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Martínez LE, Gómez G, Ramírez N, Franco B, Robleto EA, Pedraza-Reyes M. 8-OxoG-Dependent Regulation of Global Protein Responses Leads to Mutagenesis and Stress Survival in Bacillus subtilis. Antioxidants (Basel) 2024; 13:332. [PMID: 38539865 PMCID: PMC10968225 DOI: 10.3390/antiox13030332] [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: 01/31/2024] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
The guanine oxidized (GO) system of Bacillus subtilis, composed of the YtkD (MutT), MutM and MutY proteins, counteracts the cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of the oxidized nucleobase 8-OxoG. Here, we report that in growing B. subtilis cells, the genetic inactivation of GO system potentiated mutagenesis (HPM), and subsequent hyperresistance, contributes to the damaging effects of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) (HPHR). The mechanism(s) that connect the accumulation of the mutagenic lesion 8-OxoG with the ability of B. subtilis to evolve and survive the noxious effects of oxidative stress were dissected. Genetic and biochemical evidence indicated that the synthesis of KatA was exacerbated, in a PerR-independent manner, and the transcriptional coupling repair factor, Mfd, contributed to HPHR and HPM of the ΔGO strain. Moreover, these phenotypes are associated with wider pleiotropic effects, as revealed by a global proteome analysis. The inactivation of the GO system results in the upregulated production of KatA, and it reprograms the synthesis of the proteins involved in distinct types of cellular stress; this has a direct impact on (i) cysteine catabolism, (ii) the synthesis of iron-sulfur clusters, (iii) the reorganization of cell wall architecture, (iv) the activation of AhpC/AhpF-independent organic peroxide resistance, and (v) increased resistance to transcription-acting antibiotics. Therefore, to contend with the cytotoxic and genotoxic effects derived from the accumulation of 8-OxoG, B. subtilis activates the synthesis of proteins belonging to transcriptional regulons that respond to a wide, diverse range of cell stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lissett E. Martínez
- Department of Biology, Division of Natural and Exact Sciences, University of Guanajuato, Guanajuato 36050, Mexico; (L.E.M.); (G.G.); (N.R.); (B.F.)
| | - Gerardo Gómez
- Department of Biology, Division of Natural and Exact Sciences, University of Guanajuato, Guanajuato 36050, Mexico; (L.E.M.); (G.G.); (N.R.); (B.F.)
| | - Norma Ramírez
- Department of Biology, Division of Natural and Exact Sciences, University of Guanajuato, Guanajuato 36050, Mexico; (L.E.M.); (G.G.); (N.R.); (B.F.)
| | - Bernardo Franco
- Department of Biology, Division of Natural and Exact Sciences, University of Guanajuato, Guanajuato 36050, Mexico; (L.E.M.); (G.G.); (N.R.); (B.F.)
| | - Eduardo A. Robleto
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89557, USA;
| | - Mario Pedraza-Reyes
- Department of Biology, Division of Natural and Exact Sciences, University of Guanajuato, Guanajuato 36050, Mexico; (L.E.M.); (G.G.); (N.R.); (B.F.)
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2
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Galindez G, List M, Baumbach J, Völker U, Mäder U, Blumenthal DB, Kacprowski T. Inference of differential gene regulatory networks using boosted differential trees. BIOINFORMATICS ADVANCES 2024; 4:vbae034. [PMID: 38505804 PMCID: PMC10948285 DOI: 10.1093/bioadv/vbae034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
Summary Diseases can be caused by molecular perturbations that induce specific changes in regulatory interactions and their coordinated expression, also referred to as network rewiring. However, the detection of complex changes in regulatory connections remains a challenging task and would benefit from the development of novel nonparametric approaches. We develop a new ensemble method called BoostDiff (boosted differential regression trees) to infer a differential network discriminating between two conditions. BoostDiff builds an adaptively boosted (AdaBoost) ensemble of differential trees with respect to a target condition. To build the differential trees, we propose differential variance improvement as a novel splitting criterion. Variable importance measures derived from the resulting models are used to reflect changes in gene expression predictability and to build the output differential networks. BoostDiff outperforms existing differential network methods on simulated data evaluated in four different complexity settings. We then demonstrate the power of our approach when applied to real transcriptomics data in COVID-19, Crohn's disease, breast cancer, prostate adenocarcinoma, and stress response in Bacillus subtilis. BoostDiff identifies context-specific networks that are enriched with genes of known disease-relevant pathways and complements standard differential expression analyses. Availability and implementation BoostDiff is available at https://github.com/scibiome/boostdiff_inference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gihanna Galindez
- Division Data Science in Biomedicine, Peter L. Reichertz Institute for Medical Informatics of Technische Universität Braunschweig and Hannover Medical School, Braunschweig, 38106, Germany
- Braunschweig Integrated Centre of Systems Biology (BRICS), TU Braunschweig, Braunschweig, 38106, Germany
| | - Markus List
- Experimental Bioinformatics, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Munich, 85354, Germany
| | - Jan Baumbach
- Institute for Computational Systems Biology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, 22607, Germany
- Computational Biomedicine Lab, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, 5230, Denmark
| | - Uwe Völker
- Department of Functional Genomics, Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, 17475, Germany
| | - Ulrike Mäder
- Department of Functional Genomics, Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, 17475, Germany
| | - David B Blumenthal
- Biomedical Network Science Lab, Department of Artificial Intelligence in Biomedical Engineering, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, 91052, Germany
| | - Tim Kacprowski
- Division Data Science in Biomedicine, Peter L. Reichertz Institute for Medical Informatics of Technische Universität Braunschweig and Hannover Medical School, Braunschweig, 38106, Germany
- Braunschweig Integrated Centre of Systems Biology (BRICS), TU Braunschweig, Braunschweig, 38106, Germany
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Skoog EJ, Fournier GP, Bosak T. Assessing the Influence of HGT on the Evolution of Stress Responses in Microbial Communities from Shark Bay, Western Australia. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:2168. [PMID: 38136990 PMCID: PMC10742547 DOI: 10.3390/genes14122168] [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: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Pustular microbial mats in Shark Bay, Western Australia, are modern analogs of microbial systems that colonized peritidal environments before the evolution of complex life. To understand how these microbial communities evolved to grow and metabolize in the presence of various environmental stresses, the horizontal gene transfer (HGT) detection tool, MetaCHIP, was used to identify the horizontal transfer of genes related to stress response in 83 metagenome-assembled genomes from a Shark Bay pustular mat. Subsequently, maximum-likelihood phylogenies were constructed using these genes and their most closely related homologs from other environments in order to determine the likelihood of these HGT events occurring within the pustular mat. Phylogenies of several stress-related genes-including those involved in response to osmotic stress, oxidative stress and arsenic toxicity-indicate a potentially long history of HGT events and are consistent with these transfers occurring outside of modern pustular mats. The phylogeny of a particular osmoprotectant transport gene reveals relatively recent adaptations and suggests interactions between Planctomycetota and Myxococcota within these pustular mats. Overall, HGT phylogenies support a potentially broad distribution in the relative timing of the HGT events of stress-related genes and demonstrate ongoing microbial adaptations and evolution in these pustular mat communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilie J. Skoog
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; (G.P.F.); (T.B.)
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Gregory P. Fournier
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; (G.P.F.); (T.B.)
| | - Tanja Bosak
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; (G.P.F.); (T.B.)
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4
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Lagzian A, Riseh RS, Sarikhan S, Ghorbani A, Khodaygan P, Borriss R, Guzzi PH, Veltri P. Genome mining conformance to metabolite profile of Bacillus strains to control potato pathogens. Sci Rep 2023; 13:19095. [PMID: 37925555 PMCID: PMC10625545 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46672-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Biocontrol agents are safe and effective methods for controlling plant disease pathogens, such as Fusarium solani, which causes dry wilt, and Pectobacterium spp., responsible for potato soft rot disease. Discovering agents that can effectively control both fungal and bacterial pathogens in potatoes has always presented a challenge. Biological controls were investigated using 500 bacterial strains isolated from rhizospheric microbial communities, along with two promising biocontrol strains: Pseudomonas (T17-4 and VUPf5). Bacillus velezensis (Q12 and US1) and Pseudomonas chlororaphis VUPf5 exhibited the highest inhibition of fungal growth and pathogenicity in both laboratory (48%, 48%, 38%) and greenhouse (100%, 85%, 90%) settings. Q12 demonstrated better control against bacterial pathogens in vivo (approximately 50%). Whole-genome sequencing of Q12 and US1 revealed a genome size of approximately 4.1 Mb. Q12 had 4413 gene IDs and 4300 coding sequences, while US1 had 4369 gene IDs and 4255 coding sequences. Q12 exhibited a higher number of genes classified under functional subcategories related to stress response, cell wall, capsule, levansucrase synthesis, and polysaccharide metabolism. Both Q12 and US1 contained eleven secondary metabolite gene clusters as identified by the antiSMASH and RAST servers. Notably, Q12 possessed the antibacterial locillomycin and iturin A gene clusters, which were absent in US1. This genetic information suggests that Q12 may have a more pronounced control over bacterial pathogens compared to US1. Metabolic profiling of the superior strains, as determined by LC/MS/MS, validated our genetic findings. The investigated strains produced compounds such as iturin A, bacillomycin D, surfactin, fengycin, phenazine derivatives, etc. These compounds reduced spore production and caused deformation of the hyphae in F. solani. In contrast, B. velezensis UR1, which lacked the production of surfactin, fengycin, and iturin, did not affect these structures and failed to inhibit the growth of any pathogens. Our findings suggest that locillomycin and iturin A may contribute to the enhanced control of bacterial pectolytic rot by Q12.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arezoo Lagzian
- Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Vali-e-Asr University of Rafsanjan, Rafsanjan, Iran
| | - Roohallah Saberi Riseh
- Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Vali-e-Asr University of Rafsanjan, Rafsanjan, Iran
| | - Sajjad Sarikhan
- Molecular Bank, Iranian Biological Resource Center (IBRC), ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Abozar Ghorbani
- Nuclear Agriculture Research School, Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute, Karaj, Iran.
| | - Pejman Khodaygan
- Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Vali-e-Asr University of Rafsanjan, Rafsanjan, Iran
| | - Rainer Borriss
- Institute of Biology, Humboldt University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Pietro Hiram Guzzi
- Department of Surgical and Medical Sciences, University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy.
