contact between the two cells. Here, we provide evidence of contact-independent killing by a T6SS-secreted effector. We show that the pathogen Yersinia pseudotuberculosis uses a T6SS (T6SS-3) to secrete a nuclease effector that kills other bacteria in vitro and facilitates gut colonization in mice. The effector (Tce1) is a small protein that acts as a Ca²⁺- and Mg²⁺-dependent DNase, and its toxicity is inhibited by a cognate immunity protein, Tci1. As expected, T6SS-3 mediates canonical, contact-dependent killing by directly injecting Tce1 into adjacent cells. In addition, T6SS-3 also mediates killing of neighboring cells in the absence of cell-to-cell contact, by secreting Tce1 into the extracellular milieu. Efficient contact-independent entry of Tce1 into target cells requires proteins OmpF and BtuB in the outer membrane of target cells. The discovery of a contact-independent, long-range T6SS toxin delivery provides a new perspective for understanding the physiological roles of T6SS in competition. However, the mechanisms mediating contact-independent uptake of Tce1 by target cells remain unclear.

Bacteria can use type VI secretion systems (T6SSs) to inject toxic effector proteins into adjacent cells, in a contact-dependent manner. Here, the authors provide evidence of contact-independent killing by a T6SS effector that is secreted into the extracellular milieu and then taken up by other bacterial cells.

Molecular mechanisms of Mycoredoxin-1 in resistance to oxidative stress in Corynebacterium glutamicum

Glutaredoxins (Grxs) with Cys-Pro-Phe (Tyr)-Cys motif and a thioredoxin fold structure play an important role in the anti-oxidant system of bacteria by catalyzing a variety of thiol-disulfide exchange reactions with a 2-Cys mechanism or a 1-Cys mechanism. However, the catalytic and physiological mechanism of Corynebacterium glutamicum Mycoredoxin 1 (Mrx1) that shares a high amino acid sequence similarity to Grxs has not been fully elucidated. Here, we report that Mrx1 has a protective function against various adverse conditions, and the decrease of cell viability to various stress conditions by deletion of the Mrx1 in C. glutamicum was confirmed in the mrx1 mutant. The physiological roles of Mrx1 in defence to oxidative stress were corroborated by its induced expression under various stresses, regulated directly by the stress-responsive extracytoplasmic function-sigma (ECF-σ) factor SigH. As well as reducing mycothiol (MSH) mixed disulfide bonds via a 1-Cys mechanism, C. glutamicum Mrx1 catalytically reduced the disulfides in the Ib RNR, insulin and 5,5'-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid) (DTNB) by exclusively linking the MSH/Mtr (mycothiol disulfide reductase)/NADPH electron pathway via a 2-Cys mechanism. Thus, we present the first evidence that the Mrx1 is able to protect against the damaging effects of various exogenous stresses by acting as a disulfide oxidoreductase, thereby giving a new insight in how C. glutamicum survives oxidative stressful conditions.

The Industrial Organism Corynebacterium glutamicum Requires Mycothiol as Antioxidant to Resist Against Oxidative Stress in Bioreactor Cultivations

In aerobic environments, bacteria are exposed to reactive oxygen species (ROS). To avoid an excess of ROS, microorganisms are equipped with powerful enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants. Corynebacterium glutamicum, a widely used industrial platform organism, uses mycothiol (MSH) as major low molecular weight (LMW) thiol and non-enzymatic antioxidant. In aerobic bioreactor cultivations, C. glutamicum becomes exposed to oxygen concentrations surpassing the air saturation, which are supposed to constitute a challenge for the intracellular MSH redox balance. In this study, the role of MSH was investigated at different oxygen levels (pO₂) in bioreactor cultivations in C. glutamicum. Despite the presence of other highly efficient antioxidant systems, such as catalase, the MSH deficient ΔmshC mutant was impaired in growth in bioreactor experiments performed at pO₂ values of 30%. At a pO₂ level of 20%, this growth defect was abolished, indicating a high susceptibility of the MSH-deficient mutant towards elevated oxygen concentrations. Bioreactor experiments with C. glutamicum expressing the Mrx1-roGFP2 redox biosensor revealed a strong oxidative shift in the MSH redox potential (E_MSH) at pO₂ values above 20%. This indicates that the LMW thiol MSH is an essential antioxidant to maintain the robustness and industrial performance of C. glutamicum during aerobic fermentation processes.

CarR, a MarR-family regulator from Corynebacterium glutamicum, modulated antibiotic and aromatic compound resistance

MarR (multiple antibiotic resistance regulator) proteins are a family of transcriptional regulators that is prevalent in Corynebacterium glutamicum. Understanding the physiological and biochemical function of MarR homologs in C. glutamicum has focused on cysteine oxidation-based redox-sensing and substrate metabolism-involving regulators. In this study, we characterized the stress-related ligand-binding functions of the C. glutamicum MarR-type regulator CarR (C. glutamicum antibiotic-responding regulator). We demonstrate that CarR negatively regulates the expression of the carR (ncgl2886)-uspA (ncgl2887) operon and the adjacent, oppositely oriented gene ncgl2885, encoding the hypothetical deacylase DecE. We also show that CarR directly activates transcription of the ncgl2882-ncgl2884 operon, encoding the peptidoglycan synthesis operon (PSO) located upstream of carR in the opposite orientation. The addition of stress-associated ligands such as penicillin and streptomycin induced carR, uspA, decE, and PSO expression in vivo, as well as attenuated binding of CarR to operator DNA in vitro. Importantly, stress response-induced up-regulation of carR, uspA, and PSO gene expression correlated with cell resistance to β-lactam antibiotics and aromatic compounds. Six highly conserved residues in CarR were found to strongly influence its ligand binding and transcriptional regulatory properties. Collectively, the results indicate that the ligand binding of CarR induces its dissociation from the carR-uspA promoter to derepress carR and uspA transcription. Ligand-free CarR also activates PSO expression, which in turn contributes to C. glutamicum stress resistance. The outcomes indicate that the stress response mechanism of CarR in C. glutamicum occurs via ligand-induced conformational changes to the protein, not via cysteine oxidation-based thiol modifications.

