Transcription activation of two clusters for exopolysaccharide biosynthesis by phosphorylated DctD in Vibrio vulnificus

Characterization of the transcriptionally active form of dephosphorylated DctD complexed with dephospho-IIAGlc

Bacterial enhancer-binding proteins (bEBPs) acquire a transcriptionally active state via phosphorylation. However, transcriptional activation by the dephosphorylated form of bEBP has been observed in DctD, which belongs to Group I bEBP. The formation of a complex between dephosphorylated DctD (d-DctD) and dephosphorylated IIAGlc (d-IIAGlc) is a prerequisite for the transcriptional activity of d-DctD. In the present study, characteristics of the transcriptionally active complex composed of d-IIAGlc and phosphorylation-deficient DctD (DctDD57Q) of Vibrio vulnificus were investigated in its multimeric conformation and DNA-binding ability. DctDD57Q formed a homodimer that could not bind to the DNA. In contrast, when DctDD57Q formed a complex with d-IIAGlc in a 1:1 molar ratio, it produced two conformations: dimer and dodecamer of the complex. Only the dodecameric complex exhibited ATP-hydrolyzing activity and DNA-binding affinity. For successful DNA-binding and transcriptional activation by the dodecameric d-IIAGlc/DctDD57Q complex, extended upstream activator sequences were required, which encompass the nucleotide sequences homologous to the known DctD-binding site and additional nucleotides downstream. This is the first report to demonstrate the molecular characteristics of a dephosphorylated bEBP complexed with another protein to form a transcriptionally active dodecameric complex, which has an affinity for a specific DNA-binding sequence.IMPORTANCEResponse regulators belonging to the bacterial two-component regulatory system activate the transcription initiation of their regulons when they are phosphorylated by cognate sensor kinases and oligomerized to the appropriate multimeric states. Recently, it has been shown that a dephosphorylated response regulator, DctD, could activate transcription in a phosphorylation-independent manner in Vibrio vulnificus. The dephosphorylated DctD activated transcription as efficiently as phosphorylated DctD when it formed a complex with dephosphorylated form of IIAGlc, a component of the glucose-phosphotransferase system. Functional mimicry of this complex with the typical form of transcriptionally active phosphorylated DctD led us to study the molecular characteristics of this heterodimeric complex. Through systematic analyses, it was surprisingly determined that a multimer constituted with 12 complexes gained the ability to hydrolyze ATP and recognize specific upstream activator sequences containing a typical inverted-repeat sequence flanked by distinct nucleotides.

Transition of Dephospho-DctD to the Transcriptionally Active State via Interaction with Dephospho-IIA Glc

Exopolysaccharides (EPSs), biofilm-maturing components of Vibrio vulnificus, are abundantly produced when the expression of two major EPS gene clusters is activated by an enhancer-binding transcription factor, DctD₂, whose expression and phosphorylation are induced by dicarboxylic acids. Surprisingly, when glucose was supplied to V. vulnificus, similar levels of expression of these clusters occurred, even in the absence of dicarboxylic acids. This glucose-dependent activation was also mediated by DctD₂, whose expression was sequentially activated by the transcription regulator NtrC. Most DctD₂ in cells grown without dicarboxylic acids was present in a dephosphorylated state, known as the transcriptionally inactive form. However, in the presence of glucose, a dephosphorylated component of the glucose-specific phosphotransferase system, d-IIA^Glc, interacted with dephosphorylated DctD₂ (d-DctD₂). While d-DctD₂ did not show any affinity to a DNA fragment containing the DctD-binding sequences, the complex of d-DctD₂ and d-IIA^Glc exhibited specific and efficient DNA binding, similar to the phosphorylated DctD₂. The d-DctD₂-mediated activation of the EPS gene clusters’ expression was not fully achieved in cells grown with mannose. Furthermore, the degrees of expression of the clusters under glycerol were less than those under mannose. This was caused by an antagonistic and competitive effect of GlpK, whose expression was increased by glycerol, in forming a complex with d-DctD₂ by d-IIA^Glc. The data demonstrate a novel regulatory pathway for V. vulnificus EPS biosynthesis and biofilm maturation in the presence of glucose, which is mediated by d-DctD₂ through its transition to the transcriptionally active state by interacting with available d-IIA^Glc.