1
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Nova IC, Craig JM, Mazumder A, Laszlo AH, Derrington IM, Noakes MT, Brinkerhoff H, Yang S, Vahedian-Movahed H, Li L, Zhang Y, Bowman JL, Huang JR, Mount JW, Ebright RH, Gundlach JH. Nanopore tweezers show fractional-nucleotide translocation in sequence-dependent pausing by RNA polymerase. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2321017121. [PMID: 38990947 PMCID: PMC11260103 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2321017121] [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: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 07/13/2024] Open
Abstract
RNA polymerases (RNAPs) carry out the first step in the central dogma of molecular biology by transcribing DNA into RNA. Despite their importance, much about how RNAPs work remains unclear, in part because the small (3.4 Angstrom) and fast (~40 ms/nt) steps during transcription were difficult to resolve. Here, we used high-resolution nanopore tweezers to observe the motion of single Escherichia coli RNAP molecules as it transcribes DNA ~1,000 times improved temporal resolution, resolving single-nucleotide and fractional-nucleotide steps of individual RNAPs at saturating nucleoside triphosphate concentrations. We analyzed RNAP during processive transcription elongation and sequence-dependent pausing at the yrbL elemental pause sequence. Each time RNAP encounters the yrbL elemental pause sequence, it rapidly interconverts between five translocational states, residing predominantly in a half-translocated state. The kinetics and force-dependence of this half-translocated state indicate it is a functional intermediate between pre- and post-translocated states. Using structural and kinetics data, we show that, in the half-translocated and post-translocated states, sequence-specific protein-DNA interaction occurs between RNAP and a guanine base at the downstream end of the transcription bubble (core recognition element). Kinetic data show that this interaction stabilizes the half-translocated and post-translocated states relative to the pre-translocated state. We develop a kinetic model for RNAP at the yrbL pause and discuss this in the context of key structural features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian C. Nova
- Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA98195
| | | | - Abhishek Mazumder
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ08854
| | - Andrew H. Laszlo
- Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA98195
| | | | | | | | - Shuya Yang
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ08854
| | | | - Lingting Li
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai200032, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai200032, China
| | | | - Jesse R. Huang
- Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA98195
| | | | - Richard H. Ebright
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ08854
| | - Jens H. Gundlach
- Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA98195
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2
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Kompaniiets D, He L, Wang D, Zhou W, Yang Y, Hu Y, Liu B. Structural basis for transcription activation by the nitrate-responsive regulator NarL. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:1471-1482. [PMID: 38197271 PMCID: PMC10853779 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad1231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 12/10/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Transcription activation is a crucial step of regulation during transcription initiation and a classic check point in response to different stimuli and stress factors. The Escherichia coli NarL is a nitrate-responsive global transcription factor that controls the expression of nearly 100 genes. However, the molecular mechanism of NarL-mediated transcription activation is not well defined. Here we present a cryo-EM structure of NarL-dependent transcription activation complex (TAC) assembled on the yeaR promoter at 3.2 Å resolution. Our structure shows that the NarL dimer binds at the -43.5 site of the promoter DNA with its C-terminal domain (CTD) not only binding to the DNA but also making interactions with RNA polymerase subunit alpha CTD (αCTD). The key role of these NarL-mediated interactions in transcription activation was further confirmed by in vivo and in vitro transcription assays. Additionally, the NarL dimer binds DNA in a different plane from that observed in the structure of class II TACs. Unlike the canonical class II activation mechanism, NarL does not interact with σ4, while RNAP αCTD is bound to DNA on the opposite side of NarL. Our findings provide a structural basis for detailed mechanistic understanding of NarL-dependent transcription activation on yeaR promoter and reveal a potentially novel mechanism of transcription activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dmytro Kompaniiets
- Section of Transcription & Gene Regulation, The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, MN 55912, USA
| | - Lina He
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Dong Wang
- Section of Transcription & Gene Regulation, The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, MN 55912, USA
| | - Wei Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Yang Yang
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Yangbo Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
- Hubei JiangXia Laboratory, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Bin Liu
- Section of Transcription & Gene Regulation, The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, MN 55912, USA
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3
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You L, Omollo EO, Yu C, Mooney RA, Shi J, Shen L, Wu X, Wen A, He D, Zeng Y, Feng Y, Landick R, Zhang Y. Structural basis for intrinsic transcription termination. Nature 2023; 613:783-789. [PMID: 36631609 PMCID: PMC10091898 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05604-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Efficient and accurate termination is required for gene transcription in all living organisms1,2. Cellular RNA polymerases in both bacteria and eukaryotes can terminate their transcription through a factor-independent termination pathway3,4-called intrinsic termination transcription in bacteria-in which RNA polymerase recognizes terminator sequences, stops nucleotide addition and releases nascent RNA spontaneously. Here we report a set of single-particle cryo-electron microscopy structures of Escherichia coli transcription intrinsic termination complexes representing key intermediate states of the event. The structures show how RNA polymerase pauses at terminator sequences, how the terminator RNA hairpin folds inside RNA polymerase, and how RNA polymerase rewinds the transcription bubble to release RNA and then DNA. These macromolecular snapshots define a structural mechanism for bacterial intrinsic termination and a pathway for RNA release and DNA collapse that is relevant for factor-independent termination by all RNA polymerases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linlin You
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Expery O Omollo
- Department of Biochemistry and Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Chengzhi Yu
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Rachel A Mooney
- Department of Biochemistry and Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Jing Shi
- Department of Biophysics, and Department of Infectious Disease of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.,Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Medicine and Holistic Integrative Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Liqiang Shen
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoxian Wu
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Aijia Wen
- Department of Biophysics, and Department of Infectious Disease of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Dingwei He
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yuan Zeng
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yu Feng
- Department of Biophysics, and Department of Infectious Disease of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Robert Landick
- Department of Biochemistry and Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
| | - Yu Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
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4
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Hao M, Ye F, Jovanovic M, Kotta‐Loizou I, Xu Q, Qin X, Buck M, Zhang X, Wang M. Structures of Class I and Class II Transcription Complexes Reveal the Molecular Basis of RamA-Dependent Transcription Activation. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2022; 9:e2103669. [PMID: 34761556 PMCID: PMC8811837 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202103669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 10/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Transcription activator RamA is linked to multidrug resistance of Klebsiella pneumoniae through controlling genes that encode efflux pumps (acrA) and porin-regulating antisense RNA (micF). In bacteria, σ70 , together with activators, controls the majority of genes by recruiting RNA polymerase (RNAP) to the promoter regions. RNAP and σ70 form a holoenzyme that recognizes -35 and -10 promoter DNA consensus sites. Many activators bind upstream from the holoenzyme and can be broadly divided into two classes. RamA acts as a class I activator on acrA and class II activator on micF, respectively. The authors present biochemical and structural data on RamA in complex with RNAP-σ70 at the two promoters and the data reveal the molecular basis for how RamA assembles and interacts with core RNAP and activates transcription that contributes to antibiotic resistance. Further, comparing with CAP/TAP complexes reveals common and activator-specific features in activator binding and uncovers distinct roles of the two C-terminal domains of RNAP α subunit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Hao
- Institute of AntibioticsHuashan HospitalFudan UniversityShanghai200040China
- Key Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacology of AntibioticsNational Health Commission of the People's Republic of ChinaShanghai200040China
- Section of Structural BiologyDepartment of Infectious DiseasesImperial College LondonLondonSW7 2AZUK
| | - Fuzhou Ye
- Section of Structural BiologyDepartment of Infectious DiseasesImperial College LondonLondonSW7 2AZUK
| | - Milija Jovanovic
- Department of Life SciencesImperial College LondonLondonSW7 2AZUK
| | | | - Qingqing Xu
- Institute of AntibioticsHuashan HospitalFudan UniversityShanghai200040China
- Key Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacology of AntibioticsNational Health Commission of the People's Republic of ChinaShanghai200040China
| | - Xiaohua Qin
- Institute of AntibioticsHuashan HospitalFudan UniversityShanghai200040China
- Key Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacology of AntibioticsNational Health Commission of the People's Republic of ChinaShanghai200040China
| | - Martin Buck
- Department of Life SciencesImperial College LondonLondonSW7 2AZUK
| | - Xiaodong Zhang
- Section of Structural BiologyDepartment of Infectious DiseasesImperial College LondonLondonSW7 2AZUK
| | - Minggui Wang
- Institute of AntibioticsHuashan HospitalFudan UniversityShanghai200040China
- Key Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacology of AntibioticsNational Health Commission of the People's Republic of ChinaShanghai200040China
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5
