1
|
Meng B, Qi Z, Li X, Peng H, Bi S, Wei X, Li Y, Zhang Q, Xu X, Zhao H, Yang X, Wang C, Zhao X. Characterization of Mu-Like Yersinia Phages Exhibiting Temperature Dependent Infection. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0020323. [PMID: 37466430 PMCID: PMC10434027 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00203-23] [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: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Yersinia pestis is the etiological agent of plague. Marmota himalayana of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau is the primary host of flea-borne Y. pestis. This study is the report of isolation of Mu-like bacteriophages of Y. pestis from M. himalayana. The isolation and characterization of four Mu-like phages of Y. pestis were reported, which were named as vB_YpM_3, vB_YpM_5, vB_YpM_6, and vB_YpM_23 according to their morphology. Comparative genome analysis revealed that vB_YpM_3, vB_YpM_5, vB_YpM_6, and vB_YpM_23 are phylogenetically closest to Escherichia coli phages Mu, D108 and Shigella flexneri phage SfMu. The role of LPS core structure of Y. pestis in the phages' receptor was pinpointed. All the phages exhibit "temperature dependent infection," which is independent of the growth temperature of the host bacteria and dependent of the temperature of phage infection. The phages lyse the host bacteria at 37°C, but enter the lysogenic cycle and become prophages in the chromosome of the host bacteria at 26°C. IMPORTANCE Mu-like bacteriophages of Y. pestis were isolated from M. himalayana of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau in China. These bacteriophages have a unique temperature dependent life cycle, follow a lytic cycle at the temperature of warm-blooded mammals (37°С), and enter the lysogenic cycle at the temperature of its flea-vector (26°С). A switch from the lysogenic to the lytic cycle occurred when lysogenic bacteria were incubated from lower temperature to higher temperature (initially incubating at 26°C and shifting to 37°C). It is speculated that the temperature dependent lifestyle of bacteriophages may affect the population dynamics and pathogenicity of Y. pestis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Biao Meng
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
- Institute of Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese PLA, Beijing, China
| | - Zhizhen Qi
- Qinghai Institute for Endemic Disease Prevention and Control of Qinghai Province, Key Laboratory for Plague Prevention and Control of Qinghai Province, Xining, China
| | - Xiang Li
- Qinghai Institute for Endemic Disease Prevention and Control of Qinghai Province, Key Laboratory for Plague Prevention and Control of Qinghai Province, Xining, China
| | - Hong Peng
- Institute of Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese PLA, Beijing, China
| | - Shanzheng Bi
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
- Institute of Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese PLA, Beijing, China
| | - Xiao Wei
- Institute of Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese PLA, Beijing, China
| | - Yan Li
- Institute of Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese PLA, Beijing, China
| | - Qi Zhang
- Qinghai Institute for Endemic Disease Prevention and Control of Qinghai Province, Key Laboratory for Plague Prevention and Control of Qinghai Province, Xining, China
| | - Xiaoqing Xu
- Qinghai Institute for Endemic Disease Prevention and Control of Qinghai Province, Key Laboratory for Plague Prevention and Control of Qinghai Province, Xining, China
| | - Haihong Zhao
- Qinghai Institute for Endemic Disease Prevention and Control of Qinghai Province, Key Laboratory for Plague Prevention and Control of Qinghai Province, Xining, China
| | - Xiaoyan Yang
- Qinghai Institute for Endemic Disease Prevention and Control of Qinghai Province, Key Laboratory for Plague Prevention and Control of Qinghai Province, Xining, China
| | - Changjun Wang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
- Institute of Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese PLA, Beijing, China
| | - Xiangna Zhao
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
- Institute of Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese PLA, Beijing, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Conway C, Beckett MC, Dorman CJ. The DNA relaxation-dependent OFF-to-ON biasing of the type 1 fimbrial genetic switch requires the Fis nucleoid-associated protein. MICROBIOLOGY (READING, ENGLAND) 2023; 169:001283. [PMID: 36748578 PMCID: PMC9993118 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The structural genes expressing type 1 fimbriae in Escherichia coli alternate between expressed (phase ON) and non-expressed (phase OFF) states due to inversion of the 314 bp fimS genetic switch. The FimB tyrosine integrase inverts fimS by site-specific recombination, alternately connecting and disconnecting the fim operon, encoding the fimbrial subunit protein and its associated secretion and adhesin factors, to and from its transcriptional promoter within fimS. Site-specific recombination by the FimB recombinase becomes biased towards phase ON as DNA supercoiling is relaxed, a condition that