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Kinkar OU, Kumar A, Prashar A, Yadav B, Hadapad AB, Hire RS, Makde RD. The crystal structure of insecticidal protein Txp40 from Xenorhabdus nematophila reveals a two-domain unique binary toxin with homology to the toxin-antitoxin (TA) system. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2024; 164:104045. [PMID: 38040266 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2023.104045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023]
Abstract
Txp40 is a ubiquitous, conserved, and novel toxin from Xenorhabdus and Photorhabdus bacteria, toxic to a wide range of insect pests. However, the three-dimensional structure and toxicity mechanism for Txp40 or any of its sequence homologs are not yet known. Here, we are reporting the crystal structure of the insecticidal protein Txp40 from Xenorhabdus nematophila at 2.08 Å resolution. The Txp40 was structurally distinct from currently known insecticidal proteins. Txp40 consists of two structurally different domains, an N-terminal domain (NTD) and a C-terminal domain (CTD), primarily joined by a 33-residue long linker peptide. Txp40 displayed proteolytic propensity. Txp40 gets proteolyzed, removing the linker peptide, which is essential for proper crystal packing. NTD adopts a novel fold composed of nine amphipathic helices and has no shared sequence or structural homology to any known proteins. CTD has structural homology with RNases of type II toxin-antitoxin (TA) complex belonging to the RelE/ParE toxin domain superfamily. NTD and CTD were individually toxic to Galleria mellonella larvae. However, maximal toxicity was observed when both domains were present. Our results suggested that the Txp40 acts as a two-domain binary toxin, which is unique and different from any known binary toxins and insecticidal proteins. Txp40 is also unique because it belongs to the prokaryotic RelE/ParE toxin family with a toxic effect on eukaryotic organisms, in contrast to other members of the same family. Broad insect specificity and unique binary toxin complex formation make Txp40 a viable candidate to overcome the development of resistance in insect pests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omkar U Kinkar
- Homi Bhabha National Institute, Anushaktinagar, Mumbai, 400094, Maharashtra, India; Beamline Development and Application Section, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, 400085, Maharashtra, India.
| | - Ashwani Kumar
- Beamline Development and Application Section, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, 400085, Maharashtra, India.
| | - Arpit Prashar
- Nuclear Agriculture and Biotechnology Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, 400085, Maharashtra, India.
| | - Beena Yadav
- Beamline Development and Application Section, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, 400085, Maharashtra, India.
| | - Ashok B Hadapad
- Nuclear Agriculture and Biotechnology Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, 400085, Maharashtra, India.
| | - Ramesh S Hire
- Homi Bhabha National Institute, Anushaktinagar, Mumbai, 400094, Maharashtra, India; Nuclear Agriculture and Biotechnology Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, 400085, Maharashtra, India.
| | - Ravindra D Makde
- Homi Bhabha National Institute, Anushaktinagar, Mumbai, 400094, Maharashtra, India; Beamline Development and Application Section, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, 400085, Maharashtra, India.
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Mogila I, Tamulaitiene G, Keda K, Timinskas A, Ruksenaite A, Sasnauskas G, Venclovas Č, Siksnys V, Tamulaitis G. Ribosomal stalk-captured CARF-RelE ribonuclease inhibits translation following CRISPR signaling. Science 2023; 382:1036-1041. [PMID: 38033086 DOI: 10.1126/science.adj2107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
Prokaryotic type III CRISPR-Cas antiviral systems employ cyclic oligoadenylate (cAn) signaling to activate a diverse range of auxiliary proteins that reinforce the CRISPR-Cas defense. Here we characterize a class of cAn-dependent effector proteins named CRISPR-Cas-associated messenger RNA (mRNA) interferase 1 (Cami1) consisting of a CRISPR-associated Rossmann fold sensor domain fused to winged helix-turn-helix and a RelE-family mRNA interferase domain. Upon activation by cyclic tetra-adenylate (cA4), Cami1 cleaves mRNA exposed at the ribosomal A-site thereby depleting mRNA and leading to cell growth arrest. The structures of apo-Cami1 and the ribosome-bound Cami1-cA4 complex delineate the conformational changes that lead to Cami1 activation and the mechanism of Cami1 binding to a bacterial ribosome, revealing unexpected parallels with eukaryotic ribosome-inactivating proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irmantas Mogila
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio av. 7, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Giedre Tamulaitiene
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio av. 7, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Konstanty Keda
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio av. 7, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Albertas Timinskas
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio av. 7, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Audrone Ruksenaite
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio av. 7, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Giedrius Sasnauskas
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio av. 7, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Česlovas Venclovas
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio av. 7, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Virginijus Siksnys
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio av. 7, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Gintautas Tamulaitis
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio av. 7, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
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Functional characterization and transcriptional repression by Lacticaseibacillus paracasei DinJ-YafQ. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2022; 106:7113-7128. [PMID: 36194262 PMCID: PMC9592637 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-022-12195-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Revised: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Abstract DinJ-YafQ is a bacterial type II TA system formed by the toxin RNase YafQ and the antitoxin protein DinJ. The activity of YafQ and DinJ has been rigorously studied in Escherichia coli, but little has been reported about orthologous systems identified in different microorganisms. In this work, we report an in vitro and in vivo functional characterization of YafQ and DinJ identified in two different strains of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei and isolated as recombinant proteins. While DinJ is identical in both strains, the two YafQ orthologs differ only for the D72G substitution in the catalytic site. Both YafQ orthologs digest ribosomal RNA, albeit with different catalytic efficiencies, and their RNase activity is neutralized by DinJ. We further show that DinJ alone or in complex with YafQ can bind cooperatively to a 28-nt inverted repeat overlapping the −35 element of the TA operon promoter. Atomic force microscopy imaging of DinJ-YafQ in complex with DNA harboring the cognate site reveals the formation of different oligomeric states that prevent the binding of RNA polymerase to the promoter. A single amino acid substitution (R13A) within the RHH DNA-binding motif of DinJ is sufficient to abolish DinJ and DinJ-YafQ DNA binding in vitro. In vivo experiments confirm the negative regulation of the TA promoter by DinJ and DinJ-YafQ and unveil an unexpected high expression-related toxicity of the gfp reporter gene. A model for the binding of two YafQ-(DinJ)2-YafQ tetramers to the promoter inverted repeat showing the absence of protein-protein steric clash is also presented. Key points • The RNase activity of L. paracasei YafQ toxin is neutralized by DinJ antitoxin. • DinJ and DinJ-YafQ bind to an inverted repeat to repress their own promoter. • The R13A mutation of DinJ abolishes DNA binding of both DinJ and DinJ-YafQ. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00253-022-12195-4.