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Fang C, Zhang Y. Bacterial MerR family transcription regulators: activationby distortion. Acta Biochim Biophys Sin (Shanghai) 2021; 54:25-36. [PMID: 35130613 PMCID: PMC9909328 DOI: 10.3724/abbs.2021003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcription factors (TFs) modulate gene expression by regulating the accessibility of promoter DNA to RNA polymerases (RNAPs) in bacteria. The MerR family TFs are a large class of bacterial proteins unique in their physiological functions and molecular action: they function as transcription repressors under normal circumstances, but rapidly transform to transcription activators under various cellular triggers, including oxidative stress, imbalance of cellular metal ions, and antibiotic challenge. The promoters regulated by MerR TFs typically contain an abnormal long spacer between the -35 and -10 elements, where MerR TFs bind and regulate transcription activity through unique mechanisms. In this review, we summarize the function, ligand reception, DNA recognition, and molecular mechanism of transcription regulation of MerR-family TFs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengli Fang
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic BiologyCAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant SciencesShanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and EcologyChinese Academy of SciencesShanghai200032China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic BiologyCAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant SciencesShanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and EcologyChinese Academy of SciencesShanghai200032China
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6
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Mazumder A, Ebright RH, Kapanidis AN. Transcription initiation at a consensus bacterial promoter proceeds via a 'bind-unwind-load-and-lock' mechanism. eLife 2021; 10:70090. [PMID: 34633286 PMCID: PMC8536254 DOI: 10.7554/elife.70090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Transcription initiation starts with unwinding of promoter DNA by RNA polymerase (RNAP) to form a catalytically competent RNAP-promoter complex (RPo). Despite extensive study, the mechanism of promoter unwinding has remained unclear, in part due to the transient nature of intermediates on path to RPo. Here, using single-molecule unwinding-induced fluorescence enhancement to monitor promoter unwinding, and single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer to monitor RNAP clamp conformation, we analyse RPo formation at a consensus bacterial core promoter. We find that the RNAP clamp is closed during promoter binding, remains closed during promoter unwinding, and then closes further, locking the unwound DNA in the RNAP active-centre cleft. Our work defines a new, ‘bind-unwind-load-and-lock’, model for the series of conformational changes occurring during promoter unwinding at a consensus bacterial promoter and provides the tools needed to examine the process in other organisms and at other promoters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhishek Mazumder
- Biological Physics Research Group, Clarendon Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Richard H Ebright
- Waksman Institute and Department of Chemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, United States
| | - Achillefs N Kapanidis
- Biological Physics Research Group, Clarendon Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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7
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Camakaris H, Yang J, Fujii T, Pittard J. Activation by TyrR in Escherichia coli K-12 by Interaction between TyrR and the α-Subunit of RNA Polymerase. J Bacteriol 2021; 203:e0025221. [PMID: 34309399 PMCID: PMC8425403 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00252-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
A novel selection was developed for mutants of the C-terminal domain of RpoA (α-CTD) altered in activation by the TyrR regulatory protein of Escherichia coli K-12. This allowed the identification of an aspartate to asparagine substitution at residue 250 (DN250) as an activation-defective (Act-) mutation. Amino acid residues known to be close to D250 were altered by in vitro mutagenesis, and the substitutions DR250, RE310, and RD310 were all shown to be defective in activation. None of these mutations caused defects in regulation of the upstream promoter (UP) element. The rpoA mutation DN250 was transferred onto the chromosome to facilitate the isolation of suppressor mutations. The TyrR mutations EK139 and RG119 caused partial suppression of rpoA DN250, and TyrR RC119, RL119, RP119, RA77, and SG100 caused partial suppression of rpoA RE310. Additional activation-defective rpoA mutants (DT250, RS310, and EG288) were also isolated, using the chromosomal rpoA DN250 strain. Several new Act-tyrR mutants were isolated in an rpoA+ strain, adding positions R77, D97, K101, D118, R119, R121, and E141 to known residues S95 and D103 and defining the activation patch on the amino-terminal domain (NTD) of TyrR. These results support a model for activation of TyrR-regulated genes where the activation patch on the TyrR NTD interacts with the TyrR-specific patch on the α-CTD of RNA polymerase. Given known structures, both these sites appear to be surface exposed and suggest a model for activation by TyrR. They also help resolve confusing results in the literature that implicated residues within the 261 and 265 determinants as activator contact sites. IMPORTANCE Regulation of transcription by RNA polymerases is fundamental for adaptation to a changing environment and for cellular differentiation, across all kingdoms of life. The gene tyrR in Escherichia coli is a particularly useful model because it is involved in both activation and repression of a large number of operons by a range of mechanisms, and it interacts with all three aromatic amino acids and probably other effectors. Furthermore, TyrR has homologues in many other genera, regulating many different genes, utilizing different effector molecules, and in some cases affecting virulence and important plant interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen Camakaris
- School of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ji Yang
- School of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - James Pittard
- School of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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8
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Abstract
The low G + C Gram-positive bacteria represent some of the most medically and industrially important microorganisms. They are relied on for the production of food and dietary supplements, enzymes and antibiotics, as well as being responsible for the majority of nosocomial infections and serving as a reservoir for antibiotic resistance. Control of gene expression in this group is more highly studied than in any bacteria other than the Gram-negative model Escherichia coli, yet until recently no structural information on RNA polymerase (RNAP) from this group was available. This review will summarize recent reports on the high-resolution structure of RNAP from the model low G + C representative Bacillus subtilis, including the role of auxiliary subunits δ and ε, and outline approaches for the development of antimicrobials to target RNAP from this group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Miller
- School Of Environmental And Life Sciences, University Of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
| | - Aaron J Oakley
- School Of Environmental And Life Sciences, University Of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
| | - Peter J Lewis
- School Of Environmental And Life Sciences, University Of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.,School Of Chemistry And Molecular Bioscience, University Of Wollongong And Illawarra Health And Medical Research Institute, Wollongong, Nsw, Australia
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9
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de Dios R, Santero E, Reyes-Ramírez F. Extracytoplasmic Function σ Factors as Tools for Coordinating Stress Responses. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22083900. [PMID: 33918849 PMCID: PMC8103513 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22083900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 04/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability of bacterial core RNA polymerase (RNAP) to interact with different σ factors, thereby forming a variety of holoenzymes with different specificities, represents a powerful tool to coordinately reprogram gene expression. Extracytoplasmic function σ factors (ECFs), which are the largest and most diverse family of alternative σ factors, frequently participate in stress responses. The classification of ECFs in 157 different groups according to their phylogenetic relationships and genomic context has revealed their diversity. Here, we have clustered 55 ECF groups with experimentally studied representatives into two broad classes of stress responses. The remaining 102 groups still lack any mechanistic or functional insight, representing a myriad of systems yet to explore. In this work, we review the main features of ECFs and discuss the different mechanisms controlling their production and activity, and how they lead to a functional stress response. Finally, we focus in more detail on two well-characterized ECFs, for which the mechanisms to detect and respond to stress are complex and completely different: Escherichia coli RpoE, which is the best characterized ECF and whose structural and functional studies have provided key insights into the transcription initiation by ECF-RNAP holoenzymes, and the ECF15-type EcfG, the master regulator of the general stress response in Alphaproteobacteria.
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10
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Fang C, Philips SJ, Wu X, Chen K, Shi J, Shen L, Xu J, Feng Y, O’Halloran TV, Zhang Y. CueR activates transcription through a DNA distortion mechanism. Nat Chem Biol 2021; 17:57-64. [PMID: 32989300 PMCID: PMC9904984 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-020-00653-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 08/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
The MerR-family transcription factors (TFs) are a large group of bacterial proteins responding to cellular metal ions and multiple antibiotics by binding within central RNA polymerase-binding regions of a promoter. While most TFs alter transcription through protein-protein interactions, MerR TFs are capable of reshaping promoter DNA. To address the question of which mechanism prevails, we determined two cryo-EM structures of transcription activation complexes (TAC) comprising Escherichia coli CueR (a prototype MerR TF), RNAP holoenzyme and promoter DNA. The structures reveal that this TF promotes productive promoter-polymerase association without canonical protein-protein contacts seen between other activator proteins and RNAP. Instead, CueR realigns the key promoter elements in the transcription activation complex by clamp-like protein-DNA interactions: these induce four distinct kinks that ultimately position the -10 element for formation of the transcription bubble. These structural and biochemical results provide strong support for the DNA distortion paradigm of allosteric transcriptional control by MerR TFs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengli Fang
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Steven J. Philips
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Xiaoxian Wu
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Kui Chen
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Jing Shi
- Department of Biophysics, and Department of Pathology of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Liqiang Shen
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Juncao Xu
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yu Feng
- Department of Biophysics, and Department of Pathology of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Thomas V. O’Halloran
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.,Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.,The Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.,Corresponding author: (T.V.O.); (Y.F.); (Y.Z.)
