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Graham CI, MacMartin TL, de Kievit TR, Brassinga AKC. Molecular regulation of virulence in Legionella pneumophila. Mol Microbiol 2024; 121:167-195. [PMID: 37908155 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.15172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
Legionella pneumophila is a gram-negative bacteria found in natural and anthropogenic aquatic environments such as evaporative cooling towers, where it reproduces as an intracellular parasite of cohabiting protozoa. If L. pneumophila is aerosolized and inhaled by a susceptible person, bacteria may colonize their alveolar macrophages causing the opportunistic pneumonia Legionnaires' disease. L. pneumophila utilizes an elaborate regulatory network to control virulence processes such as the Dot/Icm Type IV secretion system and effector repertoire, responding to changing nutritional cues as their host becomes depleted. The bacteria subsequently differentiate to a transmissive state that can survive in the environment until a replacement host is encountered and colonized. In this review, we discuss the lifecycle of L. pneumophila and the molecular regulatory network that senses nutritional depletion via the stringent response, a link to stationary phase-like metabolic changes via alternative sigma factors, and two-component systems that are homologous to stress sensors in other pathogens, to regulate differentiation between the intracellular replicative phase and more transmissible states. Together, we highlight how this prototypic intracellular pathogen offers enormous potential in understanding how molecular mechanisms enable intracellular parasitism and pathogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher I Graham
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Teassa L MacMartin
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Teresa R de Kievit
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Ann Karen C Brassinga
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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2
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Hoareau M, Gerges E, Crémazy FGE. Shedding Light on Bacterial Chromosome Structure: Exploring the Significance of 3C-Based Approaches. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2819:3-26. [PMID: 39028499 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3930-6_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
The complex architecture of DNA within living organisms is essential for maintaining the genetic information that dictates their functions and characteristics. Among the many complexities of genetic material organization, the folding and arrangement of DNA into chromosomes play a critical role in regulating gene expression, replication, and other essential cellular processes. Bacteria, despite their apparently simple cellular structure, exhibit a remarkable level of chromosomal organization that influences their adaptability and survival in diverse environments. Understanding the three-dimensional arrangement of bacterial chromosomes has long been a challenge due to technical limitations, but the development of Chromosome Conformation Capture (3C) methods revolutionized our ability to explore the hierarchical structure and the dynamics of bacterial genomes. Here, we review the major advances in the field of bacterial chromosome structure using 3C technology over the past decade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion Hoareau
- Université Paris-Saclay, UVSQ, Inserm, Infection et inflammation, Montigny-Le-Bretonneux, France
| | - Elias Gerges
- Université Paris-Saclay, UVSQ, Inserm, Infection et inflammation, Montigny-Le-Bretonneux, France
| | - Frédéric G E Crémazy
- Université Paris-Saclay, UVSQ, Inserm, Infection et inflammation, Montigny-Le-Bretonneux, France.
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3
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Bunch H, Kim D, Naganuma M, Nakagawa R, Cong A, Jeong J, Ehara H, Vu H, Chang JH, Schellenberg MJ, Sekine SI. ERK2-topoisomerase II regulatory axis is important for gene activation in immediate early genes. Nat Commun 2023; 14:8341. [PMID: 38097570 PMCID: PMC10721843 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44089-y] [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: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The function of the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway is required for the activation of immediate early genes (IEGs), including EGR1 and FOS, for cell growth and proliferation. Recent studies have identified topoisomerase II (TOP2) as one of the important regulators of the transcriptional activation of IEGs. However, the mechanism underlying transcriptional regulation involving TOP2 in IEG activation has remained unknown. Here, we demonstrate that ERK2, but not ERK1, is important for IEG transcriptional activation and report a critical ELK1 binding sequence for ERK2 function at the EGR1 gene. Our data indicate that both ERK1 and ERK2 extensively phosphorylate the C-terminal domain of TOP2B at mutual and distinctive residues. Although both ERK1 and ERK2 enhance the catalytic rate of TOP2B required to relax positive DNA supercoiling, ERK2 delays TOP2B catalysis of negative DNA supercoiling. In addition, ERK1 may relax DNA supercoiling by itself. ERK2 catalytic inhibition or knock-down interferes with transcription and deregulates TOP2B in IEGs. Furthermore, we present the first cryo-EM structure of the human cell-purified TOP2B and etoposide together with the EGR1 transcriptional start site (-30 to +20) that has the strongest affinity to TOP2B within -423 to +332. The structure shows TOP2B-mediated breakage and dramatic bending of the DNA. Transcription is activated by etoposide, while it is inhibited by ICRF193 at EGR1 and FOS, suggesting that TOP2B-mediated DNA break to favor transcriptional activation. Taken together, this study suggests that activated ERK2 phosphorylates TOP2B to regulate TOP2-DNA interactions and favor transcriptional activation in IEGs. We propose that TOP2B association, catalysis, and dissociation on its substrate DNA are important processes for regulating transcription and that ERK2-mediated TOP2B phosphorylation may be key for the catalysis and dissociation steps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heeyoun Bunch
- Department of Applied Biosciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 41566, Republic of Korea.
- School of Applied Biosciences, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 41566, Republic of Korea.
| | - Deukyeong Kim
- School of Applied Biosciences, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 41566, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Masahiro Naganuma
- Laboratory for Transcription Structural Biology, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, 230-0045, Japan
| | - Reiko Nakagawa
- RIKEN BDR Laboratory for Phyloinformatics, Hyogo, 650-0047, Japan
| | - Anh Cong
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Jaehyeon Jeong
- Department of Applied Biosciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 41566, Republic of Korea
| | - Haruhiko Ehara
- Laboratory for Transcription Structural Biology, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, 230-0045, Japan
| | - Hongha Vu
- Department of Biology Education, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 41566, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeong Ho Chang
- Department of Biology Education, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 41566, Republic of Korea
| | - Matthew J Schellenberg
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Shun-Ichi Sekine
- Laboratory for Transcription Structural Biology, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, 230-0045, Japan
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4
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Takahashi M, Norden B. Linear Dichroism Measurements for the Study of Protein-DNA Interactions. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:16092. [PMID: 38003280 PMCID: PMC10671323 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242216092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 11/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Linear dichroism (LD) is a differential polarized light absorption spectroscopy used for studying filamentous molecules such as DNA and protein filaments. In this study, we review the applications of LD for the analysis of DNA-protein interactions. LD signals can be measured in a solution by aligning the sample using flow-induced shear force or a strong electric field. The signal generated is related to the local orientation of chromophores, such as DNA bases, relative to the filament axis. LD can thus assess the tilt and roll of DNA bases and distinguish intercalating from groove-binding ligands. The intensity of the LD signal depends upon the degree of macroscopic orientation. Therefore, DNA shortening and bending can be detected by a decrease in LD signal intensity. As examples of LD applications, we present a kinetic study of DNA digestion by restriction enzymes and structural analyses of homologous recombination intermediates, i.e., RecA and Rad51 recombinase complexes with single-stranded DNA. LD shows that the DNA bases in these complexes are preferentially oriented perpendicular to the filament axis only in the presence of activators, suggesting the importance of organized base orientation for the reaction. LD measurements detect DNA bending by the CRP transcription activator protein, as well as by the UvrB DNA repair protein. LD can thus provide information about the structures of protein-DNA complexes under various conditions and in real time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masayuki Takahashi
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Oookayama, Meguro, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
| | - Bengt Norden
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Chemistry, Chalmers University of Technology, 412 96 Gothenburg, Sweden;
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Abstract
Allostery is a pervasive principle to regulate protein function. Growing evidence suggests that also DNA is capable of transmitting allosteric signals. Yet, whether and how DNA-mediated allostery plays a regulatory role in gene expression remained unclear. Here, we show that DNA indeed transmits allosteric signals over long distances to boost the binding cooperativity of transcription factors. Phenotype switching in Bacillus subtilis requires an all-or-none promoter binding of multiple ComK proteins. We use single-molecule FRET to demonstrate that ComK-binding at one promoter site increases affinity at a distant site. Cryo-EM structures of the complex between ComK and its promoter demonstrate that this coupling is due to mechanical forces that alter DNA curvature. Modifications of the spacer between sites tune cooperativity and show how to control allostery, which allows a fine-tuning of the dynamic properties of genetic circuits. Most insights on DNA-mediated allostery upon transcription factor (TF) binding were either based on artificial promoters or found to be short-ranged. Here authors use single-molecule FRET and cryo-EM to show that Bacillus subtilis bacteria utilize long-range allostery in a stochastic and reversible phenotype switch.
