Gene expression control by selective RNA processing and stabilization in bacteria

Selective RNA Processing and Stabilization are Multi-Layer and Stoichiometric Regulators of Gene Expression in Escherichia coli

Selective RNA processing and stabilization (SRPS) facilitates the differential expression of multiple genes in polycistronic operons. However, how the coordinated actions of SRPS-related enzymes affect stoichiometric regulation remains unclear. In the present study, the first genome-wide targetome analysis is reported of these enzymes in Escherichia coli, at a single-nucleotide resolution. A strictly linear relationship is observed between the RNA pyrophosphohydrolase processing ratio and scores assigned to the first three nucleotides of the primary transcript. Stem-loops associated with PNPase targetomes exhibit a folding free energy that is negatively correlated with the termination ratio of PNPase at the 3' end. More than one-tenth of the RNase E processing sites in the 5'-untranslated regions（UTR） form different stem-loops that affect ribosome-binding and translation efficiency. The effectiveness of the SRPS elements is validated using a dual-fluorescence reporter system. The findings highlight a multi-layer and quantitative regulatory method for optimizing the stoichiometric expression of genes in bacteria and promoting the application of SRPS in synthetic biology.

Stem-loop structures control mRNA processing of the cellulosomal cip-cel operon in Ruminiclostridium cellulolyticum

BACKGROUND

Anaerobic, mesophilic, and cellulolytic Ruminiclostridium cellulolyticum produces an efficient cellulolytic extracellular complex named cellulosome, which consist of a non-catalytic multi-functional integrating subunit, organizing the various catalytic subunits into the complex. Main components of cellulosome were encoded by the cip-cel operon in R. cellulolyticum, and their stoichiometry is controlled by the mechanism of selective RNA processing and stabilization, which allows to confer each processed RNA portion from the cip-cel mRNA on different fates due to their stability and resolve the potential contradiction between the equimolar stoichiometry of transcripts with a within a transcription unit and the non-equimolar stoichiometry of subunits.

RESULTS

In this work, RNA processing events were found to occur at six intergenic regions (IRs) harboring stem-loop structures in cip-cel operon. These stem-loops not only stabilize processed transcripts at their both ends, but also act as cleavage signals specifically recognized by endoribonucleases. We further demonstrated that cleavage sites were often located downstream or 3' end of their associated stem-loops that could be classified into two types, with distinct GC-rich stems being required for RNA cleavage. However, the cleavage site in IR4 was found to be located upstream of the stem-loop, as determined by the bottom AT-pair region of this stem-loop, together with its upstream structure. Thus, our findings reveal the structural requirements for processing of cip-cel transcripts, which can be potentially used to control the stoichiometry of gene expression in an operon.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings reveal that stem-loop structures acting as RNA cleavage signals not only can be recognized by endoribonucleases and determine the location of cleavage sites but also determine the stoichiometry of their flanking processed transcripts by controlling stability in cip-cel operon. These features represent a complexed regulation of cellulosome in the post-transcriptional level, which can be exploited for designing synthetic elements to control gene expression.

A sulfide-sensor and a sulfane sulfur-sensor collectively regulate sulfur-oxidation for feather degradation by Bacillus licheniformis

Bacillus licheniformis MW3 degrades bird feathers. Feather keratin is rich in cysteine, which is metabolized to produce hazardous sulfide and sulfane sulfur. A challenge to B. licheniformis MW3 growing on feathers is to detoxify them. Here we identified a gene cluster in B. licheniformis MW3 to deal with these toxicity. The cluster contains 11 genes: the first gene yrkD encodes a repressor, the 8^th and 9^th genes nreB and nreC encode a two-component regulatory system, and the 10th and 11th genes encode sulfide: quinone reductase (SQR) and persulfide oxygenase (PDO). SQR and PDO collectively oxidize sulfide and sulfane sulfur to sulfite. YrkD sensed sulfane sulfur to derepress the 11 genes. The NreBC system sensed sulfide and further amplified the transcription of sqr and pdo. The two regulatory systems synergistically controlled the expression of the gene cluster, which was required for the bacterium to grow on feather. The findings highlight the necessity of removing sulfide and sulfane sulfur during feather degradation and may help with bioremediation of feather waste and sulfide pollution.