occurs when bacteria approach the stationary phase of the growth cycle. This effect can be mimicked in exponential phase cultures by inhibiting the negative DNA supercoiling activity of DNA gyrase. We report that this bias towards phase ON depends on the presence of the Fis nucleoid-associated protein. We mapped the Fis binding to a site within the invertible fimS switch by DNase I footprinting. Disruption of this binding site by base substitution mutagenesis abolishes both Fis binding and the ability of the mutated switch to sustain its phase ON bias when DNA is relaxed, even in bacteria that produce the Fis protein. In addition, the Fis binding site overlaps one of the sites used by the Lrp protein, a known directionality determinant of fimS inversion that also contributes to phase ON bias. The Fis–Lrp relationship at fimS is reminiscent of that between Fis and Xis when promoting DNA relaxation-dependent excision of bacteriophage λ from the E. coli chromosome. However, unlike the co-binding mechanism used by Fis and Xis at λ attR, the Fis–Lrp relationship at fimS involves competitive binding. We discuss these findings in the context of the link between fimS inversion biasing and the physiological state of the bacterium.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Colin Conway
- Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.,Present address: Technical University of the Atlantic, Galway, Ireland
| | - Michael C Beckett
- Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Charles J Dorman
- Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Amemiya HM, Schroeder J, Freddolino PL. Nucleoid-associated proteins shape chromatin structure and transcriptional regulation across the bacterial kingdom. Transcription 2021; 12:182-218. [PMID: 34499567 PMCID: PMC8632127 DOI: 10.1080/21541264.2021.1973865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 08/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Genome architecture has proven to be critical in determining gene regulation across almost all domains of life. While many of the key components and mechanisms of eukaryotic genome organization have been described, the interplay between bacterial DNA organization and gene regulation is only now being fully appreciated. An increasing pool of evidence has demonstrated that the bacterial chromosome can reasonably be thought of as chromatin, and that bacterial chromosomes contain transcriptionally silent and transcriptionally active regions analogous to heterochromatin and euchromatin, respectively. The roles played by histones in eukaryotic systems appear to be shared across a range of nucleoid-associated proteins (NAPs) in bacteria, which function to compact, structure, and regulate large portions of bacterial chromosomes. The broad range of extant NAPs, and the extent to which they differ from species to species, has raised additional challenges in identifying and characterizing their roles in all but a handful of model bacteria. Here we review the regulatory roles played by NAPs in several well-studied bacteria and use the resulting state of knowledge to provide a working definition for NAPs, based on their function, binding pattern, and expression levels. We present a screening procedure which can be applied to any species for which transcriptomic data are available. Finally, we note that NAPs tend to play two major regulatory roles - xenogeneic silencers and developmental regulators - and that many unrecognized potential NAPs exist in each bacterial species examined.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Haley M. Amemiya
- University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Jeremy Schroeder
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Peter L. Freddolino
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Karambelkar S, Udupa S, Gowthami VN, Ramachandra SG, Swapna G, Nagaraja V. Emergence of a novel immune-evasion strategy from an ancestral protein fold in bacteriophage Mu. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:5294-5305. [PMID: 32369169 PMCID: PMC7261163 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2020] [Revised: 04/17/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The broad host range bacteriophage Mu employs a novel 'methylcarbamoyl' modification to protect its DNA from diverse restriction systems of its hosts. The DNA modification is catalyzed by a phage-encoded protein Mom, whose mechanism of action is a mystery. Here, we characterized the co-factor and metal-binding properties of Mom and provide a molecular mechanism to explain 'methylcarbamoyl'ation of DNA by Mom. Computational analyses revealed a conserved GNAT (GCN5-related N-acetyltransferase) fold in Mom. We demonstrate that Mom binds to acetyl CoA and identify the active site. We discovered that Mom is an iron-binding protein, with loss of Fe2+/3+-binding associated with loss of DNA modification activity. The importance of Fe2+/3+ is highlighted by the colocalization of Fe2+/3+ with acetyl CoA within the Mom active site. Puzzlingly, acid-base mechanisms employed by >309,000 GNAT members identified so far, fail to support methylcarbamoylation of adenine using acetyl CoA. In contrast, free-radical chemistry catalyzed by transition metals like Fe2+/3+ can explain the seemingly challenging reaction, accomplished by collaboration between acetyl CoA and Fe2+/3+. Thus, binding to Fe2+/3+, a small but unprecedented step in the evolution of Mom, allows a giant chemical leap from ordinary acetylation to a novel methylcarbamoylation function, while conserving the overall protein architecture.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shweta Karambelkar