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A quantitative model of a cooperative two-state equilibrium in DNA: experimental tests, insights, and predictions. Q Rev Biophys 2021; 54:e5. [PMID: 33722316 DOI: 10.1017/s0033583521000032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Quantitative parameters for a two-state cooperative transition in duplex DNAs were finally obtained during the last 5 years. After a brief discussion of observations pertaining to the existence of the two-state equilibrium per se, the lengths, torsion, and bending elastic constants of the two states involved and the cooperativity parameter of the model are simply stated. Experimental tests of model predictions for the responses of DNA to small applied stretching, twisting, and bending stresses, and changes in temperature, ionic conditions, and sequence are described. The mechanism and significance of the large cooperativity, which enables significant DNA responses to such small perturbations, are also noted. The capacity of the model to resolve a number of long-standing and sometimes interconnected puzzles in the extant literature, including the origin of the broad pre-melting transition studied by numerous workers in the 1960s and 1970s, is demonstrated. Under certain conditions, the model predicts significant long-range attractive or repulsive interactions between hypothetical proteins with strong preferences for one or the other state that are bound to well-separated sites on the same DNA. A scenario is proposed for the activation of the ilvPG promoter on a supercoiled DNA by integration host factor.
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7
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Chatterjee S, Jha JK, Ciaccia P, Venkova T, Chattoraj DK. Interactions of replication initiator RctB with single- and double-stranded DNA in origin opening of Vibrio cholerae chromosome 2. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:11016-11029. [PMID: 33035310 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Revised: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies of bacterial chromosomes and plasmids indicate that their replication initiator proteins bind to origins of replication at many double-stranded sites and also at AT-rich regions where single-stranded DNA is exposed during origin opening. Single-strand binding apparently promotes origin opening by stabilizing an open structure, but how the initiator participates in this process and the contributions of the several binding sites remain unclear. Here, we show that the initiator protein of Vibrio cholerae specific to chromosome 2 (Chr2) also has single-strand binding activity in the AT-rich region of its origin. Binding is strand specific, depends on repeats of the sequence 5'ATCA and is greatly stabilized in vitro by specific double-stranded sites of the origin. The stability derives from the formation of ternary complexes of the initiator with the single- and double-stranded sites. An IHF site lies between these two kinds of sites in the Chr2 origin and an IHF-induced looping out of the intervening DNA mediates their interaction. Simultaneous binding to two kinds of sites in the origin appears to be a common mechanism by which bacterial replication initiators stabilize an open origin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soniya Chatterjee
- Basic Research Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892-4260, USA
| | - Jyoti K Jha
- Basic Research Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892-4260, USA
| | - Peter Ciaccia
- Basic Research Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892-4260, USA
| | - Tatiana Venkova
- Basic Research Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892-4260, USA
| | - Dhruba K Chattoraj
- Basic Research Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892-4260, USA
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8
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IHF stabilizes pathogenicity island I of uropathogenic Escherichia coli strain 536 by attenuating integrase I promoter activity. Sci Rep 2020; 10:9397. [PMID: 32523028 PMCID: PMC7286903 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-66215-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2020] [Accepted: 05/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Pathogenicity islands (PAIs) represent horizontally acquired chromosomal regions and encode their cognate integrase, which mediates chromosomal integration and excision of the island. These site-specific recombination reactions have to be tightly controlled to maintain genomic stability, and their directionality depends on accessory proteins. The integration host factor (IHF) and the factor for inversion stimulation (Fis) are often involved in recombinogenic complex formation and controlling the directionality of the recombination reaction. We investigated the role of the accessory host factors IHF and Fis in controlling the stability of six PAIs in uropathogenic Escherichia coli strain 536. By comparing the loss of individual PAIs in the presence or absence of IHF or Fis, we showed that IHF specifically stabilized PAI I536 and that in particular the IHFB subunit seems to be important for this function. We employed complex genetic studies to address the role of IHF in PAI I536-encoded integrase (IntI) expression. Based on different YFP-reporter constructs and electrophoretic mobility shift assays we demonstrated that IntI acts a strong repressor of its own synthesis, and that IHF binding to the intI promoter region reduces the probability of intI promoter activation. Our results extend the current knowledge of the role of IHF in controlling directionality of site specific recombination reactions and thus PAI stability.
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9
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Abstract
How genomes are organized within cells and how the 3D architecture of a genome influences cellular functions are significant questions in biology. A bacterial genomic DNA resides inside cells in a highly condensed and functionally organized form called nucleoid (nucleus-like structure without a nuclear membrane). The Escherichia coli chromosome or nucleoid is composed of the genomic DNA, RNA, and protein. The nucleoid forms by condensation and functional arrangement of a single chromosomal DNA with the help of chromosomal architectural proteins and RNA molecules as well as DNA supercoiling. Although a high-resolution structure of a bacterial nucleoid is yet to come, five decades of research has established the following salient features of the E. coli nucleoid elaborated below: 1) The chromosomal DNA is on the average a negatively supercoiled molecule that is folded as plectonemic loops, which are confined into many independent topological domains due to supercoiling diffusion barriers; 2) The loops spatially organize into megabase size regions called macrodomains, which are defined by more frequent physical interactions among DNA sites within the same macrodomain than between different macrodomains; 3) The condensed and spatially organized DNA takes the form of a helical ellipsoid radially confined in the cell; and 4) The DNA in the chromosome appears to have a condition-dependent 3-D structure that is linked to gene expression so that the nucleoid architecture and gene transcription are tightly interdependent, influencing each other reciprocally. Current advents of high-resolution microscopy, single-molecule analysis and molecular structure determination of the components are expected to reveal the total structure and function of the bacterial nucleoid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Subhash C. Verma
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail: (SCV); (SLA)
| | - Zhong Qian
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Sankar L. Adhya
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail: (SCV); (SLA)
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10
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Ranganathan S, Cheung J, Cassidy M, Ginter C, Pata JD, McDonough KA. Novel structural features drive DNA binding properties of Cmr, a CRP family protein in TB complex mycobacteria. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 46:403-420. [PMID: 29165665 PMCID: PMC5758884 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkx1148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2017] [Accepted: 11/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) encodes two CRP/FNR family transcription factors (TF) that contribute to virulence, Cmr (Rv1675c) and CRPMt (Rv3676). Prior studies identified distinct chromosomal binding profiles for each TF despite their recognizing overlapping DNA motifs. The present study shows that Cmr binding specificity is determined by discriminator nucleotides at motif positions 4 and 13. X-ray crystallography and targeted mutational analyses identified an arginine-rich loop that expands Cmr’s DNA interactions beyond the classical helix-turn-helix contacts common to all CRP/FNR family members and facilitates binding to imperfect DNA sequences. Cmr binding to DNA results in a pronounced asymmetric bending of the DNA and its high level of cooperativity is consistent with DNA-facilitated dimerization. A unique N-terminal extension inserts between the DNA binding and dimerization domains, partially occluding the site where the canonical cAMP binding pocket is found. However, an unstructured region of this N-terminus may help modulate Cmr activity in response to cellular signals. Cmr’s multiple levels of DNA interaction likely enhance its ability to integrate diverse gene regulatory signals, while its novel structural features establish Cmr as an atypical CRP/FNR family member.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sridevi Ranganathan
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Public Health, University at Albany, SUNY, Albany, NY 12201, USA
| | - Jonah Cheung
- New York Structural Biology Center, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | | | | | - Janice D Pata
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Public Health, University at Albany, SUNY, Albany, NY 12201, USA.,Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, 120 New Scotland Avenue, PO Box 22002, Albany, NY 12201-2002, USA
| | - Kathleen A McDonough
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Public Health, University at Albany, SUNY, Albany, NY 12201, USA.,Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, 120 New Scotland Avenue, PO Box 22002, Albany, NY 12201-2002, USA
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11
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Singh J, Purohit PK. Allosteric interactions in a birod model of DNA. Proc Math Phys Eng Sci 2018; 474:20180136. [PMID: 34025206 PMCID: PMC6237492 DOI: 10.1098/rspa.2018.0136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2018] [Accepted: 09/05/2018] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Allosteric interactions between molecules bound to DNA at distant locations have been known for a long time. The phenomenon has been studied via experiments and numerical simulations, but a comprehensive understanding grounded in a theory of DNA elasticity remains a challenge. Here, we quantify allosteric interactions between two entities bound to DNA by using the theory of birods. We recognize that molecules bound to DNA cause local deformations that can be captured in a birod model which consists of two elastic strands interacting via an elastic web representing the basepairs. We show that the displacement field caused by bound entities decays exponentially with distance from the binding site. We compute the interaction energy between two proteins on DNA as a function of distance between them and find that it decays exponentially while oscillating with the periodicity of the double helix, in excellent agreement with experiments. The decay length of the interaction energy can be determined in terms of the mechanical properties of the strands and the webbing in our birod model, and it varies with the GC content of the DNA. Our model provides a framework for viewing allosteric interactions in DNA within the ambit of configurational forces of continuum elasticity.