Methionine sulfoxide reductase B from Corynebacterium diphtheriae catalyzes sulfoxide reduction via an intramolecular disulfide cascade

Corynebacterium diphtheriae is a human pathogen that causes diphtheria. In response to immune system-induced oxidative stress, C. diphtheriae expresses antioxidant enzymes, among which are methionine sulfoxide reductase (Msr) enzymes, which are critical for bacterial survival in the face of oxidative stress. Although some aspects of the catalytic mechanism of the Msr enzymes have been reported, several details still await full elucidation. Here, we solved the solution structure of C. diphtheriae MsrB (Cd-MsrB) and unraveled its catalytic and oxidation-protection mechanisms. Cd-MsrB catalyzes methionine sulfoxide reduction involving three redox-active cysteines. Using NMR heteronuclear single-quantum coherence spectra, kinetics, biochemical assays, and MS analyses, we show that the conserved nucleophilic residue Cys-122 is S-sulfenylated after substrate reduction, which is then resolved by a conserved cysteine, Cys-66, or by the nonconserved residue Cys-127. We noted that the overall structural changes during the disulfide cascade expose the Cys-122-Cys-66 disulfide to recycling through thioredoxin. In the presence of hydrogen peroxide, Cd-MsrB formed reversible intra- and intermolecular disulfides without losing its Cys-coordinated Zn²⁺, and only the nonconserved Cys-127 reacted with the low-molecular-weight (LMW) thiol mycothiol, protecting it from overoxidation. In summary, our structure-function analyses reveal critical details of the Cd-MsrB catalytic mechanism, including a major structural rearrangement that primes the Cys-122-Cys-66 disulfide for thioredoxin reduction and a reversible protection against excessive oxidation of the catalytic cysteines in Cd-MsrB through intra- and intermolecular disulfide formation and S-mycothiolation.

Thioredoxin and protein-disulfide isomerase selectivity for redox regulation of proteins in Corynebacterium glutamicum

Thioredoxins (Trxs) and protein-disulfide isomerases (PDIs) are believed to play a pivotal role in ensuring the proper folding of proteins, facilitating appropriate functioning of proteins, and maintaining intracellular redox homeostasis in bacteria. Two thioredoxins (Trxs) and three thiol-disulfide isomerases (PDIs) have been annotated in Corynebacterium glutamicum. However, nothing is known about their functional diversity in the redox regulation of proteins. Thus, we here analyzed the Trx- and PDI-dependent redox shifts of ribonucleotide reductase (RNR), insulin, 5,5'-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid) (DTNB), and several thiol-dependent peroxidases by measuring enzyme activity and thiol status in vitro. We found that the two Trxs and the three PDIs had activities in the cleavage of the disulfidebond, whereas the PDIs had a lower efficiency than the two Trxs. Trx2 could activate thiol-dependent peroxidases with an efficiency comparable with that of Trx1, but the PDIs were inefficient. The redox-active Cys-X-X-Cys motif harbored in both Trxs and PDIs was essential to supply efficiently the donor of reducing equivalents for protein disulfides. In addition, stress-responsive extracytoplasmic function (ECF)-sigma factor H (SigH)-dependent Trxs and PDIs expressions were observed. These results contributed importantly to our overall understanding of reducing functionality of the Trx and PDI systems, and also highlighted the complexity and plasticity of the intracellular redox network.

Characterization of Xi-class mycothiol S-transferase from Corynebacterium glutamicum and its protective effects in oxidative stress

Background

Oxidative stress caused by inevitable hostile conditions during fermentative process was the most serious threat to the survival of the well-known industrial microorganism Corynebacterium glutamicum. To survive, C. glutamicum developed several antioxidant defenses including millimolar concentrations of mycothiol (MSH) and protective enzymes. Glutathione (GSH) S-transferases (GSTs) with essentially defensive role in oxidative stress have been well defined in numerous microorganisms, while their physiological and biochemical functions remained elusive in C. glutamicum thus far.

Results

In the present study, we described protein NCgl1216 belonging to a novel MSH S-transferase Xi class (MstX), considered as the equivalent of GST Xi class (GSTX). MstX had a characteristic conserved catalytic motif (Cys-Pro-Trp-Ala, C-P-W-A). MstX was active as thiol transferase, dehydroascorbate reductase, mycothiolyl-hydroquinone reductase and MSH peroxidase, while it showed null activity toward canonical GSTs substrate as 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB) and GST Omega’s specific substance glutathionyl-acetophenones, indicating MstX had some biochemical characteristics related with mycoredoxin (Mrx). Site-directed mutagenesis showed that, among the two cysteine residues of the molecule, only the residue at position 67 was required for the activity. Moreover, the residues adjacent to the active Cys67 were also important for activity. These results indicated that the thiol transferase of MstX operated through a monothiol mechanism. In addition, we found MstX played important role in various stress resistance. The lack of C. glutamicum mstX gene resulted in significant growth inhibition and increased sensitivity under adverse stress condition. The mstX expression was induced by stress.

