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Yin J, Liu Y, He D, Li P, Qiao M, Luo H, Qu X, Mei S, Wu Y, Sun Y, Gan F, Tang B, Tang XF. A TrmBL2-like transcription factor mediates the growth phase-dependent expression of halolysin SptA in a concentration-dependent manner in Natrinema gari J7-2. Appl Environ Microbiol 2024; 90:e0074124. [PMID: 38953660 PMCID: PMC11267917 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00741-24] [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: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 06/08/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024] Open
Abstract
To cope with a high-salinity environment, haloarchaea generally employ the twin-arginine translocation (Tat) pathway to transport secretory proteins across the cytoplasm membrane in a folded state, including Tat-dependent extracellular subtilases (halolysins) capable of autocatalytic activation. Some halolysins, such as SptA of Natrinema gari J7-2, are produced at late-log phase to prevent premature enzyme activation and proteolytic damage of cellular proteins in haloarchaea; however, the regulation mechanism for growth phase-dependent expression of halolysins remains largely unknown. In this study, a DNA-protein pull-down assay was performed to identify the proteins binding to the 5'-flanking sequence of sptA encoding halolysin SptA in strain J7-2, revealing a TrmBL2-like transcription factor (NgTrmBL2). The ΔtrmBL2 mutant of strain J7-2 showed a sharp decrease in the production of SptA, suggesting that NgTrmBL2 positively regulates sptA expression. The purified recombinant NgTrmBL2 mainly existed as a dimer although monomeric and higher-order oligomeric forms were detected by native-PAGE analysis. The results of electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs) showed that NgTrmBL2 binds to the 5'-flanking sequence of sptA in a non-specific and concentration-dependent manner and exhibits an increased DNA-binding affinity with the increase in KCl concentration. Moreover, we found that a distal cis-regulatory element embedded in the neighboring upstream gene negatively regulates trmBL2 expression and thus participates in the growth phase-dependent biosynthesis of halolysin SptA. IMPORTANCE Extracellular proteases play important roles in nutrient metabolism, processing of functional proteins, and antagonism of haloarchaea, but no transcription factor involved in regulating the expression of haloaechaeal extracellular protease has been reported yet. Here we report that a TrmBL2-like transcription factor (NgTrmBL2) mediates the growth phase-dependent expression of an extracellular protease, halolysin SptA, of haloarchaeon Natrinema gari J7-2. In contrast to its hyperthermophilic archaeal homologs, which are generally considered to be global transcription repressors, NgTrmBL2 functions as a positive regulator for sptA expression. This study provides new clues about the transcriptional regulation mechanism of extracellular protease in haloarchaea and the functional diversity of archaeal TrmBL2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Yin
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yang Liu
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Dan He
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Ping Li
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Mengting Qiao
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Hongyi Luo
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiaoyi Qu
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Sha Mei
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yi Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yiqi Sun
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Fei Gan
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Wuhan, China
| | - Bing Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Wuhan, China
| | - Xiao-Feng Tang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Wuhan, China
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2
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Grünberger F, Schmid G, El Ahmad Z, Fenk M, Vogl K, Reichelt R, Hausner W, Urlaub H, Lenz C, Grohmann D. Uncovering the temporal dynamics and regulatory networks of thermal stress response in a hyperthermophile using transcriptomics and proteomics. mBio 2023; 14:e0217423. [PMID: 37843364 PMCID: PMC10746257 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02174-23] [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: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Extreme environments provide unique challenges for life, and the study of extremophiles can shed light on the mechanisms of adaptation to such conditions. Pyrococcus furiosus, a hyperthermophilic archaeon, is a model organism for studying thermal stress response mechanisms. In this study, we used an integrated analysis of RNA-sequencing and mass spectrometry data to investigate the transcriptomic and proteomic responses of P. furiosus to heat and cold shock stress and recovery. Our results reveal the rapid and dynamic changes in gene and protein expression patterns associated with these stress responses, as well as the coordinated regulation of different gene sets in response to different stressors. These findings provide valuable insights into the molecular adaptations that facilitate life in extreme environments and advance our understanding of stress response mechanisms in hyperthermophilic archaea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Grünberger
- Institute of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology and Archaea Centre, Single-Molecule Biochemistry Lab and Regensburg Center for Biochemistry, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Georg Schmid
- Institute of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology and Archaea Centre, Single-Molecule Biochemistry Lab and Regensburg Center for Biochemistry, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Zubeir El Ahmad
- Institute of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology and Archaea Centre, Single-Molecule Biochemistry Lab and Regensburg Center for Biochemistry, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Martin Fenk
- Institute of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology and Archaea Centre, Single-Molecule Biochemistry Lab and Regensburg Center for Biochemistry, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Katharina Vogl
- Institute of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology and Archaea Centre, Single-Molecule Biochemistry Lab and Regensburg Center for Biochemistry, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Robert Reichelt
- Institute of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology and Archaea Centre, Single-Molecule Biochemistry Lab and Regensburg Center for Biochemistry, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Winfried Hausner
- Institute of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology and Archaea Centre, Single-Molecule Biochemistry Lab and Regensburg Center for Biochemistry, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Henning Urlaub
- Bioanalytical Mass Spectrometry Group, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Christof Lenz
- Bioanalytical Mass Spectrometry Group, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Dina Grohmann
- Institute of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology and Archaea Centre, Single-Molecule Biochemistry Lab and Regensburg Center for Biochemistry, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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3
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Bae DW, Lee SH, Park JH, Son SY, Lin Y, Lee J, Jang BR, Lee KH, Lee YH, Lee H, Kang S, Kim B, Cha SS. An archaeal transcription factor EnfR with a novel 'eighth note' fold controls hydrogen production of a hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus onnurineus NA1. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:10026-10040. [PMID: 37650645 PMCID: PMC10570040 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2022] [Revised: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Thermococcus onnurineus NA1, a hyperthermophilic carboxydotrophic archaeon, produces H2 through CO oxidation catalyzed by proteins encoded in a carbon monoxide dehydrogenase (CODH) gene cluster. TON_1525 with a DNA-binding helix-turn-helix (HTH) motif is a putative repressor regulating the transcriptional expression of the codh gene cluster. The T55I mutation in TON_1525 led to enhanced H2 production accompanied by the increased expression of genes in the codh cluster. Here, TON_1525 was demonstrated to be a dimer. Monomeric TON_1525 adopts a novel 'eighth note' symbol-like fold (referred to as 'eighth note' fold regulator, EnfR), and the dimerization mode of EnfR is unique in that it has no resemblance to structures in the Protein Data Bank. According to footprinting and gel shift assays, dimeric EnfR binds to a 36-bp pseudo-palindromic inverted repeat in the promoter region of the codh gene cluster, which is supported by an in silico EnfR/DNA complex model and mutational studies revealing the implication of N-terminal loops as well as HTH motifs in DNA recognition. The DNA-binding affinity of the T55I mutant was lowered by ∼15-fold, for which the conformational change of N-terminal loops is responsible. In addition, transcriptome analysis suggested that EnfR could regulate diverse metabolic processes besides H2 production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Da-Woon Bae
- Department of Chemistry & Nanoscience, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea
| | - Seong Hyuk Lee
- Marine Biotechnology Research Center, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Busan, South Korea
| | - Ji Hye Park
- Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea
| | - Se-Young Son
- Department of Chemistry & Nanoscience, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea
| | - Yuxi Lin
- Research Center for Bioconvergence Analysis, Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI), Cheongju, Chungbuk 28119, Republic of Korea
| | - Jung Hyen Lee
- Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea
| | - Bo-Ram Jang
- Department of Life Science, Sogang University, 35 Baekbeom-Ro, Mapo-Gu, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Kyu-Ho Lee
- Department of Life Science, Sogang University, 35 Baekbeom-Ro, Mapo-Gu, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Young-Ho Lee
- Research Center for Bioconvergence Analysis, Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI), Cheongju, Chungbuk 28119, Republic of Korea
- Bio-Analytical Science, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea
- Department of Systems Biotechnology, Chung-Ang University, Anseong, Gyeonggi 17546, Republic of Korea
- Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8578, Japan
| | - Hyun Sook Lee
- Marine Biotechnology Research Center, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Busan, South Korea
- Department of Marine Biotechnology, KIOST School, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Sung Gyun Kang
- Marine Biotechnology Research Center, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Busan, South Korea
- Department of Marine Biotechnology, KIOST School, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Byoung Sik Kim
- Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea
| | - Sun-Shin Cha
- Department of Chemistry & Nanoscience, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea
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4
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Holden JF, Sistu H. Formate and hydrogen in hydrothermal vents and their use by extremely thermophilic methanogens and heterotrophs. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1093018. [PMID: 36950162 PMCID: PMC10025317 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1093018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Extremely thermophilic methanogens in the Methanococci and heterotrophs in the Thermococci are common in deep-sea hydrothermal vents. All Methanococci use H2 as an electron donor, and a few species can also use formate. Most Methanococci have a coenzyme F420-reducing formate dehydrogenase. All Thermococci reduce S0 but have hydrogenases and produce H2 in the absence of S0. Some Thermococci have formate hydrogenlyase (Fhl) that reversibly converts H2 and CO2 to formate or an NAD(P)+-reducing formate dehydrogenase (Nfd). Questions remain if Methanococci or Thermococci use or produce formate in nature, why only certain species can grow on or produce formate, and what the physiological role of formate is? Formate forms abiotically in hydrothermal fluids through chemical equilibrium with primarily H2, CO2, and CO and is strongly dependent upon H2 concentration, pH, and temperature. Formate concentrations are highest in hydrothermal fluids where H2 concentrations are also high, such as in ultramafic systems where serpentinization reactions occur. In nature, Methanococci are likely to use formate as an electron donor when H2 is limiting. Thermococci with Fhl likely convert H2 and CO2 to formate when H2 concentrations become inhibitory for growth. They are unlikely to grow on formate in nature unless formate is more abundant than H2 in the environment. Nearly all Methanococci and Thermococci have a gene for at least one formate dehydrogenase catalytic subunit, which may be used to provide free formate for de novo purine biosynthesis. However, only species with a membrane-bound formate transporter can grow on or secrete formate. Interspecies H2 transfer occurs between Thermococci and Methanococci. This and putative interspecies formate transfer may support Methanococci in low H2 environments, which in turn may prevent growth inhibition of Thermococci by its own H2. Future research directions include understanding when, where, and how formate is used and produced by these organisms in nature, and how transcription of Thermococci genes encoding formate-related enzymes are regulated.