Two functionally distinct heme/iron transport systems are virulence determinants of the fish pathogen Flavobacterium psychrophilum

Bacterial pathogens have a critical impact on aquaculture, a sector that accounts for half of the human fish consumption. Flavobacterium psychrophilum (phylum Bacteroidetes) is responsible for bacterial cold-water disease in salmonids worldwide. The molecular factors involved in host invasion, colonization and haemorrhagic septicaemia are mostly unknown. In this study, we identified two new TonB-dependent receptors, HfpR and BfpR, that are required for adaptation to iron conditions encountered during infection and for virulence in rainbow trout. Transcriptional analyses revealed that their expression is tightly controlled and upregulated under specific iron sources and concentrations. Characterization of deletion mutants showed that they act without redundancy: BfpR is required for optimal growth in the presence of high haemoglobin level, while HfpR confers the capacity to acquire nutrient iron from haem or haemoglobin under iron scarcity. The gene hfpY, co-transcribed with hfpR, encodes a protein related to the HmuY family. We demonstrated that HfpY binds haem and contributes significantly to host colonization and disease severity. Overall, these results are consistent with a model in which both BfpR and Hfp systems promote haem uptake and respond to distinct signals to adapt iron acquisition to the different stages of pathogenesis. Our findings give insight into the molecular basis of pathogenicity of a serious pathogen belonging to the understudied family Flavobacteriaceae and point to the newly identified haem receptors as promising targets for antibacterial development.

Internal Transcription Terminators Control Stoichiometry of ABC Transporters in Cellulolytic Clostridia

The extracellular substrate-binding proteins (SBPs) of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) importers tend to be expressed in excess relative to their cognate translocators, but how the stoichiometry of ABC transporters is controlled remains unclear. Here, we elucidated a mechanism contributing to differential gene expression in operons encoding ABC importers by employing cellulolytic Clostridia species, specifically Ruminiclostridium cellulolyticum. We found that there were usually stem-loop structures downstream of SBP genes, which could prematurely terminate the transcription of ABC importers and were putative internal intrinsic terminators, resulting in high transcript levels of upstream SBP genes and low transcript levels of downstream cognate translocator genes. This was determined by their termination efficiencies. Internal terminators had a lower U content in their 3′ U-rich tracts and longer GC-rich stems, which distinguishes them from canonical terminators and potentially endows them with special termination efficiencies. The pairing of U-rich tracts and the formation of unpaired regions in these internal terminators contributed to their folding energies, affecting the stability of their upstream SBP transcripts. Our findings revealed a strategy of internal transcriptional terminators controlling in vivo stoichiometry of their flanking transcripts.

IMPORTANCE Operons encoding protein complexes or metabolic pathways usually require fine-tuned gene expression ratios to create and maintain the appropriate stoichiometry for biological functions. In this study, a strategy for controlling differential expression of genes in an operon was proposed by utilizing ABC importers from Ruminiclostridium cellulolyticum. We found that a stem-loop structure is introduced into the intergenic regions of operons encoding ABC importers as the putative internal terminator, which results in the premature termination of transcription. Consequently, the stoichiometric ratio of genes flanking terminators is precisely determined by their termination efficiencies and folding energies at the transcriptional level. Thus, it can be utilized as a promising synthetic biology tool to control the differential expression of genes in an operon.

Quantitative Control for Stoichiometric Protein Synthesis

Bacterial protein synthesis rates have evolved to maintain preferred stoichiometries at striking precision, from the components of protein complexes to constituents of entire pathways. Setting relative protein production rates to be well within a factor of two requires concerted tuning of transcription, RNA turnover, and translation, allowing many potential regulatory strategies to achieve the preferred output. The last decade has seen a greatly expanded capacity for precise interrogation of each step of the central dogma genome-wide. Here, we summarize how these technologies have shaped the current understanding of diverse bacterial regulatory architectures underpinning stoichiometric protein synthesis. We focus on the emerging expanded view of bacterial operons, which encode diverse primary and secondary mRNA structures for tuning protein stoichiometry. Emphasis is placed on how quantitative tuning is achieved. We discuss the challenges and open questions in the application of quantitative, genome-wide methodologies to the problem of precise protein production. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Microbiology, Volume 75 is October 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