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India.,Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore 560064, India
| | - Shubha Udupa
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Vykuntham Naga Gowthami
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | | | - Ganduri Swapna
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
| | - Valakunja Nagaraja
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India.,Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore 560064, India
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
NapA (Rv0430), a Novel Nucleoid-Associated Protein that Regulates a Virulence Operon in Mycobacterium tuberculosis in a Supercoiling-Dependent Manner. J Mol Biol 2019; 431:1576-1591. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2019.02.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2018] [Revised: 02/23/2019] [Accepted: 02/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
|
6
|
Duprey A, Muskhelishvili G, Reverchon S, Nasser W. Temporal control of Dickeya dadantii main virulence gene expression by growth phase-dependent alteration of regulatory nucleoprotein complexes. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-GENE REGULATORY MECHANISMS 2016; 1859:1470-1480. [PMID: 27498372 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagrm.2016.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2016] [Revised: 07/29/2016] [Accepted: 08/04/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
In bacteria, important genes are often controlled at the transcriptional level by several factors, forming a complex and intertwined web of interactions. Yet, transcriptional regulators are often studied separately and little information is available concerning their interactions. In this work, we dissect the regulation of the major virulence gene pelD in D. dadantii by taking into account the effects of individual binding sites for regulatory proteins FIS and CRP, and the impact of a newly discovered divergent promoter div. Using a combination of biochemistry and genetics approaches we provide an unprecedented level of detail on the multifactorial regulation of bacterial transcription. We show that the growth phase dependent regulation of pelD is under the control of changing composition of higher-order nucleoprotein complexes between FIS, CRP, div and pelD during the growth cycle that allow sequential expression of div and pelD in the early and late exponential growth phases, respectively. This work highlights the importance of "orphan" promoters in gene regulation and that the individual binding sites for a regulator can serve several purposes and have different effects on transcription, adding a new level of complexity to bacterial transcriptional regulation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre Duprey
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France; INSA-Lyon, F-69621 Villeurbanne, France; CNRS UMR5240 Microbiologie, Adaptation et Pathogénie, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Georgi Muskhelishvili
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France; INSA-Lyon, F-69621 Villeurbanne, France; CNRS UMR5240 Microbiologie, Adaptation et Pathogénie, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Sylvie Reverchon
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France; INSA-Lyon, F-69621 Villeurbanne, France; CNRS UMR5240 Microbiologie, Adaptation et Pathogénie, Villeurbanne, France
| | - William Nasser
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France; INSA-Lyon, F-69621 Villeurbanne, France; CNRS UMR5240 Microbiologie, Adaptation et Pathogénie, Villeurbanne, France.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Saha RP, Lou Z, Meng L, Harshey RM. Transposable prophage Mu is organized as a stable chromosomal domain of E. coli. PLoS Genet 2013; 9:e1003902. [PMID: 24244182 PMCID: PMC3820752 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1003902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2013] [Accepted: 09/06/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The E. coli chromosome is compacted by segregation into 400–500 supercoiled domains by both active and passive mechanisms, for example, transcription and DNA-protein association. We find that prophage Mu is organized as a stable domain bounded by the proximal location of Mu termini L and R, which are 37 kbp apart on the Mu genome. Formation/maintenance of the Mu ‘domain’ configuration, reported by Cre-loxP recombination and 3C (chromosome conformation capture), is dependent on a strong gyrase site (SGS) at the center of Mu, the Mu L end and MuB protein, and the E. coli nucleoid proteins IHF, Fis and HU. The Mu domain was observed at two different chromosomal locations tested. By contrast, prophage λ does not form an independent domain. The