YvcI from Bacillus subtilis has in vitro RNA pyrophosphohydrolase activity

Harzianic acid exerts antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria and targets the cell membrane

The thermophilic fungus Oidiodendron flavum is a saprobe that is commonly isolated from soil. Here, we identified a Gram-positive bacteria-selective antimicrobial secondary metabolite from this fungal species, harzianic acid (HA). Using Bacillus subtilis strain 168 combined with dynamic bacterial morphology imaging, we found that HA targeted the cell membrane. To further study the antimicrobial activity of HA, we isolated an HA-resistant strain, Bacillus subtilis strain M9015, and discovered that the mutant had more translucent colonies than the wild type strain, showed cross resistance to rifampin, and harbored five mutations in the coding region of four distinct genes. Further analysis of these genes indicated that the mutation in atpE might be responsible for the translucency of the colonies, and mutation in mdtR for resistance to both HA and rifampin. We conclude that HA is an antimicrobial agent against Gram-positive bacteria that targets the cell membrane.

The nucleotide pGpp acts as a third alarmone in Bacillus, with functions distinct from those of (p) ppGpp

The alarmone nucleotides guanosine tetraphosphate and pentaphosphate, commonly referred to as (p)ppGpp, regulate bacterial responses to nutritional and other stresses. There is evidence for potential existence of a third alarmone, guanosine-5′-monophosphate-3′-diphosphate (pGpp), with less-clear functions. Here, we demonstrate the presence of pGpp in bacterial cells, and perform a comprehensive screening to identify proteins that interact respectively with pGpp, ppGpp and pppGpp in Bacillus species. Both ppGpp and pppGpp interact with proteins involved in inhibition of purine nucleotide biosynthesis and with GTPases that control ribosome assembly or activity. By contrast, pGpp interacts with purine biosynthesis proteins but not with the GTPases. In addition, we show that hydrolase NahA (also known as YvcI) efficiently produces pGpp by hydrolyzing (p)ppGpp, thus modulating alarmone composition and function. Deletion of nahA leads to reduction of pGpp levels, increased (p)ppGpp levels, slower growth recovery from nutrient downshift, and loss of competitive fitness. Our results support the existence and physiological relevance of pGpp as a third alarmone, with functions that can be distinct from those of (p)ppGpp.

Nucleotides pppGpp and ppGpp regulate bacterial responses to nutritional and other stresses, while the potential roles of the related pGpp are unclear. Here, Yang et al. systematically identify proteins interacting with these nucleotides in Bacillus, and show that pGpp has roles distinct from those of (p)ppGpp.