| | - Yu Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
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11
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Lara-Gonzalez S, Dantas Machado AC, Rao S, Napoli AA, Birktoft J, Di Felice R, Rohs R, Lawson CL. The RNA Polymerase α Subunit Recognizes the DNA Shape of the Upstream Promoter Element. Biochemistry 2020; 59:4523-4532. [PMID: 33205945 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.0c00571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
We demonstrate here that the α subunit C-terminal domain of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase (αCTD) recognizes the upstream promoter (UP) DNA element via its characteristic minor groove shape and electrostatic potential. In two compositionally distinct crystallized assemblies, a pair of αCTD subunits bind in tandem to the UP element consensus A-tract that is 6 bp in length (A6-tract), each with their arginine 265 guanidinium group inserted into the minor groove. The A6-tract minor groove is significantly narrowed in these crystal structures, as well as in computationally predicted structures of free and bound DNA duplexes derived by Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations, respectively. The negative electrostatic potential of free A6-tract DNA is substantially enhanced compared to that of generic DNA. Shortening the A-tract by 1 bp is shown to "knock out" binding of the second αCTD through widening of the minor groove. Furthermore, in computationally derived structures with arginine 265 mutated to alanine in either αCTD, either with or without the "knockout" DNA mutation, contact with the DNA is perturbed, highlighting the importance of arginine 265 in achieving αCTD-DNA binding. These results demonstrate that the importance of the DNA shape in sequence-dependent recognition of DNA by RNA polymerase is comparable to that of certain transcription factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Lara-Gonzalez
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 610 Taylor Road, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
| | - Ana Carolina Dantas Machado
- Quantitative and Computational Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, United States
| | - Satyanarayan Rao
- Quantitative and Computational Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, United States
| | - Andrew A Napoli
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 610 Taylor Road, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
| | - Jens Birktoft
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 610 Taylor Road, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
| | - Rosa Di Felice
- Quantitative and Computational Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, United States.,Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, United States.,CNR-NANO Modena, Via Campi 213/A, 41125 Modena, Italy
| | - Remo Rohs
- Quantitative and Computational Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, United States.,Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, United States.,Department of Chemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, United States.,Department of Computer Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, United States
| | - Catherine L Lawson
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 610 Taylor Road, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States.,Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 174 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
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12
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Ruanto P, Chismon DL, Hothersall J, Godfrey RE, Lee DJ, Busby SJW, Browning DF. Activation by NarL at the Escherichia coli ogt promoter. Biochem J 2020; 477:2807-2820. [PMID: 32662815 PMCID: PMC7419079 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20200408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Revised: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The Escherichia coli NarX/NarL two-component response-regulator system regulates gene expression in response to nitrate ions and the NarL protein is a global transcription factor, which activates transcript initiation at many target promoters. One such target, the E. coli ogt promoter, which controls the expression of an O6-alkylguanine-DNA-alkyltransferase, is dependent on NarL binding to two DNA targets centred at positions -44.5 and -77.5 upstream from the transcript start. Here, we describe ogt promoter derivatives that can be activated solely by NarL binding either at position -44.5 or position -77.5. We show that NarL can also activate the ogt promoter when located at position -67.5. We present data to argue that NarL-dependent activation of transcript initiation at the ogt promoter results from a direct interaction between NarL and a determinant in the C-terminal domain of the RNA polymerase α subunit. Footprinting experiments show that, at the -44.5 promoter, NarL and the C-terminal domain of the RNA polymerase α subunit bind to opposite faces of promoter DNA, suggesting an unusual mechanism of transcription activation. Our work suggests new organisations for activator-dependent transcription at promoters and future applications for biotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patcharawarin Ruanto
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection and School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, U.K
| | - David L Chismon
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection and School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, U.K
| | - Joanne Hothersall
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection and School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, U.K
| | - Rita E Godfrey
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection and School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, U.K
| | - David J Lee
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection and School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, U.K
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Health Sciences, Birmingham City University, Birmingham B15 3TN, U.K
| | - Stephen J W Busby
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection and School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, U.K
| | - Douglas F Browning
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection and School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, U.K
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13
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Shi W, Jiang Y, Deng Y, Dong Z, Liu B. Visualization of two architectures in class-II CAP-dependent transcription activation. PLoS Biol 2020; 18:e3000706. [PMID: 32310937 PMCID: PMC7192510 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Revised: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Transcription activation by cyclic AMP (cAMP) receptor protein (CAP) is the classic paradigm of transcription regulation in bacteria. CAP was suggested to activate transcription on class-II promoters via a recruitment and isomerization mechanism. However, whether and how it modifies RNA polymerase (RNAP) to initiate transcription remains unclear. Here, we report cryo–electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of an intact Escherichia coli class-II CAP-dependent transcription activation complex (CAP-TAC) with and without de novo RNA transcript. The structures reveal two distinct architectures of TAC and raise the possibility that CAP binding may induce substantial conformational changes in all the subunits of RNAP and transiently widen the main cleft of RNAP to facilitate DNA promoter entering and formation of the initiation open complex. These structural changes vanish during further RNA transcript synthesis. The observations in this study may reveal a possible on-pathway intermediate and suggest a possibility that CAP activates transcription by inducing intermediate state, in addition to the previously proposed stabilization mechanism. Cryo-EM structures of transcription activation complexes comprising cyclic AMP receptor protein (CAP) bound to a class-II promoter reveal two distinct architectures and suggest a possibility that CAP activates transcription by inducing an intermediate state, an important supplement to the previously proposed stabilization mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Shi
- Section of Transcription and Gene Regulation, The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Yanan Jiang
- Section of Cellular and Molecular Biology, The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, Minnesota, United States of America
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, P.R. China
| | - Yibin Deng
- Section of Cell Death and Cancer Genetics, The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Zigang Dong
- Section of Cellular and Molecular Biology, The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, Minnesota, United States of America
- * E-mail: (BL); (ZD)
| | - Bin Liu
- Section of Transcription and Gene Regulation, The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, Minnesota, United States of America
- * E-mail: (BL); (ZD)
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14
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Wan T, Li S, Beltran DG, Schacht A, Zhang L, Becker DF, Zhang L. Structural basis of non-canonical transcriptional regulation by the σA-bound iron-sulfur protein WhiB1 in M. tuberculosis. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:501-516. [PMID: 31807774 PMCID: PMC6954389 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz1133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Revised: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 11/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
WhiB1 is a monomeric iron–sulfur cluster-containing transcription factor in the WhiB-like family that is widely distributed in actinobacteria including the notoriously persistent pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis). WhiB1 plays multiple roles in regulating cell growth and responding to nitric oxide stress in M. tuberculosis, but its underlying mechanism is unclear. Here we report a 1.85 Å-resolution crystal structure of the [4Fe–4S] cluster-bound (holo-) WhiB1 in complex with the C-terminal domain of the σ70-family primary sigma factor σA of M. tuberculosis containing the conserved region 4 (σA4). Region 4 of the σ70-family primary sigma factors is commonly used by transcription factors for gene activation, and holo-WhiB1 has been proposed to activate gene expression via binding to σA4. The complex structure, however, unexpectedly reveals that the interaction between WhiB1 and σA4 is dominated by hydrophobic residues in the [4Fe–4S] cluster binding pocket, distinct from previously characterized canonical σ704-bound transcription activators. Furthermore, we show that holo-WhiB1 represses transcription by interaction with σA4in vitro and that WhiB1 must interact with σA4 to perform its essential role in supporting cell growth in vivo. Together, these results demonstrate that holo-WhiB1 regulates gene expression by a non-canonical mechanism relative to well-characterized σA4-dependent transcription activators.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - LiMei Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry.,Redox Biology Center.,Nebraska Center for Integrated Biomolecular Communication, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
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15
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Xu J, Cui K, Shen L, Shi J, Li L, You L, Fang C, Zhao G, Feng Y, Yang B, Zhang Y. Crl activates transcription by stabilizing active conformation of the master stress transcription initiation factor. eLife 2019; 8:50928. [PMID: 31846423 PMCID: PMC6917491 DOI: 10.7554/elife.50928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2019] [Accepted: 12/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
σS is a master transcription initiation factor that protects bacterial cells from various harmful environmental stresses including antibiotic pressure. Although its mechanism remains unclear, it is known that full activation of σS-mediated transcription requires a σS-specific activator, Crl. In this study, we determined a 3.80 Å cryo-EM structure of an Escherichia coli transcription activation complex (E. coli Crl-TAC) comprising E. coli σS-RNA polymerase (σS-RNAP) holoenzyme, Crl, and a nucleic-acid scaffold. The structure reveals that Crl interacts with domain 2 of σS (σS2) and the RNAP core enzyme, but does not contact promoter DNA. Results from subsequent hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) indicate that Crl stabilizes key structural motifs within σS2 to promote the assembly of the σS-RNAP holoenzyme and also to facilitate formation of an RNA polymerase–promoter DNA open complex (RPo). Our study demonstrates a unique DNA contact-independent mechanism of transcription activation, thereby defining a previously unrecognized mode of transcription activation in cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juncao Xu
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology,CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Kaijie Cui
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Liqiang Shen
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology,CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jing Shi
- Department of Biophysics, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.,Department of Pathology of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Lingting Li
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology,CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Linlin You
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology,CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Chengli Fang
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology,CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Guoping Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology,CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai-MOST Key Laboratory of Health and Disease Genomics, Chinese National Human Genome Center at Shanghai, Shanghai, China.,Department of Microbiology, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, China.,State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.,Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yu Feng
- Department of Biophysics, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.,Department of Pathology of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Bei Yang
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology,CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
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16
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17
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Kang JY, Mishanina TV, Bellecourt MJ, Mooney RA, Darst SA, Landick R. RNA Polymerase Accommodates a Pause RNA Hairpin by Global Conformational Rearrangements that Prolong Pausing. Mol Cell 2019; 69:802-815.e5. [PMID: 29499135 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2018.01.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2017] [Revised: 12/27/2017] [Accepted: 01/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Sequence-specific pausing by RNA polymerase (RNAP) during transcription plays crucial and diverse roles in gene expression. In bacteria, RNA structures are thought to fold within the RNA exit channel of the RNAP and can increase pause lifetimes significantly. The biophysical mechanism of pausing is uncertain. We used single-particle cryo-EM to determine structures of paused complexes, including a 3.8-Å structure of an RNA hairpin-stabilized, paused RNAP that coordinates RNA folding in the his operon attenuation control region of E. coli. The structures revealed a half-translocated pause state (RNA post-translocated, DNA pre-translocated) that can explain transcriptional pausing and a global conformational change of RNAP that allosterically inhibits trigger loop folding and can explain pause hairpin action. Pause hairpin interactions with the RNAP RNA exit channel suggest how RNAP guides the formation of nascent RNA structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Young Kang
- The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Tatiana V Mishanina
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Michael J Bellecourt
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Rachel Anne Mooney
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Seth A Darst
- The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA.
| | - Robert Landick
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA; Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
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18
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Liu B, Hong C, Huang RK, Yu Z, Steitz TA. Structural basis of bacterial transcription activation. Science 2018; 358:947-951. [PMID: 29146813 DOI: 10.1126/science.aao1923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2017] [Revised: 08/20/2017] [Accepted: 10/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
In bacteria, the activation of gene transcription at many promoters is simple and only involves a single activator. The cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate receptor protein (CAP), a classic activator, is able to activate transcription independently through two different mechanisms. Understanding the class I mechanism requires an intact transcription activation complex (TAC) structure at a high resolution. Here we report a high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy structure of an intact Escherichia coli class I TAC containing a CAP dimer, a σ70-RNA polymerase (RNAP) holoenzyme, a complete class I CAP-dependent promoter DNA, and a de novo synthesized RNA oligonucleotide. The structure shows how CAP wraps the upstream DNA and how the interactions recruit RNAP. Our study provides a structural basis for understanding how activators activate transcription through the class I recruitment mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Liu
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Chuan Hong
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, CryoEM Shared Resource, Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Rick K Huang
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, CryoEM Shared Resource, Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Zhiheng Yu
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, CryoEM Shared Resource, Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA.