Predicting Selective RNA Processing and Stabilization Operons in Clostridium spp

In selective RNA processing and stabilization (SRPS) operons, stem–loops (SLs) located at the 3′-UTR region of selected genes can control the stability of the corresponding transcripts and determine the stoichiometry of the operon. Here, for such operons, we developed a computational approach named SLOFE (stem–loop free energy) that identifies the SRPS operons and predicts their transcript- and protein-level stoichiometry at the whole-genome scale using only the genome sequence via the minimum free energy (ΔG) of specific SLs in the intergenic regions within operons. As validated by the experimental approach of differential RNA-Seq, SLOFE identifies genome-wide SRPS operons in Clostridium cellulolyticum with 80% accuracy and reveals that the SRPS mechanism contributes to diverse cellular activities. Moreover, in the identified SRPS operons, SLOFE predicts the transcript- and protein-level stoichiometry, including those encoding cellulosome complexes, ATP synthases, ABC transporter family proteins, and ribosomal proteins. Its accuracy exceeds those of existing in silico approaches in C. cellulolyticum, Clostridium acetobutylicum, Clostridium thermocellum, and Bacillus subtilis. The ability to identify genome-wide SRPS operons and predict their stoichiometry via DNA sequence in silico should facilitate studying the function and evolution of SRPS operons in bacteria.

Post-transcriptional regulation is involved in the cold-active methanol-based methanogenic pathway of a psychrophilic methanogen

The methanol-derived methanogenetic pathway contributes to bulk methane production in cold regions, but the cold adaptation mechanisms are obscure. This work investigated the mechanisms using a psychrophilic methylotrophic methanogen Methanolobus psychrophilus R15. R15 possesses two mtaCB operon paralogues-encoding methanol:corrinoid methyltransferase that is key to methanol-based methanogenesis. Molecular combined methanogenic assays determined that MtaC1 is important in methanogenesis at the optimal temperature of 18°C, but MtaC2 can be a cold-adaptive paralogue by highly upregulated at 8°C. The 5'P-seq and 5'RACE all assayed that processing occurred at the 5' untranslated region (5'-UTR) of mtaC2; reporter genes detected higher protein expression, and RNA half-life experiments assayed prolonged lifespan of the processed transcript. Therefore, mtaC2 5'-UTR processing to move the bulged structure elevated both the translation efficiency and transcript stability. 5'P-seq, quantitative RT-PCR and northern blot all identified enhanced mtaC2 5'-UTR processing at 8°C, which could contribute to the upregulation of mtaC2 at cold. The R15 cell extract contains an endoribonuclease cleaving an identified 10 nt-processing motif and the native mtaC2 5'-UTR particularly folded at 8°C. Therefore, this study revealed a 5'-UTR processing mediated post-transcriptional regulation mechanism controlling the cold-adaptive methanol-supported methanogenetic pathway, which may be used by other methylotrophic methanogens.

Regulation of alginate catabolism involves a GntR family repressor in the marine flavobacterium Zobellia galactanivorans DsijT

Marine flavobacteria possess dedicated Polysaccharide Utilization Loci (PULs) enabling efficient degradation of a variety of algal polysaccharides. The expression of these PULs is tightly controlled by the presence of the substrate, yet details on the regulatory mechanisms are still lacking. The marine flavobacterium Zobellia galactanivorans Dsij^T digests many algal polysaccharides, including alginate from brown algae. Its complex Alginate Utilization System (AUS) comprises a PUL and several other loci. Here, we showed that the expression of the AUS is strongly and rapidly (<30 min) induced upon addition of alginate, leading to biphasic substrate utilization. Polymeric alginate is first degraded into smaller oligosaccharides that accumulate in the extracellular medium before being assimilated. We found that AusR, a GntR family protein encoded within the PUL, regulates alginate catabolism by repressing the transcription of most AUS genes. Based on our genetic, genomic, transcriptomic and biochemical results, we propose the first model of regulation for a PUL in marine bacteria. AusR binds to promoters of AUS genes via single, double or triple copies of operator. Upon addition of alginate, secreted enzymes expressed at a basal level catalyze the initial breakdown of the polymer. Metabolic intermediates produced during degradation act as effectors of AusR and inhibit the formation of AusR/DNA complexes, thus lifting transcriptional repression.