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12
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Gault M, Effantin G, Rodrigue A. Ni exposure impacts the pool of free Fe and modifies DNA supercoiling via metal-induced oxidative stress in Escherichia coli K-12. Free Radic Biol Med 2016; 97:351-361. [PMID: 27375130 DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2016.06.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2016] [Revised: 06/23/2016] [Accepted: 06/28/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The biology of nickel has been widely studied in mammals because of its carcinogenic properties, whereas few studies have been performed in microorganisms. In the present work, changes accompanying stress caused by nickel were evaluated at the cellular level using RNA-Seq in Escherichia coli K-12. Interestingly, a very large number of genes were found to be deregulated by Ni stress. Iron and oxidative stress homeostasis maintenance were among the most highly enriched functional categories, and genes involved in periplasmic copper efflux were among the most highly upregulated. These results suggest that the deregulation of Fe and Cu homeostatic genes is caused by a release of free Cu and Fe ions in the cell which in turn activate the Cu and Fe homeostatic systems. The content of Cu was not significantly affected upon the addition of Ni to the growth medium, nor were the Cus and CopA Cu-efflux systems important for the survival of bacteria under Ni stress In contrast the addition of Ni slightly decreased the amount of cellular Fe and activated the transcription of Fur regulated genes in a Fur-dependent manner. Cu or Fe imbalance together with oxidative stress might affect the structure of DNA. Further experiments revealed that Ni alters the state of DNA folding by causing a relaxed conformation, a phenomenon that is reversible by addition of the antioxidant Tiron or the Fe chelator Dip. The Tiron-reversible DNA relaxation was also observed for Fe and to a lesser extent with Cu but not with Co. DNA supercoiling is well recognized as an integral aspect of gene regulation. Moreover our results show that Ni modifies the expression of several nucleoid-associated proteins (NAPs), important agents of DNA topology and global gene regulation. This is the first report describing the impact of metal-induced oxidative on global regulatory networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manon Gault
- Microbiologie, Adaptation et Pathogénie, UMR5240, INSA Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, Université de Lyon, F-69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Géraldine Effantin
- Microbiologie, Adaptation et Pathogénie, UMR5240, INSA Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, Université de Lyon, F-69621 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Agnès Rodrigue
- Microbiologie, Adaptation et Pathogénie, UMR5240, INSA Lyon, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, Université de Lyon, F-69621 Villeurbanne, France.
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Abstract
This review focuses on more recent studies concerning the systems biology of branched-chain amino acid biosynthesis, that is, the pathway-specific and global metabolic and genetic regulatory networks that enable the cell to adjust branched-chain amino acid synthesis rates to changing nutritional and environmental conditions. It begins with an overview of the enzymatic steps and metabolic regulatory mechanisms of the pathways and descriptions of the genetic regulatory mechanisms of the individual operons of the isoleucine-leucine-valine (ilv) regulon. This is followed by more-detailed discussions of recent evidence that global control mechanisms that coordinate the expression of the operons of this regulon with one another and the growth conditions of the cell are mediated by changes in DNA supercoiling that occur in response to changes in cellular energy charge levels that, in turn, are modulated by nutrient and environmental signals. Since the parallel pathways for isoleucine and valine biosynthesis are catalyzed by a single set of enzymes, and because the AHAS-catalyzed reaction is the first step specific for valine biosynthesis but the second step of isoleucine biosynthesis, valine inhibition of a single enzyme for this enzymatic step might compromise the cell for isoleucine or result in the accumulation of toxic intermediates. The operon-specific regulatory mechanisms of the operons of the ilv regulon are discussed in the review followed by a consideration and brief review of global regulatory proteins such as integration host factor (IHF), Lrp, and CAP (CRP) that affect the expression of these operons.
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14
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Schurr JM. A Possible Cooperative Structural Transition of DNA in the 0.25–2.0 pN Range. J Phys Chem B 2015; 119:6389-400. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.5b03174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- J. Michael Schurr
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Box 351700, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
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15
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Differential transcriptional regulation of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans lsrACDBFG and lsrRK operons by integration host factor protein. J Bacteriol 2014; 196:1597-607. [PMID: 24532769 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00006-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
We previously showed that the Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans lsrACDBFG and lsrRK operons are regulated by LsrR and cyclic AMP receptor protein (CRP) and that proper regulation of the lsr locus is required for optimal biofilm growth by A. actinomycetemcomitans. Here, we identified sequences that reside immediately upstream from both the lsrA and lsrR start codons that closely resemble the consensus recognition sequence of Escherichia coli integration host factor (IHF) protein. A. actinomycetemcomitans IHFα and IHFβ were expressed and purified as hexahistidine fusion proteins, and using electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs), the IHFα-IHFβ protein complex was shown to bind to probes containing the putative IHF recognition sequences. In addition, single-copy chromosomal insertions of lsrR promoter-lacZ and lsrA promoter-lacZ transcriptional fusions in wild-type A. actinomycetemcomitans and ΔihfA and ΔihfB mutant strains showed that IHF differentially regulates the lsr locus and functions as a negative regulator of lsrRK and a positive regulator of lsrACDBFG. Deletion of ihfA or ihfB also reduced biofilm formation and altered biofilm architecture relative to the wild-type strain, and these phenotypes were partially complemented by a plasmid-borne copy of ihfA or ihfB. Finally, using 5' rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE), two transcriptional start sites (TSSs) and two putative promoters were identified for lsrRK and three TSSs and putative promoters were identified for lsrACDBFG. The function of the two lsrRK promoters and the positive regulatory role of IHF in regulating lsrACDBFG expression were confirmed with a series of lacZ transcriptional fusion constructs. Together, our results highlight the complex transcriptional regulation of the lsrACDBFG and lsrRK operons and suggest that multiple promoters and the architecture of the lsrACDBFG-lsrRK intergenic region may control the expression of these operons.
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Kim S, Broströmer E, Xing D, Jin J, Chong S, Ge H, Wang S, Gu C, Yang L, Gao YQ, Su XD, Sun Y, Xie XS. Probing allostery through DNA. Science 2013; 339:816-9. [PMID: 23413354 DOI: 10.1126/science.1229223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 200] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Allostery is well documented for proteins but less recognized for DNA-protein interactions. Here, we report that specific binding of a protein on DNA is substantially stabilized or destabilized by another protein bound nearby. The ternary complex's free energy oscillates as a function of the separation between the two proteins with a periodicity of ~10 base pairs, the helical pitch of B-form DNA, and a decay length of ~15 base pairs. The binding affinity of a protein near a DNA hairpin is similarly dependent on their separation, which-together with molecular dynamics simulations-suggests that deformation of the double-helical structure is the origin of DNA allostery. The physiological relevance of this phenomenon is illustrated by its effect on gene expression in live bacteria and on a transcription factor's affinity near nucleosomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sangjin Kim
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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Prieto AI, Kahramanoglou C, Ali RM, Fraser GM, Seshasayee ASN, Luscombe NM. Genomic analysis of DNA binding and gene regulation by homologous nucleoid-associated proteins IHF and HU in Escherichia coli K12. Nucleic Acids Res 2012; 40:3524-37. [PMID: 22180530 PMCID: PMC3333857 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkr1236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2011] [Revised: 11/24/2011] [Accepted: 11/28/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
IHF and HU are two heterodimeric nucleoid-associated proteins (NAP) that belong to the same protein family but interact differently with the DNA. IHF is a sequence-specific DNA-binding protein that bends the DNA by over 160°. HU is the most conserved NAP, which binds non-specifically to duplex DNA with a particular preference for targeting nicked and bent DNA. Despite their importance, the in vivo interactions of the two proteins to the DNA remain to be described at a high resolution and on a genome-wide scale. Further, the effects of these proteins on gene expression on a global scale remain contentious. Finally, the contrast between the functions of the homo- and heterodimeric forms of proteins deserves the attention of further study. Here we present a genome-scale study of HU- and IHF binding to the Escherichia coli K12 chromosome using ChIP-seq. We also perform microarray analysis of gene expression in single- and double-deletion mutants of each protein to identify their regulons. The sequence-specific binding profile of IHF encompasses ∼30% of all operons, though the expression of <10% of these is affected by its deletion suggesting combinatorial control or a molecular backup. The binding profile for HU is reflective of relatively non-specific binding to the chromosome, however, with a preference for A/T-rich DNA. The HU regulon comprises highly conserved genes including those that are essential and possibly supercoiling sensitive. Finally, by performing ChIP-seq experiments, where possible, of each subunit of IHF and HU in the absence of the other subunit, we define genome-wide maps of DNA binding of the proteins in their hetero- and homodimeric forms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana I. Prieto
- Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QP, EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SD, MRC-National Institute for Medical Research, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, UK, Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University, Chennai 600 035, National Centre for Biological Sciences, GKVK, Bellary Road, Bangalore 560 065, India and Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Tancha, Onna-son, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan
| | - Christina Kahramanoglou
- Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QP, EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SD, MRC-National Institute for Medical Research, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, UK, Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University, Chennai 600 035, National Centre for Biological Sciences, GKVK, Bellary Road, Bangalore 560 065, India and Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Tancha, Onna-son, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan
| | - Ruhi M. Ali
- Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QP, EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SD, MRC-National Institute for Medical Research, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, UK, Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University, Chennai 600 035, National Centre for Biological Sciences, GKVK, Bellary Road, Bangalore 560 065, India and Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Tancha, Onna-son, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan
| | - Gillian M. Fraser
- Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QP, EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SD, MRC-National Institute for Medical Research, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, UK, Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University, Chennai 600 035, National Centre for Biological Sciences, GKVK, Bellary Road, Bangalore 560 065, India and Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Tancha, Onna-son, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan
| | - Aswin S. N. Seshasayee
- Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QP, EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SD, MRC-National Institute for Medical Research, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, UK, Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University, Chennai 600 035, National Centre for Biological Sciences, GKVK, Bellary Road, Bangalore 560 065, India and Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Tancha, Onna-son, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan
| | - Nicholas M. Luscombe
- Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QP, EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SD, MRC-National Institute for Medical Research, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, UK, Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University, Chennai 600 035, National Centre for Biological Sciences, GKVK, Bellary Road, Bangalore 560 065, India and Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Tancha, Onna-son, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan
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Whiteford DC, Klingelhoets JJ, Bambenek MH, Dahl JL. Deletion of the histone-like protein (Hlp) from Mycobacterium smegmatis results in increased sensitivity to UV exposure, freezing and isoniazid. Microbiology (Reading) 2010; 157:327-335. [DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.045518-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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Lyzeń R, Kochanowska M, Wegrzyn G, Szalewska-Pałasz A. IHF- and SeqA-binding sites, present in plasmid cloning vectors, may significantly influence activities of promoters. Plasmid 2008; 60:125-30. [PMID: 18590762 DOI: 10.1016/j.plasmid.2008.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2008] [Accepted: 06/04/2008] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Escherichia coli Integration Host Factor (IHF) regulates transcription from some bacterial and phage promoters by affecting DNA topology. Here we demonstrate that IHF affects transcription from bacteriophage lambdapR promoter and the ptac promoter located on plasmids that contain IHF-binding sites. The IHF consensus sites are abundant and they can bind the IHF protein as shown in in vitro studies. The SeqA protein has a role in the complex regulation of pR activity, together with other factors altering DNA topology. Down-regulation of the transcription from ptac in the absence of IHF, together with IHF- and SeqA-mediated effects on pR, suggest that DNA topology cannot be underestimated when assessing in vivo promoters' activity. This may have a significant impact on experiments employing recombinant genes cloned in plasmids and on choosing appropriate plasmid vectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Lyzeń
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Gdańsk, Kładki 24, 80-822 Gdansk, Poland
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Integration host factor positively regulates virulence gene expression in Vibrio cholerae. J Bacteriol 2008; 190:4736-48. [PMID: 18456804 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00089-08] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Virulence gene expression in Vibrio cholerae is dependent upon a complex transcriptional cascade that is influenced by both specific and global regulators in response to environmental stimuli. Here, we report that the global regulator integration host factor (IHF) positively affects virulence gene expression in V. cholerae. Inactivation of ihfA and ihfB, the genes encoding the IHF subunits, decreased the expression levels of the two main virulence factors tcpA and ctx and prevented toxin-coregulated pilus and cholera toxin production. IHF was found to directly bind to and bend the tcpA promoter region at an IHF consensus site centered at position -162 by using gel mobility shift assays and DNase I footprinting experiments. Deletion or mutation of the tcpA IHF consensus site resulted in the loss of IHF binding and additionally disrupted the binding of the repressor H-NS. DNase I footprinting revealed that H-NS protection overlaps with both the IHF and the ToxT binding sites at the tcpA promoter. In addition, disruption of ihfA in an hns or toxT mutant background had no effect on tcpA expression. These results suggest that IHF may function at the tcpA promoter to alleviate H-NS repression.
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Global Regulators of Transcription in Escherichia coli: Mechanisms of Action and Methods for Study. ADVANCES IN APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY 2008; 65:93-113. [DOI: 10.1016/s0065-2164(08)00604-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Aeling KA, Opel ML, Steffen NR, Tretyachenko-Ladokhina V, Hatfield GW, Lathrop RH, Senear DF. Indirect recognition in sequence-specific DNA binding by Escherichia coli integration host factor: the role of DNA deformation energy. J Biol Chem 2006; 281:39236-48. [PMID: 17035240 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m606363200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Integration host factor (IHF) is a bacterial histone-like protein whose primary biological role is to condense the bacterial nucleoid and to constrain DNA supercoils. It does so by binding in a sequence-independent manner throughout the genome. However, unlike other structurally related bacterial histone-like proteins, IHF has evolved a sequence-dependent, high affinity DNA-binding motif. The high affinity binding sites are important for the regulation of a wide range of cellular processes. A remarkable feature of IHF is that it employs an indirect readout mechanism to bind and wrap DNA at both the nonspecific and high affinity (sequence-dependent) DNA sites. In this study we assessed the contributions of pre-formed and protein-induced DNA conformations to the energetics of IHF binding. Binding energies determined experimentally were compared with energies predicted for the IHF-induced deformation of the DNA helix (DNA deformation energy) in the IHF-DNA complex. Combinatorial sets of de novo DNA sequences were designed to systematically evaluate the influence of sequence-dependent structural characteristics of the conserved IHF recognition elements of the consensus DNA sequence. We show that IHF recognizes pre-formed conformational characteristics of the consensus DNA sequence at high affinity sites, whereas at all other sites relative affinity is determined by the deformational energy required for nearest-neighbor base pairs to adopt the DNA structure of the bound DNA-IHF complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly A Aeling
- Institute for Genomics and Bioinformatics, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine, University of California 92697, USA
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Mangan MW, Lucchini S, Danino V, Cróinín TO, Hinton JCD, Dorman CJ. The integration host factor (IHF) integrates stationary-phase and virulence gene expression in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. Mol Microbiol 2006; 59:1831-47. [PMID: 16553887 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2006.05062.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
The integration host factor (IHF) is a DNA-binding and -bending protein with roles in local DNA structural organization and transcriptional regulation in Gram-negative bacteria. This heterodimeric protein is composed of the two highly homologous subunits IHFalpha and IHFbeta. DNA microarray analysis was used to define the regulon of genes subject to IHF control in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium). The transcription profile of the wild type was compared with those of mutants deficient in IHFalpha, IHFbeta, or both IHFalpha and IHFbeta. Our data reveal a new connection between IHF and the expression of genes required by the bacterium to undergo the physiological changes associated with the transition from exponential growth to stationary phase. When a mutant lacking IHF entered stationary phase, it displayed downregulated expression of classic stationary-phase genes in the absence of any concomitant change in expression of the RpoS sigma factor. Purified IHF was found to bind to the regulatory regions of stationary-phase genes indicating an auxiliary and direct role for IHF in RpoS-dependent gene activation. Loss of IHF also had a profound influence on expression of the major virulence genes and epithelial cell invasion, indicating a role in co-ordinating regulation of the pathogenic traits with adaptation to stationary phase. Although the three mutants showed considerable overlaps in the genes affected by the ihf lesions, the observed patterns were not identical, showing that S. Typhimurium has not one but three overlapping IHF regulons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael W Mangan
- Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, University of Dublin, Trinity College, Ireland
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Khalid S, Hannon MJ, Rodger A, Rodger PM. Simulations of DNA Coiling around a Synthetic Supramolecular Cylinder That Binds in the DNA Major Groove. Chemistry 2006; 12:3493-506. [PMID: 16496427 DOI: 10.1002/chem.200501168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
In this work we present the results of a molecular simulation study of the interaction between a tetracationic bis iron(II) supramolecular cylinder, [Fe2(C25H20N4)3]4+, and DNA. This supramolecular cylinder has been shown to bind in the major groove of DNA and to induce dramatic coiling of the DNA. The simulations have been designed to elucidate the interactions that lead the cylinder to target the major groove and that drive the subsequent DNA conformational changes. Three sets of multi-nanosecond simulations have been performed: one of the uncomplexed d(CCCCCTTTTTCC) d(GGAAAAAGGGGG) dodecamer; one of this DNA complexed with the cylinder molecule; and one of this DNA complexed with a neutralised version of the cylinder. Coiling of the DNA was observed in the DNA-cylinder simulations, giving insight into the molecular level nature of the supramolecular coiling observed experimentally. The cylinder charge was found not to be essential for the DNA coiling, which implies that the DNA response is moderated by the short range interactions that define the molecular shape. Cylinder charge did, however, affect the integrity of the DNA duplex, to the extent that, under some circumstances, the tetracationic cylinder induced defects in the DNA base pairing at locations adjacent to the cylinder binding site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Syma Khalid
- Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
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Egan ES, Duigou S, Waldor MK. Autorepression of RctB, an initiator of Vibrio cholerae chromosome II replication. J Bacteriol 2006; 188:789-93. [PMID: 16385068 PMCID: PMC1347293 DOI: 10.1128/jb.188.2.789-793.2006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The RctB protein binds to the origin of replication of Vibrio cholerae chromosome II (chrII) and is required for oriCIIVc-based replication. Here, we found that RctB acts as an autorepressor, inhibiting rctB transcription. Integration host factor promotes rctB transcription, while Dam and DnaA, factors required for replication of both V. cholerae chromosomes, influence RctB autorepression. Thus, RctB appears to regulate chrII replication as both an initiator and a transcription repressor, and its synthesis is modulated by factors that govern replication of both chromosomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth S Egan
- Genetics Program and Department of Molecular Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 136 Harrison Ave., Boston, MA 02111, USA
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Anisimov R, Brem D, Heesemann J, Rakin A. Molecular mechanism of YbtA-mediated transcriptional regulation of divergent overlapping promotersybtAandirp6ofYersinia enterocolitica. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2005; 250:27-32. [PMID: 16019159 DOI: 10.1016/j.femsle.2005.06.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2005] [Revised: 06/17/2005] [Accepted: 06/20/2005] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Genes of Yersiniae spp. involved in production of the siderophore yersiniabactin are located on the high-pathogenicity island (HPI). Their transcription is controlled by the AraC/XilS-like transcriptional regulator YbtA encoded within the HPI. YbtA-regulated divergent and overlapping ybtA and irp6 promoters contain three YbtA binding sites, RS1, RS2 and RS3. Deleting RSs systematically and using ybtA and irp6 transcriptional fusions, we determined that different modes of YbtA binding are responsible for activation of irp6 and repression of ybtA. Based on these data, we propose a model of irp6 and ybtA promoter regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman Anisimov
- Max von Pettenkofer-Institute of Hygiene and Medical Microbiology Pettenkofer Strasse 9a, 80336 Munich, Germany.
