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Elg CA, Mack E, Rolfsmeier M, McLean TC, Kosterlitz O, Soderling E, Narum S, Rowley PA, Thomas CM, Top EM. Evolution of a Plasmid Regulatory Circuit Ameliorates Plasmid Fitness Cost. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.05.579024. [PMID: 38370613 PMCID: PMC10871194 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.05.579024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Plasmids play a major role in rapid adaptation of bacteria by facilitating horizontal transfer of diverse genes, most notably those conferring antibiotic resistance. While most plasmids that replicate in a broad range of bacteria also persist well in diverse hosts, there are exceptions that are poorly understood. We investigated why a broad-host range plasmid, pBP136, originally found in clinical Bordetella pertussis isolates, quickly became extinct in laboratory Escherichia coli populations. Through experimental evolution we found that inactivation of a previously uncharacterized plasmid gene, upf31, drastically improved plasmid maintenance in E. coli. This gene inactivation resulted in decreased transcription of the global plasmid regulators (korA, korB, and korC) and numerous genes in their regulons. It also caused transcriptional changes in many chromosomal genes primarily related to metabolism. In silico analyses suggested that the change in plasmid transcriptome may be initiated by Upf31 interacting with the plasmid regulator KorB. Expression of upf31 in trans negatively affected persistence of pBP136Δupf31 as well as the closely related archetypal IncP-1β plasmid R751, which is stable in E. coli and natively encodes a truncated upf31 allele. Our results demonstrate that while the upf31 allele in pBP136 might advantageously modulate gene expression in its original host, B. pertussis, it has harmful effects in E. coli. Thus, evolution of a single plasmid gene can change the range of hosts in which that plasmid persists, due to effects on the regulation of plasmid gene transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clinton A. Elg
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Program, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
| | - Erin Mack
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
| | - Michael Rolfsmeier
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
| | - Thomas C. McLean
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK
| | - Olivia Kosterlitz
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
- Biology Department, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | | | - Solana Narum
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Program, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
| | - Paul A. Rowley
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
| | | | - Eva M. Top
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Program, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
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Fernandez-Lopez R, Ruiz R, del Campo I, Gonzalez-Montes L, Boer D, de la Cruz F, Moncalian G. Structural basis of direct and inverted DNA sequence repeat recognition by helix-turn-helix transcription factors. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:11938-11947. [PMID: 36370103 PMCID: PMC9723621 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac1024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Some transcription factors bind DNA motifs containing direct or inverted sequence repeats. Preference for each of these DNA topologies is dictated by structural constraints. Most prokaryotic regulators form symmetric oligomers, which require operators with a dyad structure. Binding to direct repeats requires breaking the internal symmetry, a property restricted to a few regulators, most of them from the AraC family. The KorA family of transcriptional repressors, involved in plasmid propagation and stability, includes members that form symmetric dimers and recognize inverted repeats. Our structural analyses show that ArdK, a member of this family, can form a symmetric dimer similar to that observed for KorA, yet it binds direct sequence repeats as a non-symmetric dimer. This is possible by the 180° rotation of one of the helix-turn-helix domains. We then probed and confirmed that ArdK shows affinity for an inverted repeat, which, surprisingly, is also recognized by a non-symmetrical dimer. Our results indicate that structural flexibility at different positions in the dimerization interface constrains transcription factors to bind DNA sequences with one of these two alternative DNA topologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raul Fernandez-Lopez
- Departamento de Biología Molecular, Universidad de Cantabria and Instituto de Biomedicina y Biotecnología de Cantabria (IBBTEC), CSIC-Universidad de Cantabria, 39011, Santander, Spain
| | - Raul Ruiz
- Departamento de Biología Molecular, Universidad de Cantabria and Instituto de Biomedicina y Biotecnología de Cantabria (IBBTEC), CSIC-Universidad de Cantabria, 39011, Santander, Spain
| | - Irene del Campo
- Departamento de Biología Molecular, Universidad de Cantabria and Instituto de Biomedicina y Biotecnología de Cantabria (IBBTEC), CSIC-Universidad de Cantabria, 39011, Santander, Spain
| | - Lorena Gonzalez-Montes
- Departamento de Biología Molecular, Universidad de Cantabria and Instituto de Biomedicina y Biotecnología de Cantabria (IBBTEC), CSIC-Universidad de Cantabria, 39011, Santander, Spain
| | - D Roeland Boer
- Alba Synchrotron, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08290, Barcelona, Spain
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Silveira MC, Albano RM, Rocha-de-Souza CM, Leão RS, Marques EA, Picão RC, Kraychete GB, de Oliveira Santos IC, Oliveira TRTE, Tavares-Teixeira CB, Carvalho-Assef APD. Description of a novel IncP plasmid harboring bla KPC-2 recovered from a SPM-1-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa from ST277. INFECTION, GENETICS AND EVOLUTION : JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY AND EVOLUTIONARY GENETICS IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2022; 102:105302. [PMID: 35568335 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2022.105302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Revised: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The high rates of carbapenem resistance among Brazilian Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates are mainly associated with the clone ST277 producing the carbapenemase SPM-1. Here, the complete genetic composition of a IncP plasmid harboring blaKPC-2 in isolates of this endemic clone carrying chromosomal blaSPM-1 was described using whole genome sequencing. These results confirm the association of these two carbapenemases in ST277 and also describe the genetic composition of a novel blaKPC-2-plasmid. Considering the fact that this association occurs in a high-risk clone, monitoring the dissemination of this plasmid should be a public health concern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melise Chaves Silveira