Conclusion

Corynebacterium glutamicum MstX might be critically involved in response to oxidative conditions, thereby giving new insight in how C. glutamicum survived oxidative stressful conditions.

Intracellular Environment Improvement of Mycobacterium neoaurum for Enhancing Androst-1,4-Diene-3,17-Dione Production by Manipulating NADH and Reactive Oxygen Species Levels

As one of the most significant steroid hormone precursors, androst-1,4-diene-3,17-dione (ADD) could be used to synthesize many valuable hormone drugs. The microbial transformation of sterols to ADD has received extensive attention in recent years. In a previous study, Mycobacterium neoaurum JC-12 was isolated and converted sterols to the major product, ADD. In this work, we enhanced ADD yield by improving the cell intracellular environment. First, we introduced a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) oxidase from Bacillus subtilis to balance the intracellular NAD+ availability in order to strengthen the ADD yield. Then, the catalase gene from M. neoaurum was also over-expressed to simultaneously scavenge the generated H2O2 and eliminate its toxic effects on cell growth and sterol transformation. Finally, using a 5 L fermentor, the recombinant strain JC-12yodC-katA produced 9.66 g/L ADD, which increased by 80% when compared with the parent strain. This work shows a promising way to increase the sterol transformation efficiency by regulating the intracellular environment.

The role of thiols in antioxidant systems

The sulfur biochemistry of the thiol group endows cysteines with a number of highly specialized and unique features that enable them to serve a variety of different functions in the cell. Typically highly conserved in proteins, cysteines are predominantly found in functionally or structurally crucial regions, where they act as stabilizing, catalytic, metal-binding and/or redox-regulatory entities. As highly abundant low molecular weight thiols, cysteine thiols and their oxidized disulfide counterparts are carefully balanced to maintain redox homeostasis in various cellular compartments, protect organisms from oxidative and xenobiotic stressors and partake actively in redox-regulatory and signaling processes. In this review, we will discuss the role of protein thiols as scavengers of hydrogen peroxide in antioxidant enzymes, use thiol peroxidases to exemplify how protein thiols contribute to redox signaling, provide an overview over the diverse set of low molecular weight thiol-based redox systems found in biology, and illustrate how thiol-based redox systems have evolved not only to protect against but to take full advantage of a world full of molecular oxygen.

Molecular Mechanisms of AhpC in Resistance to Oxidative Stress in Burkholderia thailandensis

Burkholderia thailandensis is a model organism for human pathogens Burkholderia mallei and Burkholderia pseudomallei. The study of B. thailandensis peroxiredoxin is helpful for understanding the survival, pathogenic infection, and antibiotic resistance of its homologous species. Alkyl hydroperoxide reductase subunit C (AhpC) is an important peroxiredoxin involved in oxidative damage defense. Here, we report that BthAhpC exhibits broad specificity for peroxide substrates, including inorganic and organic peroxides and peroxynitrite. AhpC catalyzes the reduction of oxidants using the N-terminal conserved Cys57 as a peroxidatic Cys and the C-terminal conserved Cys171 and Cys173 as resolving Cys. These three conserved Cys residues play critical roles in the catalytic mechanism. AhpD directly interacts with AhpC as an electron donor, and the conserved Cys residues in active site of AhpD are important for AhpC reduction. AhpC is directly repressed by OxyR as shown by identifying the OxyR binding site in the ahpC promoter with a DNA binding assay. This work sheds light on the function of AhpC in the peroxides and peroxynitrite damage response in B. thailandensis and homologous species.

Glutathione Activates Type III Secretion System Through Vfr in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Glutathione (GSH) is the most abundant antioxidant in all living organisms. Previously, we have shown that a deletion mutant in the glutathione synthetase gene (ΔgshB) decreases the expression of type III secretion system (T3SS) genes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. However, the mechanism remains elusive. In this study, a comprehensive transcriptomic analysis of the GSH-deficient mutant ΔgshAΔgshB was used to elucidate the role of GSH in the pathogenesis of P. aeruginosa. The data show that the expression of genes in T3SS, type VI secretion system (T6SS) and some regulatory genes were impaired. ΔgshAΔgshB was attenuated in a mouse model of acute pneumonia, swimming and swarming motilities, and biofilm formation. Under T3SS inducing conditions, GSH enhanced the expression of T3SS in both wild-type PAO1 and ΔgshAΔgshB, but not in Δvfr. Genetic complementation of Δvfr restored the ability of GSH to induce the expression of T3SS genes. Site-directed mutagenesis based substitution of cysteine residues with alanine in Vfr protein abolished the induction of T3SS genes by GSH, confirming that GSH regulates T3SS genes through Vfr. Exposure to H₂O₂ decreased free thiol content on Vfr, indicating that the protein was sensitive to redox modification. Importantly, GSH restored the oxidized Vfr to reduced state. Collectively, these results suggest that GSH serves as an intracellular redox signal sensed by Vfr to upregulate T3SS expression in P. aeruginosa. Our work provides new insights into the role of GSH in P. aeruginosa pathogenesis.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis WhiB3 maintains redox homeostasis and survival in response to reactive oxygen and nitrogen species