Dynamic insights on transcription initiation and RNA processing during bacterial adaptation

Transcription initiation and RNA processing govern gene expression and enable bacterial adaptation by reshaping the RNA landscape. The aim of this study was to simultaneously observe these two fundamental processes in a transcriptome responding to an environmental signal. A controlled σ^E system in E. coli was coupled to our previously described tagRNA-seq method to yield process kinetics information. Changes in transcription initiation frequencies (TIF) and RNA processing frequencies (PF) were followed using 5' RNA tags. Changes in TIF showed a binary increased/decreased pattern that alternated between transcriptionally activated and repressed promoters, providing the bacterial population with transcriptional oscillation. PF variation fell into three categories of cleavage activity: (i) constant and independent of RNA levels, (ii) increased once RNA has accumulated, and (iii) positively correlated to changes in TIF. This work provides a comprehensive and dynamic view of major events leading to transcriptomic reshaping during bacterial adaptation. It unveils an interplay between transcription initiation and the activity of specific RNA cleavage sites. This study utilized a well-known genetic system to analyze fundamental processes and can serve as a blueprint for comprehensive studies that exploit the RNA metabolism to decipher and understand bacterial gene expression control.

A bacterial secreted translocator hijacks riboregulators to control type III secretion in response to host cell contact

Numerous Gram-negative pathogens use a Type III Secretion System (T3SS) to promote virulence by injecting effector proteins into targeted host cells, which subvert host cell processes. Expression of T3SS and the effectors is triggered upon host cell contact, but the underlying mechanism is poorly understood. Here, we report a novel strategy of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis in which this pathogen uses a secreted T3SS translocator protein (YopD) to control global RNA regulators. Secretion of the YopD translocator upon host cell contact increases the ratio of post-transcriptional regulator CsrA to its antagonistic small RNAs CsrB and CsrC and reduces the degradosome components PNPase and RNase E levels. This substantially elevates the amount of the common transcriptional activator (LcrF) of T3SS/Yop effector genes and triggers the synthesis of associated virulence-relevant traits. The observed hijacking of global riboregulators allows the pathogen to coordinate virulence factor expression and also readjusts its physiological response upon host cell contact.

Maturation of polycistronic mRNAs by the endoribonuclease RNase Y and its associated Y-complex in Bacillus subtilis

Endonucleolytic cleavage within polycistronic mRNAs can lead to differential stability, and thus discordant abundance, among cotranscribed genes. RNase Y, the major endonuclease for mRNA decay in Bacillus subtilis, was originally identified for its cleavage activity toward the cggR-gapA operon, an event that differentiates the synthesis of a glycolytic enzyme from its transcriptional regulator. A three-protein Y-complex (YlbF, YmcA, and YaaT) was recently identified as also being required for this cleavage in vivo, raising the possibility that it is an accessory factor acting to regulate RNase Y. However, whether the Y-complex is broadly required for RNase Y activity is unknown. Here, we used end-enrichment RNA sequencing (Rend-seq) to globally identify operon mRNAs that undergo maturation posttranscriptionally by RNase Y and the Y-complex. We found that the Y-complex is required for the majority of RNase Y-mediated mRNA maturation events and also affects riboswitch abundance in B. subtilis In contrast, noncoding RNA maturation by RNase Y often does not require the Y-complex. Furthermore, deletion of RNase Y has more pleiotropic effects on the transcriptome and cell growth than deletions of the Y-complex. We propose that the Y-complex is a specificity factor for RNase Y, with evidence that its role is conserved in Staphylococcus aureus.

Genome-wide mRNA processing in methanogenic archaea reveals post-transcriptional regulation of ribosomal protein synthesis

Unlike stable RNAs that require processing for maturation, prokaryotic cellular mRNAs generally follow an 'all-or-none' pattern. Herein, we used a 5΄ monophosphate transcript sequencing (5΄P-seq) that specifically captured the 5΄-end of processed transcripts and mapped the genome-wide RNA processing sites (PSSs) in a methanogenic archaeon. Following statistical analysis and stringent filtration, we identified 1429 PSSs, among which 23.5% and 5.4% were located in 5΄ untranslated region (uPSS) and intergenic region (iPSS), respectively. A predominant uridine downstream PSSs served as a processing signature. Remarkably, 5΄P-seq detected overrepresented uPSS and iPSS in the polycistronic operons encoding ribosomal proteins, and the majority upstream and proximal ribosome binding sites, suggesting a regulatory role of processing on translation initiation. The processed transcripts showed increased stability and translation efficiency. Particularly, processing within the tricistronic transcript of rplA-rplJ-rplL enhanced the translation of rplL, which can provide a driving force for the 1:4 stoichiometry of L10 to L12 in the ribosome. Growth-associated mRNA processing intensities were also correlated with the cellular ribosomal protein levels, thereby suggesting that mRNA processing is involved in tuning growth-dependent ribosome synthesis. In conclusion, our findings suggest that mRNA processing-mediated post-transcriptional regulation is a potential mechanism of ribosomal protein synthesis and stoichiometry.