| | - Pierangelo Veltri
- Department of Informatics Modeling Electronics and System Engineering, University of Calabria, Calabria, Italy
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Loman TE, Locke JCW. The σB alternative sigma factor circuit modulates noise to generate different types of pulsing dynamics. PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1011265. [PMID: 37540712 PMCID: PMC10431680 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Single-cell approaches are revealing a high degree of heterogeneity, or noise, in gene expression in isogenic bacteria. How gene circuits modulate this noise in gene expression to generate robust output dynamics is unclear. Here we use the Bacillus subtilis alternative sigma factor σB as a model system for understanding the role of noise in generating circuit output dynamics. σB controls the general stress response in B. subtilis and is activated by a range of energy and environmental stresses. Recent single-cell studies have revealed that the circuit can generate two distinct outputs, stochastic pulsing and a single pulse response, but the conditions under which each response is generated are under debate. We implement a stochastic mathematical model of the σB circuit to investigate this and find that the system's core circuit can generate both response types. This is despite one response (stochastic pulsing) being stochastic in nature, and the other (single response pulse) being deterministic. We demonstrate that the main determinant for whichever response is generated is the degree with which the input pathway activates the core circuit, although the noise properties of the input pathway also biases the system towards one or the other type of output. Thus, our work shows how stochastic modelling can reveal the mechanisms behind non-intuitive gene circuit output dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Torkel E. Loman
- Sainsbury Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - James C. W. Locke
- Sainsbury Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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6
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Yeak KYC, Tempelaars M, Wu JL, Westerveld W, Reder A, Michalik S, Dhople VM, Völker U, Pané-Farré J, Wells-Bennik MHJ, Abee T. SigB modulates expression of novel SigB regulon members via Bc1009 in non-stressed and heat-stressed cells revealing its alternative roles in Bacillus cereus. BMC Microbiol 2023; 23:37. [PMID: 36759782 PMCID: PMC9912610 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-023-02783-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Bacillus cereus Sigma B (SigB) dependent general stress response is activated via the two-component RsbKY system, which involves a phosphate transfer from RsbK to RsbY. It has been hypothesized that the Hpr-like phosphocarrier protein (Bc1009) encoded by bc1009 in the SigB gene cluster may play a role in this transfer, thereby acting as a regulator of SigB activation. Alternatively, Bc1009 may be involved in the activation of a subset of SigB regulon members. RESULTS We first investigated the potential role of bc1009 to act as a SigB regulator but ruled out this possibility as the deletion of bc1009 did not affect the expression of sigB and other SigB gene cluster members. The SigB-dependent functions of Bc1009 were further examined in B. cereus ATCC14579 via comparative proteome profiling (backed up by transcriptomics) of wt, Δbc1009 and ΔsigB deletion mutants under heat stress at 42 °C. This revealed 284 proteins displaying SigB-dependent alterations in protein expression levels in heat-stressed cells, including a subgroup of 138 proteins for which alterations were also Bc1009-dependent. Next to proteins with roles in stress defense, newly identified SigB and Bc1009-dependent proteins have roles in cell motility, signal transduction, transcription, cell wall biogenesis, and amino acid transport and metabolism. Analysis of lethal stress survival at 50 °C after pre-adaptation at 42 °C showed intermediate survival efficacy of Δbc1009 cells, highest survival of wt, and lowest survival of ΔsigB cells, respectively. Additional comparative proteome analysis of non-stressed wt and mutant cells at 30 °C revealed 96 proteins with SigB and Bc1009-dependent differences in levels: 51 were also identified under heat stress, and 45 showed significant differential expression at 30 °C. This includes proteins with roles in carbohydrate/ion transport and metabolism. Overlapping functions at 30 °C and 42 °C included proteins involved in motility, and ΔsigB and Δbc1009 cells showed reduced motility compared to wt cells in swimming assays at both temperatures. CONCLUSION Our results extend the B. cereus SigB regulon to > 300 members, with a novel role of SigB-dependent Bc1009 in the activation of a subregulon of > 180 members, conceivably via interactions with other transcriptional regulatory networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kah Yen Claire Yeak
- grid.419921.60000 0004 0588 7915NIZO, Kernhemseweg 2, PO Box 20, 6718 ZB Ede, The Netherlands ,grid.4818.50000 0001 0791 5666Food Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, PO Box 8129, 6700 EV Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Marcel Tempelaars
- grid.4818.50000 0001 0791 5666Food Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, PO Box 8129, 6700 EV Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jia Lun Wu
- grid.4818.50000 0001 0791 5666Food Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, PO Box 8129, 6700 EV Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Wouter Westerveld
- grid.4818.50000 0001 0791 5666Food Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, PO Box 8129, 6700 EV Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Alexander Reder
- grid.5603.0Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Stephan Michalik
- grid.5603.0Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Vishnu M. Dhople
- grid.5603.0Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Uwe Völker
- grid.5603.0Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Jan Pané-Farré
- grid.10253.350000 0004 1936 9756Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO) & Department of Chemistry, Philipps-University Marburg, Karl-Von-Frisch-Strasse 14, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | | | - Tjakko Abee
- Food Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, PO Box 8129, 6700 EV, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
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Yeak KYC, Boekhorst J, Wels M, Abee T, Wells-Bennik MHJ. Prediction and validation of novel SigB regulon members in Bacillus subtilis and regulon structure comparison to Bacillales members. BMC Microbiol 2023; 23:17. [PMID: 36653740 PMCID: PMC9847131 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-022-02700-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sigma factor B (SigB) is the central regulator of the general stress response in Bacillus subtilis and regulates a group of genes in response to various stressors, known as the SigB regulon members. Genes that are directly regulated by SigB contain a promotor binding motif (PBM) with a previously identified consensus sequence. RESULTS In this study, refined SigB PBMs were derived and different spacer compositions and lengths (N12-N17) were taken into account. These were used to identify putative SigB-regulated genes in the B. subtilis genome, revealing 255 genes: 99 had been described in the literature and 156 genes were newly identified, increasing the number of SigB putative regulon members (with and without a SigB PBM) to > 500 in B. subtilis. The 255 genes were assigned to five categories (I-V) based on their similarity to the original SigB consensus sequences. The functionalities of selected representatives per category were assessed using promoter-reporter fusions in wt and ΔsigB mutants upon exposure to heat, ethanol, and salt stress. The activity of the PrsbV (I) positive control was induced upon exposure to all three stressors. PytoQ (II) showed SigB-dependent activity only upon exposure to ethanol, whereas PpucI (II) with a N17 spacer and PylaL (III) with a N16 spacer showed mild induction regardless of heat/ethanol/salt stress. PywzA (III) and PyaaI (IV) displayed ethanol-specific SigB-dependent activities despite a lower-level conserved - 10 binding motif. PgtaB (V) was SigB-induced under ethanol and salt stress while lacking a conserved - 10 binding region. The activities of PygaO and PykaA (III) did not show evident changes under the conditions tested despite having a SigB PBM that highly resembled the consensus. The identified extended SigB regulon candidates in B. subtilis are mainly involved in coping with stress but are also engaged in other cellular processes. Orthologs of SigB regulon candidates with SigB PBMs were identified in other Bacillales genomes, but not all showed a SigB PBM. Additionally, genes involved in the integration of stress signals to activate SigB were predicted in these genomes, indicating that SigB signaling and regulon genes are species-specific. CONCLUSION The entire SigB regulatory network is sophisticated and not yet fully understood even for the well-characterized organism B. subtilis 168. Knowledge and information gained in this study can be used in further SigB studies to uncover a complete picture of the role of SigB in B. subtilis and other species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kah Yen Claire Yeak
- grid.419921.60000 0004 0588 7915NIZO, Ede, The Netherlands ,grid.4818.50000 0001 0791 5666Food Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jos Boekhorst
- grid.419921.60000 0004 0588 7915NIZO, Ede, The Netherlands ,grid.4818.50000 0001 0791 5666Host Microbe Interactomics Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Michiel Wels
- grid.419921.60000 0004 0588 7915NIZO, Ede, The Netherlands ,grid.426040.4Rijk Zwaan Breeding B.V, Fijnaart, The Netherlands
| | - Tjakko Abee
- grid.4818.50000 0001 0791 5666Food Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
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Dubay MM, Johnston N, Wronkiewicz M, Lee J, Lindensmith CA, Nadeau JL. Quantification of Motility in Bacillus subtilis at Temperatures Up to 84°C Using a Submersible Volumetric Microscope and Automated Tracking. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:836808. [PMID: 35531296 PMCID: PMC9069135 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.836808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We describe a system for high-temperature investigations of bacterial motility using a digital holographic microscope completely submerged in heated water. Temperatures above 90°C could be achieved, with a constant 5°C offset between the sample temperature and the surrounding water bath. Using this system, we observed active motility in Bacillus subtilis up to 66°C. As temperatures rose, most cells became immobilized on the surface, but a fraction of cells remained highly motile at distances of >100 μm above the surface. Suspended non-motile cells showed Brownian motion that scaled consistently with temperature and viscosity. A novel open-source automated tracking package was used to obtain 2D tracks of motile cells and quantify motility parameters, showing that swimming speed increased with temperature until ∼40°C, then plateaued. These findings are consistent with the observed heterogeneity of B. subtilis populations, and represent the highest reported temperature for swimming in this species. This technique is a simple, low-cost method for quantifying motility at high temperatures and could be useful for investigation of many different cell types, including thermophilic archaea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan M. Dubay
- Department of Physics, Portland State University, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Nikki Johnston
- Department of Physics, Portland State University, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Mark Wronkiewicz
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States
| | - Jake Lee
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States
| | | | - Jay L. Nadeau
- Department of Physics, Portland State University, Portland, OR, United States
- *Correspondence: Jay L. Nadeau,
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Matavacas J, von Wachenfeldt C. Update on the Protein Homeostasis Network in Bacillus subtilis. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:865141. [PMID: 35350626 PMCID: PMC8957991 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.865141] [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: 01/29/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein homeostasis is fundamental to cell function and survival. It relies on an interconnected network of processes involving protein synthesis, folding, post-translational modification and degradation as well as regulators of these processes. Here we provide an update on the roles, regulation and subcellular localization of the protein homeostasis machinery in the Gram-positive model organism Bacillus subtilis. We discuss emerging ideas and current research gaps in the field that, if tackled, increase our understanding of how Gram-positive bacteria, including several human pathogens, maintain protein homeostasis and cope with stressful conditions that challenge their survival.
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10
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Appelbaum M, Schweder T. Metabolic Engineering of
Bacillus
– New Tools, Strains, and Concepts. Metab Eng 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/9783527823468.ch13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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11
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Vohradsky J, Schwarz M, Ramaniuk O, Ruiz-Larrabeiti O, Vaňková Hausnerová V, Šanderová H, Krásný L. Kinetic Modeling and Meta-Analysis of the Bacillus subtilis SigB Regulon during Spore Germination and Outgrowth. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9010112. [PMID: 33466511 PMCID: PMC7824861 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9010112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Revised: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The exponential increase in the number of conducted studies combined with the development of sequencing methods have led to an enormous accumulation of partially processed experimental data in the past two decades. Here, we present an approach using literature-mined data complemented with gene expression kinetic modeling and promoter sequence analysis. This approach allowed us to identify the regulon of Bacillus subtilis sigma factor SigB of RNA polymerase (RNAP) specifically expressed during germination and outgrowth. SigB is critical for the cell's response to general stress but is also expressed during spore germination and outgrowth, and this specific regulon is not known. This approach allowed us to (i) define a subset of the known SigB regulon controlled by SigB specifically during spore germination and outgrowth, (ii) identify the influence of the promoter sequence binding motif organization on the expression of the SigB-regulated genes, and (iii) suggest additional sigma factors co-controlling other SigB-dependent genes. Experiments then validated promoter sequence characteristics necessary for direct RNAP-SigB binding. In summary, this work documents the potential of computational approaches to unravel new information even for a well-studied system; moreover, the study specifically identifies the subset of the SigB regulon, which is activated during germination and outgrowth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiri Vohradsky
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Vídeňská 1083, 14220 Prague, Czech Republic;
- Correspondence:
| | - Marek Schwarz
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Vídeňská 1083, 14220 Prague, Czech Republic;
| | - Olga Ramaniuk
- Laboratory of Microbial Genetics and Gene Expression, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Vídeňská 1083, 14220 Prague, Czech Republic; (O.R.); (O.R.-L.); (V.V.H.); (H.Š.); (L.K.)
| | - Olatz Ruiz-Larrabeiti
- Laboratory of Microbial Genetics and Gene Expression, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Vídeňská 1083, 14220 Prague, Czech Republic; (O.R.); (O.R.-L.); (V.V.H.); (H.Š.); (L.K.)