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) survives under oxidatively and nitosatively hostile niches inside host phagocytes. In other bacteria, adaptation to these stresses is dependent upon the redox sensitive two component systems (e.g., ArcAB) and transcription factors (e.g., FNR/SoxR). However, these factors are absent in Mtb. Therefore, it is not completely understood how Mtb maintains survival and redox balance in response to reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS). Here, we present evidences that a 4Fe-4S-cofactor containing redox-sensitive transcription factor (WhiB3) is exploited by Mtb to adapt under ROS and RNS stress. We show that MtbΔwhiB3 is acutely sensitive to oxidants and to nitrosative agents. Using a genetic biosensor of cytoplasmic redox state (Mrx1-roGFP2) of Mtb, we show that WhiB3 facilitates recovery from ROS (cumene hydroperoxide and hydrogen peroxide) and RNS (acidified nitrite and peroxynitrite). Also, MtbΔwhiB3 displayed reduced survival inside RAW 264.7 macrophages. Consistent with the role of WhiB3 in modulating host-pathogen interaction, we discovered that WhiB3 coordinates the formation of early human granulomas during interaction of Mtb with human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Altogether, our study provides empirical proof that WhiB3 is required to mitigate redox stress induced by ROS and RNS, which may be important to activate host/bacterial pathways required for the granuloma development and maintenance.

OhsR acts as an organic peroxide-sensing transcriptional activator using an S-mycothiolation mechanism in Corynebacterium glutamicum

Background

Corynebacterium glutamicum is a well-known producer of various l-amino acids in industry. During the fermenting process, C. glutamicum unavoidably encounters oxidative stress due to a specific reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by consistent adverse conditions. To combat the ROS, C. glutamicum has developed many common disulfide bond-based regulatory devices to control a specific set of antioxidant genes. However, nothing is known about the mixed disulfide between the protein thiol groups and the mycothiol (MSH) (S-mycothiolation)-based sensor. In addition, no OhrR (organic hydroperoxide resistance regulator) homologs and none of the organic hydroperoxide reductase (Ohr) sensors have been described in the alkyl hydroperoxide reductase CF-missing C. glutamicum, while organic hydroperoxides (OHPs)-specific Ohr was a core detoxification system.

Results

In this study, we showed that the C. glutamicum OhsR acted as an OHPs sensor that activated ohr expression. OhsR conferred resistance to cumene hydroperoxide (CHP) and t-butyl hydroperoxide but not H₂O₂, hypochlorous acid, and diamide; this outcome was substantiated by the fact that the ohsR-deficient mutant was sensitive to OHPs but not inorganic peroxides. The DNA binding activity of OhsR was specifically activated by CHP. Mutational analysis of the two cysteines (Cys125 and Cys261) showed that Cys125 was primarily responsible for the activation of DNA binding. The oxidation of Cys125 produced a sulfenic acid (C125-SOH) that subsequently reacted with MSH to generate S-mycothiolation that was required to activate the ohr expression. Therefore, OhsR regulated the ohr expression using an S-mycothiolation mechanism in vivo.

Conclusion

This is the first report demonstrating that the regulatory OhsR specifically sensed OHPs stress and responded to it by activating a specific ohr gene under its control using an S-mycothiolated mechanism.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12934-018-1048-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

CosR is an oxidative stress sensing a MarR-type transcriptional repressor in Corynebacterium glutamicum

The MarR family is unique to both bacteria and archaea. The members of this family, one of the most prevalent families of transcriptional regulators in bacteria, enable bacteria to adapt to changing environmental conditions, such as the presence of antibiotics, toxic chemicals, or reactive oxygen species (ROS), mainly by thiol-disulfide switches. Although the genome of Corynebacterium glutamicum encodes a large number of the putative MarR-type transcriptional regulators, their physiological and biochemical functions have so far been limited to only two proteins, regulator of oxidative stress response RosR and quinone oxidoreductase regulator QosR. Here, we report that the ncgl2617 gene (cosR) of C. glutamicum encoding an MarR-type transcriptional regulator plays an important role in oxidative stress resistance. The cosR null mutant is found to be more resistant to various oxidants and antibiotics, accompanied by a decrease in ROS production and protein carbonylation levels under various stresses. Protein biochemical function analysis shows that two Cys residues presenting at 49 and 62 sites in CosR are redox-active. They form intermolecular disulfide bonds in CosR under oxidative stress. This CosR oxidation leads to its dissociation from promoter DNA, depression of the target DNA, and increased oxidative stress resistance of C. glutamicum. Together, the results reveal that CosR is a redox-sensitive regulator that senses peroxide stress to mediate oxidative stress resistance in C. glutamicum.