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Le Guellec S, Leroy E, Courtine D, Godfroy A, Roussel EG. H 2-dependent formate production by hyperthermophilic Thermococcales: an alternative to sulfur reduction for reducing-equivalents disposal. THE ISME JOURNAL 2021; 15:3423-3436. [PMID: 34088977 PMCID: PMC8630068 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-021-01020-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Revised: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Removal of reducing equivalents is an essential catabolic process for all microorganisms to maintain their internal redox balance. The electron disposal by chemoorganotrophic Thermococcales generates H2 by proton reduction or H2S in presence of S0. Although in the absence of S0 growth of these (hyper)thermopiles was previously described to be H2-limited, it remains unclear how Thermococcales could be present in H2-rich S0-depleted habitats. Here, we report that 12 of the 47 strains tested, distributed among all three orders of Thermococcales, could grow without S0 at 0.8 mM dissolved H2 and that tolerance to H2 was always associated with formate production. Two conserved gene clusters coding for a formate hydrogenlyase (FHL) and a putative formate dehydrogenase-NAD(P)H-oxidoreductase were only present in H2-dependent formate producers, and were both systematically associated with a formate dehydrogenase and a formate transporter. As the reaction involved in this alternative pathway for disposal of reducing equivalents was close to thermodynamic equilibrium, it was strongly controlled by the substrates-products concentration ratio even in the presence of S0. Moreover, experimental data and thermodynamic modelling also demonstrated that H2-dependent CO2 reduction to formate could occur within a large temperature range in contrasted hydrothermal systems, suggesting it could also provide an adaptive advantage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sébastien Le Guellec
- Ifremer, Univ Brest, CNRS, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes, Plouzané, France
| | - Elodie Leroy
- Ifremer, Univ Brest, CNRS, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes, Plouzané, France
| | - Damien Courtine
- Ifremer, Univ Brest, CNRS, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes, Plouzané, France
| | - Anne Godfroy
- Ifremer, Univ Brest, CNRS, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes, Plouzané, France
| | - Erwan G. Roussel
- Ifremer, Univ Brest, CNRS, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes, Plouzané, France
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6
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Moalic Y, Hartunians J, Dalmasso C, Courtine D, Georges M, Oger P, Shao Z, Jebbar M, Alain K. The Piezo-Hyperthermophilic Archaeon Thermococcus piezophilus Regulates Its Energy Efficiency System to Cope With Large Hydrostatic Pressure Variations. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:730231. [PMID: 34803948 PMCID: PMC8595942 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.730231] [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: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Deep-sea ecosystems share a common physical parameter, namely high hydrostatic pressure (HHP). Some of the microorganisms isolated at great depths have a high physiological plasticity to face pressure variations. The adaptive strategies by which deep-sea microorganisms cope with HHP variations remain to be elucidated, especially considering the extent of their biotopes on Earth. Herein, we investigated the gene expression patterns of Thermococcus piezophilus, a piezohyperthermophilic archaeon isolated from the deepest hydrothermal vent known to date, under sub-optimal, optimal and supra-optimal pressures (0.1, 50, and 90 MPa, respectively). At stressful pressures [sub-optimal (0.1 MPa) and supra-optimal (90 MPa) conditions], no classical stress response was observed. Instead, we observed an unexpected transcriptional modulation of more than a hundred gene clusters, under the putative control of the master transcriptional regulator SurR, some of which are described as being involved in energy metabolism. This suggests a fine-tuning effect of HHP on the SurR regulon. Pressure could act on gene regulation, in addition to modulating their expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yann Moalic
- Univ Brest, CNRS, Ifremer, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes LM2E, UMR 6197, IUEM, Plouzané, France.,IRP 1211 MicrobSea, Sino-French Laboratory of Deep-Sea Microbiology, LM2E, Plouzané, France
| | - Jordan Hartunians
- Univ Brest, CNRS, Ifremer, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes LM2E, UMR 6197, IUEM, Plouzané, France.,IRP 1211 MicrobSea, Sino-French Laboratory of Deep-Sea Microbiology, LM2E, Plouzané, France
| | - Cécile Dalmasso
- Univ Brest, CNRS, Ifremer, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes LM2E, UMR 6197, IUEM, Plouzané, France.,IRP 1211 MicrobSea, Sino-French Laboratory of Deep-Sea Microbiology, LM2E, Plouzané, France
| | - Damien Courtine
- Univ Brest, CNRS, Ifremer, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes LM2E, UMR 6197, IUEM, Plouzané, France.,IRP 1211 MicrobSea, Sino-French Laboratory of Deep-Sea Microbiology, LM2E, Plouzané, France
| | - Myriam Georges
- Univ Brest, CNRS, Ifremer, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes LM2E, UMR 6197, IUEM, Plouzané, France.,IRP 1211 MicrobSea, Sino-French Laboratory of Deep-Sea Microbiology, LM2E, Plouzané, France
| | - Philippe Oger
- Université de Lyon, INSA Lyon, CNRS UMR 5240, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Zongze Shao
- IRP 1211 MicrobSea, Sino-French Laboratory of Deep-Sea Microbiology, LM2E, Plouzané, France.,Key Laboratory of Marine Biogenetic Resources, The Third Institute of Oceanography SOA, Xiamen, China
| | - Mohamed Jebbar
- Univ Brest, CNRS, Ifremer, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes LM2E, UMR 6197, IUEM, Plouzané, France.,IRP 1211 MicrobSea, Sino-French Laboratory of Deep-Sea Microbiology, LM2E, Plouzané, France
| | - Karine Alain
- Univ Brest, CNRS, Ifremer, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes LM2E, UMR 6197, IUEM, Plouzané, France.,IRP 1211 MicrobSea, Sino-French Laboratory of Deep-Sea Microbiology, LM2E, Plouzané, France
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7
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Vali SW, Haja DK, Brand RA, Adams MWW, Lindahl PA. The Pyrococcus furiosus ironome is dominated by [Fe 4S 4] 2+ clusters or thioferrate-like iron depending on the availability of elemental sulfur. J Biol Chem 2021; 296:100710. [PMID: 33930466 PMCID: PMC8219758 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.100710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2021] [Revised: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Pyrococcus furiosus is a hyperthermophilic anaerobic archaeon whose metabolism depends on whether elemental sulfur is (+S0) or is not (-S0) included in growth medium. Under +S0 conditions, expression of respiratory hydrogenase declines while respiratory membrane-bound sulfane reductase and the putative iron-storage protein IssA increase. Our objective was to investigate the iron content of WT and ΔIssA cells under these growth conditions using Mössbauer spectroscopy. WT-S0 cells contained ∼1 mM Fe, with ∼85% present as two spectroscopically distinct forms of S = 0 [Fe4S4]2+ clusters; the remainder was mainly high-spin FeII. WT+S0 cells contained 5 to 9 mM Fe, with 75 to 90% present as magnetically ordered thioferrate-like (TFL) iron nanoparticles. TFL iron was similar to chemically defined thioferrates; both consisted of FeIII ions coordinated by an S4 environment, and both exhibited strong coupling between particles causing high applied fields to have little spectral effect. At high temperatures with magnetic hyperfine interactions abolished, TFL iron exhibited two doublets overlapping those of [Fe4S4]2+ clusters in -S0 cells. This coincidence arose because of similar coordination environments of TFL iron and cluster iron. The TFL structure was more heterogeneous in the presence of IssA. Presented data suggest that IssA may coordinate insoluble iron sulfides as TFL iron, formed as a byproduct of anaerobic sulfur respiration under high iron conditions, which thereby reduces its toxicity to the cell. This was the first Mössbauer characterization of the ironome of an archaeon, and it illustrates differences relative to the iron content of better-studied bacteria such as Escherichia coli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaik Waseem Vali
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Dominik K Haja
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Richard A Brand
- Faculty of Physics, University of Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg, Germany; Institute of Nanotechnology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Michael W W Adams
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Paul A Lindahl
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA; Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA.