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Insights into the Neutralization and DNA Binding of Toxin-Antitoxin System ParE SO-CopA SO by Structure-Function Studies. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9122506. [PMID: 34946107 PMCID: PMC8706911 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9122506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
ParESO-CopASO is a new type II toxin–antitoxin (TA) system in prophage CP4So that plays an essential role in circular CP4So maintenance after the excision in Shewanella oneidensis. The toxin ParESO severely inhibits cell growth, while CopASO functions as an antitoxin to neutralize ParESO toxicity through direct interactions. However, the molecular mechanism of the neutralization and autoregulation of the TA operon transcription remains elusive. In this study, we determined the crystal structure of a ParESO-CopASO complex that adopted an open V-shaped heterotetramer with the organization of ParESO-(CopASO)2-ParESO. The structure showed that upon ParESO binding, the intrinsically disordered C-terminal domain of CopASO was induced to fold into a partially ordered conformation that bound into a positively charged and hydrophobic groove of ParESO. Thermodynamics analysis showed the DNA-binding affinity of CopASO was remarkably higher than that of the purified TA complex, accompanied by the enthalpy change reversion from an exothermic reaction to an endothermic reaction. These results suggested ParESO acts as a de-repressor of the TA operon transcription at the toxin:antitoxin level of 1:1. Site-directed mutagenesis of ParESO identified His91 as the essential residue for its toxicity by cell toxicity assays. Our structure-function studies therefore elucidated the transcriptional regulation mechanism of the ParESO-CopASO pair, and may help to understand the regulation of CP4So maintenance in S. oneidensis.
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Xue L, Khan MH, Yue J, Zhu Z, Niu L. The two paralogous copies of the YoeB-YefM toxin-antitoxin module in Staphylococcus aureus differ in DNA binding and recognition patterns. J Biol Chem 2021; 298:101457. [PMID: 34861238 PMCID: PMC8717551 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.101457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2021] [Revised: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems are ubiquitous regulatory modules for bacterial growth and cell survival following stress. YefM-YoeB, the most prevalent type II TA system, is present in a variety of bacterial species. In Staphylococcus aureus, the YefM-YoeB system exists as two independent paralogous copies. Our previous research resolved crystal structures of the two oligomeric states (heterotetramer and heterohexamer-DNA ternary complex) of the first paralog as well as the molecular mechanism of transcriptional autoregulation of this module. However, structural details reflecting molecular diversity in both paralogs have been relatively unexplored. To understand the molecular mechanism of how Sa2YoeB and Sa2YefM regulate their own transcription and how each paralog functions independently, we solved a series of crystal structures of the Sa2YoeB-Sa2YefM. Our structural and biochemical data demonstrated that both paralogous copies adopt similar mechanisms of transcriptional autoregulation. In addition, structural analysis suggested that molecular diversity between the two paralogs might be reflected in the interaction profile of YefM and YoeB and the recognition pattern of promoter DNA by YefM. Interaction analysis revealed unique conformational and activating force effected by the interface between Sa2YoeB and Sa2YefM. In addition, the recognition pattern analysis demonstrated that residues Thr7 and Tyr14 of Sa2YefM specifically recognizes the flanking sequences (G and C) of the promoter DNA. Together, these results provide the structural insights into the molecular diversity and independent function of the paralogous copies of the YoeB-YefM TA system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Xue
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Division of Molecular and Cellular Biophysics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China; Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Muhammad Hidayatullah Khan
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Division of Molecular and Cellular Biophysics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China; Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Jian Yue
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Division of Molecular and Cellular Biophysics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China; Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Zhongliang Zhu
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Division of Molecular and Cellular Biophysics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China; Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China.
| | - Liwen Niu
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Division of Molecular and Cellular Biophysics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China; Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China.
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Maggi S, Ferrari A, Yabre K, Bonini AA, Rivetti C, Folli C. Strategies to Investigate Membrane Damage, Nucleoid Condensation, and RNase Activity of Bacterial Toxin-Antitoxin Systems. Methods Protoc 2021; 4:mps4040071. [PMID: 34698227 PMCID: PMC8544347 DOI: 10.3390/mps4040071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Revised: 09/26/2021] [Accepted: 10/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
A large number of bacterial toxin–antitoxin (TA) systems have been identified so far and different experimental approaches have been explored to investigate their activity and regulation both in vivo and in vitro. Nonetheless, a common feature of these methods is represented by the difficulty in cell transformation, culturing, and stability of the transformants, due to the expression of highly toxic proteins. Recently, in dealing with the type I Lpt/RNAII and the type II YafQ/DinJ TA systems, we encountered several of these problems that urged us to optimize methodological strategies to study the phenotype of recombinant Escherichia coli host cells. In particular, we have found conditions to tightly repress toxin expression by combining the pET expression system with the E. coli C41(DE3) pLysS strain. To monitor the RNase activity of the YafQ toxin, we developed a fluorescence approach based on Thioflavin-T which fluoresces brightly when complexed with bacterial RNA. Fluorescence microscopy was also applied to reveal loss of membrane integrity associated with the activity of the type I toxin Lpt, by using DAPI and ethidium bromide to selectively stain cells with impaired membrane permeability. We further found that atomic force microscopy can readily be employed to characterize toxin-induced membrane damages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Maggi
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, 43124 Parma, Italy; (S.M.); (A.A.B.)
| | - Alberto Ferrari
- Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, 43124 Parma, Italy; (A.F.); (K.Y.)
| | - Korotoum Yabre
- Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, 43124 Parma, Italy; (A.F.); (K.Y.)
| | - Aleksandra Anna Bonini
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, 43124 Parma, Italy; (S.M.); (A.A.B.)
| | - Claudio Rivetti
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, 43124 Parma, Italy; (S.M.); (A.A.B.)