Stable integration of the Mrx1-roGFP2 biosensor to monitor dynamic changes of the mycothiol redox potential in Corynebacterium glutamicum

Mycothiol (MSH) functions as major low molecular weight (LMW) thiol in the industrially important Corynebacterium glutamicum. In this study, we genomically integrated an Mrx1-roGFP2 biosensor in C. glutamicum to measure dynamic changes of the MSH redox potential (E_MSH) during the growth and under oxidative stress. C. glutamicum maintains a highly reducing intrabacterial E_MSH throughout the growth curve with basal E_MSH levels of ~- 296 mV. Consistent with its H₂O₂ resistant phenotype, C. glutamicum responds only weakly to 40 mM H₂O₂, but is rapidly oxidized by low doses of NaOCl. We further monitored basal E_MSH changes and the H₂O₂ response in various mutants which are compromised in redox-signaling of ROS (OxyR, SigH) and in the antioxidant defense (MSH, Mtr, KatA, Mpx, Tpx). While the probe was constitutively oxidized in the mshC and mtr mutants, a smaller oxidative shift in basal E_MSH was observed in the sigH mutant. The catalase KatA was confirmed as major H₂O₂ detoxification enzyme required for fast biosensor re-equilibration upon return to non-stress conditions. In contrast, the peroxiredoxins Mpx and Tpx had only little impact on E_MSH and H₂O₂ detoxification. Further live imaging experiments using confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed the stable biosensor expression and fluorescence at the single cell level. In conclusion, the stably expressed Mrx1-roGFP2 biosensor was successfully applied to monitor dynamic E_MSH changes in C. glutamicum during the growth, under oxidative stress and in different mutants revealing the impact of Mtr and SigH for the basal level E_MSH and the role of OxyR and KatA for efficient H₂O₂ detoxification under oxidative stress.

Myo-inositol-1-phosphate synthase (Ino-1) functions as a protection mechanism in Corynebacterium glutamicum under oxidative stress

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated in aerobic metabolism and oxidative stress lead to macromolecules damage, such as to proteins, lipids, and DNA, which can be eliminated by the redox buffer mycothiol (AcCys-GlcN-Ins, MSH). Myo-inositol-phosphate synthase (Ino-1) catalyzes the first committed step in the synthesis of MSH, thus playing a critical role in the growth of the organism. Although Ino-1s have been systematically studied in eukaryotes, their physiological and biochemical functions remain largely unknown in bacteria. In this study, we report that Ino-1 plays an important role in oxidative stress resistance in the gram-positive Actinobacteria Corynebacterium glutamicum. Deletion of the ino-1 gene resulted in a decrease in cell viability, an increase in ROS production, and the aggravation of protein carbonylation levels under various stress conditions. The physiological roles of Ino-1 in the resistance to oxidative stresses were corroborated by the absence of MSH in the Δino-1 mutant. In addition, we found that the homologous expression of Ino-1 in C. glutamicum yielded a functionally active protein, while when expressed in Escherichia coliBL21(DE3), it lacked measurable activity. An examination of the molecular mass (Mr) suggested that Ino-1 expressed in E. coliBL21(DE3) was not folded in a catalytically competent conformation. Together, the results unequivocally showed that Ino-1 was important for the mediation of oxidative resistance by C. glutamicum.

Redox regulation by reversible protein S-thiolation in Gram-positive bacteria

Low molecular weight (LMW) thiols play an important role as thiol-cofactors for many enzymes and are crucial to maintain the reduced state of the cytoplasm. Most Gram-negative bacteria utilize glutathione (GSH) as major LMW thiol. However, in Gram-positive Actinomycetes and Firmicutes alternative LMW thiols, such as mycothiol (MSH) and bacillithiol (BSH) play related roles as GSH surrogates, respectively. Under conditions of hypochlorite stress, MSH and BSH are known to form mixed disulfides with protein thiols, termed as S-mycothiolation or S-bacillithiolation that function in thiol-protection and redox regulation. Protein S-thiolations are widespread redox-modifications discovered in different Gram-positive bacteria, such as Bacillus and Staphylococcus species, Mycobacterium smegmatis, Corynebacterium glutamicum and Corynebacterium diphtheriae. S-thiolated proteins are mainly involved in cellular metabolism, protein translation, redox regulation and antioxidant functions with some conserved targets across bacteria. The reduction of protein S-mycothiolations and S-bacillithiolations requires glutaredoxin-related mycoredoxin and bacilliredoxin pathways to regenerate protein functions.

In this review, we present an overview of the functions of mycothiol and bacillithiol and their physiological roles in protein S-bacillithiolations and S-mycothiolations in Gram-positive bacteria. Significant progress has been made to characterize the role of protein S-thiolation in redox-regulation and thiol protection of main metabolic and antioxidant enzymes. However, the physiological roles of the pathways for regeneration are only beginning to emerge as well as their interactions with other cellular redox systems. Future studies should be also directed to explore the roles of protein S-thiolations and their redox pathways in pathogenic bacteria under infection conditions to discover new drug targets and treatment options against multiple antibiotic resistant bacteria.

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Bacillithiol and mycothiol are major LMW thiols in many Gram-positive bacteria.

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HOCl leads to widespread protein S-mycothiolation and S-bacillithiolation which function in thiol-protection and redox regulation.

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Redox-sensitive metabolic and antioxidant enzymes are main targets for S-mycothiolation or S-bacillithiolation.

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Mycoredoxin and bacilliredoxin pathways mediate reduction of S-thiolations.