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Grünberger F, Reichelt R, Waege I, Ned V, Bronner K, Kaljanac M, Weber N, El Ahmad Z, Knauss L, Madej MG, Ziegler C, Grohmann D, Hausner W. CopR, a Global Regulator of Transcription to Maintain Copper Homeostasis in Pyrococcus furiosus. Front Microbiol 2021; 11:613532. [PMID: 33505379 PMCID: PMC7830388 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.613532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Although copper is in many cases an essential micronutrient for cellular life, higher concentrations are toxic. Therefore, all living cells have developed strategies to maintain copper homeostasis. In this manuscript, we have analyzed the transcriptome-wide response of Pyrococcus furiosus to increased copper concentrations and described the essential role of the putative copper-sensing metalloregulator CopR in the detoxification process. To this end, we employed biochemical and biophysical methods to characterize the role of CopR. Additionally, a copR knockout strain revealed an amplified sensitivity in comparison to the parental strain towards increased copper levels, which designates an essential role of CopR for copper homeostasis. To learn more about the CopR-regulated gene network, we performed differential gene expression and ChIP-seq analysis under normal and 20 μM copper-shock conditions. By integrating the transcriptome and genome-wide binding data, we found that CopR binds to the upstream regions of many copper-induced genes. Negative-stain transmission electron microscopy and 2D class averaging revealed an octameric assembly formed from a tetramer of dimers for CopR, similar to published crystal structures from the Lrp family. In conclusion, we propose a model for CopR-regulated transcription and highlight the regulatory network that enables Pyrococcus to respond to increased copper concentrations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Grünberger
- Institute of Microbiology and Archaea Centre, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Robert Reichelt
- Institute of Microbiology and Archaea Centre, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Ingrid Waege
- Institute of Microbiology and Archaea Centre, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Verena Ned
- Institute of Microbiology and Archaea Centre, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Korbinian Bronner
- Institute of Microbiology and Archaea Centre, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Marcell Kaljanac
- Department of Structural Biology, Institute of Biophysics and Physical Biochemistry, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Nina Weber
- Institute of Microbiology and Archaea Centre, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Zubeir El Ahmad
- Institute of Microbiology and Archaea Centre, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Lena Knauss
- Institute of Microbiology and Archaea Centre, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - M. Gregor Madej
- Department of Structural Biology, Institute of Biophysics and Physical Biochemistry, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Christine Ziegler
- Department of Structural Biology, Institute of Biophysics and Physical Biochemistry, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Dina Grohmann
- Institute of Microbiology and Archaea Centre, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Winfried Hausner
- Institute of Microbiology and Archaea Centre, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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Bylino OV, Ibragimov AN, Shidlovskii YV. Evolution of Regulated Transcription. Cells 2020; 9:E1675. [PMID: 32664620 PMCID: PMC7408454 DOI: 10.3390/cells9071675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2020] [Revised: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 07/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The genomes of all organisms abound with various cis-regulatory elements, which control gene activity. Transcriptional enhancers are a key group of such elements in eukaryotes and are DNA regions that form physical contacts with gene promoters and precisely orchestrate gene expression programs. Here, we follow gradual evolution of this regulatory system and discuss its features in different organisms. In eubacteria, an enhancer-like element is often a single regulatory element, is usually proximal to the core promoter, and is occupied by one or a few activators. Activation of gene expression in archaea is accompanied by the recruitment of an activator to several enhancer-like sites in the upstream promoter region. In eukaryotes, activation of expression is accompanied by the recruitment of activators to multiple enhancers, which may be distant from the core promoter, and the activators act through coactivators. The role of the general DNA architecture in transcription control increases in evolution. As a whole, it can be seen that enhancers of multicellular eukaryotes evolved from the corresponding prototypic enhancer-like regulatory elements with the gradually increasing genome size of organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oleg V. Bylino
- Laboratory of Gene Expression Regulation in Development, Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 34/5 Vavilov St., 119334 Moscow, Russia; (O.V.B.); (A.N.I.)
| | - Airat N. Ibragimov
- Laboratory of Gene Expression Regulation in Development, Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 34/5 Vavilov St., 119334 Moscow, Russia; (O.V.B.); (A.N.I.)
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 34/5 Vavilov St., 119334 Moscow, Russia
| | - Yulii V. Shidlovskii
- Laboratory of Gene Expression Regulation in Development, Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 34/5 Vavilov St., 119334 Moscow, Russia; (O.V.B.); (A.N.I.)
- I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, 8, bldg. 2 Trubetskaya St., 119048 Moscow, Russia
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10
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Rawat M, Maupin-Furlow JA. Redox and Thiols in Archaea. Antioxidants (Basel) 2020; 9:antiox9050381. [PMID: 32380716 PMCID: PMC7278568 DOI: 10.3390/antiox9050381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2020] [Revised: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 05/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Low molecular weight (LMW) thiols have many functions in bacteria and eukarya, ranging from redox homeostasis to acting as cofactors in numerous reactions, including detoxification of xenobiotic compounds. The LMW thiol, glutathione (GSH), is found in eukaryotes and many species of bacteria. Analogues of GSH include the structurally different LMW thiols: bacillithiol, mycothiol, ergothioneine, and coenzyme A. Many advances have been made in understanding the diverse and multiple functions of GSH and GSH analogues in bacteria but much less is known about distribution and functions of GSH and its analogues in archaea, which constitute the third domain of life, occupying many niches, including those in extreme environments. Archaea are able to use many energy sources and have many unique metabolic reactions and as a result are major contributors to geochemical cycles. As LMW thiols are major players in cells, this review explores the distribution of thiols and their biochemistry in archaea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mamta Rawat
- Biology Department, California State University, Fresno, CA 93740, USA
- Correspondence: (M.R.); (J.A.M.-F.)
| | - Julie A. Maupin-Furlow
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
- Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
- Correspondence: (M.R.); (J.A.M.-F.)
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11
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Direct Electron Transfer between the frhAGB-Encoded Hydrogenase and Thioredoxin Reductase in the Nonmethanogenic Archaeon Thermococcus onnurineus NA1. Appl Environ Microbiol 2020; 86:AEM.02630-19. [PMID: 31924613 DOI: 10.1128/aem.02630-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Accepted: 12/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
To date, NAD(P)H, ferredoxin, and coenzyme F420 have been identified as electron donors for thioredoxin reductase (TrxR). In this study, we present a novel electron source for TrxR. In the hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus onnurineus NA1, the frhAGB-encoded hydrogenase, a homolog of the F420-reducing hydrogenase of methanogens, was demonstrated to interact with TrxR in coimmunoprecipitation experiments and in vitro pulldown assays. Electrons derived from H2 oxidation by the frhAGB-encoded hydrogenase were transferred to TrxR and reduced Pdo, a redox partner of TrxR. Interaction and electron transfer were observed between TrxR and the heterodimeric hydrogenase complex (FrhAG) as well as the heterotrimeric complex (FrhAGB). Hydrogen-dependent reduction of TrxR was 7-fold less efficient than when NADPH was the electron donor. This study not only presents a different type of electron donor for TrxR but also reveals new functionality of the frhAGB-encoded hydrogenase utilizing a protein as an electron acceptor.IMPORTANCE This study has importance in that TrxR can use H2 as an electron donor with the aid of the frhAGB-encoded hydrogenase as well as NAD(P)H in T. onnurineus NA1. Further studies are needed to explore the physiological significance of this protein. This study also has importance as a significant step toward understanding the functionality of the frhAGB-encoded hydrogenase in a nonmethanogen; the hydrogenase can transfer electrons derived from oxidation of H2 to a protein target by direct contact without the involvement of an electron carrier, which is distinct from the mechanism of its homologs, F420-reducing hydrogenases of methanogens.
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12
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Metabolic Adaptation to Sulfur of Hyperthermophilic Palaeococcus pacificus DY20341 T from Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Sediments. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21010368. [PMID: 31935923 PMCID: PMC6981617 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21010368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2019] [Revised: 12/26/2019] [Accepted: 12/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The hyperthermo-piezophilic archaeon Palaeococcus pacificus DY20341T, isolated from East Pacific hydrothermal sediments, can utilize elemental sulfur as a terminal acceptor to simulate growth. To gain insight into sulfur metabolism, we performed a genomic and transcriptional analysis of Pa. pacificus DY20341T with/without elemental sulfur as an electron acceptor. In the 2001 protein-coding sequences of the genome, transcriptomic analysis showed that 108 genes increased (by up to 75.1 fold) and 336 genes decreased (by up to 13.9 fold) in the presence of elemental sulfur. Palaeococcus pacificus cultured with elemental sulfur promoted the following: the induction of membrane-bound hydrogenase (MBX), NADH:polysulfide oxidoreductase (NPSOR), NAD(P)H sulfur oxidoreductase (Nsr), sulfide dehydrogenase (SuDH), connected to the sulfur-reducing process, the upregulation of iron and nickel/cobalt transfer, iron–sulfur cluster-carrying proteins (NBP35), and some iron–sulfur cluster-containing proteins (SipA, SAM, CobQ, etc.). The accumulation of metal ions might further impact on regulators, e.g., SurR and TrmB. For growth in proteinous media without elemental sulfur, cells promoted flagelin, peptide/amino acids transporters, and maltose/sugar transporters to upregulate protein and starch/sugar utilization processes and riboflavin and thiamin biosynthesis. This indicates how strain DY20341T can adapt to different living conditions with/without elemental sulfur in the hydrothermal fields.
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13
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Sanders TJ, Marshall CJ, Santangelo TJ. The Role of Archaeal Chromatin in Transcription. J Mol Biol 2019; 431:4103-4115. [PMID: 31082442 PMCID: PMC6842674 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2019.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2019] [Revised: 05/02/2019] [Accepted: 05/04/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Genomic organization impacts accessibility and movement of information processing systems along DNA. DNA-bound proteins dynamically dictate gene expression and provide regulatory potential to tune transcription rates to match ever-changing environmental conditions. Archaeal genomes are typically small, circular, gene dense, and organized either by histone proteins that are homologous to their eukaryotic counterparts, or small basic proteins that function analogously to bacterial nucleoid proteins. We review here how archaeal genomes are organized and how such organization impacts archaeal gene expression, focusing on conserved DNA-binding proteins within the clade and the factors that are known to impact transcription initiation and elongation within protein-bound genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Travis J Sanders
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Craig J Marshall
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Thomas J Santangelo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
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14
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The TK0271 Protein Activates Transcription of Aromatic Amino Acid Biosynthesis Genes in the Hyperthermophilic Archaeon Thermococcus kodakarensis. mBio 2019; 10:mBio.01213-19. [PMID: 31506306 PMCID: PMC6737238 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01213-19] [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] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The mechanisms of transcriptional regulation in archaea are still poorly understood. In this study, we identified a transcriptional regulator in the hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus kodakarensis that activates the transcription of three operons involved in the biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids. The study represents one of only a few that identifies a regulator in Archaea that activates transcription. The results also imply that transcriptional regulation of genes with the same function is carried out by diverse mechanisms in the archaea, depending on the lineage. TrpY from Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus is a regulator that inhibits transcription of the Trp biosynthesis (trp) operon. Here, we show that the TrpY homolog in Thermococcus kodakarensis is not involved in such regulation. There are 87 genes on the T. kodakarensis genome predicted to encode transcriptional regulators (TRs). By screening for TRs that specifically bind to the promoter of the trp operon of T. kodakarensis, we identified TK0271. The gene resides in the aro operon, responsible for the biosynthesis of chorismate, a precursor for Trp, Tyr, and Phe. TK0271 was expressed in Escherichia coli, and the protein, here designated Tar (Thermococcalesaromatic amino acid regulator), was purified. Tar specifically bound to the trp promoter with a dissociation constant (Kd) value of approximately 5 nM. Tar also bound to the promoters of the Tyr/Phe biosynthesis (tyr-phe) and aro operons. The protein recognized a palindromic sequence (TGGACA-N8-TGTCCA) conserved in these promoters. In vitro transcription assays indicated that Tar activates transcription from all three promoters. We cultivated T. kodakarensis in amino acid-based medium and found that transcript levels of the trp, tyr-phe, and aro operons increased in the absence of Trp, Tyr, or Phe. We further constructed a TK0271 gene disruption strain (ΔTK0271). Growth of ΔTK0271 was similar to that of the host strain in medium including Trp, Tyr, and Phe but was significantly impaired in the absence of any one of these amino acids. The results suggest that Tar is responsible for the transcriptional activation of aromatic amino acid biosynthesis genes in T. kodakarensis.