| | - Thomas A Steitz
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA. .,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.,Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
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19
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Wu X, Haakonsen DL, Sanderlin AG, Liu YJ, Shen L, Zhuang N, Laub MT, Zhang Y. Structural insights into the unique mechanism of transcription activation by Caulobacter crescentus GcrA. Nucleic Acids Res 2018; 46:3245-3256. [PMID: 29514271 PMCID: PMC5887438 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2017] [Accepted: 02/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Canonical bacterial transcription activators bind to non-transcribed promoter elements to increase transcription of their target genes. Here we report crystal structures of binary complexes comprising domains of Caulobacter crescentus GcrA, a noncanonical bacterial transcription factor, that support a novel mechanism for transcription activation through the preferential binding of methylated cis-regulatory elements and the promotion of open complex formation through an interaction with region 2 of the principal σ factor, σ70. We present crystal structures of the C-terminal, σ factor-interacting domain (GcrA-SID) in complex with domain 2 of σ70 (σ702), and the N-terminal, DNA-binding domain (GcrA-DBD) in complex with methylated double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). The structures reveal interactions essential for transcription activation and DNA recognition by GcrA. These structures, along with mutational analyses, support a mechanism of transcription activation in which GcrA associates with RNA polymerase (RNAP) prior to promoter binding through GcrA-SID, arming RNAP with a flexible GcrA-DBD. The RNAP-GcrA complex then binds and activates target promoters harboring a methylated GcrA binding site either upstream or downstream of the transcription start site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxian Wu
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Diane L Haakonsen
- Graduate Program in Microbiology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA,Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Allen G Sanderlin
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Yue J Liu
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Liqiang Shen
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Ningning Zhuang
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Michael T Laub
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA,To whom correspondence should be addressed to Yu Zhang. Tel: +1 86 21 54924351; . Correspondence may also be addressed to Michael T. Laub. Tel: +1 617 324-0418;
| | - Yu Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China,To whom correspondence should be addressed to Yu Zhang. Tel: +1 86 21 54924351; . Correspondence may also be addressed to Michael T. Laub. Tel: +1 617 324-0418;
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20
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Lin W, Das K, Degen D, Mazumder A, Duchi D, Wang D, Ebright YW, Ebright RY, Sineva E, Gigliotti M, Srivastava A, Mandal S, Jiang Y, Liu Y, Yin R, Zhang Z, Eng ET, Thomas D, Donadio S, Zhang H, Zhang C, Kapanidis AN, Ebright RH. Structural Basis of Transcription Inhibition by Fidaxomicin (Lipiarmycin A3). Mol Cell 2018; 70:60-71.e15. [PMID: 29606590 PMCID: PMC6205224 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2018.02.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2018] [Revised: 02/14/2018] [Accepted: 02/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Fidaxomicin is an antibacterial drug in clinical use for treatment of Clostridium difficile diarrhea. The active ingredient of fidaxomicin, lipiarmycin A3 (Lpm), functions by inhibiting bacterial RNA polymerase (RNAP). Here we report a cryo-EM structure of Mycobacterium tuberculosis RNAP holoenzyme in complex with Lpm at 3.5-Å resolution. The structure shows that Lpm binds at the base of the RNAP "clamp." The structure exhibits an open conformation of the RNAP clamp, suggesting that Lpm traps an open-clamp state. Single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer experiments confirm that Lpm traps an open-clamp state and define effects of Lpm on clamp dynamics. We suggest that Lpm inhibits transcription by trapping an open-clamp state, preventing simultaneous interaction with promoter -10 and -35 elements. The results account for the absence of cross-resistance between Lpm and other RNAP inhibitors, account for structure-activity relationships of Lpm derivatives, and enable structure-based design of improved Lpm derivatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Lin
- Waksman Institute and Department of Chemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Kalyan Das
- Rega Institute and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - David Degen
- Waksman Institute and Department of Chemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Abhishek Mazumder
- Waksman Institute and Department of Chemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Diego Duchi
- Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PU, UK
| | - Dongye Wang
- Waksman Institute and Department of Chemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Yon W Ebright
- Waksman Institute and Department of Chemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Richard Y Ebright
- Waksman Institute and Department of Chemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Elena Sineva
- Waksman Institute and Department of Chemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Matthew Gigliotti
- Waksman Institute and Department of Chemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Aashish Srivastava
- Waksman Institute and Department of Chemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Sukhendu Mandal
- Waksman Institute and Department of Chemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Yi Jiang
- Waksman Institute and Department of Chemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Yu Liu
- Waksman Institute and Department of Chemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Ruiheng Yin
- Waksman Institute and Department of Chemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Zhening Zhang
- The National Resource for Automated Molecular Microscopy, Simons Electron Microscopy Center, New York Structural Biology Center, New York NY 10027, USA
| | - Edward T Eng
- The National Resource for Automated Molecular Microscopy, Simons Electron Microscopy Center, New York Structural Biology Center, New York NY 10027, USA
| | - Dennis Thomas
- Center for Integrative Proteomics, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | | | - Haibo Zhang
- South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China
| | - Changsheng Zhang
- South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China
| | | | - Richard H Ebright
- Waksman Institute and Department of Chemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
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21
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Davis R, Écija-Conesa A, Gallego-Jara J, de Diego T, Filippova EV, Kuffel G, Anderson WF, Gibson BW, Schilling B, Canovas M, Wolfe AJ. An acetylatable lysine controls CRP function in E. coli. Mol Microbiol 2017; 107:116-131. [PMID: 29105190 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2017] [Revised: 10/27/2017] [Accepted: 10/31/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Transcriptional regulation is the key to ensuring that proteins are expressed at the proper time and the proper amount. In Escherichia coli, the transcription factor cAMP receptor protein (CRP) is responsible for much of this regulation. Questions remain, however, regarding the regulation of CRP activity itself. Here, we demonstrate that a lysine (K100) on the surface of CRP has a dual function: to promote CRP activity at Class II promoters, and to ensure proper CRP steady state levels. Both functions require the lysine's positive charge; intriguingly, the positive charge of K100 can be neutralized by acetylation using the central metabolite acetyl phosphate as the acetyl donor. We propose that CRP K100 acetylation could be a mechanism by which the cell downwardly tunes CRP-dependent Class II promoter activity, whilst elevating CRP steady state levels, thus indirectly increasing Class I promoter activity. This mechanism would operate under conditions that favor acetate fermentation, such as during growth on glucose as the sole carbon source or when carbon flux exceeds the capacity of the central metabolic pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Davis
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stritch School of Medicine, Health Sciences Division, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL, 60153, USA
| | - Ana Écija-Conesa
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (B) and Immunology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Murcia, Campus of Espinardo, Regional Campus of International Excellence ''Campus Mare Nostrum'', Murcia, E-30100, Spain
| | - Julia Gallego-Jara
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (B) and Immunology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Murcia, Campus of Espinardo, Regional Campus of International Excellence ''Campus Mare Nostrum'', Murcia, E-30100, Spain
| | - Teresa de Diego
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (B) and Immunology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Murcia, Campus of Espinardo, Regional Campus of International Excellence ''Campus Mare Nostrum'', Murcia, E-30100, Spain
| | - Ekaterina V Filippova
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
| | - Gina Kuffel
- Loyola Genomics Facility, Stritch School of Medicine, Health Sciences Division, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL, 60153, USA
| | - Wayne F Anderson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
| | | | | | - Manuel Canovas
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (B) and Immunology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Murcia, Campus of Espinardo, Regional Campus of International Excellence ''Campus Mare Nostrum'', Murcia, E-30100, Spain
| | - Alan J Wolfe
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stritch School of Medicine, Health Sciences Division, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL, 60153, USA
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22
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Maffioli SI, Zhang Y, Degen D, Carzaniga T, Del Gatto G, Serina S, Monciardini P, Mazzetti C, Guglierame P, Candiani G, Chiriac AI, Facchetti G, Kaltofen P, Sahl HG, Dehò G, Donadio S, Ebright RH. Antibacterial Nucleoside-Analog Inhibitor of Bacterial RNA Polymerase. Cell 2017. [PMID: 28622509 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2017.05.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Drug-resistant bacterial pathogens pose an urgent public-health crisis. Here, we report the discovery, from microbial-extract screening, of a nucleoside-analog inhibitor that inhibits bacterial RNA polymerase (RNAP) and exhibits antibacterial activity against drug-resistant bacterial pathogens: pseudouridimycin (PUM). PUM is a natural product comprising a formamidinylated, N-hydroxylated Gly-Gln dipeptide conjugated to 6'-amino-pseudouridine. PUM potently and selectively inhibits bacterial RNAP in vitro, inhibits bacterial growth in culture, and clears infection in a mouse model of Streptococcus pyogenes peritonitis. PUM inhibits RNAP through a binding site on RNAP (the NTP addition site) and mechanism (competition with UTP for occupancy of the NTP addition site) that differ from those of the RNAP inhibitor and current antibacterial drug rifampin (Rif). PUM exhibits additive antibacterial activity when co-administered with Rif, exhibits no cross-resistance with Rif, and exhibits a spontaneous resistance rate an order-of-magnitude lower than that of Rif. PUM is a highly promising lead for antibacterial therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia I Maffioli
- NAICONS Srl, 20139 Milan, Italy; Vicuron Pharmaceuticals, 21040 Gerenzano, Italy
| | - Yu Zhang
- Waksman Institute and Department of Chemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - David Degen
- Waksman Institute and Department of Chemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Thomas Carzaniga
- Department of Bioscience, University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy
| | | | - Stefania Serina
- NAICONS Srl, 20139 Milan, Italy; Vicuron Pharmaceuticals, 21040 Gerenzano, Italy
| | - Paolo Monciardini
- NAICONS Srl, 20139 Milan, Italy; Vicuron Pharmaceuticals, 21040 Gerenzano, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Alina Iulia Chiriac
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, University of Bonn, D-53012 Bonn, Germany
| | | | | | - Hans-Georg Sahl
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology, and Parasitology, University of Bonn, D-53012 Bonn, Germany
| | - Gianni Dehò
- Department of Bioscience, University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy
| | - Stefano Donadio
- NAICONS Srl, 20139 Milan, Italy; Vicuron Pharmaceuticals, 21040 Gerenzano, Italy.
