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Selim KA, Alva V. PII-like signaling proteins: a new paradigm in orchestrating cellular homeostasis. Curr Opin Microbiol 2024; 79:102453. [PMID: 38678827 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2024.102453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
Members of the PII superfamily are versatile, multitasking signaling proteins ubiquitously found in all domains of life. They adeptly monitor and synchronize the cell's carbon, nitrogen, energy, redox, and diurnal states, primarily by binding interdependently to adenyl-nucleotides, including charged nucleotides (ATP, ADP, and AMP) and second messengers such as cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), cyclic di-adenosine monophosphate (c-di-AMP), and S-adenosylmethionine-AMP (SAM-AMP). These proteins also undergo a variety of posttranslational modifications, such as phosphorylation, adenylation, uridylation, carboxylation, and disulfide bond formation, which further provide cues on the metabolic state of the cell. Serving as precise metabolic sensors, PII superfamily proteins transmit this information to diverse cellular targets, establishing dynamic regulatory assemblies that fine-tune cellular homeostasis. Recently discovered, PII-like proteins are emerging families of signaling proteins that, while related to canonical PII proteins, have evolved to fulfill a diverse range of cellular functions, many of which remain elusive. In this review, we focus on the evolution of PII-like proteins and summarize the molecular mechanisms governing the assembly dynamics of PII complexes, with a special emphasis on the PII-like protein SbtB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khaled A Selim
- Microbiology / Molecular Physiology of Prokaryotes, Institute of Biology II, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestraße 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany; Protein Evolution Department, Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Vikram Alva
- Protein Evolution Department, Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
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2
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Mantovani O, Haffner M, Walke P, Elshereef AA, Wagner B, Petras D, Forchhammer K, Selim KA, Hagemann M. The redox-sensitive R-loop of the carbon control protein SbtB contributes to the regulation of the cyanobacterial CCM. Sci Rep 2024; 14:7885. [PMID: 38570698 PMCID: PMC10991534 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-58354-7] [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: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
SbtB is a PII-like protein that regulates the carbon-concentrating mechanism (CCM) in cyanobacteria. SbtB proteins can bind many adenyl nucleotides and possess a characteristic C-terminal redox sensitive loop (R-loop) that forms a disulfide bridge in response to the diurnal state of the cell. SbtBs also possess an ATPase/ADPase activity that is modulated by the redox-state of the R-loop. To investigate the R-loop in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, site-specific mutants, unable to form the hairpin and permanently in the reduced state, and a R-loop truncation mutant, were characterized under different inorganic carbon (Ci) and light regimes. Growth under diurnal rhythm showed a role of the R-loop as sensor for acclimation to changing light conditions. The redox-state of the R-loop was found to impact the binding of the adenyl-nucleotides to SbtB, its membrane association and thereby the CCM regulation, while these phenotypes disappeared after truncation of the R-loop. Collectively, our data imply that the redox-sensitive R-loop provides an additional regulatory layer to SbtB, linking the CO2-related signaling activity of SbtB with the redox state of cells, mainly reporting the actual light conditions. This regulation not only coordinates CCM activity in the diurnal rhythm but also affects the primary carbon metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Mantovani
- Department of Plant Physiology, Institute of Biosciences, University of Rostock, A.-Einstein-Str. 3, 18059, Rostock, Germany
| | - Michael Haffner
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine Tübingen, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Peter Walke
- Department of Plant Physiology, Institute of Biosciences, University of Rostock, A.-Einstein-Str. 3, 18059, Rostock, Germany
| | - Abdalla A Elshereef
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine Tübingen, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Chemistry of Natural and Microbial Products Department, Pharmaceutical and Drug Industries Research Institute, National Research Centre, Giza, Egypt
| | - Berenike Wagner
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine Tübingen, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Daniel Petras
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine Tübingen, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Karl Forchhammer
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine Tübingen, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Khaled A Selim
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine Tübingen, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
- Department of Protein Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen, Germany.
- Institute of Biology, Microbiology/Molecular Physiology of Prokaryotes, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestraße 1, 79104, Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Martin Hagemann
- Department of Plant Physiology, Institute of Biosciences, University of Rostock, A.-Einstein-Str. 3, 18059, Rostock, Germany.
- Interdisciplinary Faculty, Department Life, Light and Matter, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany.