- Correspondence: (C.R.); (C.F.)
| | - Claudia Folli
- Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, 43124 Parma, Italy; (A.F.); (K.Y.)
- Correspondence: (C.R.); (C.F.)
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Luo X, Lin J, Yan J, Kuang X, Su H, Lin W, Luo L. Characterization of DinJ-YafQ toxin-antitoxin module in Tetragenococcus halophilus: activity, interplay, and evolution. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2021; 105:3659-3672. [PMID: 33877415 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-021-11297-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2021] [Revised: 04/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Tetragenococcus halophilus is a moderately halophilic lactic acid bacterium widely used in high-salt food fermentation because of its coping ability under various stress conditions. Bacterial toxin-antitoxin (TA) modules are widely distributed and play important roles in stress response, but those specific for genus Tetragenococcus have never been explored. Here, a bona fide TA module named DinJ1-YafQ1tha was characterized in T. halophilus. The toxin protein YafQ1tha acts as a ribonuclease, and its overexpression severely inhibits Escherichia coli growth. These toxic effects can be eliminated by introducing DinJ1tha, indicating that YafQ1tha activity is blocked by the formed DinJ1-YafQ1tha complex. In vivo and in vitro assays showed that DinJ1tha alone or DinJ1-YafQ1tha complex can repress the transcription of dinJ1-yafQ1tha operon by binding directly to the promoter sequence. In addition, dinJ1-yafQ1tha is involved in plasmid maintenance and stress response, and its transcriptional level is regulated by various stresses. These findings reveal the possible roles of DinJ1-YafQ1tha system in the stress adaptation processes of T. halophilus during fermentation. A single antitoxin DinJ2tha without a cognate toxin protein was also found. Its sequence shows low similarity to that of DinJ1tha, indicating that this antitoxin may have evolved from a different ancestor. Moreover, DinJ2tha can cross-interact with noncognate toxin YafQ1tha and cross-regulate with dinJ1-yafQ1tha operon. In summary, DinJ-YafQtha characterization may be helpful in investigating the key roles of TA systems in T. halophilus and serves as a foundation for further research. KEY POINTS: • dinJ1-yafQ1tha is the first functional TA module characterized in T. halophilus and upregulated significantly upon osmotic and acidic stress. • DinJ2tha can exhibit physical and transcriptional interplay with DinJ1-YafQ1tha. • dinJ2tha may be acquired from bacteria in distant affiliation and inserted into the T. halophilus genome through horizontal gene transfer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaotong Luo
- School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Fermentation and Enzyme Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
| | - Jieting Lin
- School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Fermentation and Enzyme Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
| | - Junwei Yan
- School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Fermentation and Enzyme Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoxian Kuang
- School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Fermentation and Enzyme Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
| | - Hantao Su
- School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Fermentation and Enzyme Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
| | - Weifeng Lin
- School of Food Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China
| | - Lixin Luo
- School of Biology and Biological Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China.
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Fermentation and Enzyme Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China.
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Xue L, Yue J, Ke J, Khan MH, Wen W, Sun B, Zhu Z, Niu L. Distinct oligomeric structures of the YoeB-YefM complex provide insights into the conditional cooperativity of type II toxin-antitoxin system. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:10527-10541. [PMID: 32845304 PMCID: PMC7544224 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2020] [Revised: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 08/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
YoeB-YefM, the widespread type II toxin-antitoxin (TA) module, binds to its own promoter to autoregulate its transcription: repress or induce transcription under normal or stress conditions, respectively. It remains unclear how YoeB-YefM regulates its transcription depending on the YoeB to YefM TA ratio. We find that YoeB-YefM complex from S.aureus exists as two distinct oligomeric assemblies: heterotetramer (YoeB-YefM2-YoeB) and heterohexamer (YoeB-YefM2-YefM2-YoeB) with low and high DNA-binding affinities, respectively. Structures of the heterotetramer alone and heterohexamer bound to promoter DNA reveals that YefM C-terminal domain undergoes disorder to order transition upon YoeB binding, which allosterically affects the conformation of N-terminal DNA-binding domain. At TA ratio of 1:2, unsaturated binding of YoeB to the C-terminal regions of YefM dimer forms an optimal heterohexamer for DNA binding, and two YefM dimers with N-terminal domains dock into the adjacent major grooves of DNA to specifically recognize the 5'-TTGTACAN6AGTACAA-3' palindromic sequence, resulting in transcriptional repression. In contrast, at TA ratio of 1:1, binding of two additional YoeB molecules onto the heterohexamer induces the completely ordered conformation of YefM and disassembles the heterohexamer into two heterotetramers, which are unable to bind the promoter DNA optimally due to steric clashes, hence derepresses TA operon transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Xue
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Division of Molecular and Cellular Biophysics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China.,School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Jian Yue
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Division of Molecular and Cellular Biophysics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China.,School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Jiyuan Ke
- Lead Discovery Department, H3 Biomedicine Inc, 300 Technology Square FL 5, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Muhammad Hidayatullah Khan
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Division of Molecular and Cellular Biophysics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China.,School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Wen Wen
- School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Baolin Sun
- School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Zhongliang Zhu
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Division of Molecular and Cellular Biophysics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China.,School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
| | - Liwen Niu
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Division of Molecular and Cellular Biophysics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China.,School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
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Rapid growth inhibitory activity of a YafQ-family endonuclease toxin of the Helicobacter pylori tfs4 integrative and conjugative element. Sci Rep 2020; 10:18171. [PMID: 33097748 PMCID: PMC7584586 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-72063-x] [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: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Prokaryotic and archaeal chromosomes encode a diversity of toxin–antitoxin (TA) systems that contribute to a variety of stress-induced cellular processes in addition to stability and maintenance of mobile elements. Here, we find DinJ-YafQ family TA systems to be broadly distributed amongst diverse phyla, consistent with other ParE/RelE superfamily TAs, but more unusually occurring as a multiplicity of species-specific subtypes. In the gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori we identify six distinct subtypes, of which three are predominantly associated with the mobilome, including the disease-associated integrative and conjugative element (ICE), tfs4. Whereas, the ICE-encoded proteins have characteristic features of DinJ-YafQ family Type II TA systems in general, the toxin component is distinguished by a broad metal-ion-dependent endonuclease activity with specificity for both RNA and DNA. We show that the remarkably rapid growth inhibitory activity of the ICE toxin is a correlate of a C-terminal lysine doublet which likely augments catalytic activity by increasing the positive electrostatic potential in the vicinity of the conserved active site. Our collective results reveal a structural feature of an ICE TA toxin that influences substrate catalysis and toxin function which may be relevant to specific TA-mediated responses in diverse genera of bacteria.