| | - Richard H Ebright
- Waksman Institute and Department of Chemistry, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
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Structures of RNA Polymerase Closed and Intermediate Complexes Reveal Mechanisms of DNA Opening and Transcription Initiation. Mol Cell 2017; 67:106-116.e4. [PMID: 28579332 PMCID: PMC5505868 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2017.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2017] [Revised: 03/29/2017] [Accepted: 05/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Gene transcription is carried out by RNA polymerases (RNAPs). For transcription to occur, the closed promoter complex (RPc), where DNA is double stranded, must isomerize into an open promoter complex (RPo), where the DNA is melted out into a transcription bubble and the single-stranded template DNA is delivered to the RNAP active site. Using a bacterial RNAP containing the alternative σ54 factor and cryoelectron microscopy, we determined structures of RPc and the activator-bound intermediate complex en route to RPo at 3.8 and 5.8 Å. Our structures show how RNAP-σ54 interacts with promoter DNA to initiate the DNA distortions required for transcription bubble formation, and how the activator interacts with RPc, leading to significant conformational changes in RNAP and σ54 that promote RPo formation. We propose that DNA melting is an active process initiated in RPc and that the RNAP conformations of intermediates are significantly different from that of RPc and RPo. RNA polymerase closed complex (RPc) structure reveals DNA distortions by σ Intermediate complex (RPi) structure reveals the roles of AAA activator DNA distortion and opening are initiated in RPc and RPi before entering the RNAP RNAP conformation in RPi is significantly different from closed or open complex
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24
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Lee J, Borukhov S. Bacterial RNA Polymerase-DNA Interaction-The Driving Force of Gene Expression and the Target for Drug Action. Front Mol Biosci 2016; 3:73. [PMID: 27882317 PMCID: PMC5101437 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2016.00073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2016] [Accepted: 10/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA-dependent multisubunit RNA polymerase (RNAP) is the key enzyme of gene expression and a target of regulation in all kingdoms of life. It is a complex multifunctional molecular machine which, unlike other DNA-binding proteins, engages in extensive and dynamic interactions (both specific and nonspecific) with DNA, and maintains them over a distance. These interactions are controlled by DNA sequences, DNA topology, and a host of regulatory factors. Here, we summarize key recent structural and biochemical studies that elucidate the fine details of RNAP-DNA interactions during initiation. The findings of these studies help unravel the molecular mechanisms of promoter recognition and open complex formation, initiation of transcript synthesis and promoter escape. We also discuss most current advances in the studies of drugs that specifically target RNAP-DNA interactions during transcription initiation and elongation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jookyung Lee
- Department of Cell Biology, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine Stratford, NJ, USA
| | - Sergei Borukhov
- Department of Cell Biology, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine Stratford, NJ, USA
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25
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Feng Y, Zhang Y, Ebright RH. Structural basis of transcription activation. Science 2016; 352:1330-3. [PMID: 27284196 DOI: 10.1126/science.aaf4417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2016] [Accepted: 05/09/2016] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Class II transcription activators function by binding to a DNA site overlapping a core promoter and stimulating isomerization of an initial RNA polymerase (RNAP)-promoter closed complex into a catalytically competent RNAP-promoter open complex. Here, we report a 4.4 angstrom crystal structure of an intact bacterial class II transcription activation complex. The structure comprises Thermus thermophilus transcription activator protein TTHB099 (TAP) [homolog of Escherichia coli catabolite activator protein (CAP)], T. thermophilus RNAP σ(A) holoenzyme, a class II TAP-dependent promoter, and a ribotetranucleotide primer. The structure reveals the interactions between RNAP holoenzyme and DNA responsible for transcription initiation and reveals the interactions between TAP and RNAP holoenzyme responsible for transcription activation. The structure indicates that TAP stimulates isomerization through simple, adhesive, stabilizing protein-protein interactions with RNAP holoenzyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Feng
- Waksman Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Yu Zhang
- Waksman Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Richard H Ebright
- Waksman Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
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26
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Metalloregulator CueR biases RNA polymerase's kinetic sampling of dead-end or open complex to repress or activate transcription. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112:13467-72. [PMID: 26483469 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1515231112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Metalloregulators respond to metal ions to regulate transcription of metal homeostasis genes. MerR-family metalloregulators act on σ(70)-dependent suboptimal promoters and operate via a unique DNA distortion mechanism in which both the apo and holo forms of the regulators bind tightly to their operator sequence, distorting DNA structure and leading to transcription repression or activation, respectively. It remains unclear how these metalloregulator-DNA interactions are coupled dynamically to RNA polymerase (RNAP) interactions with DNA for transcription regulation. Using single-molecule FRET, we study how the copper efflux regulator (CueR)--a Cu(+)-responsive MerR-family metalloregulator--modulates RNAP interactions with CueR's cognate suboptimal promoter PcopA, and how RNAP affects CueR-PcopA interactions. We find that RNAP can form two noninterconverting complexes at PcopA in the absence of nucleotides: a dead-end complex and an open complex, constituting a branched interaction pathway that is distinct from the linear pathway prevalent for transcription initiation at optimal promoters. Capitalizing on this branched pathway, CueR operates via a "biased sampling" instead of "dynamic equilibrium shifting" mechanism in regulating transcription initiation; it modulates RNAP's binding-unbinding kinetics, without allowing interconversions between the dead-end and open complexes. Instead, the apo-repressor form reinforces the dominance of the dead-end complex to repress transcription, and the holo-activator form shifts the interactions toward the open complex to activate transcription. RNAP, in turn, locks CueR binding at PcopA into its specific binding mode, likely helping amplify the differences between apo- and holo-CueR in imposing DNA structural changes. Therefore, RNAP and CueR work synergistically in regulating transcription.
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27
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Winkelman JT, Winkelman BT, Boyce J, Maloney MF, Chen AY, Ross W, Gourse RL. Crosslink Mapping at Amino Acid-Base Resolution Reveals the Path of Scrunched DNA in Initial Transcribing Complexes. Mol Cell 2015; 59:768-80. [PMID: 26257284 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2015.06.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2015] [Revised: 06/25/2015] [Accepted: 06/30/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
RNA polymerase binds tightly to DNA to recognize promoters with high specificity but then releases these contacts during the initial stage of transcription. We report a site-specific crosslinking approach to map the DNA path in bacterial transcription intermediates at amino acid and nucleotide resolution. After validating the approach by showing that the DNA path in open complexes (RPO) is the same as in high-resolution X-ray structures, we define the path following substrate addition in "scrunched" complexes (RPITC). The DNA bulges that form within the transcription bubble in RPITC are positioned differently on the two strands. Our data suggest that the non-template strand bulge is extruded into solvent in complexes containing a 5-mer RNA, whereas the template strand bulge remains within the template strand tunnel, exerting stress on interactions between the β flap, β' clamp, and σ3.2. We propose that this stress contributes to σ3.2 displacement from the RNA exit channel, facilitating promoter escape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jared T Winkelman
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1550 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Bradford T Winkelman
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1550 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Julian Boyce
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1550 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Michael F Maloney
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1550 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Albert Y Chen
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1550 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Wilma Ross
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1550 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Richard L Gourse
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1550 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
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28
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Louet M, Seifert C, Hensen U, Gräter F. Dynamic Allostery of the Catabolite Activator Protein Revealed by Interatomic Forces. PLoS Comput Biol 2015; 11:e1004358. [PMID: 26244893 PMCID: PMC4526232 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1004358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2014] [Accepted: 05/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The Catabolite Activator Protein (CAP) is a showcase example for entropic allostery. For full activation and DNA binding, the homodimeric protein requires the binding of two cyclic AMP (cAMP) molecules in an anti-cooperative manner, the source of which appears to be largely of entropic nature according to previous experimental studies. We here study at atomic detail the allosteric regulation of CAP with Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. We recover the experimentally observed entropic penalty for the second cAMP binding event with our recently developed force covariance entropy estimator and reveal allosteric communication pathways with Force Distribution Analyses (FDA). Our observations show that CAP binding results in characteristic changes in the interaction pathways connecting the two cAMP allosteric binding sites with each other, as well as with the DNA binding domains. We identified crucial relays in the mostly symmetric allosteric activation network, and suggest point mutants to test this mechanism. Our study suggests inter-residue forces, as opposed to coordinates, as a highly sensitive measure for structural adaptations that, even though minute, can very effectively propagate allosteric signals. The Catabolite Activator Protein (CAP) is a well-studied example for how cellular catabolite levels are integrated into the gene regulation. Its affinity for a specific stretch of DNA can be switched on by the binding of two nucleotide molecules termed cAMP to its two protomers. Even though the nucleotides occupy structurally identical binding pockets, the second cAMP binding occurs at an affinity orders of magnitude lower than the first cAMP binding. The question arises how, in the absence of structural changes, the first binding can affect the second. An answer from experiments has been that the communication is largely of entropic nature, i.e. the second cAMP binding would lead to a pronounced reduction in atomic fluctuations of the protein without affecting the atomic mean positions. We here revisited this question by performing Molecular Dynamics simulations. By measuring correlations of forces, a newly derived method outperforming the more common coordinate-based approach, we could recover the previously determined entropic penalty. In addition, however, we observed unobtrusive structural changes of side-chain interactions leading to the occlusion of the second binding pocket that add a critical ‘enthalpic’ component hitherto overlooked. Our study provides a mechanistic view onto the intriguing anti-cooperativity of CAP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxime Louet
- Heidelberg Institutes for Theoretical Studies gGmbH, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christian Seifert
- Heidelberg Institutes for Theoretical Studies gGmbH, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ulf Hensen
- Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Department of Biosystem Science and Engineering, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Frauke Gräter
- Heidelberg Institutes for Theoretical Studies gGmbH, Heidelberg, Germany; CAS-MPG Partner Institute and Key Laboratory for Computational Biology, Shanghai, China
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29
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E. coli RNA Polymerase Determinants of Open Complex Lifetime and Structure. J Mol Biol 2015; 427:2435-2450. [PMID: 26055538 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2015.05.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2015] [Revised: 05/29/2015] [Accepted: 05/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
In transcription initiation by Escherichia coli RNA polymerase (RNAP), initial binding to promoter DNA triggers large conformational changes, bending downstream duplex DNA into the RNAP cleft and opening 13bp to form a short-lived open intermediate (I2). Subsequent conformational changes increase lifetimes of λPR and T7A1 open complexes (OCs) by >10(5)-fold and >10(2)-fold, respectively. OC lifetime is a target for regulation. To characterize late conformational changes, we determine effects on OC dissociation kinetics of deletions in RNAP mobile elements σ(70) region 1.1 (σ1.1), β' jaw and β' sequence insertion 3 (SI3). In very stable OC formed by the wild type WT RNAP with λPR (RPO) and by Δσ1.1 RNAP with λPR or T7A1, we conclude that downstream duplex DNA is bound to the jaw in an assembly with SI3, and bases -4 to +2 of the nontemplate strand discriminator region are stably bound in a positively charged track in the cleft. We deduce that polyanionic σ1.1 destabilizes OC by competing for binding sites in the cleft and on the jaw with the polyanionic discriminator strand and downstream duplex, respectively. Examples of σ1.1-destabilized OC are the final T7A1 OC and the λPR I3 intermediate OC. Deleting σ1.1 and either β' jaw or SI3 equalizes OC lifetimes for λPR and T7A1. DNA closing rates are similar for both promoters and all RNAP variants. We conclude that late conformational changes that stabilize OC, like early ones that bend the duplex into the cleft, are primary targets of regulation, while the intrinsic DNA opening/closing step is not.