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Vlasova V, Lapina T, Statinov V, Ermilova E. N-Acetyl-L-glutamate Kinase of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: In Vivo Regulation by PII Protein and Beyond. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:12873. [PMID: 37629055 PMCID: PMC10454706 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241612873] [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: 07/23/2023] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
N-Acetyl-L-glutamate kinase (NAGK) catalyzes the rate-limiting step in the ornithine/arginine biosynthesis pathway in eukaryotic and bacterial oxygenic phototrophs. NAGK is the most highly conserved target of the PII signal transduction protein in Cyanobacteria and Archaeplastida (red algae and Chlorophyta). However, there is still much to be learned about how NAGK is regulated in vivo. The use of unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as a model system has already been instrumental in identifying several key regulation mechanisms that control nitrogen (N) metabolism. With a combination of molecular-genetic and biochemical approaches, we show the existence of the complex CrNAGK control at the transcriptional level, which is dependent on N source and N availability. In growing cells, CrNAGK requires CrPII to properly sense the feedback inhibitor arginine. Moreover, we provide primary evidence that CrPII is only partly responsible for regulating CrNAGK activity to adapt to changing nutritional conditions. Collectively, our results suggest that in vivo CrNAGK is tuned at the transcriptional and post-translational levels, and CrPII and additional as yet unknown factor(s) are integral parts of this regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Elena Ermilova
- Biological Faculty, Saint-Petersburg State University, 199034 Saint-Petersburg, Russia; (V.V.); (T.L.); (V.S.)
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Selim KA, Haffner M, Mantovani O, Albrecht R, Zhu H, Hagemann M, Forchhammer K, Hartmann MD. Carbon signaling protein SbtB possesses atypical redox-regulated apyrase activity to facilitate regulation of bicarbonate transporter SbtA. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2205882120. [PMID: 36800386 PMCID: PMC9974498 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2205882120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The PII superfamily consists of widespread signal transduction proteins found in all domains of life. In addition to canonical PII proteins involved in C/N sensing, structurally similar PII-like proteins evolved to fulfill diverse, yet poorly understood cellular functions. In cyanobacteria, the bicarbonate transporter SbtA is co-transcribed with the conserved PII-like protein, SbtB, to augment intracellular inorganic carbon levels for efficient CO2 fixation. We identified SbtB as a sensor of various adenine nucleotides including the second messenger nucleotides cyclic AMP (cAMP) and c-di-AMP. Moreover, many SbtB proteins possess a C-terminal extension with a disulfide bridge of potential redox-regulatory function, which we call R-loop. Here, we reveal an unusual ATP/ADP apyrase (diphosphohydrolase) activity of SbtB that is controlled by the R-loop. We followed the sequence of hydrolysis reactions from ATP over ADP to AMP in crystallographic snapshots and unravel the structural mechanism by which changes of the R-loop redox state modulate apyrase activity. We further gathered evidence that this redox state is controlled by thioredoxin, suggesting that it is generally linked to cellular metabolism, which is supported by physiological alterations in site-specific mutants of the SbtB protein. Finally, we present a refined model of how SbtB regulates SbtA activity, in which both the apyrase activity and its redox regulation play a central role. This highlights SbtB as a central switch point in cyanobacterial cell physiology, integrating not only signals from the energy state (adenyl-nucleotide binding) and the carbon supply via cAMP binding but also from the day/night status reported by the C-terminal redox switch.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khaled A. Selim
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Organismic Interactions Department, Cluster of Excellence 'Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections', Tübingen University, 72076Tübingen, Germany
- Department of Protein Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Biology, 72076Tübingen, Germany
| | - Michael Haffner
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Organismic Interactions Department, Cluster of Excellence 'Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections', Tübingen University, 72076Tübingen, Germany
| | - Oliver Mantovani
- Plant Physiology Department, Institute of Biological Sciences, Rostock University, 18059Rostock, Germany
| | - Reinhard Albrecht
- Department of Protein Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Biology, 72076Tübingen, Germany
| | - Hongbo Zhu
- Department of Protein Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Biology, 72076Tübingen, Germany
| | - Martin Hagemann
- Plant Physiology Department, Institute of Biological Sciences, Rostock University, 18059Rostock, Germany
| | - Karl Forchhammer
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Organismic Interactions Department, Cluster of Excellence 'Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections', Tübingen University, 72076Tübingen, Germany
| | - Marcus D. Hartmann
- Department of Protein Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Biology, 72076Tübingen, Germany
- Interfaculty Institute of Biochemistry, Tübingen University, 72076Tübingen, Germany
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Babele PK, Srivastava A, Selim KA, Kumar A. Millet-inspired systems metabolic engineering of NUE in crops. Trends Biotechnol 2022; 41:701-713. [PMID: 36566140 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2022.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The use of nitrogen (N) fertilizers in agriculture has a great ability to increase crop productivity. However, their excessive use has detrimental effects on the environment. Therefore, it is necessary to develop crop varieties with improved nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) that require less N but have substantial yields. Orphan crops such as millets are cultivated in limited regions and are well adapted to lower input conditions. Therefore, they serve as a rich source of beneficial traits that can be transferred into major crops to improve their NUE. This review highlights the tremendous potential of systems biology to unravel the enzymes and pathways involved in the N metabolism of millets, which can open new possibilities to generate transgenic crops with improved NUE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piyoosh K Babele
- Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi 284003, Uttar Pradesh, India.