- Bacterial Stress Response Research Group, Department of Immunology, Microbiology and Parasitology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, 48940 Leioa, Spain
| | - Viola Vaňková Hausnerová
- Laboratory of Microbial Genetics and Gene Expression, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Vídeňská 1083, 14220 Prague, Czech Republic; (O.R.); (O.R.-L.); (V.V.H.); (H.Š.); (L.K.)
| | - Hana Šanderová
- Laboratory of Microbial Genetics and Gene Expression, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Vídeňská 1083, 14220 Prague, Czech Republic; (O.R.); (O.R.-L.); (V.V.H.); (H.Š.); (L.K.)
| | - Libor Krásný
- Laboratory of Microbial Genetics and Gene Expression, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Vídeňská 1083, 14220 Prague, Czech Republic; (O.R.); (O.R.-L.); (V.V.H.); (H.Š.); (L.K.)
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12
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Bonilla CY. Generally Stressed Out Bacteria: Environmental Stress Response Mechanisms in Gram-Positive Bacteria. Integr Comp Biol 2020; 60:126-133. [PMID: 32044998 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icaa002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to monitor the environment for toxic chemical and physical disturbances is essential for bacteria that live in dynamic environments. The fundamental sensing mechanisms and physiological responses that allow bacteria to thrive are conserved even if the molecular components of these pathways are not. The bacterial general stress response (GSR) represents a conceptual model for how one pathway integrates a wide range of environmental signals, and how a generalized system with broad molecular responses is coordinated to promote survival likely through complementary pathways. Environmental stress signals such as heat, osmotic stress, and pH changes are received by sensor proteins that through a signaling cascade activate the sigma factor, SigB, to regulate over 200 genes. Additionally, the GSR plays an important role in stress priming that increases bacterial fitness to unrelated subsequent stressors such as oxidative compounds. While the GSR response is implicated during oxidative stress, the reason for its activation remains unknown and suggests crosstalk between environmental and oxidative stress sensors and responses to coordinate antioxidant functions. Systems levels studies of cellular responses such as transcriptomes, proteomes, and metabolomes of stressed bacteria and single-cell analysis could shed light into the regulated functions that protect, remediate, and minimize damage during dynamic environments. This perspective will focus on fundamental stress sensing mechanisms and responses in Gram-positive bacterial species to illustrate their commonalities at the molecular and physiological levels; summarize exciting directions; and highlight how system-level approaches can help us understand bacterial physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Y Bonilla
- Biology Department, Gonzaga University, 502 East Boone Avenue, Spokane, WA 99258, USA
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13
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Rath H, Sappa PK, Hoffmann T, Gesell Salazar M, Reder A, Steil L, Hecker M, Bremer E, Mäder U, Völker U. Impact of high salinity and the compatible solute glycine betaine on gene expression of Bacillus subtilis. Environ Microbiol 2020; 22:3266-3286. [PMID: 32419322 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2020] [Revised: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis is frequently exposed to hyperosmotic conditions. In addition to the induction of genes involved in the accumulation of compatible solutes, high salinity exerts widespread effects on B. subtilis physiology, including changes in cell wall metabolism, induction of an iron limitation response, reduced motility and suppression of sporulation. We performed a combined whole-transcriptome and proteome analysis of B. subtilis 168 cells continuously cultivated at low or high (1.2 M NaCl) salinity. Our study revealed significant changes in the expression of more than one-fourth of the protein-coding genes and of numerous non-coding RNAs. New aspects in understanding the impact of high salinity on B. subtilis include a sustained low-level induction of the SigB-dependent general stress response and strong repression of biofilm formation under high-salinity conditions. The accumulation of compatible solutes such as glycine betaine aids the cells to cope with water stress by maintaining physiologically adequate levels of turgor and also affects multiple cellular processes through interactions with cellular components. Therefore, we additionally analysed the global effects of glycine betaine on the transcriptome and proteome of B. subtilis and revealed that it influences gene expression not only under high-salinity, but also under standard growth conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hermann Rath
- Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Praveen K Sappa
- Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Tamara Hoffmann
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Department of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Manuela Gesell Salazar
- Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Alexander Reder
- Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Leif Steil
- Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Michael Hecker
- Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.,Institute of Marine Biotechnology e.V. (IMaB), Greifswald, Germany
| | - Erhard Bremer
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Department of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Ulrike Mäder
- Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Uwe Völker
- Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.,Institute of Marine Biotechnology e.V. (IMaB), Greifswald, Germany
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14
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Rath H, Reder A, Hoffmann T, Hammer E, Seubert A, Bremer E, Völker U, Mäder U. Management of Osmoprotectant Uptake Hierarchy in Bacillus subtilis via a SigB-Dependent Antisense RNA. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:622. [PMID: 32373088 PMCID: PMC7186363 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.00622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 03/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Under hyperosmotic conditions, bacteria accumulate compatible solutes through synthesis or import. Bacillus subtilis imports a large set of osmostress protectants via five osmotically controlled transport systems (OpuA to OpuE). Biosynthesis of the particularly effective osmoprotectant glycine betaine requires the exogenous supply of choline. While OpuB is rather specific for choline, OpuC imports a broad spectrum of compatible solutes, including choline and glycine betaine. One previously mapped antisense RNA of B. subtilis, S1290, exhibits strong and transient expression in response to a suddenly imposed salt stress. It covers the coding region of the opuB operon and is expressed from a strictly SigB-dependent promoter. By inactivation of this promoter and analysis of opuB and opuC transcript levels, we discovered a time-delayed osmotic induction of opuB that crucially depends on the S1290 antisense RNA and on the degree of the imposed osmotic stress. Time-delayed osmotic induction of opuB is apparently caused by transcriptional interference of RNA-polymerase complexes driving synthesis of the converging opuB and S1290 mRNAs. When our data are viewed in an ecophysiological framework, it appears that during the early adjustment phase of B. subtilis to acute osmotic stress, the cell prefers to initially rely on the transport activity of the promiscuous OpuC system and only subsequently fully induces opuB. Our data also reveal an integration of osmostress-specific adjustment systems with the SigB-controlled general stress response at a deeper level than previously appreciated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hermann Rath
- Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Alexander Reder
- Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Tamara Hoffmann
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Department of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Elke Hammer
- Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Andreas Seubert
- Faculty of Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Erhard Bremer
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Department of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Uwe Völker
- Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.,Institute of Marine Biotechnology e.V. (IMaB), Greifswald, Germany
| | - Ulrike Mäder
- Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
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15
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Rojas-Tapias DF, Helmann JD. Roles and regulation of Spx family transcription factors in Bacillus subtilis and related species. Adv Microb Physiol 2019; 75:279-323. [PMID: 31655740 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ampbs.2019.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Bacillus subtilis Spx is the prototype for a large family of redox-responsive transcription factors found in many bacteria, most notably those from the phylum Firmicutes. Unusually for a transcription factor, B. subtilis Spx protein modulates gene expression by binding as a monomer to the αCTD domain of RNA polymerase (RNAP), and only interacts with DNA during subsequent promoter engagement. B. subtilis Spx drives the expression of a large regulon in response to proteotoxic conditions, such as heat and disulfide stress, as well as cell wall stress. Here, we review the detailed mechanisms that control the expression, stability, and activity of Spx in response to a variety of stress conditions. We also summarize current knowledge regarding Spx homologs in other Firmicutes, the environmental conditions in which those homologs are activated, and their biological role.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - John D Helmann
- Department of Microbiology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
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16
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Tran V, Geraci K, Midili G, Satterwhite W, Wright R, Bonilla CY. Resilience to oxidative and nitrosative stress is mediated by the stressosome, RsbP and SigB in Bacillus subtilis. J Basic Microbiol 2019; 59:834-845. [PMID: 31210376 DOI: 10.1002/jobm.201900076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2019] [Revised: 04/10/2019] [Accepted: 05/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
A bacterium's ability to thrive in the presence of multiple environmental stressors simultaneously determines its resilience. We showed that activation of the SigB-controlled general stress response by mild environmental or energy stress provided significant cross-protection to subsequent lethal oxidative, disulfide and nitrosative stress in Bacillus subtilis. SigB activation is mediated via the stressosome and RsbP, the main conduits of environmental and energy stress, respectively. Cells exposed to mild environmental stress while lacking the major stressosome components RsbT or RsbRA were highly sensitive to subsequent oxidative stress, whereas rsbRB, rsbRC, rsbRD, and ytvA null mutants showed a spectrum of sensitivity, confirming their redundant roles and suggesting they could modulate the signals generated by environmental or oxidative stress. By contrast, cells encountering stationary phase stress required RsbP but not RsbT to survive subsequent oxidative stress. Interestingly, optimum cross-protection against nitrosative stress caused by sodium nitropruside required SigB but not the known regulators, RsbT and RsbP, suggesting an additional and as yet uncharacterized route of SigB activation independent of the known regulators. Together, these results provide mechanistic information on how B. subtilis promotes enhanced resistance against lethal oxidative stress during mild environmental and energy stress conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vina Tran
- Biology Department, Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington
| | - Kara Geraci
- Biology Department, Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington
| | | | | | - Rachel Wright
- Biology Department, Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington
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17
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Czech L, Hermann L, Stöveken N, Richter AA, Höppner A, Smits SHJ, Heider J, Bremer E. Role of the Extremolytes Ectoine and Hydroxyectoine as Stress Protectants and Nutrients: Genetics, Phylogenomics, Biochemistry, and Structural Analysis. Genes (Basel) 2018; 9:genes9040177. [PMID: 29565833 PMCID: PMC5924519 DOI: 10.3390/genes9040177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 131] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2018] [Revised: 03/13/2018] [Accepted: 03/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Fluctuations in environmental osmolarity are ubiquitous stress factors in many natural habitats of microorganisms, as they inevitably trigger osmotically instigated fluxes of water across the semi-permeable cytoplasmic membrane. Under hyperosmotic conditions, many microorganisms fend off the detrimental effects of water efflux and the ensuing dehydration of the cytoplasm and drop in turgor through the accumulation of a restricted class of organic osmolytes, the compatible solutes. Ectoine and its derivative 5-hydroxyectoine are prominent members of these compounds and are synthesized widely by members of the Bacteria and a few Archaea and Eukarya in response to high salinity/osmolarity and/or growth temperature extremes. Ectoines have excellent function-preserving properties, attributes that have led to their description as chemical chaperones and fostered the development of an industrial-scale biotechnological production process for their exploitation in biotechnology, skin care, and medicine. We review, here, the current knowledge on the biochemistry of the ectoine/hydroxyectoine biosynthetic enzymes and the available crystal structures of some of them, explore the genetics of the underlying biosynthetic genes and their transcriptional regulation, and present an extensive phylogenomic analysis of the ectoine/hydroxyectoine biosynthetic genes. In addition, we address the biochemistry, phylogenomics, and genetic regulation for the alternative use of ectoines as nutrients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Czech
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Department of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch Str. 8, D-35043 Marburg, Germany.
| | - Lucas Hermann
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Department of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch Str. 8, D-35043 Marburg, Germany.
| | - Nadine Stöveken
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Department of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch Str. 8, D-35043 Marburg, Germany.