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30
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Structural biology of bacterial RNA polymerase. Biomolecules 2015; 5:848-64. [PMID: 25970587 PMCID: PMC4496699 DOI: 10.3390/biom5020848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2015] [Revised: 04/10/2015] [Accepted: 04/13/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Since its discovery and characterization in the early 1960s (Hurwitz, J. The discovery of RNA polymerase. J. Biol. Chem. 2005, 280, 42477-42485), an enormous amount of biochemical, biophysical and genetic data has been collected on bacterial RNA polymerase (RNAP). In the late 1990s, structural information pertaining to bacterial RNAP has emerged that provided unprecedented insights into the function and mechanism of RNA transcription. In this review, I list all structures related to bacterial RNAP (as determined by X-ray crystallography and NMR methods available from the Protein Data Bank), describe their contributions to bacterial transcription research and discuss the role that small molecules play in inhibiting bacterial RNA transcription.
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31
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Karpen ME, deHaseth PL. Base flipping in open complex formation at bacterial promoters. Biomolecules 2015; 5:668-78. [PMID: 25927327 PMCID: PMC4496690 DOI: 10.3390/biom5020668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2015] [Revised: 03/16/2015] [Accepted: 04/14/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In the process of transcription initiation, the bacterial RNA polymerase binds double-stranded (ds) promoter DNA and subsequently effects strand separation of 12 to 14 base pairs (bp), including the start site of transcription, to form the so-called "open complex" (also referred to as RP(o)). This complex is competent to initiate RNA synthesis. Here we will review the role of σ70 and its homologs in the strand separation process, and evidence that strand separation is initiated at the -11A (the A of the non-template strand that is 11 bp upstream from the transcription start site) of the promoter. By using the fluorescent adenine analog, 2-aminopurine, it was demonstrated that the -11A on the non-template strand flips out of the DNA helix and into a hydrophobic pocket where it stacks with tyrosine 430 of σ70. Open complexes are remarkably stable, even though in vivo, and under most experimental conditions in vitro, dsDNA is much more stable than its strand-separated form. Subsequent structural studies of other researchers have confirmed that in the open complex the -11A has flipped into a hydrophobic pocket of σ70. It was also revealed that RPo was stabilized by three additional bases of the non-template strand being flipped out of the helix and into hydrophobic pockets, further preventing re-annealing of the two complementary DNA strands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary E Karpen
- Department of Chemistry, Grand Valley State University, 1 Campus Drive, 312 Padnos Hall, Allendale, MI 49401, USA.
| | - Pieter L deHaseth
- Center for RNA Molecular Biology, Case Western Reserve University, 2109 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry, Case Western Reserve University, 2109 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
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32
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Davlieva M, Shi Y, Leonard PG, Johnson TA, Zianni MR, Arias CA, Ladbury JE, Shamoo Y. A variable DNA recognition site organization establishes the LiaR-mediated cell envelope stress response of enterococci to daptomycin. Nucleic Acids Res 2015; 43:4758-73. [PMID: 25897118 PMCID: PMC4482077 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkv321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2014] [Accepted: 03/30/2015] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
LiaR is a ‘master regulator’ of the cell envelope stress response in enterococci and many other Gram-positive organisms. Mutations to liaR can lead to antibiotic resistance to a variety of antibiotics including the cyclic lipopeptide daptomycin. LiaR is phosphorylated in response to membrane stress to regulate downstream target operons. Using DNA footprinting of the regions upstream of the liaXYZ and liaFSR operons we show that LiaR binds an extended stretch of DNA that extends beyond the proposed canonical consensus sequence suggesting a more complex level of regulatory control of target operons. We go on to determine the biochemical and structural basis for increased resistance to daptomycin by the adaptive mutation to LiaR (D191N) first identified from the pathogen Enterococcus faecalis S613. LiaRD191N increases oligomerization of LiaR to form a constitutively activated tetramer that has high affinity for DNA even in the absence of phosphorylation leading to increased resistance. Crystal structures of the LiaR DNA binding domain complexed to the putative consensus sequence as well as an adjoining secondary sequence show that upon binding, LiaR induces DNA bending that is consistent with increased recruitment of RNA polymerase to the transcription start site and upregulation of target operons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milya Davlieva
- Department of BioSciences, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Yiwen Shi
- Department of BioSciences, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | - Paul G Leonard
- Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA Center for Biomolecular Structure and Function, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Troy A Johnson
- Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA Center for Biomolecular Structure and Function, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Michael R Zianni
- Plant-Microbe Genomics Facility, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Cesar A Arias
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA Molecular Genetics and Antimicrobial Resistance Unit, Universidad El Bosque, Bogota, 110121, Colombia
| | - John E Ladbury
- Center for Biomolecular Structure and Function, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Yousif Shamoo
- Department of BioSciences, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
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33
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Sanchez D, Boudes M, van Tilbeurgh H, Durand D, Quevillon-Cheruel S. Modeling the ComD/ComE/comcdeinteraction network using small angle X-ray scattering. FEBS J 2015; 282:1538-53. [DOI: 10.1111/febs.13240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2014] [Revised: 01/12/2015] [Accepted: 02/16/2015] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Dyana Sanchez
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell; Université Paris-Sud; Orsay France
| | - Marion Boudes
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell; Université Paris-Sud; Orsay France
| | - Herman van Tilbeurgh
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell; Université Paris-Sud; Orsay France
| | - Dominique Durand
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell; Université Paris-Sud; Orsay France
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34
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Abstract
RNA polymerase (RNAP) loses activity during transcription as it stalls at various inactive states due to erratic translocation. Reactivation of these stalled RNAPs is essential for efficient RNA synthesis. Here we report a 4.7-Å resolution crystal structure of the Escherichia coli RNAP core enzyme in complex with ATPase RapA that is involved in reactivating stalled RNAPs. The structure reveals that RapA binds at the RNA exit channel of the RNAP and makes the channel unable to accommodate the formation of an RNA hairpin. The orientation of RapA on the RNAP core complex suggests that RapA uses its ATPase activity to propel backward translocation of RNAP along the DNA template in an elongation complex. This structure provides insights into the reactivation of stalled RNA polymerases and helps support ATP-driven backward translocation as a general mechanism for transcriptional regulation.
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35
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Saha A, Mukhopadhyay J, Datta AB, Parrack P. Revisiting the mechanism of activation of cyclic AMP receptor protein (CRP) by cAMP in Escherichia coli: lessons from a subunit-crosslinked form of CRP. FEBS Lett 2014; 589:358-63. [PMID: 25541491 DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2014.12.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2014] [Revised: 12/15/2014] [Accepted: 12/16/2014] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Cyclic AMP receptor protein (CRP), the global transcription regulator in prokaryotes, is active only as a cAMP-CRP complex. Binding of cAMP changes the conformation of CRP, transforming it from a transcriptionally 'inactive' to an 'active' molecule. These conformers are also characterized by distinct biochemical properties including the ability to form an S-S crosslink between the C178 residues of its two monomeric subunits. We studied a CRP variant (CRP(cl)), in which the subunits are crosslinked. We demonstrate that CRP(cl) can activate transcription even in the absence of cAMP. Implications of these results for the crystallographically-determined structure of cAMP-CRP are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abinit Saha
- Department of Biochemistry, Bose Institute, P-1/12, C.I.T. Scheme VIIM, Kolkata 700054, India
| | - Jayanta Mukhopadhyay
- Department of Chemistry, Bose Institute, P-1/12, C.I.T. Scheme VIIM, Kolkata 700054, India
| | - Ajit Bikram Datta
- Department of Biochemistry, Bose Institute, P-1/12, C.I.T. Scheme VIIM, Kolkata 700054, India
| | - Pradeep Parrack
- Department of Biochemistry, Bose Institute, P-1/12, C.I.T. Scheme VIIM, Kolkata 700054, India.