Role of RNase Y in Clostridium perfringens mRNA Decay and Processing

RNase Y is a major endoribonuclease that plays a crucial role in mRNA degradation and processing. We study the role of RNase Y in the Gram-positive anaerobic pathogen Clostridium perfringens, which until now has not been well understood. Our study implies an important role for RNase Y-mediated RNA degradation and processing in virulence gene expression and the physiological development of the organism. We began by constructing an RNase Y conditional knockdown strain in order to observe the importance of RNase Y on growth and virulence. Our resulting transcriptome analysis shows that RNase Y affects the expression of many genes, including toxin-producing genes. We provide data to show that RNase Y depletion repressed several toxin genes in C. perfringens and involved the virR-virS two-component system. We also observe evidence that RNase Y is indispensable for processing and stabilizing the transcripts of colA (encoding a major toxin collagenase) and pilA2 (encoding a major pilin component of the type IV pili). Posttranscriptional regulation of colA is known to be mediated by cleavage in the 5' untranslated region (5'UTR), and we observe that RNase Y depletion diminishes colA 5'UTR processing. We show that RNase Y is also involved in the posttranscriptional stabilization of pilA2 mRNA, which is thought to be important for host cell adherence and biofilm formation.

IMPORTANCE

RNases have important roles in RNA degradation and turnover in all organisms. C. perfringens is a Gram-positive anaerobic spore-forming bacterial pathogen that produces numerous extracellular enzymes and toxins, and it is linked to digestive disorders and disease. A highly conserved endoribonuclease, RNase Y, affects the expression of hundreds of genes, including toxin genes, and studying these effects is useful for understanding C. perfringens specifically and RNases generally. Moreover, RNase Y is involved in processing specific transcripts, and we observed that this processing in C. perfringens results in the stabilization of mRNAs encoding a toxin and bacterial extracellular apparatus pili. Our study shows that RNase activity is associated with gene expression, helping to determine the growth, proliferation, and virulence of C. perfringens.

Finding sRNA-associated phenotypes by competition assays: An example with Staphylococcus aureus

Bacteria optimize their fitness in response to a changing environment by tight regulation of gene expression. Regulation can be controlled at both transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels via key players such as sigma factors, regulatory proteins and regulatory RNAs. The identification of phenotypes associated with gene deletions is the established method for finding gene functions but may require testing many conditions for each studied mutant. As regulatory RNAs often contribute to fine-tuning gene expression, phenotypes associated with their inactivation are often weak and difficult to detect. Nevertheless, minor phenotypes conferring modest advantages, may allow bacteria to emerge after some generations under selective pressure. A strategy employing DNA barcodes can be used to perform competition experiments between mutants and to monitor fitness associated with mutations in different growth conditions. We combined this strategy with deep sequencing to study regulatory RNAs in Staphylococcus aureus, a major opportunistic pathogen.

A Novel Strategy for Exploitation of Host RNase E Activity by a Marine Cyanophage

Previous studies have shown that infection of Prochlorococcus MED4 by the cyanophage P-SSP7 leads to increased transcript levels of host endoribonuclease (RNase) E. However, it has remained enigmatic whether this is part of a host defense mechanism to degrade phage messenger RNA (mRNA) or whether this single-strand RNA-specific RNase is utilized by the phage. Here we describe a hitherto unknown means through which this cyanophage increases expression of RNase E during phage infection and concomitantly protects its own RNA from degradation. We identified two functionally different RNase E mRNA variants, one of which is significantly induced during phage infection. This transcript lacks the 5' UTR, is considerably more stable than the other transcript, and is likely responsible for increased RNase E protein levels during infection. Furthermore, selective enrichment and in vivo analysis of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) during infection revealed that phage antisense RNAs (asRNAs) sequester complementary mRNAs to form dsRNAs, such that the phage protein-coding transcriptome is nearly completely covered by asRNAs. In contrast, the host protein-coding transcriptome is only partially covered by asRNAs. These data suggest that P-SSP7 orchestrates degradation of host RNA by increasing RNase E expression while masking its own transcriptome from RNase E degradation in dsRNA complexes. We propose that this combination of strategies contributes significantly to phage progeny production.