- LOEWE-Center for Synthetic Microbiology, Philipps-University Marburg, Hans-Meerwein Str. 6, D-35043 Marburg, Germany.
| | - Alexandra A Richter
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Department of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch Str. 8, D-35043 Marburg, Germany.
| | - Astrid Höppner
- Center for Structural Studies, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Universitäts Str. 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Sander H J Smits
- Center for Structural Studies, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Universitäts Str. 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
- Institute of Biochemistry, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Universitäts Str. 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Johann Heider
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Department of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch Str. 8, D-35043 Marburg, Germany.
- LOEWE-Center for Synthetic Microbiology, Philipps-University Marburg, Hans-Meerwein Str. 6, D-35043 Marburg, Germany.
| | - Erhard Bremer
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Department of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch Str. 8, D-35043 Marburg, Germany.
- LOEWE-Center for Synthetic Microbiology, Philipps-University Marburg, Hans-Meerwein Str. 6, D-35043 Marburg, Germany.
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18
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Kocabaş P, Çalık G, Çalık P, Özdamar TH. Analyses of extracellular protein production in Bacillus subtilis – II: Responses of reaction network to oxygen transfer at transcriptional level. Biochem Eng J 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bej.2017.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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19
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Han LL, Shao HH, Liu YC, Liu G, Xie CY, Cheng XJ, Wang HY, Tan XM, Feng H. Transcriptome profiling analysis reveals metabolic changes across various growth phases in Bacillus pumilus BA06. BMC Microbiol 2017; 17:156. [PMID: 28693413 PMCID: PMC5504735 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-017-1066-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2017] [Accepted: 07/04/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bacillus pumilus can secret abundant extracellular enzymes, and may be used as a potential host for the industrial production of enzymes. It is necessary to understand the metabolic processes during cellular growth. Here, an RNA-seq based transcriptome analysis was applied to examine B. pumilus BA06 across various growth stages to reveal metabolic changes under two conditions. RESULTS Based on the gene expression levels, changes to metabolism pathways that were specific to various growth phases were enriched by KEGG analysis. Upon entry into the transition from the exponential growth phase, striking changes were revealed that included down-regulation of the tricarboxylic acid cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, flagellar assembly, and chemotaxis signaling. In contrast, the expression of stress-responding genes was induced when entering the transition phase, suggesting that the cell may suffer from stress during this growth stage. As expected, up-regulation of sporulation-related genes was continuous during the stationary growth phase, which was consistent with the observed sporulation. However, the expression pattern of the various extracellular proteases was different, suggesting that the regulatory mechanism may be distinct for various proteases. In addition, two protein secretion pathways were enriched with genes responsive to the observed protein secretion in B. pumilus. However, the expression of some genes that encode sporulation-related proteins and extracellular proteases was delayed by the addition of gelatin to the minimal medium. CONCLUSIONS The transcriptome data depict global alterations in the genome-wide transcriptome across the various growth phases, which will enable an understanding of the physiology and phenotype of B. pumilus through gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin-Li Han
- Key Laboratory of Bio-resources and Eco-environment, Ministry of Education, Sichuan Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064 Sichuan People’s Republic of China
- College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064 Sichuan People’s Republic of China
| | - Huan-Huan Shao
- Key Laboratory of Bio-resources and Eco-environment, Ministry of Education, Sichuan Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064 Sichuan People’s Republic of China
- College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064 Sichuan People’s Republic of China
| | - Yong-Cheng Liu
- Key Laboratory of Bio-resources and Eco-environment, Ministry of Education, Sichuan Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064 Sichuan People’s Republic of China
- College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064 Sichuan People’s Republic of China
| | - Gang Liu
- Key Laboratory of Bio-resources and Eco-environment, Ministry of Education, Sichuan Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064 Sichuan People’s Republic of China
- College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064 Sichuan People’s Republic of China
| | - Chao-Ying Xie
- Key Laboratory of Bio-resources and Eco-environment, Ministry of Education, Sichuan Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064 Sichuan People’s Republic of China
- College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064 Sichuan People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiao-Jie Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Bio-resources and Eco-environment, Ministry of Education, Sichuan Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064 Sichuan People’s Republic of China
- College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064 Sichuan People’s Republic of China
| | - Hai-Yan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Bio-resources and Eco-environment, Ministry of Education, Sichuan Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064 Sichuan People’s Republic of China
- College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064 Sichuan People’s Republic of China
| | - Xue-Mei Tan
- Key Laboratory of Bio-resources and Eco-environment, Ministry of Education, Sichuan Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064 Sichuan People’s Republic of China
- College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064 Sichuan People’s Republic of China
| | - Hong Feng
- Key Laboratory of Bio-resources and Eco-environment, Ministry of Education, Sichuan Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064 Sichuan People’s Republic of China
- College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064 Sichuan People’s Republic of China
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20
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Hoffmann T, Bremer E. Guardians in a stressful world: the Opu family of compatible solute transporters from Bacillus subtilis. Biol Chem 2017; 398:193-214. [PMID: 27935846 DOI: 10.1515/hsz-2016-0265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2016] [Accepted: 08/29/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The development of a semi-permeable cytoplasmic membrane was a key event in the evolution of microbial proto-cells. As a result, changes in the external osmolarity will inevitably trigger water fluxes along the osmotic gradient. The ensuing osmotic stress has consequences for the magnitude of turgor and will negatively impact cell growth and integrity. No microorganism can actively pump water across the cytoplasmic membrane; hence, microorganisms have to actively adjust the osmotic potential of their cytoplasm to scale and direct water fluxes in order to prevent dehydration or rupture. They will accumulate ions and physiologically compliant organic osmolytes, the compatible solutes, when they face hyperosmotic conditions to retain cell water, and they rapidly expel these compounds through the transient opening of mechanosensitive channels to curb water efflux when exposed to hypo-osmotic circumstances. Here, we provide an overview on the salient features of the osmostress response systems of the ubiquitously distributed bacterium Bacillus subtilis with a special emphasis on the transport systems and channels mediating regulation of cellular hydration and turgor under fluctuating osmotic conditions. The uptake of osmostress protectants via the Opu family of transporters, systems of central importance for the management of osmotic stress by B. subtilis, will be particularly highlighted.
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21
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Mahipant G, Paemanee A, Roytrakul S, Kato J, Vangnai AS. The significance of proline and glutamate on butanol chaotropic stress in Bacillus subtilis 168. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS 2017; 10:122. [PMID: 28503197 PMCID: PMC5425972 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-017-0811-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2016] [Accepted: 05/04/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Butanol is an intensively used industrial solvent and an attractive alternative biofuel, but the bioproduction suffers from its high toxicity. Among the native butanol producers and heterologous butanol-producing hosts, Bacillus subtilis 168 exhibited relatively higher butanol tolerance. Nevertheless, organic solvent tolerance mechanisms in Bacilli and Gram-positive bacteria have relatively less information. Thus, this study aimed to elucidate butanol stress responses that may involve in unique tolerance of B. subtilis 168 to butanol and other alcohol biocommodities. RESULTS Using comparative proteomics approach and molecular analysis of butanol-challenged B. subtilis 168, 108 butanol-responsive proteins were revealed, and classified into seven groups according to their biological functions. While parts of them may be similar to the proteins reportedly involved in solvent stress response in other Gram-positive bacteria, significant role of proline in the proline-glutamate-arginine metabolism was substantiated. Detection of intracellular proline and glutamate accumulation, as well as glutamate transient conversion during butanol exposure confirmed their necessity, especially proline, for cellular butanol tolerance. Disruption of the particular genes in proline biosynthesis pathways clarified the essential role of the anabolic ProB-ProA-ProI system over the osmoadaptive ProH-ProA-ProJ system for cellular protection in response to butanol exposure. Molecular modifications to increase gene dosage for proline biosynthesis as well as for glutamate acquisition enhanced butanol tolerance of B. subtilis 168 up to 1.8% (vol/vol) under the conditions tested. CONCLUSION This work revealed the important role of proline as an effective compatible solute that is required to protect cells against butanol chaotropic effect and to maintain cellular functions in B. subtilis 168 during butanol exposure. Nevertheless, the accumulation of intracellular proline against butanol stress required a metabolic conversion of glutamate through the specific biosynthetic ProB-ProA-ProI route. Thus, exogenous addition of glutamate, but not proline, enhanced butanol tolerance. These findings serve as a practical knowledge to enhance B. subtilis 168 butanol tolerance, and demonstrate means to engineer the bacterial host to promote higher butanol/alcohol tolerance of B. subtilis 168 for the production of butanol and other alcohol biocommodities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gumpanat Mahipant
- Biological Sciences Program, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330 Thailand
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330 Thailand
| | - Atchara Paemanee
- Proteomics Research Laboratory, Genome Institute Biotechnology, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), Pathum Thani, 12120 Thailand
| | - Sittiruk Roytrakul
- Proteomics Research Laboratory, Genome Institute Biotechnology, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), Pathum Thani, 12120 Thailand
| | - Junichi Kato
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology, Graduate School of Advanced Sciences of Matter, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, 739-8530 Japan
| | - Alisa S. Vangnai
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330 Thailand
- Center of Excellence on Hazardous Substance Management (HSM), Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330 Thailand
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22
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Bremer E. Clostridium difficile: A bad bug goes into defensive mode. Environ Microbiol 2017; 19:2523-2528. [PMID: 28447375 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.13776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2017] [Accepted: 04/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Erhard Bremer
- Laboratory for Microbiology, Department of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, Karl-von Frisch Str. 8, Marburg, D-35043, Germany.,LOEWE Center for Synthetic Microbiology, Philipps-University Marburg, Hans-Meerwein Str. 6, Marburg, D-35043, Germany
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23