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36
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Rao RR, Lawson CL. Structure of catabolite activator protein with cobalt(II) and sulfate. Acta Crystallogr F Struct Biol Commun 2014; 70:560-3. [PMID: 24817710 PMCID: PMC4014319 DOI: 10.1107/s2053230x14005366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2014] [Accepted: 03/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The crystal structure of cyclic AMP-catabolite activator protein (CAP) from Escherichia coli containing cobalt(II) chloride and ammonium sulfate is reported at 1.97 Å resolution. Each of the two CAP subunits in the asymmetric unit binds one cobalt(II) ion, in each case coordinated by N-terminal domain residues His19, His21 and Glu96 plus an additional acidic residue contributed via a crystal contact. The three identified N-terminal domain cobalt-binding residues are part of a region of CAP that is important for transcription activation at class II CAP-dependent promoters. Sulfate anions mediate additional crystal lattice contacts and occupy sites corresponding to DNA backbone phosphate positions in CAP-DNA complex structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramya R. Rao
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Catherine L. Lawson
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
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37
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Degen D, Feng Y, Zhang Y, Ebright KY, Ebright YW, Gigliotti M, Vahedian-Movahed H, Mandal S, Talaue M, Connell N, Arnold E, Fenical W, Ebright RH. Transcription inhibition by the depsipeptide antibiotic salinamide A. eLife 2014; 3:e02451. [PMID: 24843001 PMCID: PMC4029172 DOI: 10.7554/elife.02451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2014] [Accepted: 04/18/2014] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
We report that bacterial RNA polymerase (RNAP) is the functional cellular target of the depsipeptide antibiotic salinamide A (Sal), and we report that Sal inhibits RNAP through a novel binding site and mechanism. We show that Sal inhibits RNA synthesis in cells and that mutations that confer Sal-resistance map to RNAP genes. We show that Sal interacts with the RNAP active-center 'bridge-helix cap' comprising the 'bridge-helix N-terminal hinge', 'F-loop', and 'link region'. We show that Sal inhibits nucleotide addition in transcription initiation and elongation. We present a crystal structure that defines interactions between Sal and RNAP and effects of Sal on RNAP conformation. We propose that Sal functions by binding to the RNAP bridge-helix cap and preventing conformational changes of the bridge-helix N-terminal hinge necessary for nucleotide addition. The results provide a target for antibacterial drug discovery and a reagent to probe conformation and function of the bridge-helix N-terminal hinge.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.02451.001.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Degen
- Waksman Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, United States
| | - Yu Feng
- Waksman Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, United States
| | - Yu Zhang
- Waksman Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, United States
| | | | - Yon W Ebright
- Waksman Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, United States
| | | | | | - Sukhendu Mandal
- Waksman Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, United States
| | - Meliza Talaue
- Center for Biodefense, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers University, Newark, United States
| | - Nancy Connell
- Center for Biodefense, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers University, Newark, United States
| | - Eddy Arnold
- Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, Rutgers University, Piscataway, United States
| | - William Fenical
- Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, United States
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Fluorescent methods to study transcription initiation and transition into elongation. EXPERIENTIA SUPPLEMENTUM (2012) 2014; 105:105-30. [PMID: 25095993 PMCID: PMC4430081 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-0348-0856-9_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
Abstract
The DNA-dependent RNA polymerases induce specific conformational changes in the promoter DNA during transcription initiation. Fluorescence spectroscopy sensitively monitors these DNA conformational changes in real time and at equilibrium providing powerful ways to estimate interactions in transcriptional complexes and to assess how transcription is regulated by the promoter DNA sequence, transcription factors, and small ligands. Ensemble fluorescence methods described here probe the individual steps of promoter binding, bending, opening, and transition into the elongation using T7 phage and mitochondrial transcriptional systems as examples.
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39
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Mapping the Spatial Neighborhood of the Regulatory 6S RNA Bound to Escherichia coli RNA Polymerase Holoenzyme. J Mol Biol 2013; 425:3649-61. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2013.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2013] [Revised: 06/28/2013] [Accepted: 07/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Murakami KS. X-ray crystal structure of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase σ70 holoenzyme. J Biol Chem 2013; 288:9126-34. [PMID: 23389035 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m112.430900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 148] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Escherichia coli RNA polymerase (RNAP) is the most studied bacterial RNAP and has been used as the model RNAP for screening and evaluating potential RNAP-targeting antibiotics. However, the x-ray crystal structure of E. coli RNAP has been limited to individual domains. Here, I report the x-ray structure of the E. coli RNAP σ(70) holoenzyme, which shows σ region 1.1 (σ1.1) and the α subunit C-terminal domain for the first time in the context of an intact RNAP. σ1.1 is positioned at the RNAP DNA-binding channel and completely blocks DNA entry to the RNAP active site. The structure reveals that σ1.1 contains a basic patch on its surface, which may play an important role in DNA interaction to facilitate open promoter complex formation. The α subunit C-terminal domain is positioned next to σ domain 4 with a fully stretched linker between the N- and C-terminal domains. E. coli RNAP crystals can be prepared from a convenient overexpression system, allowing further structural studies of bacterial RNAP mutants, including functionally deficient and antibiotic-resistant RNAPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katsuhiko S Murakami
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Center for RNA Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
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41
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Debnath S, Roy NS, Bera I, Ghoshal N, Roy S. Indirect read-out of the promoter DNA by RNA polymerase in the closed complex. Nucleic Acids Res 2012; 41:366-77. [PMID: 23118489 PMCID: PMC3592454 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gks1018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcription is initiated when RNA polymerase recognizes the duplex promoter DNA in the closed complex. Due to its transient nature, the closed complex has not been well characterized. How the initial promoter recognition occurs may offer important clues to regulation of transcription initiation. In this article, we have carried out single-base pair substitution experiments on two Escherichia coli promoters belonging to two different classes, the -35 and the extended -10, under conditions which stabilize the closed complex. Single-base pair substitution experiments indicate modest base-specific effects on the stability of the closed complex of both promoters. Mutations of base pairs in the -10 region affect the closed complexes of two promoters differently, suggesting different modes of interaction of the RNA polymerase and the promoter in the two closed complexes. Two residues on σ(70) which have been suggested to play important role in promoter recognition, Q437 and R436, were mutated and found to have different effects on the closed-complex stability. DNA circular dichroism (CD) and FRET suggest that the promoter DNA in the closed complex is distorted. Modeling suggests two different orientations of the recognition helix of the RNA polymerase in the closed complex. We propose that the RNA polymerase recognizes the sequence dependent conformation of the promoter DNA in the closed complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Subrata Debnath
- Division of Structural Biology and Bioinformatics, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, 4 Raja Subodh Mullick Road, Kolkata 700032, India
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42
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Zhang Y, Feng Y, Chatterjee S, Tuske S, Ho MX, Arnold E, Ebright RH. Structural basis of transcription initiation. Science 2012; 338:1076-80. [PMID: 23086998 DOI: 10.1126/science.1227786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 260] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
During transcription initiation, RNA polymerase (RNAP) binds and unwinds promoter DNA to form an RNAP-promoter open complex. We have determined crystal structures at 2.9 and 3.0 Å resolution of functional transcription initiation complexes comprising Thermus thermophilus RNA polymerase, σ(A), and a promoter DNA fragment corresponding to the transcription bubble and downstream double-stranded DNA of the RNAP-promoter open complex. The structures show that σ recognizes the -10 element and discriminator element through interactions that include the unstacking and insertion into pockets of three DNA bases and that RNAP recognizes the -4/+2 region through interactions that include the unstacking and insertion into a pocket of the +2 base. The structures further show that interactions between σ and template-strand single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) preorganize template-strand ssDNA to engage the RNAP active center.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Zhang
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Waksman Institute, and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
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43
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A mutation of the RNA polymerase β' subunit (rpoC) confers cephalosporin resistance in Bacillus subtilis. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2012; 57:56-65. [PMID: 23070162 DOI: 10.1128/aac.01449-12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In bacteria, mutations affecting the major catalytic subunits of RNA polymerase (encoded by rpoB and rpoC) emerge in response to a variety of selective pressures. Here we isolated a Bacillus subtilis strain with high-level resistance to cefuroxime (CEF). Whole-genome resequencing revealed only one missense mutation affecting an invariant residue in close proximity to the C-terminal DNA-binding domain of RpoC (G1122D). Genetic reconstruction experiments demonstrate that this substitution is sufficient to confer CEF resistance. The G1122D mutation leads to elevated expression of stress-responsive regulons, including those of extracytoplasmic function (ECF) σ factors (σ(M), σ(W), and σ(X)) and the general stress σ factor (σ(B)). The increased CEF resistance of the rpoC(G1122D) strain is lost in the sigM rpoC(G1122D) double mutant, consistent with a major role for σ(M) in CEF resistance. However, a sigM mutant is very sensitive to CEF, and this sensitivity is still reduced by the G1122D mutation, suggesting that other regulatory effects are also important. Indeed, the ability of the G1122D mutation to increase CEF resistance is further reduced in a triple mutant strain lacking three ECF σ factors (σ(M), σ(W), and σ(X)), which are known from prior studies to control overlapping sets of genes. Collectively, our findings highlight the ability of mutations in RNA polymerase to confer antibiotic resistance by affecting the activity of alternative σ factors that control cell envelope stress-responsive regulons.