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Peter BJ, Arsuaga J, Breier AM, Khodursky AB, Brown PO, Cozzarelli NR. Genomic transcriptional response to loss of chromosomal supercoiling in Escherichia coli. Genome Biol 2004; 5:R87. [PMID: 15535863 PMCID: PMC545778 DOI: 10.1186/gb-2004-5-11-r87] [Citation(s) in RCA: 245] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2004] [Revised: 10/01/2004] [Accepted: 10/11/2004] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The chromosome of Escherichia coli is maintained in a negatively supercoiled state, and supercoiling levels are affected by growth phase and a variety of environmental stimuli. In turn, supercoiling influences local DNA structure and can affect gene expression. We used microarrays representing nearly the entire genome of Escherichia coli MG1655 to examine the dynamics of chromosome structure. RESULTS We measured the transcriptional response to a loss of supercoiling caused either by genetic impairment of a topoisomerase or addition of specific topoisomerase inhibitors during log-phase growth and identified genes whose changes are statistically significant. Transcription of 7% of the genome (306 genes) was rapidly and reproducibly affected by changes in the level of supercoiling; the expression of 106 genes increased upon chromosome relaxation and the expression of 200 decreased. These changes are most likely to be direct effects, as the kinetics of their induction or repression closely follow the kinetics of DNA relaxation in the cells. Unexpectedly, the genes induced by relaxation have a significantly enriched AT content in both upstream and coding regions. CONCLUSIONS The 306 supercoiling-sensitive genes are functionally diverse and widely dispersed throughout the chromosome. We propose that supercoiling acts as a second messenger that transmits information about the environment to many regulatory networks in the cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian J Peter
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3204, USA
- Current address: Neurobiology Division, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge CB2 2QH, UK
| | - Javier Arsuaga
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3204, USA
- Mathematics Department, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Adam M Breier
- Graduate Group in Biophysics, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Arkady B Khodursky
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Patrick O Brown
- Department of Biochemistry and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-5307, USA
| | - Nicholas R Cozzarelli
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3204, USA
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Gang J. Measurement of DNA helical change for the binding of cyclic AMP receptor protein to lac DNA. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2004; 322:993-7. [PMID: 15336562 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2004.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2004] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Cyclic AMP receptor protein (CRP) binds to DNA and induces DNA bending. DNA bending plays an important role in transcription activation of many genes in Escherichia coli. To know DNA helical change by CRP, we used molar cyclization factor (j(M)), which is sensitive to helical twist or torsional alignment. Six consecutive DNA fragments were constructed that contained phasing sequence at left arm and CRP binding site in center. j(M) values measured in this study were approximately 10 times increased by CRP relative to that measured for DNA only. The analysis of set of j(M) values indicated that CRP induced DNA bending without the helical change like helical twisting or torsional alignment change.
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Affiliation(s)
- JongBack Gang
- Department of Chemistry, Kyungwon University, Sungnam, Republic of Korea.
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Sieira R, Comerci DJ, Pietrasanta LI, Ugalde RA. Integration host factor is involved in transcriptional regulation of the Brucella abortus virB operon. Mol Microbiol 2004; 54:808-22. [PMID: 15491369 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2004.04316.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Type IV secretion systems (T4SSs) are multicomponent machineries that play an essential role in pathogenicity of many facultative intracellular bacteria. The virB operon of Brucella abortus codes for a T4SS essential for virulence and intracellular multiplication. Here, virB expression analyses carried out using lacZ transcriptional fusions showed that virB promoter (PvirB) is temporally activated within J774 cells. Primer extension experiments revealed that virB transcription starts at 27 bp upstream of the first gene of the virB operon. Structural analyses showed that PvirB and regulatory sequences involved in intracellular regulation span 430 bp upstream of the transcription start site. A protein able to bind PvirB was isolated and identified. This protein, homologue to integration host factor (IHF), specifically interacts with PvirB and induces a DNA bending with an angle of 50.36 degrees . DNAse I footprinting experiments showed that IHF protects a 51 bp region that contains two overlapped IHF binding consensus motifs. VirB expression experiments carried out with PvirB-lacZ fusions showed that in B. abortus IHF participates in the regulation of PvirB activity during the intracellular and vegetative growth in different media. A mutant strain with a 20 bp IHF binding site replacement failed to turn on the virB operon during the initial stages of macrophage infection and displayed severe intracellular multiplication defects. These data indicate that IHF plays a key role during intracellular virB operon expression being required for the biogenesis of the endoplasmic reticulum-derived replicative vacuole.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Sieira
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas, Universidad Nacional de General San Martín, CONICET, San Martín 1650, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Opel ML, Aeling KA, Holmes WM, Johnson RC, Benham CJ, Hatfield GW. Activation of transcription initiation from a stable RNA promoter by a Fis protein-mediated DNA structural transmission mechanism. Mol Microbiol 2004; 53:665-74. [PMID: 15228542 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2004.04147.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The leuV operon of Escherichia coli encodes three of the four genes for the tRNA1Leu isoacceptors. Transcription from this and other stable RNA promoters is known to be affected by a cis-acting UP element and by Fis protein interactions with the carboxyl-terminal domain of the alpha-subunits of RNA polymerase. In this report, we suggest that transcription from the leuV promoter also is activated by a Fis-mediated, DNA supercoiling-dependent mechanism similar to the IHF-mediated mechanism described previously for the ilvP(G) promoter (S. D. Sheridan et al., 1998, J Biol Chem 273: 21298-21308). We present evidence that Fis binding results in the translocation of superhelical energy from the promoter-distal portion of a supercoiling-induced DNA duplex destabilized (SIDD) region to the promoter-proximal portion of the leuV promoter that is unwound within the open complex. A mutant Fis protein, which is defective in contacting the carboxyl-terminal domain of the alpha-subunits of RNA polymerase, remains competent for stimulating open complex formation, suggesting that this DNA supercoiling-dependent component of Fis-mediated activation occurs in the absence of specific protein interactions between Fis and RNA polymerase. Fis-mediated translocation of superhelical energy from upstream binding sites to the promoter region may be a general feature of Fis-mediated activation of transcription at stable RNA promoters, which often contain A+T-rich upstream sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael L Opel
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, College of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
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32
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Susanna KA, van der Werff AF, den Hengst CD, Calles B, Salas M, Venema G, Hamoen LW, Kuipers OP. Mechanism of transcription activation at the comG promoter by the competence transcription factor ComK of Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol 2004; 186:1120-8. [PMID: 14762007 PMCID: PMC344208 DOI: 10.1128/jb.186.4.1120-1128.2004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of genetic competence in Bacillus subtilis is regulated by a complex signal transduction cascade, which results in the synthesis of the competence transcription factor, encoded by comK. ComK is required for the transcription of the late competence genes that encode the DNA binding and uptake machinery and of genes required for homologous recombination. In vivo and in vitro experiments have shown that ComK is responsible for transcription activation at the comG promoter. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of this transcription activation. The intrinsic binding characteristics of RNA polymerase with and without ComK at the comG promoter were determined, demonstrating that ComK stabilizes the binding of RNA polymerase to the comG promoter. This stabilization probably occurs through interactions with the upstream DNA, since a deletion of the upstream DNA resulted in an almost complete abolishment of stabilization of RNA polymerase binding. Furthermore, a strong requirement for the presence of an extra AT box in addition to the common ComK-binding site was shown. In vitro transcription with B. subtilis RNA polymerase reconstituted with wild-type alpha-subunits and with C-terminal deletion mutants of the alpha-subunits was performed, demonstrating that these deletions do not abolish transcription activation by ComK. This indicates that ComK is not a type I activator. We also show that ComK is not required for open complex formation. A possible mechanism for transcription activation is proposed, implying that the major stimulatory effect of ComK is on binding of RNA polymerase.