| | - Amit Srivastava
- University of Jyväskylä, Nanoscience Centre, Department of Biological and Environmental Science, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Khaled A Selim
- Organismic Interactions Department, Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Cluster of Excellence 'Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections', Tübingen University, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Anil Kumar
- Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi 284003, Uttar Pradesh, India
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Freudenberg RA, Wittemeier L, Einhaus A, Baier T, Kruse O. Advanced pathway engineering for phototrophic putrescine production. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2022; 20:1968-1982. [PMID: 35748533 PMCID: PMC9491463 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.13879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Revised: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The polyamine putrescine (1,4-diaminobutane) contributes to cellular fitness in most organisms, where it is derived from the amino acids ornithine or arginine. In the chemical industry, putrescine serves as a versatile building block for polyamide synthesis. The green microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii accumulates relatively high putrescine amounts, which, together with recent advances in genetic engineering, enables the generation of a powerful green cell factory to promote sustainable biotechnology for base chemical production. Here, we report a systematic investigation of the native putrescine metabolism in C. reinhardtii, leading to the first CO2 -based bio-production of putrescine, by employing modern synthetic biology and metabolic engineering strategies. A CRISPR/Cas9-based knockout of key enzymes of the polyamine biosynthesis pathway identified ornithine decarboxylase 1 (ODC1) as a gatekeeper for putrescine accumulation and demonstrated that the arginine decarboxylase (ADC) route is likely inactive and that amine oxidase 2 (AMX2) is mainly responsible for putrescine degradation in C. reinhardtii. A 4.5-fold increase in cellular putrescine levels was achieved by engineered overexpression of potent candidate ornithine decarboxylases (ODCs). We identified unexpected substrate promiscuity in two bacterial ODCs, which exhibited co-production of cadaverine and 4-aminobutanol. Final pathway engineering included overexpression of recombinant arginases for improved substrate availability as well as functional knockout of putrescine degradation, which resulted in a 10-fold increase in cellular putrescine titres and yielded 200 mg/L in phototrophic high cell density cultivations after 10 days.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert A. Freudenberg
- Faculty of Biology, Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec)Bielefeld UniversityBielefeldGermany
| | - Luisa Wittemeier
- Faculty of Biology, Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec)Bielefeld UniversityBielefeldGermany
| | - Alexander Einhaus
- Faculty of Biology, Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec)Bielefeld UniversityBielefeldGermany
| | - Thomas Baier
- Faculty of Biology, Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec)Bielefeld UniversityBielefeldGermany
| | - Olaf Kruse
- Faculty of Biology, Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec)Bielefeld UniversityBielefeldGermany
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7
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Lapina T, Statinov V, Puzanskiy R, Ermilova E. Arginine-Dependent Nitric Oxide Generation and S-Nitrosation in the Non-Photosynthetic Unicellular Alga Polytomella parva. Antioxidants (Basel) 2022; 11:antiox11050949. [PMID: 35624813 PMCID: PMC9138000 DOI: 10.3390/antiox11050949] [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: 03/13/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Nitric oxide (NO) acts as a key signaling molecule in higher plants, regulating many physiological processes. Several photosynthetic algae from different lineages are also known to produce NO. However, it remains unclear whether this messenger is produced by non-photosynthetic algae. Among these organisms, the colorless alga Polytomella parva is a special case, as it has lost not only its plastid genome, but also nitrate reductase and nitrite reductase. Up to now, the question of whether NO synthesis occurs in the absence of functional nitrate reductase (NR) and the assimilation of nitrates/nitrites in P. parva has not been elucidated. Using spectrofluorometric assays and confocal microscopy with NO-sensitive fluorescence dye, we demonstrate L-arginine-dependent NO synthesis by P. parva cells. Based on a pharmacological approach, we propose the existence of arginine-dependent NO synthase-like activity in this non-photosynthetic alga. GC-MS analysis provides primary evidence that P. parva synthesizes putrescine, which is not an NO source in this alga. Moreover, the generated NO causes the S-nitrosation of protein cysteine thiol groups. Together, our data argue for NR-independent NO synthesis and its active role in S-nitrosation as an essential post-translational modification in P. parva.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana Lapina
- Biological Faculty, Saint-Petersburg State University, 199034 Saint-Petersburg, Russia; (T.L.); (V.S.); (R.P.)
