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Chareyre S, Li X, Anjuwon-Foster BR, Updegrove TB, Clifford S, Brogan AP, Su Y, Zhang L, Chen J, Shroff H, Ramamurthi KS. Cell division machinery drives cell-specific gene activation during differentiation in Bacillus subtilis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2400584121. [PMID: 38502707 PMCID: PMC10990147 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2400584121] [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: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
When faced with starvation, the bacterium Bacillus subtilis transforms itself into a dormant cell type called a "spore". Sporulation initiates with an asymmetric division event, which requires the relocation of the core divisome components FtsA and FtsZ, after which the sigma factor σF is exclusively activated in the smaller daughter cell. Compartment-specific activation of σF requires the SpoIIE phosphatase, which displays a biased localization on one side of the asymmetric division septum and associates with the structural protein DivIVA, but the mechanism by which this preferential localization is achieved is unclear. Here, we isolated a variant of DivIVA that indiscriminately activates σF in both daughter cells due to promiscuous localization of SpoIIE, which was corrected by overproduction of FtsA and FtsZ. We propose that the core components of the redeployed cell division machinery drive the asymmetric localization of DivIVA and SpoIIE to trigger the initiation of the sporulation program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvia Chareyre
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD20892
| | - Xuesong Li
- Laboratory of High Resolution Optical Imaging, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, NIH, Bethesda, MD20892
- HHMI, Ashburn, VA20147
| | | | - Taylor B. Updegrove
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD20892
| | - Sarah Clifford
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD20892
| | - Anna P. Brogan
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD20892
| | - Yijun Su
- Laboratory of High Resolution Optical Imaging, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, NIH, Bethesda, MD20892
- HHMI, Ashburn, VA20147
| | - Lixia Zhang
- Advanced Imaging and Microscopy Resource, NIH, Bethesda, MD20892
| | - Jiji Chen
- Advanced Imaging and Microscopy Resource, NIH, Bethesda, MD20892
| | - Hari Shroff
- Laboratory of High Resolution Optical Imaging, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, NIH, Bethesda, MD20892
- HHMI, Ashburn, VA20147
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2
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Schiller H, Hong Y, Kouassi J, Rados T, Kwak J, DiLucido A, Safer D, Marchfelder A, Pfeiffer F, Bisson A, Schulze S, Pohlschroder M. Identification of structural and regulatory cell-shape determinants in Haloferax volcanii. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1414. [PMID: 38360755 PMCID: PMC10869688 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45196-0] [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: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Archaea play indispensable roles in global biogeochemical cycles, yet many crucial cellular processes, including cell-shape determination, are poorly understood. Haloferax volcanii, a model haloarchaeon, forms rods and disks, depending on growth conditions. Here, we used a combination of iterative proteomics, genetics, and live-cell imaging to identify mutants that only form rods or disks. We compared the proteomes of the mutants with wild-type cells across growth phases, thereby distinguishing between protein abundance changes specific to cell shape and those related to growth phases. The results identified a diverse set of proteins, including predicted transporters, transducers, signaling components, and transcriptional regulators, as important for cell-shape determination. Through phenotypic characterization of deletion strains, we established that rod-determining factor A (RdfA) and disk-determining factor A (DdfA) are required for the formation of rods and disks, respectively. We also identified structural proteins, including an actin homolog that plays a role in disk-shape morphogenesis, which we named volactin. Using live-cell imaging, we determined volactin's cellular localization and showed its dynamic polymerization and depolymerization. Our results provide insights into archaeal cell-shape determination, with possible implications for understanding the evolution of cell morphology regulation across domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather Schiller
- University of Pennsylvania, Department of Biology, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Yirui Hong
- University of Pennsylvania, Department of Biology, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Joshua Kouassi
- University of Pennsylvania, Department of Biology, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Theopi Rados
- Brandeis University, Department of Biology, Waltham, MA, 02453, USA
| | - Jasmin Kwak
- Brandeis University, Department of Biology, Waltham, MA, 02453, USA
| | - Anthony DiLucido
- University of Pennsylvania, Department of Biology, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Daniel Safer
- University of Pennsylvania, Department of Physiology, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | | | - Friedhelm Pfeiffer
- Biology II, Ulm University, 89069, Ulm, Germany
- Computational Biology Group, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, 82152, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Alexandre Bisson
- Brandeis University, Department of Biology, Waltham, MA, 02453, USA.
| | - Stefan Schulze
- University of Pennsylvania, Department of Biology, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester, NY, 14623, USA.