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Teichmann L, Chen C, Hoffmann T, Smits SHJ, Schmitt L, Bremer E. From substrate specificity to promiscuity: hybrid ABC transporters for osmoprotectants. Mol Microbiol 2017; 104:761-780. [PMID: 28256787 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2017] [Revised: 02/25/2017] [Accepted: 02/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The ABC-transporters OpuB and OpuC from Bacillus subtilis function as osmoprotectant import systems. Their structural genes have most likely evolved through a duplication event but the two transporters are remarkably different in their substrate profile. OpuB possesses narrow substrate specificity, while OpuC is promiscuous. We assessed the functionality of hybrids between these two ABC-transporters by reciprocally exchanging the coding regions for the OpuBC and OpuCC substrate-binding proteins between the corresponding opuB and opuC operons. Substantiating the critical role of the binding protein in setting the substrate specificity of ABC transporters, OpuB::OpuCC turned into a promiscuous system, while OpuC::OpuBC now exhibited narrow substrate specificity. Both hybrid transporters possessed a high affinity for their substrates but the transport capacity of the OpuB::OpuCC system was moderate due to the synthesis of only low amounts of the xenogenetic OpuCC protein. Suppressor mutations causing single amino acid substitutions in the GbsR repressor controlling the choline to glycine betaine biosynthesis pathway greatly improved OpuB::OpuCC-mediated compatible solute import through transcriptional up-regulation of the hybrid opuB::opuCC operon. Collectively, we demonstrate for the first time that one can synthetically switch the substrate specificity of a given ABC transporter by combining its core components with a xenogenetic ligand-binding protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Teichmann
- Laboratory for Molecular Microbiology, Department of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch Str. 8, Marburg, D-35043, Germany
| | - Chiliang Chen
- Laboratory for Molecular Microbiology, Department of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch Str. 8, Marburg, D-35043, Germany.,LOEWE-Center for Synthetic Microbiology, Philipps-University Marburg, Hans-Meerweinstr. 6, Marburg, D-35043, Germany
| | - Tamara Hoffmann
- Laboratory for Molecular Microbiology, Department of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch Str. 8, Marburg, D-35043, Germany
| | - Sander H J Smits
- Institute of Biochemistry, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, Düsseldorf D-40225, Germany
| | - Lutz Schmitt
- Institute of Biochemistry, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, Düsseldorf D-40225, Germany
| | - Erhard Bremer
- Laboratory for Molecular Microbiology, Department of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch Str. 8, Marburg, D-35043, Germany.,LOEWE-Center for Synthetic Microbiology, Philipps-University Marburg, Hans-Meerweinstr. 6, Marburg, D-35043, Germany
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24
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Kint N, Janoir C, Monot M, Hoys S, Soutourina O, Dupuy B, Martin-Verstraete I. The alternative sigma factor σ B plays a crucial role in adaptive strategies of Clostridium difficile during gut infection. Environ Microbiol 2017; 19:1933-1958. [PMID: 28198085 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.13696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2016] [Revised: 01/19/2017] [Accepted: 01/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Clostridium difficile is a major cause of diarrhoea associated with antibiotherapy. Exposed to stresses in the gut, C. difficile can survive by inducing protection, detoxification and repair systems. In several firmicutes, most of these systems are controlled by the general stress response involving σB . In this work, we studied the role of σB in the physiopathology of C. difficile. We showed that the survival of the sigB mutant during the stationary phase was reduced. Using a transcriptome analysis, we showed that σB controls the expression of ∼25% of genes including genes involved in sporulation, metabolism, cell surface biogenesis and the management of stresses. By contrast, σB does not control toxin gene expression. In agreement with the up-regulation of sporulation genes, the sporulation efficiency is higher in the sigB mutant than in the wild-type strain. sigB inactivation also led to increased sensitivity to acidification, cationic antimicrobial peptides, nitric oxide and ROS. In addition, we showed for the first time that σB also plays a crucial role in oxygen tolerance in this strict anaerobe. Finally, we demonstrated that the fitness of colonisation by the sigB mutant is greatly affected in a dixenic mouse model of colonisation when compared to the wild-type strain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Kint
- Laboratoire Pathogénese des Bactéries Anaérobies, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.,Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Claire Janoir
- EA 4043, Unité Bactéries Pathogènes et Santé (UBaPS), Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, 92290, Châtenay-Malabry, France
| | - Marc Monot
- Laboratoire Pathogénese des Bactéries Anaérobies, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.,Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Sandra Hoys
- EA 4043, Unité Bactéries Pathogènes et Santé (UBaPS), Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, 92290, Châtenay-Malabry, France
| | - Olga Soutourina
- Laboratoire Pathogénese des Bactéries Anaérobies, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.,Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Bruno Dupuy
- Laboratoire Pathogénese des Bactéries Anaérobies, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.,Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Isabelle Martin-Verstraete
- Laboratoire Pathogénese des Bactéries Anaérobies, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.,Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
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25
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Role of Autoregulation and Relative Synthesis of Operon Partners in Alternative Sigma Factor Networks. PLoS Comput Biol 2016; 12:e1005267. [PMID: 27977677 PMCID: PMC5207722 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2016] [Revised: 01/03/2017] [Accepted: 11/23/2016] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite the central role of alternative sigma factors in bacterial stress response and virulence their regulation remains incompletely understood. Here we investigate one of the best-studied examples of alternative sigma factors: the σB network that controls the general stress response of Bacillus subtilis to uncover widely relevant general design principles that describe the structure-function relationship of alternative sigma factor regulatory networks. We show that the relative stoichiometry of the synthesis rates of σB, its anti-sigma factor RsbW and the anti-anti-sigma factor RsbV plays a critical role in shaping the network behavior by forcing the σB network to function as an ultrasensitive negative feedback loop. We further demonstrate how this negative feedback regulation insulates alternative sigma factor activity from competition with the housekeeping sigma factor for RNA polymerase and allows multiple stress sigma factors to function simultaneously with little competitive interference. Understanding the regulation of bacterial stress response holds the key to tackling the problems of emerging resistance to anti-bacteria’s and antibiotics. To this end, here we study one of the longest serving model systems of bacterial stress response: the σB pathway of Bacillus subtilis. The sigma factor σB controls the general stress response of Bacillus subtilis to a variety of stress conditions including starvation, antibiotics and harmful environmental perturbations. Recent studies have demonstrated that an increase in stress triggers pulsatile activation of σB. Using mathematical modeling we identify the core structural design feature of the network that are responsible for its pulsatile response. We further demonstrate how the same core design features are common to a variety of stress response pathways. As a result of these features, cells can respond to multiple simultaneous stresses without interference or competition between the different pathways.
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26
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Schumann W. Regulation of bacterial heat shock stimulons. Cell Stress Chaperones 2016; 21:959-968. [PMID: 27518094 PMCID: PMC5083672 DOI: 10.1007/s12192-016-0727-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2016] [Revised: 07/20/2016] [Accepted: 07/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
All organisms developed genetic programs to allow their survival under stressful conditions. In most cases, they increase the amount of a specific class of proteins which deal with the stress factor and allow cells to adapt to life-threatening conditions. One class of stress proteins are the heat shock proteins (HSPs) the amount of which is significantly increased after a sudden temperature rise. How is the heat shock response (HSR) regulated in bacteria? This has been studied in detail in Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Streptomyces spp. Two major mechanisms have been described so far to regulate expression of the HSGs, namely alternative sigma factors and transcriptional repressors. This review focuses on the regulatory details of the different heat shock regulons in the three well-studied bacterial species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wolfgang Schumann
- Institute of Genetics, University of Bayreuth, 95440, Bayreuth, Germany.
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27
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Nagler K, Krawczyk AO, De Jong A, Madela K, Hoffmann T, Laue M, Kuipers OP, Bremer E, Moeller R. Identification of Differentially Expressed Genes during Bacillus subtilis Spore Outgrowth in High-Salinity Environments Using RNA Sequencing. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:1564. [PMID: 27766092 PMCID: PMC5052260 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.01564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2016] [Accepted: 09/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
In its natural habitat, the soil bacterium Bacillus subtilis often has to cope with fluctuating osmolality and nutrient availability. Upon nutrient depletion it can form dormant spores, which can revive to form vegetative cells when nutrients become available again. While the effects of salt stress on spore germination have been analyzed previously, detailed knowledge on the salt stress response during the subsequent outgrowth phase is lacking. In this study, we investigated the changes in gene expression during B. subtilis outgrowth in the presence of 1.2 M NaCl using RNA sequencing. In total, 402 different genes were upregulated and 632 genes were downregulated during 90 min of outgrowth in the presence of salt. The salt stress response of outgrowing spores largely resembled the osmospecific response of vegetative cells exposed to sustained high salinity and included strong upregulation of genes involved in osmoprotectant uptake and compatible solute synthesis. The σB-dependent general stress response typically triggered by salt shocks was not induced, whereas the σW regulon appears to play an important role for osmoadaptation of outgrowing spores. Furthermore, high salinity induced many changes in the membrane protein and transporter transcriptome. Overall, salt stress seemed to slow down the complex molecular reorganization processes (“ripening”) of outgrowing spores by exerting detrimental effects on vegetative functions such as amino acid metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katja Nagler
- Space Microbiology Research Group, Radiation Biology Department, Institute of Aerospace Medicine, German Aerospace Center Cologne, Germany
| | - Antonina O Krawczyk
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Anne De Jong
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Kazimierz Madela
- Advanced Light and Electron Microscopy, Center for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens, Robert Koch Institute Berlin, Germany
| | - Tamara Hoffmann
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Department of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg Marburg, Germany
| | - Michael Laue
- Advanced Light and Electron Microscopy, Center for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens, Robert Koch Institute Berlin, Germany
| | - Oscar P Kuipers
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Erhard Bremer
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Department of Biology, Philipps-University Marburg Marburg, Germany
| | - Ralf Moeller
- Space Microbiology Research Group, Radiation Biology Department, Institute of Aerospace Medicine, German Aerospace Center Cologne, Germany
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28
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Resilience in the Face of Uncertainty: Sigma Factor B Fine-Tunes Gene Expression To Support Homeostasis in Gram-Positive Bacteria. Appl Environ Microbiol 2016; 82:4456-4469. [PMID: 27208112 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00714-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Gram-positive bacteria are ubiquitous and diverse microorganisms that can survive and sometimes even thrive in continuously changing environments. The key to such resilience is the ability of members of a population to respond and adjust to dynamic conditions in the environment. In bacteria, such responses and adjustments are mediated, at least in part, through appropriate changes in the bacterial transcriptome in response to the conditions encountered. Resilience is important for bacterial survival in diverse, complex, and rapidly changing environments and requires coordinated networks that integrate individual, mechanistic responses to environmental cues to enable overall metabolic homeostasis. In many Gram-positive bacteria, a key transcriptional regulator of the response to changing environmental conditions is the alternative sigma factor σ(B) σ(B) has been characterized in a subset of Gram-positive bacteria, including the genera Bacillus, Listeria, and Staphylococcus Recent insight from next-generation-sequencing results indicates that σ(B)-dependent regulation of gene expression contributes to resilience, i.e., the coordination of complex networks responsive to environmental changes. This review explores contributions of σ(B) to resilience in Bacillus, Listeria, and Staphylococcus and illustrates recently described regulatory functions of σ(B).