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Affiliation(s)
- K A Susanna
- Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, NL-9751 NN Haren, The Netherlands
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Gerstel U, Park C, Römling U. Complex regulation of csgD promoter activity by global regulatory proteins. Mol Microbiol 2003; 49:639-54. [PMID: 12864849 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2958.2003.03594.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 147] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The starvation-induced csgD gene of Salmonella typhimurium encodes for the positive transcriptional regulator of extracellular matrix components curli fimbriae and cellulose. To analyse regulatory elements of csgD promoter (PcsgD) response genetic studies combined with in vitro experiments were performed. Six binding sites (D1 to D6) for OmpR, a transcriptional regulator, were identified by gel shifts and DNase I footprints. While ompR is required for PcsgD expression, binding of OmpR-P to D2 centred immediately upstream of D1 at position -70.5 is proposed to repress PcsgD activity. The elevated expression of regulated and semiconstitutive PcsgD in response to microaerophilic conditions required integration host factor (IHF). Subsequently, two IHF-binding sites were identified up- and downstream of PcsgD. IHF competes with OmpR-P for binding at its upstream site IHF1, which overlaps with D3-D6 and thereby modulates the response to microaerophilic conditions. A complex regulatory network involving IHF, H-NS and OmpR is proposed whereby the nucleo-complex composition in the csgD-csgBA intergenic region is altered in response to oxygen tension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrich Gerstel
- Microbiology and Tumorbiology Center, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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34
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Abstract
Because the level of DNA superhelicity varies with the cellular energy charge, it can change rapidly in response to a wide variety of altered nutritional and environmental conditions. This is a global alteration, affecting the entire chromosome and the expression levels of all operons whose promoters are sensitive to superhelicity. In this way, the global pattern of gene expression may be dynamically tuned to changing needs of the cell under a wide variety of circumstances. In this article, we propose a model in which chromosomal superhelicity serves as a global regulator of gene expression in Escherichia coli, tuning expression patterns across multiple operons, regulons, and stimulons to suit the growth state of the cell. This model is illustrated by the DNA supercoiling-dependent mechanisms that coordinate basal expression levels of operons of the ilv regulon both with one another and with cellular growth conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Wesley Hatfield
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, College of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, USA.
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35
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Buisine N, Tang CM, Chalmers R. Transposon-like Correia elements: structure, distribution and genetic exchange between pathogenic Neisseria sp. FEBS Lett 2002; 522:52-8. [PMID: 12095618 DOI: 10.1016/s0014-5793(02)02882-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Correia elements are a prominent feature of all four Neisseria genome sequences. We report an in silico analysis of the structure and genomic distribution of these elements and some preliminary biochemical data. Correia elements fall into four major families, distinguished by a 50 bp internal deletion and five point mutations. The elements resemble a transposon with 25 bp inverted repeats and a TA duplication at the target site. Within the element there is a functional integration host factor binding site. The genomic distribution of Correia elements is essentially random except for some small Correia-less regions apparently acquired by horizontal transfer. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that their presence predates the divergence of Neisseria meningitidis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
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36
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Olekhnovich IN, Kadner RJ. Mutational scanning and affinity cleavage analysis of UhpA-binding sites in the Escherichia coli uhpT promoter. J Bacteriol 2002; 184:2682-91. [PMID: 11976297 PMCID: PMC135017 DOI: 10.1128/jb.184.10.2682-2691.2002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
UhpA, a member of the NarL family of response regulators, activates transcription of the Escherichia coli uhpT gene for the sugar phosphate transporter UhpT in response to extracellular glucose-6-phosphate. UhpA binds with different affinities to adjacent regions in the uhpT promoter, termed the strong-binding (S) region from -80 to -50 and the weak-binding (W) region from -50 to -32. Transcription activation by UhpA is stimulated by the catabolite gene activator protein (CAP)-cyclic AMP complex and depends on the C-terminal domains of the RNA polymerase RpoA and RpoD subunits. Because single-base substitutions in the UhpA-binding region had little effect on promoter activity, nucleotide substitutions in successive 4-bp blocks throughout this region were examined for their effects on promoter activation and UhpA binding. Changes in three of four blocks within the W region substantially impaired the ability of UhpA to bind to this region, to drive expression of a uhpT-lacZ reporter, and to support UhpA-dependent in vitro transcription. These W region variant promoters were strongly stimulated by CAP. Changes in several parts of the S region impaired UhpA binding to both the S and W regions and decreased promoter activity in vivo and in vitro. Thus, binding of UhpA to the W region is crucial for UhpA-dependent activation and depends on occupancy of the S region. None of these substitutions eliminated promoter function. The orientation of UhpA-binding sites was assessed by the affinity cleavage method. The iron chelate FeBABE [iron (S)-1-(p-bromoacetamidobenzyl) EDTA] was covalently attached to engineered cysteine residues near the DNA-binding region in UhpA. Hydroxyl radicals generated by the iron chelate attached at position 187 resulted in DNA strand cleavages in two clusters of sites located in the middle of the S and W regions. These results are consistent with the binding of two dimers of UhpA. Each dimer binds to an inverted repeat of monomer-binding sites with the consensus sequence CCTGRR, where R is A or G, and each is separated by 6 bp. It is likely that members of the NarL family bind to dyad targets, in contrast to the binding of OmpR family response regulators to direct-repeat targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor N Olekhnovich
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
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37
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Li B, Zhang W, Chan G, Jancso-Radek A, Liu S, Weiss MA. Human sex reversal due to impaired nuclear localization of SRY. A clinical correlation. J Biol Chem 2001; 276:46480-4. [PMID: 11641389 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.c100388200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
SRY, an architectural transcription factor encoded by the sex-determining region of the Y chromosome, initiates testicular differentiation in mammalian embryogenesis. The protein contains a high-mobility group (HMG) box, a DNA-bending motif conserved among a broad class of nuclear proteins. Mutations causing human sex reversal (46, XY pure gonadal dysgenesis) are clustered in this domain. Basic N- and C-terminal regions of the HMG box are each proposed to provide nuclear localization signals. The significance of the C-terminal basic cluster (SRY residues 130-134) is uncertain, however, as its activity in cell culture varies with assay conditions. To test its importance, we have investigated a C-terminal sex-reversal mutation (R133W, position 78 of the HMG box). This de novo mutation impairs nuclear localization but not specific DNA binding or sharp DNA bending. Correlation between these properties and the phenotype of the patient suggests that nuclear localization of SRY is required for testicular differentiation and directed in part by the C-terminal basic cluster. To our knowledge, these results provide the first example of impaired organogenesis due to a nuclear localization signal mutation.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Li
- Department of Biochemistry, Case Western Reserve University, School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA
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38
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Sheridan SD, Opel ML, Hatfield GW. Activation and repression of transcription initiation by a distant DNA structural transition. Mol Microbiol 2001; 40:684-90. [PMID: 11359573 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2958.2001.02416.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Negative superhelical tension can drive local transitions to alternative DNA structures. Long regions of DNA may contain several sites that are susceptible to forming alternative structures. Their relative propensities to undergo transition are ordered according to the energies required for their formation. These energies have two components - the energy needed to drive the transition and the energy relieved by the partial relaxation of superhelicity that the transition provides. This coupling can cause a complex competition among the possible transitions, in which the formation of one energetically favourable alternative structure may inhibit the formation of another within the same domain. In principle, DNA structural competitions can affect the structural and energetic requirements for the initiation of transcription at distant promoter sites. We have tested this possibility by examining the effects of structural transitions on transcription initiation from promoter sites in the same superhelical domain. Specifically, we describe the effects of the presence of a Z-DNA-forming DNA sequence on the basal levels of expression of two supercoiling-sensitive promoters of Escherichia coli, ilvPG and gyrA. We demonstrate transcriptional repression of the ilvPG promoter and activation of the gyrA promoter. We present evidence that this regulation is effected by the superhelically induced B- to Z-DNA transition in a manner that is both orientation and distance independent. We discuss the mechanism of topological coupling between left-handed Z-DNA and the regulation of promoter activity. We also discuss the possibility that the coupling of DNA structural transitions and transcriptional activity might be used as a general regulatory mechanism for gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- S D Sheridan
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, College of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
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39
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Zhong J, Douglas AL, Hatch TP. Characterization of integration host factor (IHF) binding upstream of the cysteine-rich protein operon (omcAB) promoter of Chlamydia trachomatis LGV serovar L2. Mol Microbiol 2001; 41:451-62. [PMID: 11489130 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2958.2001.02531.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Chlamydiae are bacterial parasites that carry out a distinct developmental cycle within host cells; however, the mechanisms by which these organisms regulate stage-specific gene expression are not known. We identified a DNA element located between nucleotide (nt) -135 and -90 upstream from the transcription start point of the late stage-specific CRP operon (omcAB) of Chlamydia trachomatis, to which a protein in extracts of chlamydiae harvested at 23 h after infection binds. A recombinant protein of C. trachomatis open reading frame (ORF) CT267, which is homologous to bacterial integration host factor (IHF) and the heat-unstable nucleoid protein (HU), bound to the same element and produced the same DNase I footprint as the protein in chlamydial extracts. Recombinant ORF CT267 protein bound with high affinity to the DNA element and induced a sharp bend in a DNA fragment containing the binding site, suggesting that ORF CT267 encodes a protein with IHF-like activity, and recombinant protein had a positive effect on in vitro transcription of the CRP operon. IHF-binding activity and IHF protein were detected in extracts of C. trachomatis during the early to intermediate phases of the late stage of the developmental cycle (between 17 and 30 h after infection), but were absent in the extreme late phase of the cycle and in the infectious form of chlamydiae. The presence of an IHF binding site upstream of the CRP operon and the presence of chlamydial IHF-like protein when late stage genes are transcribed suggests that the chlamydial IHF may play a role in stage-specific gene expression.