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3
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Velázquez-Suárez C, Springstein BL, Nieves-Morión M, Helbig AO, Kieninger AK, Maldener I, Nürnberg DJ, Stucken K, Luque I, Dagan T, Herrero A. SepT, a novel protein specific to multicellular cyanobacteria, influences peptidoglycan growth and septal nanopore formation in Anabaena sp. PCC 7120. mBio 2023; 14:e0098323. [PMID: 37650636 PMCID: PMC10653889 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00983-23] [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: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Multicellular organization is a requirement for the development of complex organisms, and filamentous cyanobacteria such as Anabaena represent a paradigmatic case of bacterial multicellularity. The Anabaena filament can include hundreds of communicated cells that exchange nutrients and regulators and, depending on environmental conditions, can include different cell types specialized in distinct biological functions. Hence, the specific features of the Anabaena filament and how they are propagated during cell division represent outstanding biological issues. Here, we studied SepT, a novel coiled-coil-rich protein of Anabaena that is located in the intercellular septa and influences the formation of the septal specialized structures that allow communication between neighboring cells along the filament, a fundamental trait for the performance of Anabaena as a multicellular organism.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Mercedes Nieves-Morión
- Instituto de Bioquímica Vegetal y Fotosíntesis, CSIC and Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain
| | - Andreas O. Helbig
- AG Proteomics & Bioanalytics, Institute for Experimental Medicine, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Ann-Katrin Kieninger
- Department of Microbiology/Organismic Interactions, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Iris Maldener
- Department of Microbiology/Organismic Interactions, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Dennis J. Nürnberg
- Institute of Experimental Physics and Dahlem Centre of Plant Sciences, Free University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Karina Stucken
- Department of Food Engineering, Universidad de La Serena, La Serena, Chile
| | - Ignacio Luque
- Instituto de Bioquímica Vegetal y Fotosíntesis, CSIC and Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain
| | - Tal Dagan
- Institute of General Microbiology, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Antonia Herrero
- Instituto de Bioquímica Vegetal y Fotosíntesis, CSIC and Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain
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4
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Ramos-León F, Anjuwon-Foster BR, Anantharaman V, Ferreira CN, Ibrahim AM, Tai CH, Missiakas DM, Camberg JL, Aravind L, Ramamurthi KS. Protein coopted from a phage restriction system dictates orthogonal cell division plane selection in Staphylococcus aureus. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.03.556088. [PMID: 37886572 PMCID: PMC10602043 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.03.556088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
The spherical bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, a leading cause of nosocomial infections, undergoes binary fission by dividing in two alternating orthogonal planes, but the mechanism by which S. aureus correctly selects the next cell division plane is not known. To identify cell division placement factors, we performed a chemical genetic screen that revealed a gene which we termed pcdA. We show that PcdA is a member of the McrB family of AAA+ NTPases that has undergone structural changes and a concomitant functional shift from a restriction enzyme subunit to an early cell division protein. PcdA directly interacts with the tubulin-like central divisome component FtsZ and localizes to future cell division sites before membrane invagination initiates. This parallels the action of another McrB family protein, CTTNBP2, which stabilizes microtubules in animals. We show that PcdA also interacts with the structural protein DivIVA and propose that the DivIVA/PcdA complex recruits unpolymerized FtsZ to assemble along the proper cell division plane. Deletion of pcdA conferred abnormal, non-orthogonal division plane selection, increased sensitivity to cell wall-targeting antibiotics, and reduced virulence in a murine infection model. Targeting PcdA could therefore highlight a treatment strategy for combatting antibiotic-resistant strains of S. aureus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Félix Ramos-León
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA
| | - Brandon R. Anjuwon-Foster
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA
| | - Vivek Anantharaman
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA
| | - Colby N. Ferreira
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, USA
| | - Amany M. Ibrahim
- Department of Microbiology, Howard Taylor Ricketts Laboratory, University of Chicago, Lemont, USA
| | - Chin-Hsien Tai
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA
| | - Dominique M. Missiakas
- Department of Microbiology, Howard Taylor Ricketts Laboratory, University of Chicago, Lemont, USA
| | - Jodi L. Camberg
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, USA
| | - L. Aravind
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA
| | - Kumaran S. Ramamurthi
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA
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5
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Chareyre S, Li X, Anjuwon-Foster BR, Clifford S, Brogan A, Su Y, Shroff H, Ramamurthi KS. Cell division machinery drives cell-specific gene activation during bacterial differentiation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.10.552768. [PMID: 37790399 PMCID: PMC10542145 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.10.552768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
When faced with starvation, the bacterium Bacillus subtilis transforms itself into a dormant cell type called a "spore". Sporulation initiates with an asymmetric division event, which requires the relocation of the core divisome components FtsA and FtsZ, after which the sigma factor σF is exclusively activated in the smaller daughter cell. Compartment specific activation of σF requires the SpoIIE phosphatase, which displays a biased localization on one side of the asymmetric division septum and associates with the structural protein DivIVA, but the mechanism by which this preferential localization is achieved is unclear. Here, we isolated a variant of DivIVA that indiscriminately activates σF in both daughter cells due to promiscuous localization of SpoIIE, which was corrected by overproduction of FtsA and FtsZ. We propose that a unique feature of the sporulation septum, defined by the cell division machinery, drives the asymmetric localization of DivIVA and SpoIIE to trigger the initiation of the sporulation program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvia Chareyre