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29
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Widderich N, Rodrigues CDA, Commichau FM, Fischer KE, Ramirez-Guadiana FH, Rudner DZ, Bremer E. Salt-sensitivity of σ(H) and Spo0A prevents sporulation of Bacillus subtilis at high osmolarity avoiding death during cellular differentiation. Mol Microbiol 2016; 100:108-24. [PMID: 26712348 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/04/2015] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
The spore-forming bacterium Bacillus subtilis frequently experiences high osmolarity as a result of desiccation in the soil. The formation of a highly desiccation-resistant endospore might serve as a logical osmostress escape route when vegetative growth is no longer possible. However, sporulation efficiency drastically decreases concomitant with an increase in the external salinity. Fluorescence microscopy of sporulation-specific promoter fusions to gfp revealed that high salinity blocks entry into the sporulation pathway at a very early stage. Specifically, we show that both Spo0A- and SigH-dependent transcription are impaired. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the association of SigH with core RNA polymerase is reduced under these conditions. Suppressors that modestly increase sporulation efficiency at high salinity map to the coding region of sigH and in the regulatory region of kinA, encoding one the sensor kinases that activates Spo0A. These findings led us to discover that B. subtilis cells that overproduce KinA can bypass the salt-imposed block in sporulation. Importantly, these cells are impaired in the morphological process of engulfment and late forespore gene expression and frequently undergo lysis. Altogether our data indicate that B. subtilis blocks entry into sporulation in high-salinity environments preventing commitment to a developmental program that it cannot complete.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nils Widderich
- Department of Biology, Laboratory for Molecular Microbiology, Philipps-University Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch Str. 8, D-35043, Marburg, Germany
| | - Christopher D A Rodrigues
- Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA, 02115-5701, USA
| | - Fabian M Commichau
- Department of General Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Georg August University Göttingen, Griesebachstr, 8, D-37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Kathleen E Fischer
- Department of Biology, Laboratory for Molecular Microbiology, Philipps-University Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch Str. 8, D-35043, Marburg, Germany
| | - Fernando H Ramirez-Guadiana
- Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA, 02115-5701, USA
| | - David Z Rudner
- Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA, 02115-5701, USA
| | - Erhard Bremer
- Department of Biology, Laboratory for Molecular Microbiology, Philipps-University Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch Str. 8, D-35043, Marburg, Germany
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30
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Sakil Munna M, Tahera J, Mohibul Hassan Afrad M, Nur IT, Noor R. Survival of Bacillus spp. SUBB01 at high temperatures and a preliminary assessment of its ability to protect heat-stressed Escherichia coli cells. BMC Res Notes 2015; 8:637. [PMID: 26526722 PMCID: PMC4630936 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-015-1631-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2014] [Accepted: 10/26/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The bacterial stressed state upon temperature raise has widely been observed especially in Escherichia coli cells. The current study extended such physiological investigation on Bacillus spp. SUBB01 under aeration at 100 rpm on different culture media along with the high temperature exposure at 48, 50, 52, 53 and 54 °C. Bacterial growth was determined through the enumeration of the viable and culturable cells; i.e., cells capable of producing the colony forming units on Luria–Bertani and nutrient agar plates up to 24 h. Microscopic experiments were conducted to scrutinize the successive physiological changes. Suppression of bacterial growth due to the elevated heat was further confirmed by the observation of non-viability through spot tests. Results As expected, a quick drop in both cell turbidity and colony forming units (~104) along with spores were observed after 12–24 h of incubation period, when cells were grown at 54 °C in both Luria–Bertani and nutrient broth and agar. The critical temperature (the temperature above which it is no longer possible to survive) of Bacillus spp. SUBB01 was estimated to be 53 °C. Furthermore, a positive impact was observed on the inhibited E. coli SUBE01 growth at 45 and 47 °C, upon the supplementation of the extracellular fractions of Bacillus species into the growing culture. Conclusions Overall the present analysis revealed the conversion of the culturable cells into the viable and nonculturable (VBNC) state as a result of heat shock response in Bacillus spp. SUBB01 and the cellular adaptation at extremely high temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Sakil Munna
- Department of Microbiology, Stamford University, 51 Siddeswari Road, Dhaka, 1217, Bangladesh.
| | - Jannatun Tahera
- Department of Microbiology, Stamford University, 51 Siddeswari Road, Dhaka, 1217, Bangladesh.
| | - Md Mohibul Hassan Afrad
- Department of Microbiology, Stamford University, 51 Siddeswari Road, Dhaka, 1217, Bangladesh.
| | - Ifra Tun Nur
- Department of Microbiology, Stamford University, 51 Siddeswari Road, Dhaka, 1217, Bangladesh.
| | - Rashed Noor
- Department of Microbiology, Stamford University, 51 Siddeswari Road, Dhaka, 1217, Bangladesh.
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31
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van der Steen JB, Hellingwerf KJ. Activation of the General Stress Response of Bacillus subtilis by Visible Light. Photochem Photobiol 2015; 91:1032-45. [PMID: 26189730 DOI: 10.1111/php.12499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2015] [Accepted: 06/25/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
A key challenge for microbiology is to understand how evolution has shaped the wiring of regulatory networks. This is amplified by the paucity of information of power-spectra of physicochemical stimuli to which microorganisms are exposed. Future studies of genome evolution, driven by altered stimulus regimes, will therefore require a versatile signal transduction system that allows accurate signal dosing. Here, we review the general stress response of Bacillus subtilis, and its upstream signal transduction network, as a candidate system. It can be activated by red and blue light, and by many additional stimuli. Signal integration therefore is an intricate function of this system. The blue-light response is elicited via the photoreceptor YtvA, which forms an integral part of stressosomes, to activate expression of the stress regulon of B. subtilis. Signal transfer through this network can be assayed with reporter enzymes, while intermediate steps can be studied with live-cell imaging of fluorescently tagged proteins. Different parts of this system have been studied in vitro, such that its computational modeling has made significant progress. One can directly relate the microscopic characteristics of YtvA with activation of the general stress regulon, making this system a very well-suited system for network evolution studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeroen B van der Steen
- Molecular Microbial Physiology Group, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Klaas J Hellingwerf
- Molecular Microbial Physiology Group, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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32
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Paget MS. Bacterial Sigma Factors and Anti-Sigma Factors: Structure, Function and Distribution. Biomolecules 2015; 5:1245-65. [PMID: 26131973 PMCID: PMC4598750 DOI: 10.3390/biom5031245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 218] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2015] [Revised: 05/20/2015] [Accepted: 06/01/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Sigma factors are multi-domain subunits of bacterial RNA polymerase (RNAP) that play critical roles in transcription initiation, including the recognition and opening of promoters as well as the initial steps in RNA synthesis. This review focuses on the structure and function of the major sigma-70 class that includes the housekeeping sigma factor (Group 1) that directs the bulk of transcription during active growth, and structurally-related alternative sigma factors (Groups 2-4) that control a wide variety of adaptive responses such as morphological development and the management of stress. A recurring theme in sigma factor control is their sequestration by anti-sigma factors that occlude their RNAP-binding determinants. Sigma factors are then released through a wide variety of mechanisms, often involving branched signal transduction pathways that allow the integration of distinct signals. Three major strategies for sigma release are discussed: regulated proteolysis, partner-switching, and direct sensing by the anti-sigma factor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark S Paget
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QG, UK.
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33
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Mars RAT, Mendonça K, Denham EL, van Dijl JM. The reduction in small ribosomal subunit abundance in ethanol-stressed cells of Bacillus subtilis is mediated by a SigB-dependent antisense RNA. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-MOLECULAR CELL RESEARCH 2015; 1853:2553-9. [PMID: 26115952 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2015.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2015] [Revised: 06/15/2015] [Accepted: 06/23/2015] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
One of the best-characterized general stress responses in bacteria is the σB-mediated stress response of the Gram-positive soil bacterium Bacillus subtilis. The σB regulon contains approximately 200 protein-encoding genes and 136 putative regulatory RNAs. One of these σB-dependent RNAs, named S1136-S1134, was recently mapped as being transcribed from the S1136 promoter on the opposite strand of the essential rpsD gene, which encodes the ribosomal primary-binding protein S4. Accordingly, S1136-S1134 transcription results in an rpsD-overlapping antisense RNA (asRNA). Upon exposure of B. subtilis to ethanol, the S1136 promoter was found to be induced, while rpsD transcription was downregulated. By quantitative PCR, we show that the activation of transcription from the S1136 promoter is directly responsible for the downregulation of rpsD upon ethanol exposure. We also show that this downregulation of rpsD leads to a reduced level of the small (30S) ribosomal subunit upon ethanol stress. The activation of the S1136 promoter thus represents the first example of antisense transcription-mediated regulation in the general stress response of B. subtilis and implicates the reduction of ribosomal protein abundance as a new aspect in the σB-dependent stress response. We propose that the observed reduction in the level of the small ribosomal subunit, which contains the ribosome-decoding center, may protect B. subtilis cells against misreading and spurious translation of possibly toxic aberrant peptides under conditions of ethanol stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruben A T Mars
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9700 RB, Groningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Karoline Mendonça
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9700 RB, Groningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Emma L Denham
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9700 RB, Groningen, The Netherlands; Division of Translational and Systems Medicine, Unit of Microbiology and Infection, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom.
| | - Jan Maarten van Dijl
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9700 RB, Groningen, The Netherlands.
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34
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Mutations in the primary sigma factor σA and termination factor rho that reduce susceptibility to cell wall antibiotics. J Bacteriol 2014; 196:3700-11. [PMID: 25112476 DOI: 10.1128/jb.02022-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Combinations of glycopeptides and β-lactams exert synergistic antibacterial activity, but the evolutionary mechanisms driving resistance to both antibiotics remain largely unexplored. By repeated subculturing with increasing vancomycin (VAN) and cefuroxime (CEF) concentrations, we isolated an evolved strain of the model bacterium Bacillus subtilis with reduced susceptibility to both antibiotics. Whole-genome sequencing revealed point mutations in genes encoding the major σ factor of RNA polymerase (sigA), a cell shape-determining protein (mreB), and the ρ termination factor (rho). Genetic-reconstruction experiments demonstrated that the G-to-C substitution at position 336 encoded by sigA (sigA(G336C)), in the domain that recognizes the -35 promoter region, is sufficient to reduce susceptibility to VAN and works cooperatively with the rho(G56C) substitution to increase CEF resistance. Transcriptome analyses revealed that the sigA(G336C) substitution has wide-ranging effects, including elevated expression of the general stress σ factor (σ(B)) regulon, which is required for CEF resistance, and decreased expression of the glpTQ genes, which leads to fosfomycin (FOS) resistance. Our findings suggest that mutations in the core transcriptional machinery may facilitate the evolution of resistance to multiple cell wall antibiotics.