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15
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Transcription Regulators in Archaea: Homologies and Differences with Bacterial Regulators. J Mol Biol 2019; 431:4132-4146. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2019.05.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2019] [Revised: 05/08/2019] [Accepted: 05/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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16
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Distinct Physiological Roles of the Three Ferredoxins Encoded in the Hyperthermophilic Archaeon Thermococcus kodakarensis. mBio 2019; 10:mBio.02807-18. [PMID: 30837343 PMCID: PMC6401487 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02807-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
High-energy electrons liberated during catabolic processes can be exploited for energy-conserving mechanisms. Maximal energy gains demand these valuable electrons be accurately shuttled from electron donor to appropriate electron acceptor. Proteinaceous electron carriers such as ferredoxins offer opportunities to exploit specific ferredoxin partnerships to ensure that electron flux to critical physiological pathways is aligned with maximal energy gains. Most species encode many ferredoxin isoforms, but very little is known about the role of individual ferredoxins in most systems. Our results detail that ferredoxin isoforms make largely unique and distinct protein interactions in vivo and that flux through one ferredoxin often cannot be recovered by flux through a different ferredoxin isoform. The results obtained more broadly suggest that ferredoxin isoforms throughout biological life have evolved not as generic electron shuttles, but rather serve as selective couriers of valuable low-potential electrons from select electron donors to desirable electron acceptors. Control of electron flux is critical in both natural and bioengineered systems to maximize energy gains. Both small molecules and proteins shuttle high-energy, low-potential electrons liberated during catabolism through diverse metabolic landscapes. Ferredoxin (Fd) proteins—an abundant class of Fe-S-containing small proteins—are essential in many species for energy conservation and ATP production strategies. It remains difficult to model electron flow through complicated metabolisms and in systems in which multiple Fd proteins are present. The overlap of activity and/or limitations of electron flux through each Fd can limit physiology and metabolic engineering strategies. Here we establish the interplay, reactivity, and physiological role(s) of the three ferredoxin proteins in the model hyperthermophile Thermococcus kodakarensis. We demonstrate that the three loci encoding known Fds are subject to distinct regulatory mechanisms and that specific Fds are utilized to shuttle electrons to separate respiratory and energy production complexes during different physiological states. The results obtained argue that unique physiological roles have been established for each Fd and that continued use of T. kodakarensis and related hydrogen-evolving species as bioengineering platforms must account for the distinct Fd partnerships that limit flux to desired electron acceptors. Extrapolating our results more broadly, the retention of multiple Fd isoforms in most species argues that specialized Fd partnerships are likely to influence electron flux throughout biology.
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17
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Straub CT, Counts JA, Nguyen DMN, Wu CH, Zeldes BM, Crosby JR, Conway JM, Otten JK, Lipscomb GL, Schut GJ, Adams MWW, Kelly RM. Biotechnology of extremely thermophilic archaea. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2018; 42:543-578. [PMID: 29945179 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuy012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2018] [Accepted: 06/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the extremely thermophilic archaea (Topt ≥ 70°C) may be the most primitive extant forms of life, they have been studied to a limited extent relative to mesophilic microorganisms. Many of these organisms have unique biochemical and physiological characteristics with important biotechnological implications. These include methanogens that generate methane, fermentative anaerobes that produce hydrogen gas with high efficiency, and acidophiles that can mobilize base, precious and strategic metals from mineral ores. Extremely thermophilic archaea have also been a valuable source of thermoactive, thermostable biocatalysts, but their use as cellular systems has been limited because of the general lack of facile genetics tools. This situation has changed recently, however, thereby providing an important avenue for understanding their metabolic and physiological details and also opening up opportunities for metabolic engineering efforts. Along these lines, extremely thermophilic archaea have recently been engineered to produce a variety of alcohols and industrial chemicals, in some cases incorporating CO2 into the final product. There are barriers and challenges to these organisms reaching their full potential as industrial microorganisms but, if these can be overcome, a new dimension for biotechnology will be forthcoming that strategically exploits biology at high temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher T Straub
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7905, USA
| | - James A Counts
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7905, USA
| | - Diep M N Nguyen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Chang-Hao Wu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Benjamin M Zeldes
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7905, USA
| | - James R Crosby
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7905, USA
| | - Jonathan M Conway
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7905, USA
| | - Jonathan K Otten
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7905, USA
| | - Gina L Lipscomb
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Gerrit J Schut
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Michael W W Adams
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Robert M Kelly
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7905, USA
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18
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Conserved principles of transcriptional networks controlling metabolic flexibility in archaea. Emerg Top Life Sci 2018; 2:659-669. [PMID: 33525832 PMCID: PMC7289023 DOI: 10.1042/etls20180036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2018] [Revised: 11/05/2018] [Accepted: 11/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Gene regulation is intimately connected with metabolism, enabling the appropriate timing and tuning of biochemical pathways to substrate availability. In microorganisms, such as archaea and bacteria, transcription factors (TFs) often directly sense external cues such as nutrient substrates, metabolic intermediates, or redox status to regulate gene expression. Intense recent interest has characterized the functions of a large number of such regulatory TFs in archaea, which regulate a diverse array of unique archaeal metabolic capabilities. However, it remains unclear how the co-ordinated activity of the interconnected metabolic and transcription networks produces the dynamic flexibility so frequently observed in archaeal cells as they respond to energy limitation and intermittent substrate availability. In this review, we communicate the current state of the art regarding these archaeal networks and their dynamic properties. We compare the topology of these archaeal networks to those known for bacteria to highlight conserved and unique aspects. We present a new computational model for an exemplar archaeal network, aiming to lay the groundwork toward understanding general principles that unify the dynamic function of integrated metabolic-transcription networks across archaea and bacteria.
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19
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Denis A, Martínez-Núñez MA, Tenorio-Salgado S, Perez-Rueda E. Dissecting the Repertoire of DNA-Binding Transcription Factors of the Archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus DSM 3638. Life (Basel) 2018; 8:life8040040. [PMID: 30248960 PMCID: PMC6316755 DOI: 10.3390/life8040040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2018] [Revised: 09/11/2018] [Accepted: 09/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent years, there has been a large increase in the amount of experimental evidence for diverse archaeal organisms, and these findings allow for a comprehensive analysis of archaeal genetic organization. However, studies about regulatory mechanisms in this cellular domain are still limited. In this context, we identified a repertoire of 86 DNA-binding transcription factors (TFs) in the archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus DSM 3638, that are clustered into 32 evolutionary families. In structural terms, 45% of these proteins are composed of one structural domain, 41% have two domains, and 14% have three structural domains. The most abundant DNA-binding domain corresponds to the winged helix-turn-helix domain; with few alternative DNA-binding domains. We also identified seven regulons, which represent 13.5% (279 genes) of the total genes in this archaeon. These analyses increase our knowledge about gene regulation in P. furiosus DSM 3638 and provide additional clues for comprehensive modeling of transcriptional regulatory networks in the Archaea cellular domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonia Denis
- Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, C.P. 86100, Tabasco, Mexico.
| | - Mario Alberto Martínez-Núñez
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Unidad Académica de Ciencias y Tecnología de la UNAM en Yucatán, Carretera Sierra Papacal-Chuburna Km. 5, C.P. 97302, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico.
| | - Silvia Tenorio-Salgado
- Tecnológico Nacional de México, Instituto Tecnológico de Mérida, C.P. 97000, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico.
| | - Ernesto Perez-Rueda
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Matemáticas Aplicadas y en Sistemas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Unidad Académica Yucatán, C.P. 97302, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico.