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Zhang SP, Wang Q, Quan SW, Yu XQ, Wang Y, Guo DD, Peng L, Feng HY, He YX. Type II toxin–antitoxin system in bacteria: activation, function, and mode of action. BIOPHYSICS REPORTS 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s41048-020-00109-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022] Open
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Xu BS, Liu M, Zhou K, Geng Z, Gao ZQ, Dong YH, She Z, Liu QS. Conformational changes of antitoxin HigA from Escherichia coli str. K-12 upon binding of its cognate toxin HigB reveal a new regulation mechanism in toxin-antitoxin systems. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2019; 514:37-43. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2019.04.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2019] [Accepted: 04/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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Ferrari A, Maggi S, Montanini B, Levante A, Lazzi C, Yamaguchi Y, Rivetti C, Folli C. Identification and first characterization of DinJ-YafQ toxin-antitoxin systems in Lactobacillus species of biotechnological interest. Sci Rep 2019; 9:7645. [PMID: 31114007 PMCID: PMC6529426 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-44094-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2019] [Accepted: 05/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
DinJ-YafQ is a type II TA system comprising the ribosome-dependent RNase YafQ toxin and the DinJ antitoxin protein. Although the module has been extensively characterized in Escherichia coli, little information is available for homologous systems in lactic acid bacteria. In this study, we employed bioinformatics tools to identify DinJ-YafQ systems in Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus paracasei and Lactobacillus rhamnosus species, commonly used in biotechnological processes. Among a total of nineteen systems found, two TA modules from Lactobacillus paracasei and two modules from Lactobacillus rhamnosus wild strains were isolated and their activity was verified by growth assays in Escherichia coli either in liquid and solid media. The RNase activity of the YafQ toxins was verified in vivo by probing mRNA dynamics and metabolism with single-cell Thioflavin T fluorescence. Our findings demonstrate that, albeit DinJ-YafQ TA systems are widely distributed in lactic acid bacteria, only few are fully functional, while others have lost toxicity even though they maintain high sequence identity with wild type YafQ and a likely functional antitoxin protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Ferrari
- Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, 43124, Parma, Italy
| | - Stefano Maggi
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, 43124, Parma, Italy
| | - Barbara Montanini
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, 43124, Parma, Italy
| | - Alessia Levante
- Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, 43124, Parma, Italy
| | - Camilla Lazzi
- Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, 43124, Parma, Italy
| | - Yoshihiro Yamaguchi
- The OCU Advanced Research Institute for Natural Science and Technology (OCARINA), Osaka City University, Sumiyoshi-ku, 558-8585, Osaka, Japan
| | - Claudio Rivetti
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, 43124, Parma, Italy.
| | - Claudia Folli
- Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, 43124, Parma, Italy.
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13
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Yashiro Y, Yamashita S, Tomita K. Crystal Structure of the Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli AtaT-AtaR Toxin-Antitoxin Complex. Structure 2019; 27:476-484.e3. [PMID: 30612860 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2018.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2018] [Revised: 10/24/2018] [Accepted: 11/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
AtaT-AtaR is an enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli toxin-antitoxin system that modulates cellular growth under stress conditions. AtaT and AtaR act as a toxin and its repressor, respectively. AtaT is a member of the GNAT family, and the dimeric AtaT acetylates the α-amino group of the aminoacyl moiety of methionyl initiator tRNAfMet, thereby inhibiting translation initiation. The crystallographic analysis of the AtaT-AtaR complex revealed that the AtaT-AtaR proteins form a heterohexameric [AtaT-(AtaR4)-AtaT] complex, where two V-shaped AtaR dimers bridge two AtaT molecules. The N-terminal region of AtaR is required for its dimerization, and the C-terminal region of AtaR interacts with AtaT. The two AtaT molecules are spatially separated in the AtaT-AtaR complex. AtaT alone forms a dimer in solution, which is enzymatically active. The present structure, in which AtaR prevents AtaT from forming an active dimer, reveals the molecular basis of the AtaT toxicity repression by the antitoxin AtaR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuka Yashiro
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8562, Japan
| | - Seisuke Yamashita
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8562, Japan
| | - Kozo Tomita
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8562, Japan.