Mechanism of Ribonuclease III Catalytic Regulation by Serine Phosphorylation

Ribonuclease III (RNase III) is a conserved, gene-regulatory bacterial endonuclease that cleaves double-helical structures in diverse coding and noncoding RNAs. RNase III is subject to multiple levels of control, reflective of its global regulatory functions. Escherichia coli (Ec) RNase III catalytic activity is known to increase during bacteriophage T7 infection, reflecting the expression of the phage-encoded protein kinase, T7PK. However, the mechanism of catalytic enhancement is unknown. This study shows that Ec-RNase III is phosphorylated on serine in vitro by purified T7PK, and identifies the targets as Ser33 and Ser34 in the N-terminal catalytic domain. Kinetic experiments reveal a 5-fold increase in k_cat and a 1.4-fold decrease in K_m following phosphorylation, providing a 7.4–fold increase in catalytic efficiency. Phosphorylation does not change the rate of substrate cleavage under single-turnover conditions, indicating that phosphorylation enhances product release, which also is the rate-limiting step in the steady-state. Molecular dynamics simulations provide a mechanism for facilitated product release, in which the Ser33 phosphomonoester forms a salt bridge with the Arg95 guanidinium group, thereby weakening RNase III engagement of product. The simulations also show why glutamic acid substitution at either serine does not confer enhancement, thus underscoring the specific requirement for a phosphomonoester.

The C-terminal region of the RNA helicase CshA is required for the interaction with the degradosome and turnover of bulk RNA in the opportunistic pathogen Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus is a versatile opportunistic pathogen that adapts readily to a variety of different growth conditions. This adaptation requires a rapid regulation of gene expression including the control of mRNA abundance. The CshA DEAD-box RNA helicase was previously shown to be required for efficient turnover of the agr quorum sensing mRNA. Here we show by transcriptome-wide RNA sequencing and microarray analyses that CshA is required for the degradation of bulk mRNA. Moreover a subset of mRNAs is significantly stabilised in absence of CshA. Deletion of the C-terminal extension affects RNA turnover similar to the full deletion of the cshA gene. In accordance with RNA decay data, the C-terminal region of CshA is required for an RNA-independent interaction with components of the RNA degradation machinery. The C-terminal truncation of CshA reduces its ATPase activity and this reduction cannot be compensated at high RNA concentrations. Finally, the deletion of the C-terminal extension does affect growth at low temperatures, but to a significantly lesser degree than the full deletion, indicating that the core of the helicase can assume a partial function and opening the possibility that CshA is involved in different cellular processes.

The complexity of bacterial transcriptomes

For eukaryotes there seems to be no doubt that differences on the trancriptomic level substantially contribute to the process of species diversification, whereas for bacteria this is thought to be less important. Recent years saw a significant increase in full transcriptome studies for bacteria, which provided deep insight into the architecture of bacterial transcriptomes. Most notably, it became evident that, in contrast to previous scientific consensus, bacterial transcriptomes are quite complex. There exist a large number of cis-antisense RNAs, non-coding RNAs, overlapping transcripts and RNA elements that regulate transcription, such as riboswitches. Furthermore, processing and degradation of RNA has gained interest, because it has a significant impact on the composition of the transcriptome. In this review, we summarize recent findings and put them into a broader context with respect to the complexity of bacterial transcriptomes and its putative biological meanings.

Whole-genome mapping of 5' RNA ends in bacteria by tagged sequencing: a comprehensive view in Enterococcus faecalis

Enterococcus faecalis is the third cause of nosocomial infections. To obtain the first snapshot of transcriptional organizations in this bacterium, we used a modified RNA-seq approach enabling to discriminate primary from processed 5' RNA ends. We also validated our approach by confirming known features in Escherichia coli. We mapped 559 transcription start sites (TSSs) and 352 processing sites (PSSs) in E. faecalis. A blind motif search retrieved canonical features of SigA- and SigN-dependent promoters preceding transcription start sites mapped. We discovered 85 novel putative regulatory RNAs, small- and antisense RNAs, and 72 transcriptional antisense organizations. Presented data constitute a significant insight into bacterial RNA landscapes and a step toward the inference of regulatory processes at transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels in a comprehensive manner.