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20
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Wu CH, Schut GJ, Poole FL, Haja DK, Adams MWW. Characterization of membrane-bound sulfane reductase: A missing link in the evolution of modern day respiratory complexes. J Biol Chem 2018; 293:16687-16696. [PMID: 30181217 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra118.005092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2018] [Revised: 08/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Hyperthermophilic archaea contain a hydrogen gas-evolving,respiratory membrane-bound NiFe-hydrogenase (MBH) that is very closely related to the aerobic respiratory complex I. During growth on elemental sulfur (S°), these microorganisms also produce a homologous membrane-bound complex (MBX), which generates H2S. MBX evolutionarily links MBH to complex I, but its catalytic function is unknown. Herein, we show that MBX reduces the sulfane sulfur of polysulfides by using ferredoxin (Fd) as the electron donor, and we rename it membrane-bound sulfane reductase (MBS). Two forms of affinity-tagged MBS were purified from genetically engineered Pyrococcus furiosus (a hyperthermophilic archaea species): the 13-subunit holoenzyme (S-MBS) and a cytoplasmic 4-subunit catalytic subcomplex (C-MBS). S-MBS and C-MBS reduced dimethyl trisulfide (DMTS) with comparable Km (∼490 μm) and V max values (12 μmol/min/mg). The MBS catalytic subunit (MbsL), but not that of complex I (NuoD), retains two of four NiFe-coordinating cysteine residues of MBH. However, these cysteine residues were not involved in MBS catalysis because a mutant P. furiosus strain (MbsLC85A/C385A) grew normally with S°. The products of the DMTS reduction and properties of polysulfides indicated that in the physiological reaction, MBS uses Fd (E o' = -480 mV) to reduce sulfane sulfur (E o' -260 mV) and cleave organic (RS n R, n ≥ 3) and anionic polysulfides (S n 2-, n ≥ 4) but that it does not produce H2S. Based on homology to MBH, MBS also creates an ion gradient for ATP synthesis. This work establishes the electrochemical reaction catalyzed by MBS that is intermediate in the evolution from proton- to quinone-reducing respiratory complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang-Hao Wu
- From the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602
| | - Gerrit J Schut
- From the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602
| | - Farris L Poole
- From the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602
| | - Dominik K Haja
- From the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602
| | - Michael W W Adams
- From the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602
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21
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Reichelt R, Ruperti KMA, Kreuzer M, Dexl S, Thomm M, Hausner W. The Transcriptional Regulator TFB-RF1 Activates Transcription of a Putative ABC Transporter in Pyrococcus furiosus. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:838. [PMID: 29760686 PMCID: PMC5937170 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.00838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2018] [Accepted: 04/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcription factor B recruiting factor 1 (TFB-RF1; PF1088) is a transcription regulator which activates transcription on archaeal promoters containing weak TFB recognition elements (BRE) by recruiting TFB to the promoter. The mechanism of activation is described in detail, but nothing is known about the biological function of this protein in Pyrococcus furiosus. The protein is located in an operon structure together with the hypothetical gene pf1089 and western blot as well as end-point RT-PCR experiments revealed an extremely low expression rate of both proteins. Furthermore, conditions to induce the expression of the operon are not known. By introducing an additional copy of tfb-RF1 using a Pyrococcus shuttle vector we could circumvent the lacking expression of both proteins under standard growth conditions as indicated by western blot as well as end-point RT-PCR experiments. A ChIP-seq experiment revealed an additional binding site of TFB-RF1 in the upstream region of the pf1011/1012 operon, beside the expected target of the pf1089/tfb-RF1 region. This operon codes for a putative ABC transporter which is most-related to a multidrug export system and in vitro analysis using gel shift assays, DNase I footprinting and in vitro transcription confirmed the activator function of TFB-RF1 on the corresponding promoter. These findings are also in agreement with in vivo data, as RT-qPCR experiments also indicate transcriptional activation of both operons. Taken together, the overexpression strategy of tfb-RF1 enabled the identification of an additional operon of the TFB-RF1 regulon which indicates a transport-related function and provides a promising starting position to decipher the physiological function of the TFB-RF1 gene regulatory network in P. furiosus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Reichelt
- Institute of Microbiology and Archaea Center, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Katharina M A Ruperti
- Institute of Microbiology and Archaea Center, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Martina Kreuzer
- Institute of Microbiology and Archaea Center, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Dexl
- Institute of Microbiology and Archaea Center, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Michael Thomm
- Institute of Microbiology and Archaea Center, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Winfried Hausner
- Institute of Microbiology and Archaea Center, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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22
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Nguyen DMN, Schut GJ, Zadvornyy OA, Tokmina-Lukaszewska M, Poudel S, Lipscomb GL, Adams LA, Dinsmore JT, Nixon WJ, Boyd ES, Bothner B, Peters JW, Adams MWW. Two functionally distinct NADP +-dependent ferredoxin oxidoreductases maintain the primary redox balance of Pyrococcus furiosus. J Biol Chem 2017; 292:14603-14616. [PMID: 28705933 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m117.794172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2017] [Revised: 07/10/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Electron bifurcation has recently gained acceptance as the third mechanism of energy conservation in which energy is conserved through the coupling of exergonic and endergonic reactions. A structure-based mechanism of bifurcation has been elucidated recently for the flavin-based enzyme NADH-dependent ferredoxin NADP+ oxidoreductase I (NfnI) from the hyperthermophillic archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus. NfnI is thought to be involved in maintaining the cellular redox balance, producing NADPH for biosynthesis by recycling the two other primary redox carriers, NADH and ferredoxin. The P. furiosus genome encodes an NfnI paralog termed NfnII, and the two are differentially expressed, depending on the growth conditions. In this study, we show that deletion of the genes encoding either NfnI or NfnII affects the cellular concentrations of NAD(P)H and particularly NADPH. This results in a moderate to severe growth phenotype in deletion mutants, demonstrating a key role for each enzyme in maintaining redox homeostasis. Despite their similarity in primary sequence and cofactor content, crystallographic, kinetic, and mass spectrometry analyses reveal that there are fundamental structural differences between the two enzymes, and NfnII does not catalyze the NfnI bifurcating reaction. Instead, it exhibits non-bifurcating ferredoxin NADP oxidoreductase-type activity. NfnII is therefore proposed to be a bifunctional enzyme and also to catalyze a bifurcating reaction, although its third substrate, in addition to ferredoxin and NADP(H), is as yet unknown.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diep M N Nguyen
- From the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602
| | - Gerrit J Schut
- From the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602
| | - Oleg A Zadvornyy
- the Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, and
| | | | - Saroj Poudel
- Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717
| | - Gina L Lipscomb
- From the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602
| | - Leslie A Adams
- From the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602
| | - Jessica T Dinsmore
- From the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602
| | - William J Nixon
- From the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602
| | - Eric S Boyd
- Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717
| | | | - John W Peters
- the Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, and
| | - Michael W W Adams
- From the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602,
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Gene regulation of two ferredoxin:NADP + oxidoreductases by the redox-responsive regulator SurR in Thermococcus kodakarensis. Extremophiles 2017; 21:903-917. [PMID: 28688056 DOI: 10.1007/s00792-017-0952-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2016] [Accepted: 07/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The redox-responsive regulator SurR in the hyperthermophilic archaea Pyrococcus furiosus and Thermococcus kodakarensis binds to the SurR-binding consensus sequence (SBS) by responding to the presence of elemental sulfur. Here we constructed a surR gene disruption strain (DTS) in T. kodakarensis, and identified the genes that were under SurR control by comparing the transcriptomes of DTS and parent strains. Among these genes, transcript levels of ferredoxin:NADP+ oxidoreductases 1 and 2 (FNOR1 and FNOR2) genes displayed opposite responses to surR deletion, indicating that SurR repressed FNOR1 transcription while enhancing FNOR2 transcription. Each promoter region contains an SBS upstream (uSBS) and downstream (dSBS) of TATA. In addition to in vitro binding assays, we examined the roles of each SBS in vivo. In FNOR1, mutations in either one of the SBSs resulted in a complete loss of repression, indicating that the presence of both SBSs was essential for repression. In FNOR2, uSBS indeed functioned to enhance gene expression, whereas dSBS functioned in gene repression. SurR bound to uSBS2 of FNOR2 more efficiently than to dSBS2 in vitro, which may explain why SurR overall enhances FNOR2 transcription. Further analyses indicated the importance in the distance between uSBS and TATA for transcriptional activation in FNOR2.
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Lipscomb GL, Schut GJ, Scott RA, Adams MWW. SurR is a master regulator of the primary electron flow pathways in the order Thermococcales. Mol Microbiol 2017; 104:869-881. [PMID: 28295726 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The sulfur response regulator, SurR, is among a handful of known redox-active transcriptional regulators. First characterized from the hyperthermophile Pyrococcus furiosus, it is unique to the archaeal order Thermococcales. P. furiosus has two modes of electron disposal. Hydrogen gas is produced when the organism is grown in the absence of elemental sulfur (S0 ) and H2 S is produced when grown in its presence. Switching between these metabolic modes requires a rapid transcriptional response and this is orchestrated by SurR. We show here that deletion of SurR causes severely impaired growth in the absence of S0 since genes essential for H2 metabolism are no longer activated. Conversely, a strain containing a constitutively active SurR variant displays a growth phenotype in the presence of S0 due to constitutive repression of S0 -responsive genes. During a metabolic shift initiated by addition of S0 to the growth medium, both strains demonstrate a de-regulation of genes involved in the SurR regulon, including hydrogenase and related S0 -responsive genes. These results demonstrate that SurR is a master regulator of electron flow within P. furiosus, likely affecting the pools of ferredoxin, NADPH and NADH, as well as influencing metabolic pathways and thiol/disulfide redox balance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gina L Lipscomb
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Gerrit J Schut
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Robert A Scott
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Michael W W Adams
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
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25
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Lim JK, Jung HC, Kang SG, Lee HS. Redox regulation of SurR by protein disulfide oxidoreductase in Thermococcus onnurineus NA1. Extremophiles 2017; 21:491-498. [PMID: 28251348 DOI: 10.1007/s00792-017-0919-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2016] [Accepted: 02/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Protein disulfide oxidoreductases are redox enzymes that catalyze thiol-disulfide exchange reactions. These enzymes include thioredoxins, glutaredoxins, protein disulfide isomerases, disulfide bond formation A (DsbA) proteins, and Pyrococcus furiosus protein disulfide oxidoreductase (PfPDO) homologues. In the genome of a hyperthermophilic archaeon, Thermococcus onnurineus NA1, the genes encoding one PfPDO homologue (TON_0319, Pdo) and three more thioredoxin- or glutaredoxin-like proteins (TON_0470, TON_0472, TON_0834) were identified. All except TON_0470 were recombinantly expressed and purified. Three purified proteins were reduced by a thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), indicating that each protein can form redox complex with TrxR. SurR, a transcription factor involved in the sulfur response, was tested for a protein target of a TrxR-redoxin system and only Pdo was identified to be capable of catalyzing the reduction of SurR. Electromobility shift assay demonstrated that SurR reduced by the TrxR-Pdo system could bind to the DNA probe with the SurR-binding motif, GTTttgAAC. In this study, we present the TrxR-Pdo couple as a redox-regulator for SurR in T. onnurineus NA1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jae Kyu Lim
- Marine Biotechnology Research Division, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Ansan, 15627, Republic of Korea.,Department of Marine Biotechnology, Korea University of Science and Technology, Daejeon, 34113, Republic of Korea
| | - Hae-Chang Jung
- Marine Biotechnology Research Division, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Ansan, 15627, Republic of Korea.,Department of Marine Biotechnology, Korea University of Science and Technology, Daejeon, 34113, Republic of Korea
| | - Sung Gyun Kang
- Marine Biotechnology Research Division, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Ansan, 15627, Republic of Korea. .,Department of Marine Biotechnology, Korea University of Science and Technology, Daejeon, 34113, Republic of Korea.
| | - Hyun Sook Lee
- Marine Biotechnology Research Division, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Ansan, 15627, Republic of Korea. .,Department of Marine Biotechnology, Korea University of Science and Technology, Daejeon, 34113, Republic of Korea.