Chemistry and Redox Biology of Mycothiol

SIGNIFICANCE

Mycothiol (MSH, AcCys-GlcN-Ins) is the main low-molecular weight (LMW) thiol of most Actinomycetes, including the human pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis that affects millions of people worldwide. Strains with decreased MSH content show increased susceptibilities to hydroperoxides and electrophilic compounds. In M. tuberculosis, MSH modulates the response to several antituberculosis drugs. Enzymatic routes involving MSH could provide clues for specific drug design. Recent Advances: Physicochemical data argue against a rapid, nonenzymatic reaction of MSH with oxidants, disulfides, or electrophiles. Moreover, exposure of the bacteria to high concentrations of two-electron oxidants resulted in protein mycothiolation. The recently described glutaredoxin-like protein mycoredoxin-1 (Mrx-1) provides a route for catalytic reduction of mycothiolated proteins, protecting critical cysteines from irreversible oxidation. The description of MSH/Mrx-1-dependent activities of peroxidases helped to explain the higher susceptibility to oxidants observed in Actinomycetes lacking MSH. Moreover, the first mycothiol-S-transferase, member of the DinB superfamily of proteins, was described. In Corynebacterium, both the MSH/Mrx-1 and the thioredoxin pathways reduce methionine sulfoxide reductase A. A novel tool for in vivo imaging of the MSH/mycothiol disulfide (MSSM) status allows following changes in the mycothiol redox state during macrophage infection and its relationship with antibiotic sensitivity.

CRITICAL ISSUES

Redundancy of MSH with other LMW thiols is starting to be unraveled and could help to rationalize the differences in the reported importance of MSH synthesis observed in vitro versus in animal infection models.

FUTURE DIRECTIONS

Future work should be directed to establish the structural bases of the specificity of MSH-dependent enzymes, thus facilitating drug developments. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 28, 487-504.

A thioredoxin-dependent peroxiredoxin Q from Corynebacterium glutamicum plays an important role in defense against oxidative stress

Peroxiredoxin Q (PrxQ) that belonged to the cysteine-based peroxidases has long been identified in numerous bacteria, but the information on the physiological and biochemical functions of PrxQ remain largely lacking in Corynebacterium glutamicum. To better systematically understand PrxQ, we reported that PrxQ from model and important industrial organism C. glutamicum, encoded by the gene ncgl2403 annotated as a putative PrxQ, played important roles in adverse stress resistance. The lack of C. glutamicum prxQ gene resulted in enhanced cell sensitivity, increased ROS accumulation, and elevated protein carbonylation levels under adverse stress conditions. Accordingly, PrxQ-mediated resistance to adverse stresses mainly relied on the degradation of ROS. The physiological roles of PrxQ in resistance to adverse stresses were corroborated by its induced expression under adverse stresses, regulated directly by the stress-responsive ECF-sigma factor SigH. Through catalytical kinetic activity, heterodimer formation, and bacterial two-hybrid analysis, we proved that C. glutamicum PrxQ catalytically eliminated peroxides by exclusively receiving electrons from thioredoxin (Trx)/thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) system and had a broad range of oxidizing substrates, but a better efficiency for peroxynitrite and cumene hydroperoxide (CHP). Site-directed mutagenesis confirmed that the conserved Cys49 and Cys54 are the peroxide oxidation site and the resolving Cys residue, respectively. It was also discovered that C. glutamicum PrxQ mainly existed in monomer whether under its native state or functional state. Based on these results, a catalytic model of PrxQ is being proposed. Moreover, our result that C. glutamicum PrxQ can prevent the damaging effects of adverse stresses by acting as thioredoxin-dependent monomeric peroxidase could be further applied to improve the survival ability and robustness of the important bacterium during fermentation process.

Functional comparison of methionine sulphoxide reductase A and B in Corynebacterium glutamicum

Methionine sulphoxide reductases (Msr) are able to reduce methionine sulfoxide to methionine and protect bacteria against reactive oxygen species (ROS). Many organisms express both methionine sulphoxide reductase A (MsrA), specific for methionine-S-sulfoxide and methionine sulphoxide reductase B (MsrB), active against methionine-R-sulfoxide. Corynebacterium glutamicum expresses MsrA, the function of which has been well defined; however, the function of MsrB has not been studied. Whether MsrB and MsrA play an equally important role in the antioxidant process is also poorly understood. In this study, we identified MsrB encoded by ncgl1823 in C. glutamicum, investigated its function and made a comparison with MsrA. The msrB gene showed a slight effect on utilizing methionine sulfoxide (MetO) as the sole Met source; however, the survival rates showed no sensitivity to oxidants. MsrB showed catalytic activity using thioredoxin/thioredoxin reductase (Trx/TrxR) reducing system as electron donors, but independent from the mycoredoxin 1/mycothione reductase/mycothiol (Mrx1/Mtr/MSH) system. Therefore, MsrB plays a limited role in resisting oxidative stress and it could reduce MetO to Met by the Trx/TrxR reducing system, which is useful for expanding the understanding of the functions of Msr in this important industrial microbe.

The glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase GapDH of Corynebacterium diphtheriae is redox-controlled by protein S-mycothiolation under oxidative stress

Mycothiol (MSH) is the major low molecular weight (LMW) thiol in Actinomycetes and functions in post-translational thiol-modification by protein S-mycothiolation as emerging thiol-protection and redox-regulatory mechanism. Here, we have used shotgun-proteomics to identify 26 S-mycothiolated proteins in the pathogen Corynebacterium diphtheriae DSM43989 under hypochlorite stress that are involved in energy metabolism, amino acid and nucleotide biosynthesis, antioxidant functions and translation. The glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GapDH) represents the most abundant S-mycothiolated protein that was modified at its active site Cys153 in vivo. Exposure of purified GapDH to H₂O₂ and NaOCl resulted in irreversible inactivation due to overoxidation of the active site in vitro. Treatment of GapDH with H₂O₂ or NaOCl in the presence of MSH resulted in S-mycothiolation and reversible GapDH inactivation in vitro which was faster compared to the overoxidation pathway. Reactivation of S-mycothiolated GapDH could be catalyzed by both, the Trx and the Mrx1 pathways in vitro, but demycothiolation by Mrx1 was faster compared to Trx. In summary, we show here that S-mycothiolation can function in redox-regulation and protection of the GapDH active site against overoxidation in C. diphtheriae which can be reversed by both, the Mrx1 and Trx pathways.