| | - Vladislav Statinov
- Biological Faculty, Saint-Petersburg State University, 199034 Saint-Petersburg, Russia; (T.L.); (V.S.); (R.P.)
| | - Roman Puzanskiy
- Biological Faculty, Saint-Petersburg State University, 199034 Saint-Petersburg, Russia; (T.L.); (V.S.); (R.P.)
- Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 197376 Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Elena Ermilova
- Biological Faculty, Saint-Petersburg State University, 199034 Saint-Petersburg, Russia; (T.L.); (V.S.); (R.P.)
- Correspondence:
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New views on PII signaling: from nitrogen sensing to global metabolic control. Trends Microbiol 2022; 30:722-735. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2021.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Split NanoLuc technology allows quantitation of interactions between PII protein and its receptors with unprecedented sensitivity and reveals transient interactions. Sci Rep 2021; 11:12535. [PMID: 34131190 PMCID: PMC8206089 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-91856-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
PII proteins constitute a widespread signal transduction superfamily in the prokaryotic world. The canonical PII signal proteins sense metabolic state of the cells by binding the metabolite molecules ATP, ADP and 2-oxoglutarate. Depending on bound effector molecule, PII proteins interact with and modulate the activity of multiple target proteins. To investigate the complexity of interactions of PII with target proteins, analytical methods that do not disrupt the native cellular context are required. To this purpose, split luciferase proteins have been used to develop a novel complementation reporter called NanoLuc Binary Technology (NanoBiT). The luciferase NanoLuc is divided in two subunits: a 18 kDa polypeptide termed "Large BiT" and a 1.3 kDa peptide termed "Small BiT", which only weakly associate. When fused to proteins of interest, they reconstitute an active luciferase when the proteins of interest interact. Therefore, we set out to develop a new NanoBiT sensor based on the interaction of PII protein from Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 with PII-interacting protein X (PipX) and N-acetyl-L-glutamate kinase (NAGK). The novel NanoBiT sensor showed unprecedented sensitivity, which made it possible to detect even weak and transient interactions between PII variants and their interacting partners, thereby shedding new light in PII signalling processes.
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Müller M, Calvert M, Hottmann I, Kluj RM, Teufel T, Balbuchta K, Engelbrecht A, Selim KA, Xu Q, Borisova M, Titz A, Mayer C. The exo-β-N-acetylmuramidase NamZ from Bacillus subtilis is the founding member of a family of exo-lytic peptidoglycan hexosaminidases. J Biol Chem 2021; 296:100519. [PMID: 33684445 PMCID: PMC8054146 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.100519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2021] [Revised: 02/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Endo-β-N-acetylmuramidases, commonly known as lysozymes, are well-characterized antimicrobial enzymes that catalyze an endo-lytic cleavage of peptidoglycan; i.e., they hydrolyze the β-1,4-glycosidic bonds connecting N-acetylmuramic acid (MurNAc) and N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc). In contrast, little is known about exo-β-N-acetylmuramidases, which catalyze an exo-lytic cleavage of β-1,4-MurNAc entities from the non-reducing ends of peptidoglycan chains. Such an enzyme was identified earlier in the bacterium Bacillus subtilis, but the corresponding gene has remained unknown so far. We now report that ybbC of B. subtilis, renamed namZ, encodes the reported exo-β-N-acetylmuramidase. A ΔnamZ mutant accumulated specific cell wall fragments and showed growth defects under starvation conditions, indicating a role of NamZ in cell wall turnover and recycling. Recombinant NamZ protein specifically hydrolyzed the artificial substrate para-nitrophenyl β-MurNAc and the peptidoglycan-derived disaccharide MurNAc-β-1,4-GlcNAc. Together with the exo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase NagZ and the exo-muramoyl-l-alanine amidase AmiE, NamZ degraded intact peptidoglycan by sequential hydrolysis from the non-reducing ends. A structure model of NamZ, built on the basis of two crystal structures of putative orthologs from Bacteroides fragilis, revealed a two-domain structure including a Rossmann-fold-like domain that constitutes a unique glycosidase fold. Thus, NamZ, a member of the DUF1343 protein family of unknown function, is now classified as the founding member of a new family of glycosidases (CAZy GH171; www.cazy.org/GH171.html). NamZ-like peptidoglycan hexosaminidases are mainly present in the phylum Bacteroidetes and less frequently found in individual genomes within Firmicutes (Bacilli, Clostridia), Actinobacteria, and γ-proteobacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maraike Müller
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Matthew Calvert
- Chemical Biology of Carbohydrates, Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Saarbrücken, Germany; Deutsches Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (DZIF), Standort Hannover-Braunschweig, Germany; Department of Chemistry, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Isabel Hottmann