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14
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Qian H, Yao Q, Tai C, Deng Z, Gan J, Ou HY. Identification and characterization of acetyltransferase-type toxin-antitoxin locus in Klebsiella pneumoniae. Mol Microbiol 2018; 108:336-349. [PMID: 29461656 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
A type II toxin-antitoxin (TA) system, in which the toxin contains a Gcn5-related N-acetyltransferase (GNAT) domain, has been characterized recently. GNAT toxin acetylates aminoacyl-tRNA and blocks protein translation. It is abolished by the cognate antitoxin that contains the ribbon-helix-helix (RHH) domain. Here, we present an experimental demonstration of the interaction of the GNAT-RHH complex with TA promoter DNA. First, the GNAT-RHH TA locus kacAT was found in Klebsiella pneumoniae HS11286, a strain resistant to multiple antibiotics. Overexpression of KacT halted cell growth and resulted in persister cell formation. The crystal structure also indicated that KacT is a typical acetyltransferase toxin. Co-expression of KacA neutralized KacT toxicity. Expression of the bicistronic kacAT locus was up-regulated during antibiotic stress. Finally, KacT and KacA formed a heterohexamer that interacted with promoter DNA, resulting in negative autoregulation of kacAT transcription. The N-terminus region of KacA accounted for specific binding to the palindromic sequence on the operator DNA, whereas its C-terminus region was essential for the inactivation of the GNAT toxin. These results provide an important insight into the regulation of the GNAT-RHH family TA system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongliang Qian
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Laboratory on Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Qingqing Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Genetics and Development, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Cui Tai
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Laboratory on Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zixin Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Laboratory on Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jianhua Gan
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Genetics and Development, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hong-Yu Ou
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint International Laboratory on Metabolic & Developmental Sciences, School of Life Sciences & Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
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15
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New Shuttle Vectors for Gene Cloning and Expression in Multidrug-Resistant Acinetobacter Species. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2018; 62:AAC.02480-17. [PMID: 29339383 DOI: 10.1128/aac.02480-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2017] [Accepted: 01/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding bacterial pathogenesis requires adequate genetic tools to assess the role of individual virulence determinants by mutagenesis and complementation assays, as well as for homologous and heterologous expression of cloned genes. Our knowledge of Acinetobacter baumannii pathogenesis has so far been limited by the scarcity of genetic tools to manipulate multidrug-resistant (MDR) epidemic strains, which are responsible for most infections. Here, we report on the construction of new multipurpose shuttle plasmids, namely, pVRL1 and pVRL2, which can efficiently replicate in Acinetobacter spp. and in Escherichia coli The pVRL1 plasmid has been constructed by combining (i) the cryptic plasmid pWH1277 from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, which provides an origin of replication for Acinetobacter spp.; (ii) a ColE1-like origin of replication; (iii) the gentamicin or zeocin resistance cassette for antibiotic selection; and (iv) a multilinker containing several unique restriction sites. Modification of pVRL1 led to the generation of the pVRL2 plasmid, which allows arabinose-inducible gene transcription with an undetectable basal expression level of cloned genes under uninduced conditions and a high dynamic range of responsiveness to the inducer. Both pVRL1 and pVRL2 can easily be selected in MDR A. baumannii, have a narrow host range and a high copy number, are stably maintained in Acinetobacter spp., and appear to be compatible with indigenous plasmids carried by epidemic strains. Plasmid maintenance is guaranteed by the presence of a toxin-antitoxin system, providing more insights into the mechanism of plasmid stability in Acinetobacter spp.
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16
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Hadži S, Garcia-Pino A, Haesaerts S, Jurenas D, Gerdes K, Lah J, Loris R. Ribosome-dependent Vibrio cholerae mRNAse HigB2 is regulated by a β-strand sliding mechanism. Nucleic Acids Res 2017; 45:4972-4983. [PMID: 28334932 PMCID: PMC5416850 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkx138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2016] [Accepted: 02/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxin–antitoxin (TA) modules are small operons involved in bacterial stress response and persistence. higBA operons form a family of TA modules with an inverted gene organization and a toxin belonging to the RelE/ParE superfamily. Here, we present the crystal structures of chromosomally encoded Vibrio cholerae antitoxin (VcHigA2), toxin (VcHigB2) and their complex, which show significant differences in structure and mechanisms of function compared to the higBA module from plasmid Rts1, the defining member of the family. The VcHigB2 is more closely related to Escherichia coli RelE both in terms of overall structure and the organization of its active site. VcHigB2 is neutralized by VcHigA2, a modular protein with an N-terminal intrinsically disordered toxin-neutralizing segment followed by a C-terminal helix-turn-helix dimerization and DNA binding domain. VcHigA2 binds VcHigB2 with picomolar affinity, which is mainly a consequence of entropically favorable de-solvation of a large hydrophobic binding interface and enthalpically favorable folding of the N-terminal domain into an α-helix followed by a β-strand. This interaction displaces helix α3 of VcHigB2 and at the same time induces a one-residue shift in the register of β-strand β3, thereby flipping the catalytically important Arg64 out of the active site.