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26
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Counts JA, Zeldes BM, Lee LL, Straub CT, Adams MWW, Kelly RM. Physiological, metabolic and biotechnological features of extremely thermophilic microorganisms. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-SYSTEMS BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 2017; 9. [PMID: 28206708 DOI: 10.1002/wsbm.1377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2016] [Revised: 11/23/2016] [Accepted: 11/30/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The current upper thermal limit for life as we know it is approximately 120°C. Microorganisms that grow optimally at temperatures of 75°C and above are usually referred to as 'extreme thermophiles' and include both bacteria and archaea. For over a century, there has been great scientific curiosity in the basic tenets that support life in thermal biotopes on earth and potentially on other solar bodies. Extreme thermophiles can be aerobes, anaerobes, autotrophs, heterotrophs, or chemolithotrophs, and are found in diverse environments including shallow marine fissures, deep sea hydrothermal vents, terrestrial hot springs-basically, anywhere there is hot water. Initial efforts to study extreme thermophiles faced challenges with their isolation from difficult to access locales, problems with their cultivation in laboratories, and lack of molecular tools. Fortunately, because of their relatively small genomes, many extreme thermophiles were among the first organisms to be sequenced, thereby opening up the application of systems biology-based methods to probe their unique physiological, metabolic and biotechnological features. The bacterial genera Caldicellulosiruptor, Thermotoga and Thermus, and the archaea belonging to the orders Thermococcales and Sulfolobales, are among the most studied extreme thermophiles to date. The recent emergence of genetic tools for many of these organisms provides the opportunity to move beyond basic discovery and manipulation to biotechnologically relevant applications of metabolic engineering. WIREs Syst Biol Med 2017, 9:e1377. doi: 10.1002/wsbm.1377 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
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Affiliation(s)
- James A Counts
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Benjamin M Zeldes
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Laura L Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Christopher T Straub
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Michael W W Adams
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Robert M Kelly
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
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27
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Transcription Factor-Mediated Gene Regulation in Archaea. RNA METABOLISM AND GENE EXPRESSION IN ARCHAEA 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-65795-0_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
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28
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Loder AJ, Zeldes BM, Conway JM, Counts JA, Straub CT, Khatibi PA, Lee LL, Vitko NP, Keller MW, Rhaesa AM, Rubinstein GM, Scott IM, Lipscomb GL, Adams MW, Kelly RM. Extreme Thermophiles as Metabolic Engineering Platforms: Strategies and Current Perspective. Ind Biotechnol (New Rochelle N Y) 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/9783527807796.ch14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J. Loder
- North Carolina State University; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; EB-1, 911 Partners Way Raleigh NC 27695-7905 USA
| | - Benjamin M. Zeldes
- North Carolina State University; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; EB-1, 911 Partners Way Raleigh NC 27695-7905 USA
| | - Jonathan M. Conway
- North Carolina State University; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; EB-1, 911 Partners Way Raleigh NC 27695-7905 USA
| | - James A. Counts
- North Carolina State University; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; EB-1, 911 Partners Way Raleigh NC 27695-7905 USA
| | - Christopher T. Straub
- North Carolina State University; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; EB-1, 911 Partners Way Raleigh NC 27695-7905 USA
| | - Piyum A. Khatibi
- North Carolina State University; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; EB-1, 911 Partners Way Raleigh NC 27695-7905 USA
| | - Laura L. Lee
- North Carolina State University; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; EB-1, 911 Partners Way Raleigh NC 27695-7905 USA
| | - Nicholas P. Vitko
- North Carolina State University; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; EB-1, 911 Partners Way Raleigh NC 27695-7905 USA
| | - Matthew W. Keller
- University of Georgia; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Life Sciences Bldg., University of Georgia, Athens GA 30602-7229, USA
| | - Amanda M. Rhaesa
- University of Georgia; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Life Sciences Bldg., University of Georgia, Athens GA 30602-7229, USA
| | - Gabe M. Rubinstein
- University of Georgia; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Life Sciences Bldg., University of Georgia, Athens GA 30602-7229, USA
| | - Israel M. Scott
- University of Georgia; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Life Sciences Bldg., University of Georgia, Athens GA 30602-7229, USA
| | - Gina L. Lipscomb
- University of Georgia; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Life Sciences Bldg., University of Georgia, Athens GA 30602-7229, USA
| | - Michael W.W. Adams
- University of Georgia; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Life Sciences Bldg., University of Georgia, Athens GA 30602-7229, USA
| | - Robert M. Kelly
- North Carolina State University; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; EB-1, 911 Partners Way Raleigh NC 27695-7905 USA
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Global transcriptional regulator TrmB family members in prokaryotes. J Microbiol 2016; 54:639-45. [PMID: 27687225 DOI: 10.1007/s12275-016-6362-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2016] [Revised: 08/25/2016] [Accepted: 08/29/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Members of the TrmB family act as global transcriptional regulators for the activation or repression of sugar ABC transporters and central sugar metabolic pathways, including glycolytic, gluconeogenic, and other metabolic pathways, and also as chromosomal stabilizers in archaea. As a relatively newly classified transcriptional regulator family, there is limited experimental evidence for their role in Thermococcales, halophilic archaeon Halobacterium salinarum NRC1, and crenarchaea Sulfolobus strains, despite being one of the extending protein families in archaea. Recently, the protein structures of Pyrococcus furiosus TrmB and TrmBL2 were solved, and the transcriptomic data uncovered by microarray and ChIP-Seq were published. In the present review, recent evidence of the functional roles of TrmB family members in archaea is explained and extended to bacteria.
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30
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Kozhevnikova DA, Taranov EA, Lebedinsky AV, Bonch-Osmolovskaya EA, Sokolova TG. Hydrogenogenic and sulfidogenic growth of Thermococcus archaea on carbon monoxide and formate. Microbiology (Reading) 2016. [DOI: 10.1134/s0026261716040135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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31
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Analysis of the complete genome sequence of the archaeon Pyrococcus chitonophagus DSM 10152 (formerly Thermococcus chitonophagus). Extremophiles 2016; 20:351-61. [DOI: 10.1007/s00792-016-0826-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2016] [Accepted: 03/15/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Adaptive engineering of a hyperthermophilic archaeon on CO and discovering the underlying mechanism by multi-omics analysis. Sci Rep 2016; 6:22896. [PMID: 26975345 PMCID: PMC4791640 DOI: 10.1038/srep22896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2015] [Accepted: 02/23/2016] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus onnurineus NA1 can grow and produce H2 on carbon monoxide (CO) and its H2 production rates have been improved through metabolic engineering. In this study, we applied adaptive evolution to enhance H2 productivity. After over 150 serial transfers onto CO medium, cell density, CO consumption rate and H2 production rate increased. The underlying mechanism for those physiological changes could be explained by using multi-omics approaches including genomic, transcriptomic and epigenomic analyses. A putative transcriptional regulator was newly identified to regulate the expression levels of genes related to CO oxidation. Transcriptome analysis revealed significant changes in the transcript levels of genes belonging to the categories of transcription, translation and energy metabolism. Our study presents the first genome-scale methylation pattern of hyperthermophilic archaea. Adaptive evolution led to highly enhanced H2 productivity at high CO flow rates using synthesis gas produced from coal gasification.
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Reichelt R, Gindner A, Thomm M, Hausner W. Genome-wide binding analysis of the transcriptional regulator TrmBL1 in Pyrococcus furiosus. BMC Genomics 2016; 17:40. [PMID: 26747700 PMCID: PMC4706686 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-015-2360-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2015] [Accepted: 12/28/2015] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Several in vitro studies document the function of the transcriptional regulator TrmBL1 of Pyrococcus furiosus. These data indicate that the protein can act as repressor or activator and is mainly involved in transcriptional control of sugar uptake and in the switch between glycolysis and gluconeogenesis. The aim of this study was to complement the in vitro data with an in vivo analysis using ChIP-seq to explore the genome-wide binding profile of TrmBL1 under glycolytic and gluconeogenic growth conditions. Results The ChIP-seq analysis revealed under gluconeogenic growth conditions 28 TrmBL1 binding sites where the TGM is located upstream of coding regions and no binding sites under glycolytic conditions. The experimental confirmation of the binding sites using qPCR, EMSA, DNase I footprinting and in vitro transcription experiments validated the in vivo identified TrmBL1 binding sites. Furthermore, this study provides evidence that TrmBL1 is also involved in transcriptional regulation of additional cellular processes e.g. amino acid metabolism, transcriptional control or metabolic pathways. In the initial setup we were interested to include the binding analysis of TrmB, an additional member of the TrmB family, but western blot experiments and the ChIP-seq data indicated that the corresponding gene is deleted in our Pyrococcus strain. A detailed analysis of a new type strain demonstrated that a 16 kb fragment containing the trmb gene is almost completely deleted after the first re-cultivation. Conclusions The identified binding sites in the P. furiosus genome classified TrmBL1 as a more global regulator as hitherto known. Furthermore, the high resolution of the mapped binding positions enabled reliable predictions, if TrmBL1 activates (binding site upstream of the promoter) or represses transcription (binding site downstream) of the corresponding genes. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-2360-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Reichelt
- Lehrstuhl für Mikrobiologie und Archaeenzentrum, Universität Regensburg, Universitätsstrasse 31, Regensburg, D-93053, Germany.
| | - Antonia Gindner
- Lehrstuhl für Mikrobiologie und Archaeenzentrum, Universität Regensburg, Universitätsstrasse 31, Regensburg, D-93053, Germany.
| | - Michael Thomm
- Lehrstuhl für Mikrobiologie und Archaeenzentrum, Universität Regensburg, Universitätsstrasse 31, Regensburg, D-93053, Germany.
| | - Winfried Hausner
- Lehrstuhl für Mikrobiologie und Archaeenzentrum, Universität Regensburg, Universitätsstrasse 31, Regensburg, D-93053, Germany.