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Robert Maria Kluj
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Tim Teufel
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Katja Balbuchta
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Alicia Engelbrecht
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Khaled A Selim
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Chemistry of Natural and Microbial Products Department, Pharmaceutical and Drug Industries Research Division, National Research Center, Giza, Egypt
| | - Qingping Xu
- GM/CA @ APS, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois, USA
| | - Marina Borisova
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Alexander Titz
- Chemical Biology of Carbohydrates, Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Saarbrücken, Germany; Deutsches Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (DZIF), Standort Hannover-Braunschweig, Germany; Department of Chemistry, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Christoph Mayer
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
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Forchhammer K, Selim KA. Carbon/nitrogen homeostasis control in cyanobacteria. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2020; 44:33-53. [PMID: 31617886 PMCID: PMC8042125 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuz025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2019] [Accepted: 10/14/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Carbon/nitrogen (C/N) balance sensing is a key requirement for the maintenance of cellular homeostasis. Therefore, cyanobacteria have evolved a sophisticated signal transduction network targeting the metabolite 2-oxoglutarate (2-OG), the carbon skeleton for nitrogen assimilation. It serves as a status reporter for the cellular C/N balance that is sensed by transcription factors NtcA and NdhR and the versatile PII-signaling protein. The PII protein acts as a multitasking signal-integrating regulator, combining the 2-OG signal with the energy state of the cell through adenyl-nucleotide binding. Depending on these integrated signals, PII orchestrates metabolic activities in response to environmental changes through binding to various targets. In addition to 2-OG, other status reporter metabolites have recently been discovered, mainly indicating the carbon status of the cells. One of them is cAMP, which is sensed by the PII-like protein SbtB. The present review focuses, with a main emphasis on unicellular model strains Synechoccus elongatus and Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, on the physiological framework of these complex regulatory loops, the tight linkage to metabolism and the molecular mechanisms governing the signaling processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karl Forchhammer
- Lehrstuhl für Mikrobiologie, Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Khaled A Selim
- Lehrstuhl für Mikrobiologie, Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany
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12
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Selim KA, Ermilova E, Forchhammer K. From cyanobacteria to Archaeplastida: new evolutionary insights into PII signalling in the plant kingdom. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2020; 227:722-731. [PMID: 32077495 DOI: 10.1111/nph.16492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2019] [Accepted: 02/13/2020] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
The PII superfamily consists of signal transduction proteins found in all domains of life. Canonical PII proteins sense the cellular energy state through the competitive binding of ATP and ADP, and carbon/nitrogen balance through 2-oxoglutarate binding. The ancestor of Archaeplastida inherited its PII signal transduction protein from an ancestral cyanobacterial endosymbiont. Over the course of evolution, plant PII proteins acquired a glutamine-sensing C-terminal extension, subsequently present in all Chloroplastida PII proteins. The PII proteins of various algal strains (red, green and nonphotosynthetic algae) have been systematically investigated with respect to their sensory and regulatory properties. Comparisons of the PII proteins from different phyla of oxygenic phototrophs (cyanobacteria, red algae, Chlorophyta and higher plants) have yielded insights into their evolutionary conservation vs adaptive properties. The highly conserved role of the controlling enzyme of arginine biosynthesis, N-acetyl-l-glutamate kinase (NAGK), as a main PII-interactor has been demonstrated across oxygenic phototrophs of cyanobacteria and Archaeplastida. In addition, the PII signalling system of red algae has been identified as an evolutionary intermediate between that of Cyanobacteria and Chloroplastida. In this review, we consider recent advances in understanding metabolic signalling by PII proteins of the plant kingdom.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khaled A Selim
- Organismic Interactions Department, Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Elena Ermilova
- Biological Faculty, Saint-Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya nab. 7/9, Saint-Petersburg, 199034, Russia
| | - Karl Forchhammer
- Organismic Interactions Department, Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