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Affiliation(s)
- San Hadži
- Structural Biology Brussels, Department of Biotechnology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, B-1050 Brussel, Belgium.,Molecular Recognition Unit, Center for Structural Biology, Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie, B-1050 Brussel, Belgium.,Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Abel Garcia-Pino
- Structural Biology Brussels, Department of Biotechnology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, B-1050 Brussel, Belgium.,Biologie Structurale et Biophysique, IBMM-DBM, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), B-6041 Gosselies, Belgium
| | - Sarah Haesaerts
- Structural Biology Brussels, Department of Biotechnology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, B-1050 Brussel, Belgium.,Molecular Recognition Unit, Center for Structural Biology, Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie, B-1050 Brussel, Belgium
| | - Dukas Jurenas
- Biologie Structurale et Biophysique, IBMM-DBM, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), B-6041 Gosselies, Belgium
| | - Kenn Gerdes
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jurij Lah
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Remy Loris
- Structural Biology Brussels, Department of Biotechnology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, B-1050 Brussel, Belgium.,Molecular Recognition Unit, Center for Structural Biology, Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie, B-1050 Brussel, Belgium
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17
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Talavera A, Tamman H, Ainelo A, Hadži S, Garcia-Pino A, Hõrak R, Konijnenberg A, Loris R. Production, biophysical characterization and crystallization of Pseudomonas putida GraA and its complexes with GraT and the graTA operator. Acta Crystallogr F Struct Biol Commun 2017; 73:455-462. [PMID: 28777088 PMCID: PMC5544002 DOI: 10.1107/s2053230x17009438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2017] [Accepted: 06/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The graTA operon from Pseudomonas putida encodes a toxin-antitoxin module with an unusually moderate toxin. Here, the production, SAXS analysis and crystallization of the antitoxin GraA, the GraTA complex and the complex of GraA with a 33 bp operator fragment are reported. GraA forms a homodimer in solution and crystallizes in space group P21, with unit-cell parameters a = 66.9, b = 48.9, c = 62.7 Å, β = 92.6°. The crystals are likely to contain two GraA dimers in the asymmetric unit and diffract to 1.9 Å resolution. The GraTA complex forms a heterotetramer in solution. Crystals of the GraTA complex diffracted to 2.2 Å resolution and are most likely to contain a single heterotetrameric GraTA complex in the asymmetric unit. They belong to space group P41 or P43, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 56.0, c = 128.2 Å. The GraA-operator complex consists of a 33 bp operator region that binds two GraA dimers. It crystallizes in space group P31 or P32, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 105.6, c = 149.9 Å. These crystals diffract to 3.8 Å resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariel Talavera
- Structural Biology Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
- Structural Biology Research Center, VIB, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Hedvig Tamman
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, 51010 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Andres Ainelo
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, 51010 Tartu, Estonia
| | - San Hadži
- Structural Biology Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
- Structural Biology Research Center, VIB, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, Večna Pot 113, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Abel Garcia-Pino
- Institut de Biologie et de Médecine Moléculaires, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 6041 Gosselies, Belgium
| | - Rita Hõrak
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, 51010 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Albert Konijnenberg
- Structural Biology Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
- Structural Biology Research Center, VIB, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Remy Loris
- Structural Biology Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
- Structural Biology Research Center, VIB, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
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18
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Wang W, Yang X, Chang G, An P, Cha K, Dong Y, Liu P. A method to stabilize the incident X-ray energy for anomalous diffraction measurements. JOURNAL OF SYNCHROTRON RADIATION 2017; 24:781-786. [PMID: 28664885 DOI: 10.1107/s1600577517006312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2017] [Accepted: 04/26/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
A method to calibrate and stabilize the incident X-ray energy for anomalous diffraction data collection is provided and has been successfully used at the single-crystal diffraction beamline 1W2B at the Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facilities. Employing a feedback loop to control the movement of the double-crystal monochromator, this new method enables the incident X-ray energy to be kept within a 0.2 eV range at the inflection point of the absorption edge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjia Wang
- School of Science, Qilu University of Technology, Changqing District, Jinan, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoyun Yang
- Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, People's Republic of China
| | - Guangcai Chang
- Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, People's Republic of China
| | - Pengfei An
- Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, People's Republic of China
| | - Kewen Cha
- School of Science, Qilu University of Technology, Changqing District, Jinan, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuhui Dong
- Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, People's Republic of China
| | - Peng Liu
- Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, People's Republic of China
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19
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Sadiq FA, Flint S, Li Y, Liu T, Lei Y, Sakandar HA, He G. New mechanistic insights into the motile-to-sessile switch in various bacteria with particular emphasis on Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa: a review. BIOFOULING 2017; 33:306-326. [PMID: 28347177 DOI: 10.1080/08927014.2017.1304541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2016] [Accepted: 03/04/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
A biofilm is a complex assemblage of microbial communities adhered to a biotic or an abiotic surface which is embedded within a self-produced matrix of extracellular polymeric substances. Many transcriptional regulators play a role in triggering a motile-sessile switch and in consequently producing the biofilm matrix. This review is aimed at highlighting the role of two nucleotide signaling molecules (c-di-GMP and c-di-AMP), toxin antitoxin modules and a novel transcriptional regulator BolA in biofilm formation in various bacteria. In addition, it highlights the common themes that have appeared in recent research regarding the key regulatory components and signal transduction pathways that help Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa to acquire the biofilm mode of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faizan A Sadiq
- a College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science , Zhejiang University , Hangzhou , PR China
| | - Steve Flint
- b School of Food and Nutrition , Massey University , Palmerston North , New Zealand
| | - Yun Li
- c School of Life Sciences and Food Technology , Hanshan Normal University , Chaozhou , PR China
| | - TongJie Liu
- a College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science , Zhejiang University , Hangzhou , PR China
| | - Yuan Lei
- a College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science , Zhejiang University , Hangzhou , PR China
| | | | - GuoQing He
- a College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science , Zhejiang University , Hangzhou , PR China
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20