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Peeters E, Driessen RPC, Werner F, Dame RT. The interplay between nucleoid organization and transcription in archaeal genomes. Nat Rev Microbiol 2015; 13:333-41. [PMID: 25944489 DOI: 10.1038/nrmicro3467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
The archaeal genome is organized by either eukaryotic-like histone proteins or bacterial-like nucleoid-associated proteins. Recent studies have revealed novel insights into chromatin dynamics and their effect on gene expression in archaeal model organisms. In this Progress article, we discuss the interplay between chromatin proteins, such as histones and Alba, and components of the basal transcription machinery, as well as between chromatin structure and gene-specific transcription factors in archaea. Such an interplay suggests that chromatin might have a role in regulating gene expression on both a global and a gene-specific level. Moreover, several archaeal transcription factors combine a global gene regulatory role with an architectural role, thus contributing to chromatin organization and compaction, as well as gene expression. We describe the emerging principles underlying how these factors cooperate in nucleoid structuring and gene regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eveline Peeters
- 1] Research Group of Microbiology, Department of Bio-engineering Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium. [2]
| | - Rosalie P C Driessen
- 1] Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands. [2]
| | - Finn Werner
- Institute for Structural and Molecular Biology, Division of Biosciences, University College London, Darwin Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Remus T Dame
- Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, 2333 CC Leiden, The Netherlands
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Proteomic Insights into Sulfur Metabolism in the Hydrogen-Producing Hyperthermophilic Archaeon Thermococcus onnurineus NA1. Int J Mol Sci 2015; 16:9167-95. [PMID: 25915030 PMCID: PMC4463584 DOI: 10.3390/ijms16059167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2015] [Accepted: 04/14/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus onnurineus NA1 has been shown to produce H₂ when using CO, formate, or starch as a growth substrate. This strain can also utilize elemental sulfur as a terminal electron acceptor for heterotrophic growth. To gain insight into sulfur metabolism, the proteome of T. onnurineus NA1 cells grown under sulfur culture conditions was quantified and compared with those grown under H₂-evolving substrate culture conditions. Using label-free nano-UPLC-MSE-based comparative proteomic analysis, approximately 38.4% of the total identified proteome (589 proteins) was found to be significantly up-regulated (≥1.5-fold) under sulfur culture conditions. Many of these proteins were functionally associated with carbon fixation, Fe-S cluster biogenesis, ATP synthesis, sulfur reduction, protein glycosylation, protein translocation, and formate oxidation. Based on the abundances of the identified proteins in this and other genomic studies, the pathways associated with reductive sulfur metabolism, H₂-metabolism, and oxidative stress defense were proposed. The results also revealed markedly lower expression levels of enzymes involved in the sulfur assimilation pathway, as well as cysteine desulfurase, under sulfur culture condition. The present results provide the first global atlas of proteome changes triggered by sulfur, and may facilitate an understanding of how hyperthermophilic archaea adapt to sulfur-rich, extreme environments.
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Primary transcriptome map of the hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus kodakarensis. BMC Genomics 2014; 15:684. [PMID: 25127548 PMCID: PMC4247193 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-15-684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2014] [Accepted: 07/30/2014] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Prokaryotes have relatively small genomes, densely-packed with protein-encoding sequences. RNA sequencing has, however, revealed surprisingly complex transcriptomes and here we report the transcripts present in the model hyperthermophilic Archaeon, Thermococcus kodakarensis, under different physiological conditions. Results Sequencing cDNA libraries, generated from RNA isolated from cells under different growth and metabolic conditions has identified >2,700 sites of transcription initiation, established a genome-wide map of transcripts, and consensus sequences for transcription initiation and post-transcription regulatory elements. The primary transcription start sites (TSS) upstream of 1,254 annotated genes, plus 644 primary TSS and their promoters within genes, are identified. Most mRNAs have a 5'-untranslated region (5'-UTR) 10 to 50 nt long (median = 16 nt), but ~20% have 5'-UTRs from 50 to 300 nt long and ~14% are leaderless. Approximately 50% of mRNAs contain a consensus ribosome binding sequence. The results identify TSS for 1,018 antisense transcripts, most with sequences complementary to either the 5'- or 3'-region of a sense mRNA, and confirm the presence of transcripts from all three CRISPR loci, the RNase P and 7S RNAs, all tRNAs and rRNAs and 69 predicted snoRNAs. Two putative riboswitch RNAs were present in growing but not in stationary phase cells. The procedure used is designed to identify TSS but, assuming that the number of cDNA reads correlates with transcript abundance, the results also provide a semi-quantitative documentation of the differences in T. kodakarensis genome expression under different growth conditions and confirm previous observations of substrate-dependent specific gene expression. Many previously unanticipated small RNAs have been identified, some with relative low GC contents (≤50%) and sequences that do not fold readily into base-paired secondary structures, contrary to the classical expectations for non-coding RNAs in a hyperthermophile. Conclusion The results identify >2,700 TSS, including almost all of the primary sites of transcription initiation upstream of annotated genes, plus many secondary sites, sites within genes and sites resulting in antisense transcripts. The T. kodakarensis genome is small (~2.1 Mbp) and tightly packed with protein-encoding genes, but the transcriptomes established also contain many non-coding RNAs and predict extensive RNA-based regulation in this model Archaeon. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2164-15-684) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Abstract
The ability of organisms to sense and respond to their environment is essential to their survival. This is no different for members of the third domain of life, the Archaea. Archaea are found in diverse and often extreme habitats. However, their ability to sense and respond to their environment at the level of gene expression has been understudied when compared to bacteria and eukaryotes. Over the last decade, the field has expanded, and a variety of unique and interesting regulatory schemes have been unraveled. In this review, the current state of knowledge of archaeal transcription regulation is explored.
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Lipscomb GL, Schut GJ, Thorgersen MP, Nixon WJ, Kelly RM, Adams MWW. Engineering hydrogen gas production from formate in a hyperthermophile by heterologous production of an 18-subunit membrane-bound complex. J Biol Chem 2013; 289:2873-9. [PMID: 24318960 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m113.530725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Biohydrogen gas has enormous potential as a source of reductant for the microbial production of biofuels, but its low solubility and poor gas mass transfer rates are limiting factors. These limitations could be circumvented by engineering biofuel production in microorganisms that are also capable of generating H2 from highly soluble chemicals such as formate, which can function as an electron donor. Herein, the model hyperthermophile, Pyrococcus furiosus, which grows optimally near 100 °C by fermenting sugars to produce H2, has been engineered to also efficiently convert formate to H2. Using a bacterial artificial chromosome vector, the 16.9-kb 18-gene cluster encoding the membrane-bound, respiratory formate hydrogen lyase complex of Thermococcus onnurineus was inserted into the P. furiosus chromosome and expressed as a functional unit. This enabled P. furiosus to utilize formate as well as sugars as an H2 source and to do so at both 80° and 95 °C, near the optimum growth temperature of the donor (T. onnurineus) and engineered host (P. furiosus), respectively. This accomplishment also demonstrates the versatility of P. furiosus for metabolic engineering applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gina L Lipscomb
- From the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602 and
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Predominant Acidilobus-like populations from geothermal environments in yellowstone national park exhibit similar metabolic potential in different hypoxic microbial communities. Appl Environ Microbiol 2013; 80:294-305. [PMID: 24162572 DOI: 10.1128/aem.02860-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
High-temperature (>70°C) ecosystems in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) provide an unparalleled opportunity to study chemotrophic archaea and their role in microbial community structure and function under highly constrained geochemical conditions. Acidilobus spp. (order Desulfurococcales) comprise one of the dominant phylotypes in hypoxic geothermal sulfur sediment and Fe(III)-oxide environments along with members of the Thermoproteales and Sulfolobales. Consequently, the primary goals of the current study were to analyze and compare replicate de novo sequence assemblies of Acidilobus-like populations from four different mildly acidic (pH 3.3 to 6.1) high-temperature (72°C to 82°C) environments and to identify metabolic pathways and/or protein-encoding genes that provide a detailed foundation of the potential functional role of these populations in situ. De novo assemblies of the highly similar Acidilobus-like populations (>99% 16S rRNA gene identity) represent near-complete consensus genomes based on an inventory of single-copy genes, deduced metabolic potential, and assembly statistics generated across sites. Functional analysis of coding sequences and confirmation of gene transcription by Acidilobus-like populations provide evidence that they are primarily chemoorganoheterotrophs, generating acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) via the degradation of carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins, and auxotrophic with respect to several external vitamins, cofactors, and metabolites. No obvious pathways or protein-encoding genes responsible for the dissimilatory reduction of sulfur were identified. The presence of a formate dehydrogenase (Fdh) and other protein-encoding genes involved in mixed-acid fermentation supports the hypothesis that Acidilobus spp. function as degraders of complex organic constituents in high-temperature, mildly acidic, hypoxic geothermal systems.