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13
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Selim KA, Tremiño L, Marco-Marín C, Alva V, Espinosa J, Contreras A, Hartmann MD, Forchhammer K, Rubio V. Functional and structural characterization of PII-like protein CutA does not support involvement in heavy metal tolerance and hints at a small-molecule carrying/signaling role. FEBS J 2020; 288:1142-1162. [PMID: 32599651 DOI: 10.1111/febs.15464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2019] [Revised: 04/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The PII-like protein CutA is annotated as being involved in Cu2+ tolerance, based on analysis of Escherichia coli mutants. However, the precise cellular function of CutA remains unclear. Our bioinformatic analysis reveals that CutA proteins are universally distributed across all domains of life. Based on sequence-based clustering, we chose representative cyanobacterial CutA proteins for physiological, biochemical, and structural characterization and examined their involvement in heavy metal tolerance, by generating CutA mutants in filamentous Nostoc sp. and in unicellular Synechococcus elongatus. However, we were unable to find any involvement of cyanobacterial CutA in metal tolerance under various conditions. This prompted us to re-examine experimentally the role of CutA in protecting E. coli from Cu2+ . Since we found no effect on copper tolerance, we conclude that CutA plays a different role that is not involved in metal protection. We resolved high-resolution CutA structures from Nostoc and S. elongatus. Similarly to their counterpart from E. coli and to canonical PII proteins, cyanobacterial CutA proteins are trimeric in solution and in crystal structure; however, no binding affinity for small signaling molecules or for Cu2+ could be detected. The clefts between the CutA subunits, corresponding to the binding pockets of PII proteins, are formed by conserved aromatic and charged residues, suggesting a conserved binding/signaling function for CutA. In fact, we find binding of organic Bis-Tris/MES molecules in CutA crystal structures, revealing a strong tendency of these pockets to accommodate cargo. This highlights the need to search for the potential physiological ligands and for their signaling functions upon binding to CutA. DATABASES: Structural data are available in Protein Data Bank (PDB) under the accession numbers 6GDU, 6GDV, 6GDW, 6GDX, 6T76, and 6T7E.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khaled A Selim
- Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Organismic Interactions Department, Tübingen University, Germany.,Department of Protein Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Lorena Tremiño
- Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia (IBV-CSIC), CIBER de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER-ISCIII), Valencia, Spain
| | - Clara Marco-Marín
- Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia (IBV-CSIC), CIBER de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER-ISCIII), Valencia, Spain
| | - Vikram Alva
- Department of Protein Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Javier Espinosa
- Departamento de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Universidad de Alicante, Spain
| | - Asunción Contreras
- Departamento de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Universidad de Alicante, Spain
| | - Marcus D Hartmann
- Department of Protein Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Karl Forchhammer
- Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Organismic Interactions Department, Tübingen University, Germany
| | - Vicente Rubio
- Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia (IBV-CSIC), CIBER de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER-ISCIII), Valencia, Spain
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14
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Scholl J, Dengler L, Bader L, Forchhammer K. Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 is under global metabolic control by P II signaling. Mol Microbiol 2020; 114:292-307. [PMID: 32274833 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Revised: 03/26/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) is the second major carbon-fixing enzyme in photoautotrophic organisms. PEPC is required for the synthesis of amino acids of the glutamate and aspartate family by replenishing the TCA cycle. Furthermore, in cyanobacteria, PEPC, together with malate dehydrogenase and malic enzyme, forms a metabolic shunt for the synthesis of pyruvate from PEP. During this process, CO2 is first fixed and later released again. Due to its central metabolic position, it is crucial to fully understand the regulation of PEPC. Here, we identify PEPC from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 (PEPC) as a novel interaction partner for the global signal transduction protein PII . In addition to an extensive characterization of PEPC, we demonstrate specific PII -PEPC complex formation and its enzymatic consequences. PEPC activity is tuned by the metabolite-sensing properties of PII : Whereas in the absence of PII, PEPC is subjected to ATP inhibition, it is activated beyond its basal activity in the presence of PII . Furthermore, PII -PEPC complex formation is inhibited by ADP and PEPC activation by PII -ATP is mitigated in the presence of 2-OG, linking PEPC regulation to the cell's global carbon/nitrogen status. Finally, physiological relevance of the in vitro measurements was proven by metabolomic analyses of Synechocystis wild-type and PII -deficient cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jörg Scholl
- Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Lisa Dengler
- Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Laura Bader
- Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Karl Forchhammer
- Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen, Germany
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15
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Rubio V, Marco-Marín C, Llácer JL. Nitrogen storage regulation by PII protein: lessons learned from taxonomic outliers. FEBS J 2020; 287:439-442. [PMID: 31943764 DOI: 10.1111/febs.15189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2019] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The paper 'Interaction of N-acetyl-l-glutamate kinase with the PII signal transducer in the non-photosynthetic alga Polytomella parva: Co-evolution towards a hetero-oligomeric enzyme' by Selim et al. highlights how the study of a true taxonomic oddity, the heterotrophic unicellular alga P. parva, has been instrumental in uncovering the large potential for adaptive variation in the signaling complex of PII with the enzyme N-acetylglutamate kinase (NAGK). This complex modifies the regulatory properties of NAGK, allowing nitrogen stockpiling as arginine. In P. parva, a stable PII-NAGK complex is formed which lacks regulation by canonical PII effectors but which exhibits novel adaptive responses to nitrogen abundance mediated by glutamine, a neo-effector of PII proteins of photosynthetic eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vicente Rubio
- Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia (IBV-CSIC), CIBER de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER-ISCIII), Valencia, Spain
| | - Clara Marco-Marín
- Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia (IBV-CSIC), CIBER de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER-ISCIII), Valencia, Spain
| | - José Luis Llácer
- Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia (IBV-CSIC), CIBER de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER-ISCIII), Valencia, Spain
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Llebrés MT, Pascual MB, Valle C, de la Torre FN, Valderrama-Martin JM, Gómez L, Avila C, Cánovas FM. Structural and Functional Characteristics of Two Molecular Variants of the Nitrogen Sensor PII in Maritime Pine. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:823. [PMID: 32612622 PMCID: PMC7308587 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Accepted: 05/22/2020] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
High levels of nitrogen are stored as arginine during the last stages of seed formation in maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Aiton). The protein sensor PII regulates the feedback inhibition of arginine biosynthesis through interaction with the key enzyme N-acetylglutamate kinase (NAGK). In this study, the structural and functional characteristics of PII have been investigated in maritime pine to get insights into the regulation of arginine metabolism. Two different forms of PII have been identified, PpPIIa and PpPIIb, which differ in their amino acid sequence and most likely correspond to splicing variants of a single gene in the pine genome. Two PII variants are also present in other pine species but not in other conifers such as spruces. PpPIIa and PpPIIb are trimeric proteins for which structural modeling predicts similar tridimensional protein core structures. Both are located in the chloroplast, where the PII-target enzyme PpNAGK is also found. PpPIIa, PpPIIb, and PpNAGK have been recombinantly produced to investigate the formation of NAGK-PII complexes. The interaction of PpPIIa/PpPIIb and PpNAGK may be enhanced by glutamine and contribute to relieve the feedback inhibition of PpNAGK by arginine. Expression analysis of PpPII genes revealed that PpIIa transcripts were predominant during embryogenesis and germination. The potential roles of PpPIIa and PpPIIb in the regulation of arginine metabolism of maritime pine are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Teresa Llebrés
- Grupo de Biología Molecular y Biotecnología de Plantas, Departamento de Biología Molecular y Bioquímica, Faculty of Science, Universidad de Málaga, Campus Universitario de Teatinos, Málaga, Spain
| | - María Belén Pascual
- Grupo de Biología Molecular y Biotecnología de Plantas, Departamento de Biología Molecular y Bioquímica, Faculty of Science, Universidad de Málaga, Campus Universitario de Teatinos, Málaga, Spain
| | - Carolina Valle
- Grupo de Biología Molecular y Biotecnología de Plantas, Departamento de Biología Molecular y Bioquímica, Faculty of Science, Universidad de Málaga, Campus Universitario de Teatinos, Málaga, Spain
| | - Fernando N. de la Torre
- Grupo de Biología Molecular y Biotecnología de Plantas, Departamento de Biología Molecular y Bioquímica, Faculty of Science, Universidad de Málaga, Campus Universitario de Teatinos, Málaga, Spain
| | - José Miguel Valderrama-Martin
- Grupo de Biología Molecular y Biotecnología de Plantas, Departamento de Biología Molecular y Bioquímica, Faculty of Science, Universidad de Málaga, Campus Universitario de Teatinos, Málaga, Spain