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Ruangprasert A, Maehigashi T, Miles SJ, Dunham CM. Importance of the E. coli DinJ antitoxin carboxy terminus for toxin suppression and regulated proteolysis. Mol Microbiol 2017; 104:65-77. [PMID: 28164393 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Toxin-antitoxin genes play important roles in the regulation of bacterial growth during stress. One response to stress is selective proteolysis of antitoxin proteins which releases their cognate toxin partners causing rapid inhibition of growth. The features of toxin-antitoxin complexes that are important to inhibit toxin activity as well as to release the active toxin remain elusive. Furthermore, it is unclear how antitoxins are selected for proteolysis by cellular proteases. Here, we test the minimal structural requirements of the Escherichia coli DinJ antitoxin to suppress its toxin partner, YafQ. We find that DinJ-YafQ complex formation is critically dependent on the last ten C-terminal residues of DinJ. However, deletion of these 10 DinJ residues has little effect on transcriptional autorepression suggesting that the YafQ toxin is not a critical component of the repression complex in contrast to other toxin-antitoxin systems. We further demonstrate that loop 5 preceding these ten C-terminal residues is important for Lon-mediated proteolysis. These results provide important insights into the critical interactions between toxin-antitoxin pairs necessary to inhibit toxin activity and the regulated proteolysis of antitoxins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ajchareeya Ruangprasert
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, 1510 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Tatsuya Maehigashi
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, 1510 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Stacey J Miles
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, 1510 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Christine M Dunham
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, 1510 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
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21
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Schureck MA, Repack A, Miles SJ, Marquez J, Dunham CM. Mechanism of endonuclease cleavage by the HigB toxin. Nucleic Acids Res 2016; 44:7944-53. [PMID: 27378776 PMCID: PMC5027501 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkw598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2016] [Revised: 06/17/2016] [Accepted: 06/22/2016] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacteria encode multiple type II toxin-antitoxin modules that cleave ribosome-bound mRNAs in response to stress. All ribosome-dependent toxin family members structurally characterized to date adopt similar microbial RNase architectures despite possessing low sequence identities. Therefore, determining which residues are catalytically important in this specialized RNase family has been a challenge in the field. Structural studies of RelE and YoeB toxins bound to the ribosome provided significant insights but biochemical experiments with RelE were required to clearly demonstrate which residues are critical for acid-base catalysis of mRNA cleavage. Here, we solved an X-ray crystal structure of the wild-type, ribosome-dependent toxin HigB bound to the ribosome revealing potential catalytic residues proximal to the mRNA substrate. Using cell-based and biochemical assays, we further determined that HigB residues His54, Asp90, Tyr91 and His92 are critical for activity in vivo, while HigB H54A and Y91A variants have the largest effect on mRNA cleavage in vitro Comparison of X-ray crystal structures of two catalytically inactive HigB variants with 70S-HigB bound structures reveal that HigB active site residues undergo conformational rearrangements likely required for recognition of its mRNA substrate. These data support the emerging concept that ribosome-dependent toxins have diverse modes of mRNA recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc A Schureck
- Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry, 1510 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Adrienne Repack
- Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry, 1510 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Stacey J Miles
- Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry, 1510 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Jhomar Marquez
- Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry, 1510 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Christine M Dunham
- Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry, 1510 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
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22
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Zhao Y, McAnulty MJ, Wood TK. Toxin YafQ Reduces Escherichia coli Growth at Low Temperatures. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0161577. [PMID: 27557125 PMCID: PMC4996492 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0161577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2016] [Accepted: 08/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxin/antitoxin (TA) systems reduce metabolism under stress; for example, toxin YafQ of the YafQ/DinJ Escherichia coli TA system reduces growth by cleaving transcripts with in-frame 5'-AAA-G/A-3' sites, and antitoxin DinJ is a global regulator that represses its locus as well as controls levels of the stationary sigma factor RpoS. Here we investigated the influence on cell growth at various temperatures and found that deletion of the antitoxin gene, dinJ, resulted in both reduced metabolism and slower growth at 18°C but not at 37°C. The reduction in growth could be complemented by producing DinJ from a plasmid. Using a transposon screen to reverse the effect of the absence of DinJ, two mutations were found that inactivated the toxin YafQ; hence, the toxin caused the slower growth only at low temperatures rather than DinJ acting as a global regulator. Corroborating this result, a clean deletion of yafQ in the ΔdinJ ΔKmR strain restored both metabolism and growth at 18°C. In addition, production of YafQ was more toxic at 18°C compared to 37°C. Furthermore, by overproducing all the E. coli proteins, the global transcription repressor Mlc was found that counteracts YafQ toxicity only at 18°C. Therefore, YafQ is more effective at reducing metabolism at low temperatures, and Mlc is its putative target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yueju Zhao
- Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Agro-products Processing, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing, 100193, P. R. China
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802-4400, United States of America
| | - Michael J. McAnulty
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802-4400, United States of America
| | - Thomas K. Wood
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802-4400, United States of America
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802-4400, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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23
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Wan H, Otsuka Y, Gao ZQ, Wei Y, Chen Z, Masuda M, Yonesaki T, Zhang H, Dong YH. Structural insights into the inhibition mechanism of bacterial toxin LsoA by bacteriophage antitoxin Dmd. Mol Microbiol 2016; 101:757-69. [PMID: 27169810 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/09/2016] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Bacteria have obtained a variety of resistance mechanisms including toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems against bacteriophages (phages), whereas phages have also evolved to overcome bacterial anti-phage mechanisms. Dmd from T4 phage can suppress the toxicities of homologous toxins LsoA and RnlA from Escherichia coli, representing the first example of a phage antitoxin against multiple bacterial toxins in known TA systems. Here, the crystal structure of LsoA-Dmd complex showed Dmd is inserted into the deep groove between the N-terminal repeated domain (NRD) and the Dmd-binding domain (DBD) of LsoA. The NRD shifts significantly from a 'closed' to an 'open' conformation upon Dmd binding. Site-directed mutagenesis of Dmd revealed the conserved residues (W31 and N40) are necessary for LsoA binding and the toxicity suppression as determined by pull-down and cell toxicity assays. Further mutagenesis identified the conserved Dmd-binding residues (R243, E246 and R305) of LsoA are vital for its toxicity, and suggested Dmd and LsoB may possess different inhibitory mechanisms against LsoA toxicity. Our structure-function studies demonstrate Dmd can recognize LsoA and inhibit its toxicity by occupying the active site possibly via substrate mimicry. These findings have provided unique insights into the defense and counter-defense mechanisms between bacteria and phages in their co-evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hua Wan
- Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yuichi Otsuka
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Dokkyo Medical University, 880 Kitakobayashi, Mibu-machi, Shimotsuga-gun, Tochigi, 321-0293, Japan
| | - Zeng-Qiang Gao
- Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yong Wei
- Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Zhen Chen
- Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Michiaki Masuda
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Dokkyo Medical University, 880 Kitakobayashi, Mibu-machi, Shimotsuga-gun, Tochigi, 321-0293, Japan
| | - Tetsuro Yonesaki
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, 1-1 Machikaneyama-cho, Toyonaka-shi, Osaka, 560-0043, Japan
| | - Heng Zhang
- Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yu-Hui Dong
- Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
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Chan WT, Espinosa M, Yeo CC. Keeping the Wolves at Bay: Antitoxins of Prokaryotic Type II Toxin-Antitoxin Systems. Front Mol Biosci 2016; 3:9. [PMID: 27047942 PMCID: PMC4803016 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2016.00009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2015] [Accepted: 03/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In their initial stages of discovery, prokaryotic toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems were confined to bacterial plasmids where they function to mediate the maintenance and stability of usually low- to medium-copy number plasmids through the post-segregational killing of any plasmid-free daughter cells that developed. Their eventual discovery as nearly ubiquitous and repetitive elements in bacterial chromosomes led to a wealth of knowledge and scientific debate as to their diversity and functionality in the prokaryotic lifestyle. Currently categorized into six different types designated types I–VI, type II TA systems are the best characterized. These generally comprised of two genes encoding a proteic toxin and its corresponding proteic antitoxin, respectively. Under normal growth conditions, the stable toxin is prevented from exerting its lethal effect through tight binding with the less stable antitoxin partner, forming a non-lethal TA protein complex. Besides binding with its cognate toxin, the antitoxin also plays a role in regulating the expression of the type II TA operon by binding to the operator site, thereby repressing transcription from the TA promoter. In most cases, full repression is observed in the presence of the TA complex as binding of the toxin enhances the DNA binding capability of the antitoxin. TA systems have been implicated in a gamut of prokaryotic cellular functions such as being mediators of programmed cell death as well as persistence or dormancy, biofilm formation, as defensive weapons against bacteriophage infections and as virulence factors in pathogenic bacteria. It is thus apparent that these antitoxins, as DNA-binding proteins, play an essential role in modulating the prokaryotic lifestyle whilst at the same time preventing the lethal action of the toxins under normal growth conditions, i.e., keeping the proverbial wolves at bay. In this review, we will cover the diversity and characteristics of various type II TA antitoxins. We shall also look into some interesting deviations from the canonical type II TA systems such as tripartite TA systems where the regulatory role is played by a third party protein and not the antitoxin, and a unique TA system encoding a single protein with both toxin as well as antitoxin domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wai Ting Chan
- Molecular Microbiology and Infection Biology, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas Madrid, Spain
| | - Manuel Espinosa
- Molecular Microbiology and Infection Biology, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas Madrid, Spain
| | - Chew Chieng Yeo
- Faculty of Medicine, Biomedical Research Centre, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia
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Maehigashi T, Ruangprasert A, Miles SJ, Dunham CM. Molecular basis of ribosome recognition and mRNA hydrolysis by the E. coli YafQ toxin. Nucleic Acids Res 2015; 43:8002-12. [PMID: 26261214 PMCID: PMC4652777 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkv791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2015] [Accepted: 07/22/2015] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacterial type II toxin-antitoxin modules are protein–protein complexes whose functions are finely tuned by rapidly changing environmental conditions. E. coli toxin YafQ is suppressed under steady state growth conditions by virtue of its interaction with its cognate antitoxin, DinJ. During stress, DinJ is proteolytically degraded and free YafQ halts translation by degrading ribosome-bound mRNA to slow growth until the stress has passed. Although structures of the ribosome with toxins RelE and YoeB have been solved, it is unclear what residues among ribosome-dependent toxins are essential for mediating both recognition of the ribosome and the mRNA substrate given their low sequence identities. Here we show that YafQ coordinates binding to the 70S ribosome via three surface-exposed patches of basic residues that we propose directly interact with 16S rRNA. We demonstrate that YafQ residues H50, H63, D67 and H87 participate in acid-base catalysis during mRNA hydrolysis and further show that H50 and H63 functionally complement as general bases to initiate the phosphodiester cleavage reaction. Moreover YafQ residue F91 likely plays an important role in mRNA positioning. In summary, our findings demonstrate the plasticity of ribosome-dependent toxin active site residues and further our understanding of which toxin residues are important for function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatsuya Maehigashi
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | | | - Stacey J Miles
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Christine M Dunham
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
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26
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Cut to the chase--Regulating translation through RNA cleavage. Biochimie 2015; 114:10-7. [PMID: 25633441 DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2015.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2014] [Accepted: 01/19/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Activation of toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems provides an important mechanism for bacteria to adapt to challenging and ever changing environmental conditions. Known TA systems are classified into five families based on the mechanisms of antitoxin inhibition and toxin activity. For type II TA systems, the toxin is inactivated in exponentially growing cells by tightly binding its antitoxin partner protein, which also serves to regulate cellular levels of the complex through transcriptional auto-repression. During cellular stress, however, the antitoxin is degraded thus freeing the toxin, which is then able to regulate central cellular processes, primarily protein translation to adjust cell growth to the new conditions. In this review, we focus on the type II TA pairs that regulate protein translation through cleavage of ribosomal, transfer, or messenger RNA.
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27
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Hopf TA, Schärfe CPI, Rodrigues JPGLM, Green AG, Kohlbacher O, Sander C, Bonvin AMJJ, Marks DS. Sequence co-evolution gives 3D contacts and structures of protein complexes. eLife 2014; 3. [PMID: 25255213 PMCID: PMC4360534 DOI: 10.7554/elife.03430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 332] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2014] [Accepted: 09/23/2014] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein-protein interactions are fundamental to many biological processes. Experimental screens have identified tens of thousands of interactions, and structural biology has provided detailed functional insight for select 3D protein complexes. An alternative rich source of information about protein interactions is the evolutionary sequence record. Building on earlier work, we show that analysis of correlated evolutionary sequence changes across proteins identifies residues that are close in space with sufficient accuracy to determine the three-dimensional structure of the protein complexes. We evaluate prediction performance in blinded tests on 76 complexes of known 3D structure, predict protein-protein contacts in 32 complexes of unknown structure, and demonstrate how evolutionary couplings can be used to distinguish between interacting and non-interacting protein pairs in a large complex. With the current growth of sequences, we expect that the method can be generalized to genome-wide elucidation of protein-protein interaction networks and used for interaction predictions at residue resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas A Hopf
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard University, Boston, United States
| | | | - João P G L M Rodrigues
- Computational Structural Biology Group, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Anna G Green
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard University, Boston, United States
| | - Oliver Kohlbacher
- Applied Bioinformatics, Quantitative Biology Center, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Chris Sander
- Computational Biology Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, United States
| | - Alexandre M J J Bonvin
- Computational Structural Biology Group, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Debora S Marks
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard University, Boston, United States
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