Efficient androst-1,4-diene-3,17-dione production by co-expressing 3-ketosteroid-Δ1 -dehydrogenase and catalase in Bacillus subtilis

AIMS

3-ketosteroid-Δ¹ -dehydrogenase (KSDD), a flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)-dependent enzyme involved in sterol metabolism, specifically catalyses the conversion of androst-4-ene-3,17-dione (AD) to androst-1,4-diene-3,17-dione (ADD). However, the low KSDD activity and the toxic effects of hydrogen peroxide (H₂ O₂ ) generated during the biotransformation of AD to ADD with FAD regeneration hinder its application on AD conversion. The aim of this work was to improve KSDD activity and eliminate the toxic effects of the generated H₂ O₂ to enhance ADD production.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The ksdd gene obtained from Mycobacterium neoaurum JC-12 was codon-optimized to increase its expression level in Bacillus subtilis, and the KSDD activity reached 12·3 U mg^-1 , which was sevenfold of that of codon-unoptimized gene. To improve AD conversion, catalase was co-expressed with KSDD in B. subtilis 168/pMA5-ksdd^opt -katA to eliminate the toxic effects of H₂ O₂ generated during AD conversion. Finally, under optimized bioconversion conditions, fed-batch strategy was carried out and the ADD yield improved to 8·76 g l^-1 .

CONCLUSIONS

This work demonstrates the potential to improve enzyme activity by codon-optimization and eliminate the toxic effects of H₂ O₂ by co-expressing catalase.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

This study showed the highest ADD productivity ever reported and provides a promising strain for efficient ADD production in the pharmaceutical industry.

The Arsenic Detoxification System in Corynebacteria: Basis and Application for Bioremediation and Redox Control

Arsenic (As) is widespread in the environment and highly toxic. It has been released by volcanic and anthropogenic activities and causes serious health problems worldwide. To survive arsenic-rich environments, soil and saprophytic microorganisms have developed molecular detoxification mechanisms to survive arsenic-rich environments, mainly by the enzymatic conversion of inorganic arsenate (As^V) to arsenite (As^III) by arsenate reductases, which is then extruded by arsenite permeases. One of these Gram-positive bacteria, Corynebacterium glutamicum, the workhorse of biotechnological research, is also resistant to arsenic. To sanitize contaminated soils and waters, C. glutamicum strains were modified to work as arsenic "biocontainers." Two chromosomally encoded ars operons (ars1 and ars2) are responsible for As resistance. The genes within these operons encode for metalloregulatory proteins (ArsR1/R2), arsenite permeases (Acr3-1/-2), and arsenate reductases (ArsC1/C2/C1'). ArsC1/C2 arsenate reductases are coupled to the low molecular weight thiol mycothiol (MSH) and to the recently discovered mycoredoxin-1 (Mrx-1) present in most Actinobacteria. This MSH/Mrx-1 redox system protects cells against different forms of stress, including reactive oxygen species (ROS), metals, and antibiotics. ROS can modify functional sulfur cysteines by oxidizing the thiol (-SH) to a sulfenic acid (-SOH). These oxidation-sensitive protein cysteine thiols are redox regulated by the MSH/Mrx-1 couple in Corynebacterium and Mycobacterium. In summary, the molecular mechanisms involved in arsenic resistance system in C. glutamicum have paved the way for understanding the cellular response against oxidative stress in Actinobacteria.

Graded Response of the Multifunctional 2-Cysteine Peroxiredoxin, CgPrx, to Increasing Levels of Hydrogen Peroxide in Corynebacterium glutamicum

AIMS

Eukaryotic typical 2-cysteine (Cys) peroxiredoxins (Prxs) are multifunctional proteins subjected to complex regulation and play important roles in oxidative stress resistance, hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) signaling modulation, aging, and cancer, but the information on the biochemical functions and regulation mechanisms of prokaryotic atypical 2-Cys Prxs is largely lacking.

RESULTS

In this study, we show that at low peroxide concentrations, the atypical 2-Cys Prx in Corynebacterium glutamicum (CgPrx) mainly exists as monomers and displays thioredoxin (Trx)-dependent peroxidase activity. Moderate oxidative stress causes reversible S-mycothiolation of the H₂O₂-sensing Cys63 residue, which keeps CgPrx exclusively in dimer form with neither peroxidase nor chaperone activity. Then, the increased levels of H₂O₂ could act as a messenger to oxidize the redox-sensitive regulator hydrogen peroxide-inducible gene activator, leading to activation of expression of the more efficient mycothiol peroxidase and catalase to eliminate excessive peroxide. If oxidative stress is too severe, the H₂O₂-sensing Cys63 becomes hyperoxidized to sulfonic acid, which irreversibly inactivates the peroxidase activity, and most of CgPrx will be converted to multimeric chaperones for salvage of damaged proteins.