establishment/maintenance of the Mu domain was promoted by low-level transcription from two phage promoters, one of which was domain dependent. We propose that the domain confers transposition readiness to Mu by fostering topological requirements of the reaction and the proximity of Mu ends. The potential benefits to the host cell from a subset of proteins expressed by the prophage may in turn help its long-term stability. A majority of sequenced bacterial genomes harbor prophage sequences. Some prophages are viable, while others have decayed from accumulating mutations and genome rearrangements. Prophages, including defective ones, can contribute important biological properties such as antibiotic resistance, toxins, and serum resistance that increase the survival and ecological range of their hosts. We show in this study that the 37 kbp transposable prophage Mu exists in a unique configuration we call the ‘Mu domain’, where its two ends are paired, segregating the Mu sequences from those of the host chromosome. This is the largest stable chromosomal domain in E. coli mapped to date. The Mu domain configuration promotes low-level transcription from an early prophage promoter, which controls the expression of several genes, not all essential for phage growth. Some non-essential genes include DNA repair functions. We suggest that the Mu domain provides long-term survival benefits to both the prophage and the host: to the prophage in bestowing transposition-ready topological properties unique to the Mu reaction, and to the host in contributing extraneous DNA housekeeping functions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rudra P. Saha
- Department of Molecular Biosciences & Institute of Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States of America
| | - Zheng Lou
- Department of Molecular Biosciences & Institute of Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States of America
| | - Luke Meng
- Department of Molecular Biosciences & Institute of Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States of America
| | - Rasika M. Harshey
- Department of Molecular Biosciences & Institute of Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Wang H, Liu B, Wang Q, Wang L. Genome-wide analysis of the salmonella Fis regulon and its regulatory mechanism on pathogenicity islands. PLoS One 2013; 8:e64688. [PMID: 23717649 PMCID: PMC3662779 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0064688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2013] [Accepted: 04/17/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Fis, one of the most important nucleoid-associated proteins, functions as a global regulator of transcription in bacteria that has been comprehensively studied in Escherichia coli K12. Fis also influences the virulence of Salmonella enterica and pathogenic E. coli by regulating their virulence genes, however, the relevant mechanism is unclear. In this report, using combined RNA-seq and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-seq technologies, we first identified 1646 Fis-regulated genes and 885 Fis-binding targets in the S. enterica serovar Typhimurium, and found a Fis regulon different from that in E. coli. Fis has been reported to contribute to the invasion ability of S. enterica. By using cell infection assays, we found it also enhances the intracellular replication ability of S. enterica within macrophage cell, which is of central importance for the pathogenesis of infections. Salmonella pathogenicity islands (SPI)-1 and SPI-2 are crucial for the invasion and survival of S. enterica in host cells. Using mutation and overexpression experiments, real-time PCR analysis, and electrophoretic mobility shift assays, we demonstrated that Fis regulates 63 of the 94 Salmonella pathogenicity island (SPI)-1 and SPI-2 genes, by three regulatory modes: i) binds to SPI regulators in the gene body or in upstream regions; ii) binds to SPI genes directly to mediate transcriptional activation of themselves and downstream genes; iii) binds to gene encoding OmpR which affects SPI gene expression by controlling SPI regulators SsrA and HilD. Our results provide new insights into the impact of Fis on SPI genes and the pathogenicity of S. enterica.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hui Wang
- TEDA School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, TEDA, Tianjin, P. R. China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Microbial Functional Genomics, Tianjin, P. R. China
| | - Bin Liu
- TEDA School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, TEDA, Tianjin, P. R. China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Microbial Functional Genomics, Tianjin, P. R. China
| | - Quan Wang
- TEDA School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, TEDA, Tianjin, P. R. China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Microbial Functional Genomics, Tianjin, P. R. China
| | - Lei Wang
- TEDA School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, TEDA, Tianjin, P. R. China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Microbial Functional Genomics, Tianjin, P. R. China
- The Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin, P. R. China
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|