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Chakraborty A, Wang D, Ebright YW, Korlann Y, Kortkhonjia E, Kim T, Chowdhury S, Wigneshweraraj S, Irschik H, Jansen R, Nixon BT, Knight J, Weiss S, Ebright RH. Opening and closing of the bacterial RNA polymerase clamp. Science 2012; 337:591-5. [PMID: 22859489 DOI: 10.1126/science.1218716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 165] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Using single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer, we have defined bacterial RNA polymerase (RNAP) clamp conformation at each step in transcription initiation and elongation. We find that the clamp predominantly is open in free RNAP and early intermediates in transcription initiation but closes upon formation of a catalytically competent transcription initiation complex and remains closed during initial transcription and transcription elongation. We show that four RNAP inhibitors interfere with clamp opening. We propose that clamp opening allows DNA to be loaded into and unwound in the RNAP active-center cleft, that DNA loading and unwinding trigger clamp closure, and that clamp closure accounts for the high stability of initiation complexes and the high stability and processivity of elongation complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anirban Chakraborty
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Waksman Institute, and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
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45
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Abstract
Bacteria use a variety of mechanisms to direct RNA polymerase to specific promoters in order to activate transcription in response to growth signals or environmental cues. Activation can be due to factors that interact at specific promoters, thereby increasing transcription directed by these promoters. We examine the range of architectures found at activator-dependent promoters and outline the mechanisms by which input from different factors is integrated. Alternatively, activation can be due to factors that interact with RNA polymerase and change its preferences for target promoters. We summarize the different mechanistic options for activation that are focused directly on RNA polymerase.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Lee
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom.
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Tung CS, McMahon BH. A structural model of the E. coli PhoB dimer in the transcription initiation complex. BMC STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY 2012; 12:3. [PMID: 22433509 PMCID: PMC3348028 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6807-12-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2011] [Accepted: 03/20/2012] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There exist > 78,000 proteins and/or nucleic acids structures that were determined experimentally. Only a small portion of these structures corresponds to those of protein complexes. While homology modeling is able to exploit knowledge-based potentials of side-chain rotomers and backbone motifs to infer structures for new proteins, no such general method exists to extend our understanding of protein interaction motifs to novel protein complexes. RESULTS We use a Motif Binding Geometries (MBG) approach, to infer the structure of a protein complex from the database of complexes of homologous proteins taken from other contexts (such as the helix-turn-helix motif binding double stranded DNA), and demonstrate its utility on one of the more important regulatory complexes in biology, that of the RNA polymerase initiating transcription under conditions of phosphate starvation. The modeled PhoB/RNAP/σ-factor/DNA complex is stereo-chemically reasonable, has sufficient interfacial Solvent Excluded Surface Areas (SESAs) to provide adequate binding strength, is physically meaningful for transcription regulation, and is consistent with a variety of known experimental constraints. CONCLUSIONS Based on a straightforward and easy to comprehend concept, "proteins and protein domains that fold similarly could interact similarly", a structural model of the PhoB dimer in the transcription initiation complex has been developed. This approach could be extended to enable structural modeling and prediction of other bio-molecular complexes. Just as models of individual proteins provide insight into molecular recognition, catalytic mechanism, and substrate specificity, models of protein complexes will provide understanding into the combinatorial rules of cellular regulation and signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang-Shung Tung
- Theoretical Biology & Biophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA.
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47
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Raillon C, Cousin P, Traversi F, Garcia-Cordero E, Hernandez N, Radenovic A. Nanopore detection of single molecule RNAP-DNA transcription complex. NANO LETTERS 2012; 12:1157-1164. [PMID: 22372476 DOI: 10.1021/nl3002827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
In the past decade, a number of single-molecule methods have been developed with the aim of investigating single protein and nucleic acid interactions. For the first time we use solid-state nanopore sensing to detect a single E. coli RNAP-DNA transcription complex and single E. coli RNAP enzyme. On the basis of their specific conductance translocation signature, we can discriminate and identify between those two types of molecular translocations and translocations of bare DNA. This opens up a new perspectives for investigating transcription processes at the single-molecule level.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Raillon
- Laboratory of Nanoscale Biology, Institute of Bioengineering, School of Engineering, EPFL, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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48
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Evidence that a single monomer of Spx can productively interact with RNA polymerase in Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol 2012; 194:1697-707. [PMID: 22307755 DOI: 10.1128/jb.06660-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Spx activates transcription initiation in Bacillus subtilis by directly interacting with the C-terminal domain of the RNA polymerase (RNAP) holoenzyme α subunit, which generates a complex that recognizes the promoter regions of genes within the Spx regulon. Many Gram-positive species possess multiple paralogs of Spx, suggesting that two paralogous forms of Spx could simultaneously contact RNAP. The composition of Spx/RNAP was examined in vitro using an Spx variant (SpxΔCHA) bearing a 12-amino-acid deletion of the C terminus (SpxΔC) and a hemagglutinin (HA) epitope tag and Spxc-Myc, a full-length Spx with a C-terminal myelocytomatosis oncoprotein (c-Myc) epitope tag. All Spx/RNAP complexes bearing deletion or C-terminal-tagged variants were transcriptionally active in vivo and in vitro. Reaction mixtures containing SpxΔCHA and Spxc-Myc combined with RNAP were applied to either anti-HA or anti-c-Myc affinity columns. Eluted fractions contained RNAP with only one of the epitope-tagged Spx derivatives. The resin-bound RNAP complex bearing a single epitope-tagged Spx derivative was transcriptionally active. In vivo production of SpxΔC and SpxΔCHA followed by anti-HA affinity column chromatography of a cleared lysate resulted in retrieval of Spx/RNAP with only the SpxΔCHA derivative. Binding reactions that combined active Spxc-Myc, inactive Spx(R60E)ΔCHA, and RNAP, when applied to the anti-HA affinity column, yielded only inactive Spx(R60E)ΔCHA/RNAP complexes. The results strongly argue for a model in which a single Spx monomer engages RNAP to generate an active transcriptional complex.
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49
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Aravind L, Iyer LM. The HARE-HTH and associated domains: novel modules in the coordination of epigenetic DNA and protein modifications. Cell Cycle 2012; 11:119-31. [PMID: 22186017 DOI: 10.4161/cc.11.1.18475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Human ASXL proteins, orthologs of Drosophila Additional Sex combs, have been implicated in conjunction with TET2 as a major target for mutations and translocations leading to a wide range of myeloid leukemias, related myelodysplastic conditions (ASXL1 and ASXL2) and the Bohring-Opitz syndrome, a developmental disorder (ASXL1). Using sensitive sequence and structure comparison methods, we show that most animal ASXL proteins contain a novel N-terminal domain that is also found in several other eukaryotic chromatin proteins, diverse restriction endonucleases and DNA glycosylases, the RNA polymerase delta subunit of Gram-positive bacteria and certain bacterial proteins that combine features of the RNA polymerase α-subunit and sigma factors. This domain adopts the winged helix-turn-helix fold and is predicted to bind DNA. Based on its domain architectural contexts, we present evidence that this domain might play an important role, both in eukaryotes and bacteria, in the recruitment of diverse effector activities, including the Polycomb repressive complexes, to DNA, depending on the state of epigenetic modifications such as 5-methylcytosine and its oxidized derivatives. In other eukaryotic chromatin proteins, this predicted DNA-binding domain is fused to a region with three conserved motifs that are also found in diverse eukaryotic chromatin proteins, such as the animal BAZ/WAL proteins, plant HB1 and MBD9, yeast Itc1p and Ioc3, RSF1, CECR2 and NURF1. Based on the crystal structure of Ioc3, we establish that these motifs in conjunction with the DDT motif constitute a structural determinant that is central to nucleosomal repositioning by the ISWI clade of SWI2/SNF2 ATPases. We also show that the central domain of the ASXL proteins (ASXH domain) is conserved outside of animals in fungi and plants, where it is combined with other domains, suggesting that it might be an ancient module mediating interactions between chromatin-linked protein complexes and transcription factors via its conserved LXLLL motif. We present evidence that the C-terminal PHD finger of ASXL protein has certain peculiar structural modifications that might allow it to recognize internal modified lysines other than those from the N terminus of histone H3, making it the mediator of previously unexpected interactions in chromatin.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Aravind
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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50
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Iyer LM, Aravind L. Insights from the architecture of the bacterial transcription apparatus. J Struct Biol 2011; 179:299-319. [PMID: 22210308 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsb.2011.12.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2011] [Revised: 12/14/2011] [Accepted: 12/18/2011] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
We provide a portrait of the bacterial transcription apparatus in light of the data emerging from structural studies, sequence analysis and comparative genomics to bring out important but underappreciated features. We first describe the key structural highlights and evolutionary implications emerging from comparison of the cellular RNA polymerase subunits with the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase involved in RNAi in eukaryotes and their homologs from newly identified bacterial selfish elements. We describe some previously unnoticed domains and the possible evolutionary stages leading to the RNA polymerases of extant life forms. We then present the case for the ancient orthology of the basal transcription factors, the sigma factor and TFIIB, in the bacterial and the archaeo-eukaryotic lineages. We also present a synopsis of the structural and architectural taxonomy of specific transcription factors and their genome-scale demography. In this context, we present certain notable deviations from the otherwise invariant proteome-wide trends in transcription factor distribution and use it to predict the presence of an unusual lineage-specifically expanded signaling system in certain firmicutes like Paenibacillus. We then discuss the intersection between functional properties of transcription factors and the organization of transcriptional networks. Finally, we present some of the interesting evolutionary conundrums posed by our newly gained understanding of the bacterial transcription apparatus and potential areas for future explorations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lakshminarayan M Iyer
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Building 38A, Room 5N50, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
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