INNOVATION

We demonstrate for the first time that atypical 2-Cys CgPrx acts as both a Trx-dependent peroxidase and a molecular chaperone and plays a regulatory role in modulating the peroxide-mediated signaling cascades.

CONCLUSION

These results reveal that CgPrx functions as a multifunctional protein crucial for adapting appropriate responses to different levels of oxidative challenge in C. glutamicum. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 26, 1-14.

Improvement of the intracellular environment for enhancing l-arginine production of Corynebacterium glutamicum by inactivation of H2O2-forming flavin reductases and optimization of ATP supply

l-arginine, a semi essential amino acid, is an important amino acid in food flavoring and pharmaceutical industries. Its production by microbial fermentation is gaining more and more attention. In previous work, we obtained a new l-arginine producing Corynebacterium crenatum (subspecies of Corynebacterium glutamicum) through mutation breeding. In this work, we enhanced l-arginine production through improvement of the intracellular environment. First, two NAD(P)H-dependent H₂O₂-forming flavin reductases Frd181 (encoded by frd1 gene) and Frd188 (encoded by frd2) in C. glutamicum were identified for the first time. Next, the roles of Frd181 and Frd188 in C. glutamicum were studied by overexpression and deletion of the encoding genes, and the results showed that the inactivation of Frd181 and Frd188 was beneficial for cell growth and l-arginine production, owing to the decreased H₂O₂ synthesis and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, and increased intracellular NADH and ATP levels. Then, the ATP level was further increased by deletion of noxA (encoding NADH oxidase) and amn (encoding AMP nucleosidase), and overexpression of pgk (encoding 3-phosphoglycerate kinase) and pyk (encoding pyruvate kinase), and the l-arginine production and yield from glucose were significantly increased. In fed-batch fermentation, the l-arginine production and yield from glucose of the final strain reached 57.3g/L and 0.326g/g, respectively, which were 49.2% and 34.2% higher than those of the parent strain, respectively. ROS and ATP are important elements of the intracellular environment, and l-arginine biosynthesis requires a large amount of ATP. For the first time, we enhanced l-arginine production and yield from glucose through reducing the H₂O₂ synthesis and increasing the ATP supply.

Overexpression of Mycothiol Disulfide Reductase Enhances Corynebacterium glutamicum Robustness by Modulating Cellular Redox Homeostasis and Antioxidant Proteins under Oxidative Stress

Mycothiol (MSH) is the dominant low-molecular-weight thiol (LMWT) unique to high-(G+C)-content Gram-positive Actinobacteria, such as Corynebacterium glutamicum, and is oxidised into its disulfide form mycothiol disulfide (MSSM) under oxidative conditions. Mycothiol disulfide reductase (Mtr), an NADPH-dependent enzyme, reduces MSSM to MSH, thus maintaining intracellular redox homeostasis. In this study, a recombinant plasmid was constructed to overexpress Mtr in C. glutamicum using the expression vector pXMJ19-His₆. Mtr-overexpressing C. glutamicum cells showed increased tolerance to ROS induced by oxidants, bactericidal antibiotics, alkylating agents, and heavy metals. The physiological roles of Mtr in resistance to oxidative stresses were corroborated by decreased ROS levels, reduced carbonylation damage, decreased loss of reduced protein thiols, and a massive increase in the levels of reversible protein thiols in Mtr-overexpressing cells exposed to stressful conditions. Moreover, overexpression of Mtr caused a marked increase in the ratio of reduced to oxidised mycothiol (MSH:MSSM), and significantly enhanced the activities of a variety of antioxidant enzymes, including mycothiol peroxidase (MPx), mycoredoxin 1 (Mrx1), thioredoxin 1 (Trx1), and methionine sulfoxide reductase A (MsrA). Taken together, these results indicate that the Mtr protein functions in C. glutamicum by protecting cells against oxidative stress.

Exploring the role of sigma factor gene expression on production by Corynebacterium glutamicum: sigma factor H and FMN as example

Bacteria are known to cope with environmental changes by using alternative sigma factors binding to RNA polymerase core enzyme. Sigma factor is one of the targets to modify transcription regulation in bacteria and to influence production capacities. In this study, the effect of overexpressing each annotated sigma factor gene in Corynebacterium glutamicum WT was assayed using an IPTG inducible plasmid system and different IPTG concentrations. It was revealed that growth was severely decreased when sigD or sigH were overexpressed with IPTG concentrations higher than 50 μM. Overexpression of sigH led to an obvious phenotypic change, a yellow-colored supernatant. High performance liquid chromatography analysis revealed that riboflavin was excreted to the medium when sigH was overexpressed and DNA microarray analysis confirmed increased expression of riboflavin biosynthesis genes. In addition, genes for enzymes related to the pentose phosphate pathway and for enzymes dependent on flavin mononucleotide (FMN), flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), or NADPH as cofactor were upregulated when sigH was overexpressed. To test if sigH overexpression can be exploited for production of riboflavin-derived FMN or FAD, the endogenous gene for bifunctional riboflavin kinase/FMN adenyltransferase was co-expressed with sigH from a plasmid. Balanced expression of sigH and ribF improved accumulation of riboflavin (19.8 ± 0.3 μM) and allowed for its conversion to FMN (33.1 ± 1.8 μM) in the supernatant. While a proof-of-concept was reached, conversion was not complete and titers were not high. This study revealed that inducible and gradable overexpression of sigma factor genes is an interesting approach to switch gene expression profiles and to discover untapped potential of bacteria for chemical production.