Cellulosome stoichiometry in Clostridium cellulolyticum is regulated by selective RNA processing and stabilization

The mechanism, physiological relevance and evolutionary implication of selective RNA processing and stabilization (SRPS) remain elusive. Here we report the genome-wide maps of transcriptional start sites (TSs) and post-transcriptional processed sites (PSs) for Clostridium cellulolyticum. The PS-associated genes are preferably associated with subunits of heteromultimeric protein complexes, and the intergenic PSs (iPSs) are enriched in operons exhibiting highly skewed transcript-abundance landscape. Stem-loop structures associated with those iPSs located at 3′ termini of highly transcribed genes exhibit folding free energy negatively correlated with transcript-abundance ratio of flanking genes. In the cellulosome-encoding cip-cel operon, iPSs and stem-loops precisely regulate structure and abundance of the subunit-encoding transcripts processed from a primary polycistronic RNA, quantitatively specifying cellulosome stoichiometry. Moreover, cellulosome evolution is shaped by the number, position and biophysical nature of TSs, iPSs and stem-loops. Our findings unveil a genome-wide RNA-encoded strategy controlling in vivo stoichiometry of protein complexes.

Selective RNA processing and stabilization (SRPS) can regulate bacterial operons, but the process is not well understood. Here, the authors show that the stoichiometry of cellulosome, a 12-subunit protein complex expressed from an operon in Gram-positive Clostridium cellullolyticum, is regulated by SRPS.

Post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression in bacterial pathogens by toxin-antitoxin systems

Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems are small genetic elements ubiquitous in prokaryotic genomes that encode toxic proteins targeting various vital cellular functions. Typically, toxin activity is controlled by adjacently encoded protein or RNA antitoxins and unleashed as a consequence of genetic fluctuations or stressful conditions. Whereas some TA systems interfere with replication or cell wall synthesis, most of them influence transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene regulation. Antitoxin proteins often act as DNA binding transcriptional regulators and many TA toxins exhibit endoribonuclease activity to selectively degrade different RNA species and thus alter gene expression patterns. Some TA RNases cleave tRNA, tmRNAs or rRNAs, whereas most commonly mRNAs either in association with the ribosome or as free transcripts, are targeted. Examples are provided on how TA toxins differentially shape gene expression in bacterial pathogens by creating specialized ribosomes or by altering the transcriptome and how this may be tied in the control of pathogenicity factors.

Functional conservation of RNase III-like enzymes: studies on a Vibrio vulnificus ortholog of Escherichia coli RNase III

Bacterial ribonuclease III (RNase III) belongs to the RNase III enzyme family, which plays a pivotal role in controlling mRNA stability and RNA processing in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. In the Vibrio vulnificus genome, one open reading frame encodes a protein homologous to E. coli RNase III, designated Vv-RNase III, which has 77.9 % amino acid identity to E. coli RNase III. Here, we report that Vv-RNase III has the same cleavage specificity as E. coli RNase III in vivo and in vitro. Expressing Vv-RNase III in E. coli cells deleted for the RNase III gene (rnc) restored normal rRNA processing and, consequently, growth rates of these cells comparable to wild-type cells. In vitro cleavage assays further showed that Vv-RNase III has the same cleavage activity and specificity as E. coli RNase III on RNase III-targeted sequences of corA and mltD mRNA. Our findings suggest that RNase III-like proteins have conserved cleavage specificity across bacterial species.

Identification of critical genes for growth in olive brine by transposon mutagenesis of Lactobacillus pentosus C11

Olive brine represents a stressful environment due to the high NaCl concentration, presence of phenolic compounds known as antimicrobials, and low availability of nutrients. Thus, only a few strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are adapted to grow in and ferment table olives. To identify the mechanisms by which these few strains are able to grow in olive brine, Lactobacillus pentosus C11, a particularly resistant strain isolated from naturally fermented table olives, was mutagenized by random transposition using the P(junc)-TpaseIS1223 system (H. Licandro-Seraut, S. Brinster, M. van de Guchte, H. Scornec, E. Maguin, P. Sansonetti, J. F. Cavin, and P. Serror, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 78:5417-5423, 2012). A library of 6,000 mutants was generated and screened for adaptation and subsequent growth in a medium, named BSM (brine screening medium), which presents the stressful conditions encountered in olive brine. Five transposition mutants impaired in growth on BSM were identified. Transposition occurred in two open reading frames and in three transcription terminators affecting stability of transcripts. Thus, several essential genes for adaptation and growth of L. pentosus C11 in olive brine were identified.