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35
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Kohlstedt M, Sappa PK, Meyer H, Maaß S, Zaprasis A, Hoffmann T, Becker J, Steil L, Hecker M, van Dijl JM, Lalk M, Mäder U, Stülke J, Bremer E, Völker U, Wittmann C. Adaptation ofBacillus subtiliscarbon core metabolism to simultaneous nutrient limitation and osmotic challenge: a multi-omics perspective. Environ Microbiol 2014; 16:1898-917. [DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.12438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2013] [Accepted: 02/18/2014] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Kohlstedt
- Institute of Systems Biotechnology; Saarland University; Campus A1 5 66123 Saarbrücken Germany
- Institute of Biochemical Engineering; Braunschweig University of Technology; Braunschweig Germany
| | - Praveen K. Sappa
- Interfaculty Institute of Genetics and Functional Genomics; Department Functional Genomics; University Medicine Greifswald; Germany
| | - Hanna Meyer
- Institutes of Biochemistry; Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University Greifswald; Greifswald Germany
| | - Sandra Maaß
- Microbiology; Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University Greifswald; Greifswald Germany
| | - Adrienne Zaprasis
- Department of Biology; Laboratory of Microbiology; Philipps-University Marburg; Marburg Germany
| | - Tamara Hoffmann
- Department of Biology; Laboratory of Microbiology; Philipps-University Marburg; Marburg Germany
| | - Judith Becker
- Institute of Systems Biotechnology; Saarland University; Campus A1 5 66123 Saarbrücken Germany
- Institute of Biochemical Engineering; Braunschweig University of Technology; Braunschweig Germany
| | - Leif Steil
- Interfaculty Institute of Genetics and Functional Genomics; Department Functional Genomics; University Medicine Greifswald; Germany
| | - Michael Hecker
- Microbiology; Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University Greifswald; Greifswald Germany
| | - Jan Maarten van Dijl
- Department of Medical Microbiology; University of Groningen; University Medical Center Groningen; Groningen The Netherlands
| | - Michael Lalk
- Institutes of Biochemistry; Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University Greifswald; Greifswald Germany
| | - Ulrike Mäder
- Interfaculty Institute of Genetics and Functional Genomics; Department Functional Genomics; University Medicine Greifswald; Germany
| | - Jörg Stülke
- Department for General Microbiology; Georg-August-University Göttingen; Göttingen Germany
| | - Erhard Bremer
- Department of Biology; Laboratory of Microbiology; Philipps-University Marburg; Marburg Germany
| | - Uwe Völker
- Interfaculty Institute of Genetics and Functional Genomics; Department Functional Genomics; University Medicine Greifswald; Germany
| | - Christoph Wittmann
- Institute of Systems Biotechnology; Saarland University; Campus A1 5 66123 Saarbrücken Germany
- Institute of Biochemical Engineering; Braunschweig University of Technology; Braunschweig Germany
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36
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Voigt B, Schroeter R, Jürgen B, Albrecht D, Evers S, Bongaerts J, Maurer KH, Schweder T, Hecker M. The response of Bacillus licheniformis to heat and ethanol stress and the role of the SigB regulon. Proteomics 2014; 13:2140-61. [PMID: 23592518 DOI: 10.1002/pmic.201200297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2012] [Revised: 02/22/2013] [Accepted: 03/23/2013] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The heat and ethanol stress response of Bacillus licheniformis DSM13 was analyzed at the transcriptional and/or translational level. During heat shock, regulons known to be heat-induced in Bacillus subtilis 168 are upregulated in B. licheniformis, such as the HrcA, SigB, CtsR, and CssRS regulon. Upregulation of the SigY regulon and of genes controlled by other extracytoplasmic function (ECF) sigma factors indicates a cell-wall stress triggered by the heat shock. Furthermore, tryptophan synthesis enzymes were upregulated in heat stressed cells as well as regulons involved in usage of alternative carbon and nitrogen sources. Ethanol stress led to an induction of the SigB, HrcA, and CtsR regulons. As indicated by the upregulation of a SigM-dependent protein, ethanol also triggered a cell wall stress. To characterize the SigB regulon of B. licheniformis, we analyzed the heat stress response of a sigB mutant. It is shown that the B. licheniformis SigB regulon comprises additional genes, some of which do not exist in B. subtilis, such as BLi03885, encoding a hypothetical protein, the Na/solute symporter gene BLi02212, the arginase homolog-encoding gene BLi00198 and mcrA, encoding a protein with endonuclease activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Birgit Voigt
- Institute for Microbiology, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
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Stress responses of the industrial workhorse Bacillus licheniformis to osmotic challenges. PLoS One 2013; 8:e80956. [PMID: 24348917 PMCID: PMC3858371 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0080956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2013] [Accepted: 10/08/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The Gram-positive endospore-forming bacterium Bacillus licheniformis can be found widely in nature and it is exploited in industrial processes for the manufacturing of antibiotics, specialty chemicals, and enzymes. Both in its varied natural habitats and in industrial settings, B. licheniformis cells will be exposed to increases in the external osmolarity, conditions that trigger water efflux, impair turgor, cause the cessation of growth, and negatively affect the productivity of cell factories in biotechnological processes. We have taken here both systems-wide and targeted physiological approaches to unravel the core of the osmostress responses of B. licheniformis. Cells were suddenly subjected to an osmotic upshift of considerable magnitude (with 1 M NaCl), and their transcriptional profile was then recorded in a time-resolved fashion on a genome-wide scale. A bioinformatics cluster analysis was used to group the osmotically up-regulated genes into categories that are functionally associated with the synthesis and import of osmostress-relieving compounds (compatible solutes), the SigB-controlled general stress response, and genes whose functional annotation suggests that salt stress triggers secondary oxidative stress responses in B. licheniformis. The data set focusing on the transcriptional profile of B. licheniformis was enriched by proteomics aimed at identifying those proteins that were accumulated by the cells through increased biosynthesis in response to osmotic stress. Furthermore, these global approaches were augmented by a set of experiments that addressed the synthesis of the compatible solutes proline and glycine betaine and assessed the growth-enhancing effects of various osmoprotectants. Combined, our data provide a blueprint of the cellular adjustment processes of B. licheniformis to both sudden and sustained osmotic stress.
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Song SH, Madsen D, van der Steen JB, Pullman R, Freer LH, Hellingwerf KJ, Larsen DS. Primary Photochemistry of the Dark- and Light-Adapted States of the YtvA Protein from Bacillus subtilis. Biochemistry 2013; 52:7951-63. [DOI: 10.1021/bi4012258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sang-Hun Song
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California at Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Dorte Madsen
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California at Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Jeroen B. van der Steen
- Molecular
Microbial Physiology Group, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences
(SILS), University of Amsterdam, 1090 GE Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Robert Pullman
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California at Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Lucy H. Freer
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California at Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Klaas J. Hellingwerf
- Molecular
Microbial Physiology Group, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences
(SILS), University of Amsterdam, 1090 GE Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Delmar S. Larsen
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California at Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, California 95616, United States
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Yang CK, Tai PC, Lu CD. Time-related transcriptome analysis of B. subtilis 168 during growth with glucose. Curr Microbiol 2013; 68:12-20. [PMID: 23934352 DOI: 10.1007/s00284-013-0432-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2013] [Accepted: 07/01/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Gene expression in Bacillus subtilis from late exponential to stationary phase was monitored by DNA microarrays with samples taken from the culture in LB broth with glucose supplement to prevent sporulation. Three major patterns of gene expression as revealed in this study were consistent to the expression profiling of PerR/Spx regulons and three major sigma factors-SigA, SigB, and SigW. Expression of most SigA-dependent house-keeping genes was significantly decreased and remained at low levels in the stationary phase. The sigB gene and additional genes of the SigB regulon for stress response exhibited a distinct pattern of transient induction with a peak in transition phase. The majority of induced genes after cessation of SigB-dependent surge were subjected to regulation by SigW, PerR, and Spx in response to oxidative stress. No induction of spo0A and skfA regulons supports the suppression of sporulation and cannibalism processes in the stationary phase by glucose supplement. In summary, these results depicted complicated strategies by cells to adapt changes from the fast growing exponential phase toward the stationary phase. The absence of programmed cell death and sporulation greatly facilitated data analysis and the identification of distinct expression patterns in the stationary phase of growth in B. subtilis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Kai Yang
- Department of Biology, Georgia State University, 161 Jesse Hill Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30303, USA
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Ren X, Wang Y, Zhang XS, Jin Q. iPcc: a novel feature extraction method for accurate disease class discovery and prediction. Nucleic Acids Res 2013; 41:e143. [PMID: 23761440 PMCID: PMC3737526 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkt343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Gene expression profiling has gradually become a routine procedure for disease diagnosis and classification. In the past decade, many computational methods have been proposed, resulting in great improvements on various levels, including feature selection and algorithms for classification and clustering. In this study, we present iPcc, a novel method from the feature extraction perspective to further propel gene expression profiling technologies from bench to bedside. We define ‘correlation feature space’ for samples based on the gene expression profiles by iterative employment of Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Numerical experiments on both simulated and real gene expression data sets demonstrate that iPcc can greatly highlight the latent patterns underlying noisy gene expression data and thus greatly improve the robustness and accuracy of the algorithms currently available for disease diagnosis and classification based on gene expression profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianwen Ren
- MOH Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China
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Dutilh BE, Backus L, Edwards RA, Wels M, Bayjanov JR, van Hijum SAFT. Explaining microbial phenotypes on a genomic scale: GWAS for microbes. Brief Funct Genomics 2013; 12:366-80. [PMID: 23625995 PMCID: PMC3743258 DOI: 10.1093/bfgp/elt008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
There is an increasing availability of complete or draft genome sequences for microbial organisms. These data form a potentially valuable resource for genotype-phenotype association and gene function prediction, provided that phenotypes are consistently annotated for all the sequenced strains. In this review, we address the requirements for successful gene-trait matching. We outline a basic protocol for microbial functional genomics, including genome assembly, annotation of genotypes (including single nucleotide polymorphisms, orthologous groups and prophages), data pre-processing, genotype-phenotype association, visualization and interpretation of results. The methodologies for association described herein can be applied to other data types, opening up possibilities to analyze transcriptome-phenotype associations, and correlate microbial population structure or activity, as measured by metagenomics, to environmental parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bas E Dutilh
- CMBI, NCMLS, Radboud University Medical Centre. Geert Grooteplein 28, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
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Fluoro-phenyl-styrene-sulfonamide, a novel inhibitor of σB activity, prevents the activation of σB by environmental and energy stresses in Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol 2013; 195:2509-17. [PMID: 23524614 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00107-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Sigma B (σ(B)) is an alternative sigma factor that regulates the general stress response in Bacillus subtilis and in many other Gram-positive organisms. σ(B) activity in B. subtilis is tightly regulated via at least three distinct pathways within a complex signal transduction cascade in response to a variety of stresses, including environmental stress, energy stress, and growth at high or low temperatures. We probed the ability of fluoro-phenyl-styrene-sulfonamide (FPSS), a small-molecule inhibitor of σ(B) activity in Listeria monocytogenes, to inhibit σ(B) activity in B. subtilis through perturbation of signal transduction cascades under various stress conditions. FPSS inhibited the activation of σ(B) in response to multiple categories of stress known to induce σ(B) activity in B. subtilis. Specifically, FPSS prevented the induction of σ(B) activity in response to energy stress, including entry into stationary phase, phosphate limitation, and azide stress. FPSS also inhibited chill induction of σ(B) activity in a ΔrsbV strain, suggesting that FPSS does not exclusively target the RsbU and RsbP phosphatases or the anti-anti-sigma factor RsbV, all of which contribute to posttranslational regulation of σ(B) activity. Genetic and biochemical experiments, including artificial induction of σ(B), analysis of the phosphorylation state of the anti-anti-sigma factor RsbV, and in vitro transcription assays, indicate that while FPSS does not bind directly to σ(B) to inhibit activity, it appears to prevent the release of B. subtilis σ(B) from its anti-sigma factor RsbW.