| | - Luis Gómez
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas, Campus de Excelencia Internacional de Montegancedo, Parque Científico y Tecnológico de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Concepción Avila
- Grupo de Biología Molecular y Biotecnología de Plantas, Departamento de Biología Molecular y Bioquímica, Faculty of Science, Universidad de Málaga, Campus Universitario de Teatinos, Málaga, Spain
| | - Francisco M. Cánovas
- Grupo de Biología Molecular y Biotecnología de Plantas, Departamento de Biología Molecular y Bioquímica, Faculty of Science, Universidad de Málaga, Campus Universitario de Teatinos, Málaga, Spain
- *Correspondence: Francisco M. Cánovas,
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17
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Selim KA, Haffner M, Watzer B, Forchhammer K. Tuning the in vitro sensing and signaling properties of cyanobacterial PII protein by mutation of key residues. Sci Rep 2019; 9:18985. [PMID: 31831819 PMCID: PMC6908673 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-55495-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
PII proteins comprise an ancient superfamily of signal transduction proteins, widely distributed among all domains of life. In general, PII proteins measure and integrate the current carbon/nitrogen/energy status of the cell through interdependent binding of ATP, ADP and 2-oxogluterate. In response to effector molecule binding, PII proteins interact with various PII-receptors to tune central carbon- and nitrogen metabolism. In cyanobacteria, PII regulates, among others, the key enzyme for nitrogen-storage, N-acetyl-glutamate kinase (NAGK), and the co-activator of the global nitrogen-trascription factor NtcA, the PII-interacting protein-X (PipX). One of the remarkable PII variants from Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 that yielded mechanistic insights in PII-NAGK interaction, is the NAGK-superactivating variant I86N. Here we studied its interaction with PipX. Another critical residue is Lys58, forming a salt-bridge with 2-oxoglutarate in a PII-ATP-2-oxoglutarate complex. Here, we show that Lys58 of PII protein is a key residue for mediating PII interactions. The K58N mutation not only causes the loss of 2-oxogluterate binding but also strongly impairs binding of ADP, NAGK and PipX. Remarkably, the exchange of the nearby Leu56 to Lys in the K58N variant partially compensates for the loss of K58. This study demonstrates the potential of creating custom tailored PII variants to modulate metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khaled A Selim
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Department of Organismic Interactions, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Michael Haffner
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Department of Organismic Interactions, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Björn Watzer
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Department of Organismic Interactions, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Karl Forchhammer
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Department of Organismic Interactions, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
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18
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Lapina TV, Kochemasova LY, Forchhammer K, Ermilova EV. Effects of arginine on Polytomella parva growth, PII protein levels and lipid body formation. PLANTA 2019; 250:1379-1385. [PMID: 31359139 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-019-03249-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Accepted: 07/25/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
L-Arginine supports growth and resulted in increased PII signaling protein levels and lipid droplet accumulation in the colorless green alga Polytomella parva. Polytomella parva, a model system for nonphotosynthetic green algae, utilizes ammonium and several carbon sources, including ethanol and acetate. We previously reported that P. parva accumulates high amounts of arginine with the key enzyme of the ornithine/arginine biosynthesis pathway, N-acetyl-L-glutamate kinase, exhibiting high activity. Here we demonstrate that L-arginine can be used by this alga as a nitrogen source. Externally supplied arginine directly influenced the levels of PII signaling protein and formation of triacylglycerol (TAG)-filled lipid bodies (LBs). Our results suggest that the nitrogen source, but not nitrogen starvation, may be critical for the accumulation of LBs in a PII-independent manner in P. parva.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana V Lapina
- Biological Faculty, Saint-Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya nab. 7/9, Saint-Petersburg, Russia, 199034
| | - Lidiya Yu Kochemasova
- Biological Faculty, Saint-Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya nab. 7/9, Saint-Petersburg, Russia, 199034
| | - Karl Forchhammer
- Organismic Interactions Department, Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine Tübingen, Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Elena V Ermilova
- Biological Faculty, Saint-Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya nab. 7/9, Saint-Petersburg, Russia, 199034.
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