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Xuesong Li
- Laboratory of High Resolution Optical Imaging, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Brandon R Anjuwon-Foster
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Sarah Clifford
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Anna Brogan
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Yijun Su
- Laboratory of High Resolution Optical Imaging, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Hari Shroff
- Laboratory of High Resolution Optical Imaging, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Kumaran S Ramamurthi
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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6
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Baquero F, Martínez JL, Sánchez A, Fernández-de-Bobadilla MD, San-Millán A, Rodríguez-Beltrán J. Bacterial Subcellular Architecture, Structural Epistasis, and Antibiotic Resistance. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:biology12050640. [PMID: 37237454 DOI: 10.3390/biology12050640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 04/08/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Epistasis refers to the way in which genetic interactions between some genetic loci affect phenotypes and fitness. In this study, we propose the concept of "structural epistasis" to emphasize the role of the variable physical interactions between molecules located in particular spaces inside the bacterial cell in the emergence of novel phenotypes. The architecture of the bacterial cell (typically Gram-negative), which consists of concentrical layers of membranes, particles, and molecules with differing configurations and densities (from the outer membrane to the nucleoid) determines and is in turn determined by the cell shape and size, depending on the growth phases, exposure to toxic conditions, stress responses, and the bacterial environment. Antibiotics change the bacterial cell's internal molecular topology, producing unexpected interactions among molecules. In contrast, changes in shape and size may alter antibiotic action. The mechanisms of antibiotic resistance (and their vectors, as mobile genetic elements) also influence molecular connectivity in the bacterial cell and can produce unexpected phenotypes, influencing the action of other antimicrobial agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Baquero
- Department of Microbiology, Ramón y Cajal University Hospital, Ramón y Cajal Institute for Health Research (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid, Spain
- CIBER en Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), 28034 Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Alvaro Sánchez
- Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, CSIC, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Miguel D Fernández-de-Bobadilla
- Department of Microbiology, Ramón y Cajal University Hospital, Ramón y Cajal Institute for Health Research (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid, Spain
- CIBER en Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFECT), 28034 Madrid, Spain
| | - Alvaro San-Millán
- Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, CSIC, 28049 Madrid, Spain
- CIBER en Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFECT), 28034 Madrid, Spain
| | - Jerónimo Rodríguez-Beltrán
- Department of Microbiology, Ramón y Cajal University Hospital, Ramón y Cajal Institute for Health Research (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid, Spain
- CIBER en Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFECT), 28034 Madrid, Spain
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7
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Frirdich E, Vermeulen J, Biboy J, Vollmer W, Gaynor EC. Multiple Campylobacter jejuni proteins affecting the peptidoglycan structure and the degree of helical cell curvature. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1162806. [PMID: 37143542 PMCID: PMC10151779 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1162806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Campylobacter jejuni is a Gram-negative helical bacterium. Its helical morphology, maintained by the peptidoglycan (PG) layer, plays a key role in its transmission in the environment, colonization, and pathogenic properties. The previously characterized PG hydrolases Pgp1 and Pgp2 are important for generating C. jejuni helical morphology, with deletion mutants being rod-shaped and showing alterations in their PG muropeptide profiles in comparison to the wild type. Homology searches and bioinformatics were used to identify additional gene products involved in C. jejuni morphogenesis: the putative bactofilin 1104 and the M23 peptidase domain-containing proteins 0166, 1105, and 1228. Deletions in the corresponding genes resulted in varying curved rod morphologies with changes in their PG muropeptide profiles. All changes in the mutants complemented except 1104. Overexpression of 1104 and 1105 also resulted in changes in the morphology and in the muropeptide profiles, suggesting that the dose of these two gene products influences these characteristics. The related helical ε-Proteobacterium Helicobacter pylori has characterized homologs of C. jejuni 1104, 1105, and 1228 proteins, yet deletion of the homologous genes in H. pylori had differing effects on H. pylori PG muropeptide profiles and/or morphology compared to the C. jejuni deletion mutants. It is therefore apparent that even related organisms with similar morphologies and homologous proteins can have diverse PG biosynthetic pathways, highlighting the importance of studying PG biosynthesis in related organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilisa Frirdich
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- *Correspondence: Emilisa Frirdich,
| | - Jenny Vermeulen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Jacob Biboy
- The Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology, Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Waldemar Vollmer
- The Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology, Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Erin C. Gaynor
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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