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MESH Headings
- Amino Acid Sequence
- Bacterial Proteins/genetics
- Bacterial Proteins/metabolism
- Base Sequence
- Chlamydia trachomatis/classification
- Chlamydia trachomatis/genetics
- DNA Footprinting
- DNA, Bacterial/chemistry
- DNA, Bacterial/genetics
- DNA, Bacterial/metabolism
- DNA-Binding Proteins/genetics
- DNA-Binding Proteins/metabolism
- Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay
- Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial
- Integration Host Factors
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Nucleic Acid Conformation
- Open Reading Frames/genetics
- Operon/genetics
- Promoter Regions, Genetic/genetics
- RNA, Bacterial/genetics
- RNA, Bacterial/metabolism
- RNA, Messenger/genetics
- RNA, Messenger/metabolism
- Response Elements/genetics
- Sequence Analysis, DNA
- Transcription, Genetic
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Affiliation(s)
- J Zhong
- Department of Molecular Sciences, University of Tennessee, Memphis, TN 38163, USA
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40
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Park K, Chattoraj DK. DnaA boxes in the P1 plasmid origin: the effect of their position on the directionality of replication and plasmid copy number. J Mol Biol 2001; 310:69-81. [PMID: 11419937 DOI: 10.1006/jmbi.2001.4741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The DnaA protein is essential for initiation of DNA replication in a wide variety of bacterial and plasmid replicons. The replication origin in these replicons invariably contains specific binding sites for the protein, called DnaA boxes. Plasmid P1 contains a set of DnaA boxes at each end of its origin but can function with either one of the sets. Here we report that the location of origin-opening, initiation site of replication forks and directionality of replication do not change whether the boxes are present at both or at one of the ends of the origin. Replication was bidirectional in all cases. These results imply that DnaA functions similarly from the two ends of the origin. However, origins with DnaA boxes proximal to the origin-opening location opened more efficiently and maintained plasmids at higher copy numbers. Origins with the distal set were inactive unless the adjacent P1 DNA sequences beyond the boxes were included. At either end, phasing of the boxes with respect to the remainder of the origin influenced the copy number. Thus, although the boxes can be at either end, their precise context is critical for efficient origin function.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Park
- Laboratory of Biochemistry, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-4255, USA
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41
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Opel ML, Arfin SM, Hatfield GW. The effects of DNA supercoiling on the expression of operons of the ilv regulon of Escherichia coli suggest a physiological rationale for divergently transcribed operons. Mol Microbiol 2001; 39:1109-15. [PMID: 11251829 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2001.02309.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Transcriptional activities of closely spaced divergent promoters are affected by the accumulation of local negative superhelicity in the region between transcribing RNA polymerase molecules (transcriptional coupling). The effect of this transcription-induced DNA supercoiling on these promoters depends on their intrinsic properties. As the global superhelical density of the chromosome is controlled by the energy charge of the cell, which is affected by environmental stresses and transitions from one growth state to another, the transcriptional coupling that occurs between divergently transcribed promoters is likely to serve a physiological purpose. Here, we suggest that transcriptional coupling between the divergent promoters of the ilvYC operon of Escherichia coli serves to co-ordinate the expression of this operon with other operons of the ilv regulon during metabolic adjustments associated with growth state transitions. As DNA supercoiling-dependent transcriptional coupling between the promoters of other divergently transcribed operons is investigated, additional global gene regulatory mechanisms and physiological roles are sure to emerge.
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Affiliation(s)
- M L Opel
- Departments of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics and Biological Chemistry, College of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
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42
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Moreno AJ, Fontes M, Murillo FJ. ihfA gene of the bacterium Myxococcus xanthus and its role in activation of carotenoid genes by blue light. J Bacteriol 2001; 183:557-69. [PMID: 11133949 PMCID: PMC94911 DOI: 10.1128/jb.183.2.557-569.2001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Myxococcus xanthus responds to blue light by producing carotenoids. Several regulatory genes are known that participate in the light action mechanism, which leads to the transcriptional activation of the carotenoid genes. We had already reported the isolation of a carotenoid-less, Tn5-induced strain (MR508), whose mutant site was unlinked to the indicated regulatory genes. Here, we show that OmegaMR508::Tn5 affects all known light-inducible promoters in different ways. It blocks the activation of two of them by light but makes the activity of a third one light independent. The OmegaMR508 locus has been cloned and sequenced. The mutation had occurred at the promoter of a gene we propose is the M. xanthus ortholog of ihfA. This encodes the alpha subunit of the histone-like integration host factor protein. An in-frame deletion within ihfA causes the same effects as the OmegaMR508::Tn5 insertion. Like other IhfA proteins, the deduced amino acid sequence of M. xanthus IhfA shows much similarity to HU, another histone-like protein. Sequence comparison data, however, and the finding that the M. xanthus gene is preceded by gene pheT, as happens in other gram-negative bacteria, strongly argue for the proposed orthology relationship. The M. xanthus ihfA gene shows some unusual features, both from structural and physiological points of view. In particular, the protein is predicted to have a unique, long acidic extension at the carboxyl terminus, and it appears to be necessary for normal cell growth and even vital for a certain wild-type strain of M. xanthus.
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Affiliation(s)
- A J Moreno
- Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
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43
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Affiliation(s)
- O J Marshall
- Prince Henry's Institute of Medical Research, Clayton, Victoria, 3168, Australia.