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Rate of environmental change determines stress response specificity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:4140-5. [PMID: 23407164 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1213060110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Cells use general stress response pathways to activate diverse target genes in response to a variety of stresses. However, general stress responses coexist with more specific pathways that are activated by individual stresses, provoking the fundamental question of whether and how cells control the generality or specificity of their response to a particular stress. Here we address this issue using quantitative time-lapse microscopy of the Bacillus subtilis environmental stress response, mediated by σ(B). We analyzed σ(B) activation in response to stresses such as salt and ethanol imposed at varying rates of increase. Dynamically, σ(B) responded to these stresses with a single adaptive activity pulse, whose amplitude depended on the rate at which the stress increased. This rate-responsive behavior can be understood from mathematical modeling of a key negative feedback loop in the underlying regulatory circuit. Using RNAseq we analyzed the effects of both rapid and gradual increases of ethanol and salt stress across the genome. Because of the rate responsiveness of σ(B) activation, salt and ethanol regulons overlap under rapid, but not gradual, increases in stress. Thus, the cell responds specifically to individual stresses that appear gradually, while using σ(B) to broaden the cellular response under more rapidly deteriorating conditions. Such dynamic control of specificity could be a critical function of other general stress response pathways.
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Hoffmann T, Wensing A, Brosius M, Steil L, Völker U, Bremer E. Osmotic control of opuA expression in Bacillus subtilis and its modulation in response to intracellular glycine betaine and proline pools. J Bacteriol 2013; 195:510-22. [PMID: 23175650 PMCID: PMC3554007 DOI: 10.1128/jb.01505-12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2012] [Accepted: 11/14/2012] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Glycine betaine is an effective osmoprotectant for Bacillus subtilis. Its import into osmotically stressed cells led to the buildup of large pools, whose size was sensitively determined by the degree of the osmotic stress imposed. The amassing of glycine betaine caused repression of the formation of an osmostress-adaptive pool of proline, the only osmoprotectant that B. subtilis can synthesize de novo. The ABC transporter OpuA is the main glycine betaine uptake system of B. subtilis. Expression of opuA was upregulated in response to both sudden and sustained increases in the external osmolarity. Nonionic osmolytes exerted a stronger inducing effect on transcription than ionic osmolytes, and this was reflected in the development of corresponding OpuA-mediated glycine betaine pools. Primer extension analysis and site-directed mutagenesis pinpointed the osmotically controlled opuA promoter. Deviations from the consensus sequence of SigA-type promoters serve to keep the transcriptional activity of the opuA promoter low in the absence of osmotic stress. opuA expression was downregulated in a finely tuned manner in response to increases in the intracellular glycine betaine pool, regardless of whether this osmoprotectant was imported or was newly synthesized from choline. Such an effect was also exerted by carnitine, an effective osmoprotectant for B. subtilis that is not a substrate for the OpuA transporter. opuA expression was upregulated in a B. subtilis mutant that was unable to synthesize proline in response to osmotic stress. Collectively, our data suggest that the intracellular solute pool is a key determinant for the osmotic control of opuA expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamara Hoffmann
- Philipps-University Marburg, Department of Biology, Laboratory for Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Annette Wensing
- Philipps-University Marburg, Department of Biology, Laboratory for Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Margot Brosius
- Philipps-University Marburg, Department of Biology, Laboratory for Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Leif Steil
- Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, Department of Functional Genomics, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Uwe Völker
- Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, Department of Functional Genomics, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Erhard Bremer
- Philipps-University Marburg, Department of Biology, Laboratory for Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
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Liebal UW, Millat T, Marles-Wright J, Lewis RJ, Wolkenhauer O. Simulations of stressosome activation emphasize allosteric interactions between RsbR and RsbT. BMC SYSTEMS BIOLOGY 2013; 7:3. [PMID: 23320651 PMCID: PMC3556497 DOI: 10.1186/1752-0509-7-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2012] [Accepted: 01/07/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The stressosome is a bacterial signalling complex that responds to environmental changes by initiating a protein partner switching cascade, which leads to the release of the alternative sigma factor, σB. Stress perception increases the phosphorylation of the stressosome sensor protein, RsbR, and the scaffold protein, RsbS, by the protein kinase, RsbT. Subsequent dissociation of RsbT from the stressosome activates the σB cascade. However, the sequence of physical events that occur in the stressosome during signal transduction is insufficiently understood. RESULTS Here, we use computational modelling to correlate the structure of the stressosome with the efficiency of the phosphorylation reactions that occur upon activation by stress. In our model, the phosphorylation of any stressosome protein is dependent upon its nearest neighbours and their phosphorylation status. We compare different hypotheses about stressosome activation and find that only the model representing the allosteric activation of the kinase RsbT, by phosphorylated RsbR, qualitatively reproduces the experimental data. CONCLUSIONS Our simulations and the associated analysis of published data support the following hypotheses: (i) a simple Boolean model is capable of reproducing stressosome dynamics, (ii) different stressors induce identical stressosome activation patterns, and we also confirm that (i) phosphorylated RsbR activates RsbT, and (ii) the main purpose of RsbX is to dephosphorylate RsbS-P.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulf W Liebal
- Department of Systems Biology & Bioinformatics, Institute of Computer Science, University of Rostock, 18051, Rostock, Germany
| | - Thomas Millat
- Department of Systems Biology & Bioinformatics, Institute of Computer Science, University of Rostock, 18051, Rostock, Germany
| | - Jon Marles-Wright
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, School of Biological Sciences, Edinburgh University, Edinburgh, EH9 3JR, UK
| | - Richard J Lewis
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Olaf Wolkenhauer
- Department of Systems Biology & Bioinformatics, Institute of Computer Science, University of Rostock, 18051, Rostock, Germany
- Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS), Wallenberg Research Centre at Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, 7600, South Africa
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Scott E, Dyer DW. Divergence of the SigB regulon and pathogenesis of the Bacillus cereus sensu lato group. BMC Genomics 2012; 13:564. [PMID: 23088190 PMCID: PMC3485630 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-13-564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2012] [Accepted: 10/10/2012] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The Bacillus cereus sensu lato group currently includes seven species (B. cereus, B. anthracis, B. mycoides, B. pseudomycoides, B. thuringiensis, B. weihenstephanensis and B. cytotoxicus) that recent phylogenetic and phylogenomic analyses suggest are likely a single species, despite their varied phenotypes. Although horizontal gene transfer and insertion-deletion events are clearly important for promoting divergence among these genomes, recent studies have demonstrated that a major basis for phenotypic diversity in these organisms may be differential regulation of the highly similar gene content shared by these organisms. To explore this hypothesis, we used an in silico approach to evaluate the relationship of pathogenic potential and the divergence of the SigB-dependent general stress response within the B. cereus sensu lato group, since SigB has been demonstrated to support pathogenesis in Bacillus, Listeria and Staphylococcus species. Results During the divergence of these organisms from a common “SigB-less” ancestor, the placement of SigB promoters at varied locations in the B. cereus sensu lato genomes predict alternative structures for the SigB regulon in different organisms. Predicted promoter changes suggesting differential transcriptional control of a common gene pool predominate over evidence of indels or horizontal gene transfer for explaining SigB regulon divergence. Conclusions Four lineages of the SigB regulon have arisen that encompass different gene contents and suggest different strategies for supporting pathogenesis. This is consistent with the hypothesis that divergence within the B. cereus sensu lato group rests in part on alternative strategies for regulation of a common gene pool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edgar Scott
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, 73117, USA
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Reder A, Pöther DC, Gerth U, Hecker M. The modulator of the general stress response, MgsR, ofBacillus subtilisis subject to multiple and complex control mechanisms. Environ Microbiol 2012; 14:2838-50. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1462-2920.2012.02829.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Touw WG, Bayjanov JR, Overmars L, Backus L, Boekhorst J, Wels M, van Hijum SAFT. Data mining in the Life Sciences with Random Forest: a walk in the park or lost in the jungle? Brief Bioinform 2012; 14:315-26. [PMID: 22786785 PMCID: PMC3659301 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbs034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 212] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In the Life Sciences 'omics' data is increasingly generated by different high-throughput technologies. Often only the integration of these data allows uncovering biological insights that can be experimentally validated or mechanistically modelled, i.e. sophisticated computational approaches are required to extract the complex non-linear trends present in omics data. Classification techniques allow training a model based on variables (e.g. SNPs in genetic association studies) to separate different classes (e.g. healthy subjects versus patients). Random Forest (RF) is a versatile classification algorithm suited for the analysis of these large data sets. In the Life Sciences, RF is popular because RF classification models have a high-prediction accuracy and provide information on importance of variables for classification. For omics data, variables or conditional relations between variables are typically important for a subset of samples of the same class. For example: within a class of cancer patients certain SNP combinations may be important for a subset of patients that have a specific subtype of cancer, but not important for a different subset of patients. These conditional relationships can in principle be uncovered from the data with RF as these are implicitly taken into account by the algorithm during the creation of the classification model. This review details some of the to the best of our knowledge rarely or never used RF properties that allow maximizing the biological insights that can be extracted from complex omics data sets using RF.
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Synthesis, release, and recapture of compatible solute proline by osmotically stressed Bacillus subtilis cells. Appl Environ Microbiol 2012; 78:5753-62. [PMID: 22685134 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01040-12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacillus subtilis synthesizes large amounts of the compatible solute proline as a cellular defense against high osmolarity to ensure a physiologically appropriate level of hydration of the cytoplasm and turgor. It also imports proline for this purpose via the osmotically inducible OpuE transport system. Unexpectedly, an opuE mutant was at a strong growth disadvantage in high-salinity minimal media lacking proline. Appreciable amounts of proline were detected in the culture supernatant of the opuE mutant strain, and they rose concomitantly with increases in the external salinity. We found that the intracellular proline pool of severely salinity-stressed cells of the opuE mutant was considerably lower than that of its opuE(+) parent strain. This loss of proline into the medium and the resulting decrease in the intracellular proline content provide a rational explanation for the observed salt-sensitive growth phenotype of cells lacking OpuE. None of the known MscL- and MscS-type mechanosensitive channels of B. subtilis participated in the release of proline under permanently imposed high-salinity growth conditions. The data reported here show that the OpuE transporter not only possesses the previously reported role for the scavenging of exogenously provided proline as an osmoprotectant but also functions as a physiologically highly important recapturing device for proline that is synthesized de novo and subsequently released by salt-stressed B. subtilis cells. The wider implications of our findings for the retention of compatible solutes by osmotically challenged microorganisms and the roles of uptake systems for compatible solutes are considered.
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