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Infecção Hospitalar (LAPIH), Instituto Oswaldo Cruz - FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Rodolpho Mattos Albano
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Biologia Roberto de Alcântara Gomes, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro - UERJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Robson Souza Leão
- Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro - UERJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Elizabeth Andrade Marques
- Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro - UERJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Renata Cristina Picão
- Laboratório de Investigação em Microbiologia Médica (LIMM), Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Gabriela Bergiante Kraychete
- Laboratório de Investigação em Microbiologia Médica (LIMM), Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Lewicka E, Mitura M, Steczkiewicz K, Kieracinska J, Skrzynska K, Adamczyk M, Jagura-Burdzy G. Unique Properties of the Alpha-Helical DNA-Binding Protein KfrA Encoded by the IncU Incompatibility Group Plasmid RA3 and Its Host-Dependent Role in Plasmid Maintenance. Appl Environ Microbiol 2021; 87:e01771-20. [PMID: 33097508 PMCID: PMC7783346 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01771-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Accepted: 10/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
KfrA, encoded on the broad-host-range RA3 plasmid, is an alpha-helical DNA-binding protein that acts as a transcriptional autoregulator. The KfrARA3 operator site overlaps the kfrA promoter and is composed of five 9-bp direct repeats (DRs). Here, the biological properties of KfrA were studied using both in vivo and in vitro approaches. Localization of the DNA-binding helix-turn-helix motif (HTH) was mapped to the N29-R52 region by protein structure modeling and confirmed by alanine scanning. KfrA repressor ability depended on the number and orientation of DRs in the operator, as well as the ability of the protein to oligomerize. The long alpha-helical tail from residues 54 to 355 was shown to be involved in self-interactions, whereas the region from residue 54 to 177 was involved in heterodimerization with KfrC, another RA3-encoded alpha-helical protein. KfrA also interacted with the segrosome proteins IncC (ParA) and KorB (ParB), representatives of the class Ia active partition systems. Deletion of the kfr genes from the RA3 stability module decreased the plasmid retention in diverse hosts in a species-dependent manner. The specific interactions of KfrA with DNA are essential not only for the transcriptional regulatory function but also for the accessory role of KfrA in stable plasmid maintenance.IMPORTANCE Alpha-helical coiled-coil KfrA-type proteins are encoded by various broad-host-range low-copy-number conjugative plasmids. The DNA-binding protein KfrA encoded on the RA3 plasmid, a member of the IncU incompatibility group, oligomerizes, forms a complex with another plasmid-encoded, alpha-helical protein, KfrC, and interacts with the segrosome proteins IncC and KorB. The unique mode of KfrA dimer binding to the repetitive operator is required for a KfrA role in the stable maintenance of RA3 plasmid in distinct hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewa Lewicka
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Department of Microbial Biochemistry, PAS, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Monika Mitura
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Department of Microbial Biochemistry, PAS, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Kamil Steczkiewicz
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Department of Bioinformatics, PAS, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Justyna Kieracinska
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Department of Microbial Biochemistry, PAS, Warsaw, Poland
- Warsaw University of Technology, Faculty of Chemistry, Chair of Drug and Cosmetics Biotechnology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Kamila Skrzynska
- Warsaw University of Technology, Faculty of Chemistry, Chair of Drug and Cosmetics Biotechnology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Malgorzata Adamczyk
- Warsaw University of Technology, Faculty of Chemistry, Chair of Drug and Cosmetics Biotechnology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Grazyna Jagura-Burdzy
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Department of Microbial Biochemistry, PAS, Warsaw, Poland
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Hyde EI, Callow P, Rajasekar KV, Timmins P, Patel TR, Siligardi G, Hussain R, White SA, Thomas CM, Scott DJ. Intrinsic disorder in the partitioning protein KorB persists after co-operative complex formation with operator DNA and KorA. Biochem J 2017; 474:3121-3135. [PMID: 28760886 PMCID: PMC5577506 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20170281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2017] [Revised: 07/26/2017] [Accepted: 07/31/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The ParB protein, KorB, from the RK2 plasmid is required for DNA partitioning and transcriptional repression. It acts co-operatively with other proteins, including the repressor KorA. Like many multifunctional proteins, KorB contains regions of intrinsically disordered structure, existing in a large ensemble of interconverting conformations. Using NMR spectroscopy, circular dichroism and small-angle neutron scattering, we studied KorB selectively within its binary complexes with KorA and DNA, and within the ternary KorA/KorB/DNA complex. The bound KorB protein remains disordered with a mobile C-terminal domain and no changes in the secondary structure, but increases in the radius of gyration on complex formation. Comparison of wild-type KorB with an N-terminal deletion mutant allows a model of the ensemble average distances between the domains when bound to DNA. We propose that the positive co-operativity between KorB, KorA and DNA results from conformational restriction of KorB on binding each partner, while maintaining disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva I Hyde
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, U.K.
| | - Philip Callow
- Institut Laue Langevin, 71 avenue des Martyrs, CS 20156, 38042 Grenoble Cedex 9, France
| | | | - Peter Timmins
- Institut Laue Langevin, 71 avenue des Martyrs, CS 20156, 38042 Grenoble Cedex 9, France
| | - Trushar R Patel
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, U.K
| | - Giuliano Siligardi
- Diamond Light Source Ltd, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, U.K
| | - Rohanah Hussain
- Diamond Light Source Ltd, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, U.K
| | - Scott A White
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, U.K
| | | | - David J Scott
- School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Leicestershire LE12 5RD, U.K.
- ISIS Neutron and Muon Spallation Source and Research Complex at Harwell, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Oxfordshire, U.K
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