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44
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Arfin SM, Long AD, Ito ET, Tolleri L, Riehle MM, Paegle ES, Hatfield GW. Global gene expression profiling in Escherichia coli K12. The effects of integration host factor. J Biol Chem 2000; 275:29672-84. [PMID: 10871608 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m002247200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 190] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
We have used nylon membranes spotted in duplicate with full-length polymerase chain reaction-generated products of each of the 4,290 predicted Escherichia coli K12 open reading frames (ORFs) to measure the gene expression profiles in otherwise isogenic integration host factor IHF(+) and IHF(-) strains. Our results demonstrate that random hexamer rather than 3' ORF-specific priming of cDNA probe synthesis is required for accurate measurement of gene expression levels in bacteria. This is explained by the fact that the currently available set of 4,290 unique 3' ORF-specific primers do not hybridize to each ORF with equal efficiency and by the fact that widely differing degradation rates (steady-state levels) are observed for the 25-base pair region of each message complementary to each ORF-specific primer. To evaluate the DNA microarray data reported here, we used a linear analysis of variance (ANOVA) model appropriate for our experimental design. These statistical methods allowed us to identify and appropriately correct for experimental variables that affect the reproducibility and accuracy of DNA microarray measurements and allowed us to determine the statistical significance of gene expression differences between our IHF(+) and IHF(-) strains. Our results demonstrate that small differences in gene expression levels can be accurately measured and that the significance of differential gene expression measurements cannot be assessed simply by the magnitude of the fold difference. Our statistical criteria, supported by excellent agreement between previously determined effects of IHF on gene expression and the results reported here, have allowed us to identify new genes regulated by IHF with a high degree of confidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- S M Arfin
- Department of Biological Chemistry, College of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, 92697, USA
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45
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Abstract
The question of long-range allosteric transitions of DNA secondary structure and their possible involvement in transcriptional activation is discussed in the light of new results. A variety of recent evidence strongly supports a fluctuating long-range description of DNA secondary structure. Balanced equilibria between two or more different secondary structures, and the occurrence of very large domain sizes, have been documented in several instances. Long-range allosteric effects stemming from changes in sequence or secondary structure over a small region of the DNA have been observed to extend over distances up to hundreds of base pairs in some cases. The discovery that coherent bending strain beyond a threshold level in small (N < or = 250 base pairs (bp)] circular DNAs significantly alters the DNA secondary structure has important implications, especially for transcriptional activators that either bend the DNA directly or are involved in the formation of DNA loops of sufficiently small size (N < or = 250 bp). Whether the RNA polymerase is activated primarily via protein: protein contacts, as is widely believed, or instead via a bend-induced allosteric transition of the DNA in such a small loop, is now an open question. Binding of the transcriptional activator Sp1 to linear DNA induces a remarkably long-range change in its secondary structure, and catabolite activator protein binding to a supercoiled DNA behaves similarly, though possibly for different reasons. Compelling evidence for a bend-induced long-range structural transmission effect of the transcriptional activator integration host factor on RNA polymerase activity was recently reported. These results may augur a new paradigm in which allosteric transitions of duplex DNA, as well as of the proteins, are involved in the regulation of transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M Schurr
- Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle 98195-1700, USA
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46
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Teras R, Hõrak R, Kivisaar M. Transcription from fusion promoters generated during transposition of transposon Tn4652 is positively affected by integration host factor in Pseudomonas putida. J Bacteriol 2000; 182:589-98. [PMID: 10633090 PMCID: PMC94319 DOI: 10.1128/jb.182.3.589-598.2000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/1999] [Accepted: 10/31/1999] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
We have previously shown that both ends of the Tn3 family transposon Tn4652 contain integration host factor (IHF) binding sites and that IHF positively regulates expression of the Tn4652 transposase gene tnpA in Pseudomonas putida (R. Hõrak, and M. Kivisaar, J. Bacteriol. 180:2822-2829, 1998). Tn4652 can activate silent genes by creating fusion promoters during the transposition. The promoters are created as fusions between the -35 hexamer provided by the terminal inverted repeats of Tn4652 and the -10 hexamers in the target DNA. Two fusion promoters, PRA1 and PLA1, that contain sequences of the right and left termini of Tn4652, respectively, were chosen for the study of mechanisms of transcription activation. Gel mobility shift analysis using crude extracts from P. putida cells allowed us to detect specific binding of P. putida IHF to the ends of the transposon Tn4652. We found that the rate of transcription from the fusion promoter PRA1 is enhanced by IHF. Notably, the positive effect of IHF on transcription from the promoter PRA1 appeared only when cells of P. putida reached the stationary growth phase. We speculate that the intracellular concentration of IHF might be critical for the in vivo effect of IHF on transcription from the fusion promoters in P. putida. In the case of PLA1, the mechanism of transcription modulation by IHF is different than that observed for PRA1. Our results demonstrate that transcription of neighboring genes from outwardly directed promoters at the ends of a mobile DNA element could be influenced by the same factors that control transposition of the element.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Teras
- Department of Genetics, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Estonian Biocentre and Tartu University, 51010 Tartu, Estonia
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47
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Rhee KY, Opel M, Ito E, Hung SP, Arfin SM, Hatfield GW. Transcriptional coupling between the divergent promoters of a prototypic LysR-type regulatory system, the ilvYC operon of Escherichia coli. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1999; 96:14294-9. [PMID: 10588699 PMCID: PMC24430 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.96.25.14294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The twin-domain model [Liu, L. F. & Wang, J. C. (1987) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84, 7024-7027] suggests that closely spaced, divergent, superhelically sensitive promoters can affect the transcriptional activity of one another by transcriptionally induced negative DNA supercoiling generated in the divergent promoter region. This gene arrangement is observed for many LysR-type-regulated operons in bacteria. We have examined the effects of divergent transcription in the prototypic LysR-type system, the ilvYC operon of Escherichia coli. Double-reporter constructs with the lacZ gene under transcriptional control of the ilvC promoter and the galK gene under control of the divergent ilvY promoter were used to demonstrate that a down-promoter mutation in the ilvY promoter severely decreases in vivo transcription from the ilvC promoter. However, a down-promoter mutation in the ilvC promoter only slightly affects transcription from the ilvY promoter. In vitro transcription assays with DNA topoisomers showed that transcription from the ilvC promoter increases over the entire range of physiological superhelical densities, whereas transcription initiation from the ilvY promoter exhibits a broad optimum at a midphysiological superhelical density. Evidence that this promoter coupling is DNA supercoiling-dependent is provided by the observation that a novobiocin-induced decrease in global negative superhelicity results in an increase in ilvY promoter activity and a decrease in ilvC promoter activity predicted by the in vitro data. We suggest that this transcriptional coupling is important for coordinating basal level expression of the ilvYC operon with the nutritional and environmental conditions of cell growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Y Rhee
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
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48
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Marshall DG, Sheehan BJ, Dorman CJ. A role for the leucine-responsive regulatory protein and integration host factor in the regulation of the Salmonella plasmid virulence (spv ) locus in Salmonella typhimurium. Mol Microbiol 1999; 34:134-45. [PMID: 10540292 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2958.1999.01587.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The Salmonella plasmid virulence (spv ) genes of Salmonella typhimurium are activated at the level of transcription as the bacteria enter stationary phase in vitro or in response to signals received during intracellular growth. Activation requires the LysR-like transcription factor SpvR and the alternative sigma factor RpoS. In this report, we show by biochemical and genetic analyses that two chromosomally encoded DNA-binding proteins contribute to the control of spv expression. These are the integration host factor (IHF), which binds to DNA sequences upstream of the spvR regulatory gene, and the leucine-responsive regulatory protein (Lrp), which binds to sequences upstream of the spvABCD operon. Under all conditions tested, inactivation of IHF expression reduces the level of spvR transcription by twofold. It also alters the response of the spv regulon to loss of DNA gyrase activity, consistent with a role for IHF in organizing DNA structure in the vicinity of the spvR promoter. Lrp represses spvA gene expression by up to fivefold and Lrp-mediated repression is antagonized by leucine. The Lrp binding site upstream of the spvA gene overlaps one of the binding sites for the positive regulator SpvR, suggesting a mechanism by which Lrp repression is exerted. This is a first demonstration of a role for Lrp in controlling genes that are also subject to intracellular regulation. These data show that the spv virulence genes belong simultaneously to several regulons in the cell, raising the possibility that spv expression can be fine-tuned in response to multiple environmental inputs.
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Affiliation(s)
- D G Marshall
- Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, University of Dublin, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
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49
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Sheridan SD, Benham CJ, Hatfield GW. Inhibition of DNA supercoiling-dependent transcriptional activation by a distant B-DNA to Z-DNA transition. J Biol Chem 1999; 274:8169-74. [PMID: 10075720 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.274.12.8169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Negative DNA superhelicity can destabilize the local B-form DNA structure and can drive transitions to other conformations at susceptible sites. In a molecule containing multiple susceptible sites, superhelicity can couple these alternatives together, causing them to compete. In principle, these superhelically driven local structural transitions can be either facilitated or inhibited by proteins that bind at or near potential transition sites. If a DNA region that is susceptible to forming a superhelically induced alternate structure is stabilized in the B-form by a DNA-binding protein, its propensity for transition will be transferred to other sites within the same domain. If one of these secondary sites is in a promoter region, this transfer could facilitate open complex formation and thereby activate gene expression. We previously proposed that a supercoiling-dependent, DNA structural transmission mechanism of this type is responsible for the integration host factor-mediated activation of transcription from the ilvPG promoter of Escherichia coli (Sheridan, S. D., Benham, C. J. & Hatfield, G. W. (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 273, 21298-21308). In this report we confirm the validity of this mechanism by demonstrating the ability of a distant Z-DNA-forming site to compete with the superhelical destabilization that is required for integration host factor-mediated transcriptional activation, and thereby delay its occurrence.
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Affiliation(s)
- S D Sheridan
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, College of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, USA
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Aiyar SE, Gourse RL, Ross W. Upstream A-tracts increase bacterial promoter activity through interactions with the RNA polymerase alpha subunit. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1998; 95:14652-7. [PMID: 9843944 PMCID: PMC24504 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.95.25.14652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Upstream A-tracts stimulate transcription from a variety of bacterial promoters, and this has been widely attributed to direct effects of the intrinsic curvature of A-tract-containing DNA. In this work we report experiments that suggest a different mechanism for the effects of upstream A-tracts on transcription. The similarity of A-tract-containing sequences to the adenine- and thymine-rich upstream recognition elements (UP elements) found in some bacterial promoters suggested that A-tracts might increase promoter activity by interacting with the alpha subunit of RNA polymerase (RNAP). We found that an A-tract-containing sequence placed upstream of the Escherichia coli lac or rrnB P1 promoters stimulated transcription both in vivo and in vitro, and that this stimulation required the C-terminal (DNA-binding) domain of the RNAP alpha subunit. The A-tract sequence was protected by wild-type RNAP but not by alpha-mutant RNAPs in footprints. The effect of the A-tracts on transcription was not as great as that of the most active UP elements, consistent with the degree of similarity of the A-tract sequence to the UP element consensus. A-tracts functioned best when positioned close to the -35 hexamer rather than one helical turn farther upstream, similar to the positioning optimal for UP element function. We conclude that A-tracts function as UP elements, stimulating transcription by providing binding site(s) for the RNAP alphaCTD, and we suggest that these interactions could contribute to the previously described wrapping of promoter DNA around RNAP.
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Affiliation(s)
- S E Aiyar
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin, 1550 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA
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