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Abstract
For cellular fitness and survival, gene expression levels need to be regulated in response to a wealth of cellular and environmental signals. TFs (transcription factors) execute a large part of this regulation by interacting with the basal transcription machinery at promoter regions. Archaea are characterized by a simplified eukaryote-like basal transcription machinery and bacteria-type TFs, which convert sequence information into a gene expression output according to cis-regulatory rules. In the present review, we discuss the current state of knowledge about these rules in archaeal systems, ranging from DNA-binding specificities and operator architecture to regulatory mechanisms.
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Abstract
UNLABELLED Results are presented supporting a regulatory role for the product of the MA3302 gene locus (designated MreA) previously annotated as a hypothetical protein in the methanogenic species Methanosarcina acetivorans of the domain Archaea. Sequence analysis of MreA revealed identity to the TrmB family of transcription factors, albeit the sequence is lacking the sensor domain analogous to TrmBL2, abundant in nonmethanogenic species of the domain Archaea. Transcription of mreA was highly upregulated during growth on acetate versus methylotrophic substrates, and an mreA deletion (ΔmreA) strain was impaired for growth with acetate in contrast to normal growth with methylotrophic substrates. Transcriptional profiling of acetate-grown cells identified 280 genes with altered expression in the ΔmreA strain versus the wild-type strain. Expression of genes unique to the acetate pathway decreased whereas expression of genes unique to methylotrophic metabolism increased in the ΔmreA strain relative to the wild type, results indicative of a dual role for MreA in either the direct or indirect activation of acetate-specific genes and repression of methylotrophic-specific genes. Gel shift experiments revealed specific binding of MreA to promoter regions of regulated genes. Homologs of MreA were identified in M. acetivorans and other Methanosarcina species for which expression patterns indicate roles in regulating methylotrophic pathways. IMPORTANCE Species in the domain Archaea utilize basal transcription machinery resembling that of the domain Eukarya, raising questions addressing the role of numerous putative transcription factors identified in sequenced archaeal genomes. Species in the genus Methanosarcina are ideally suited for investigating principles of archaeal transcription through analysis of the capacity to utilize a diversity of substrates for growth and methanogenesis. Methanosarcina species switch pathways in response to the most energetically favorable substrate, metabolizing methylotrophic substrates in preference to acetate marked by substantial regulation of gene expression. Although conversion of the methyl group of acetate accounts for most of the methane produced in Earth's biosphere, no proteins involved in the regulation of genes in the acetate pathway have been reported. The results presented here establish that MreA participates in the global regulation of diverse methanogenic pathways in the genus Methanosarcina. Finally, the results contribute to a broader understanding of transcriptional regulation in the domain Archaea.
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Genome-wide transcriptional response of the archaeon Thermococcus gammatolerans to cadmium. PLoS One 2012; 7:e41935. [PMID: 22848664 PMCID: PMC3407056 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0041935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2012] [Accepted: 06/26/2012] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Thermococcus gammatolerans, the most radioresistant archaeon known to date, is an anaerobic and hyperthermophilic sulfur-reducing organism living in deep-sea hydrothermal vents. Knowledge of mechanisms underlying archaeal metal tolerance in such metal-rich ecosystem is still poorly documented. We showed that T. gammatolerans exhibits high resistance to cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co) and zinc (Zn), a weaker tolerance to nickel (Ni), copper (Cu) and arsenate (AsO4) and that cells exposed to 1 mM Cd exhibit a cellular Cd concentration of 67 µM. A time-dependent transcriptomic analysis using microarrays was performed at a non-toxic (100 µM) and a toxic (1 mM) Cd dose. The reliability of microarray data was strengthened by real time RT-PCR validations. Altogether, 114 Cd responsive genes were revealed and a substantial subset of genes is related to metal homeostasis, drug detoxification, re-oxidization of cofactors and ATP production. This first genome-wide expression profiling study of archaeal cells challenged with Cd showed that T. gammatolerans withstands induced stress through pathways observed in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes but also through new and original strategies. T. gammatolerans cells challenged with 1 mM Cd basically promote: 1) the induction of several transporter/permease encoding genes, probably to detoxify the cell; 2) the upregulation of Fe transporters encoding genes to likely compensate Cd damages in iron-containing proteins; 3) the induction of membrane-bound hydrogenase (Mbh) and membrane-bound hydrogenlyase (Mhy2) subunits encoding genes involved in recycling reduced cofactors and/or in proton translocation for energy production. By contrast to other organisms, redox homeostasis genes appear constitutively expressed and only a few genes encoding DNA repair proteins are regulated. We compared the expression of 27 Cd responsive genes in other stress conditions (Zn, Ni, heat shock, γ-rays), and showed that the Cd transcriptional pattern is comparable to other metal stress transcriptional responses (Cd, Zn, Ni) but not to a general stress response.
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Schut GJ, Boyd ES, Peters JW, Adams MWW. The modular respiratory complexes involved in hydrogen and sulfur metabolism by heterotrophic hyperthermophilic archaea and their evolutionary implications. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2012; 37:182-203. [PMID: 22713092 DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6976.2012.00346.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2012] [Revised: 05/30/2012] [Accepted: 06/08/2012] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Hydrogen production is a vital metabolic process for many anaerobic organisms, and the enzyme responsible, hydrogenase, has been studied since the 1930s. A novel subfamily with unique properties was recently recognized, represented by the 14-subunit membrane-bound [NiFe] hydrogenase from the archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus. This so-called energy-converting hydrogenase links the thermodynamically favorable oxidation of ferredoxin with the formation of hydrogen and conserves energy in the form of an ion gradient. It is therefore a simple respiratory system within a single complex. This hydrogenase shows a modular composition represented by a Na(+)/H(+) antiporter domain (Mrp) and a [NiFe] hydrogenase domain (Mbh). An analysis of the large number of microbial genome sequences available shows that homologs of Mbh and Mrp tend to be clustered within the genomes of a limited number of archaeal and bacterial species. In several instances, additional genes are associated with the Mbh and Mrp gene clusters that encode proteins that catalyze the oxidation of formate, CO or NAD(P)H. The Mbh complex also shows extensive homology to a number of subunits within the NADH quinone oxidoreductase or complex I family. The respiratory-type membrane-bound hydrogenase complex appears to be closely related to the common ancestor of complex I and [NiFe] hydrogenases in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerrit J Schut
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
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Schut GJ, Nixon WJ, Lipscomb GL, Scott RA, Adams MWW. Mutational Analyses of the Enzymes Involved in the Metabolism of Hydrogen by the Hyperthermophilic Archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus. Front Microbiol 2012; 3:163. [PMID: 22557999 PMCID: PMC3341082 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2012.00163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2012] [Accepted: 04/12/2012] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Pyrococcus furiosus grows optimally near 100°C by fermenting carbohydrates to produce hydrogen (H2) or, if elemental sulfur (S0) is present, hydrogen sulfide instead. It contains two cytoplasmic hydrogenases, SHI and SHII, that use NADP(H) as an electron carrier and a membrane-bound hydrogenase (MBH) that utilizes the redox protein ferredoxin. We previously constructed deletion strains lacking SHI and/or SHII and showed that they exhibited no obvious phenotype. This study has now been extended to include biochemical analyses and growth studies using the ΔSHI and ΔSHII deletion strains together with strains lacking a functional MBH (ΔmbhL). Hydrogenase activity in cytoplasmic extracts of various strains demonstrate that SHI is responsible for most of the cytoplasmic hydrogenase activity. The ΔmbhL strain showed no growth in the absence of S0, confirming the hypothesis that, in the absence of S0, MBH is the only enzyme that can dispose of reductant (in the form of H2) generated during sugar oxidation. Under conditions of limiting sulfur, a small but significant amount of H2 was produced by the ΔmbhL strain, showing that SHI can produce H2 from NADPH in vivo, although this does not enable growth of ΔmbhL in the absence of S0. We propose that the physiological function of SHI is to recycle H2 and provide a link between external H2 and the intracellular pool of NADPH needed for biosynthesis. This likely has a distinct energetic advantage in the environment, but it is clearly not required for growth of the organism under the usual laboratory conditions. The function of SHII, however, remains unknown.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerrit J Schut
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia Athens, GA, USA
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Ochs SM, Thumann S, Richau R, Weirauch MT, Lowe TM, Thomm M, Hausner W. Activation of archaeal transcription mediated by recruitment of transcription factor B. J Biol Chem 2012; 287:18863-71. [PMID: 22496454 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m112.365742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Archaeal promoters consist of a TATA box and a purine-rich adjacent upstream sequence (transcription factor B (TFB)-responsive element (BRE)), which are bound by the transcription factors TATA box-binding protein (TBP) and TFB. Currently, only a few activators of archaeal transcription have been experimentally characterized. The best studied activator, Ptr2, mediates activation by recruitment of TBP. Here, we present a detailed biochemical analysis of an archaeal transcriptional activator, PF1088, which was identified in Pyrococcus furiosus by a bioinformatic approach. Operon predictions suggested that an upstream gene, pf1089, is polycistronically transcribed with pf1088. We demonstrate that PF1088 stimulates in vitro transcription by up to 7-fold when the pf1089 promoter is used as a template. By DNase I and hydroxyl radical footprinting experiments, we show that the binding site of PF1088 is located directly upstream of the BRE of pf1089. Mutational analysis indicated that activation requires the presence of the binding site for PF1088. Furthermore, we show that activation of transcription by PF1088 is dependent upon the presence of an imperfect BRE and is abolished when the pf1089 BRE is replaced with a BRE from a strong archaeal promoter. Gel shift experiments showed that TFB recruitment to the pf1089 operon is stimulated by PF1088, and TFB seems to stabilize PF1088 operator binding even in the absence of TBP. Taken together, these results represent the first biochemical evidence for a transcriptional activator working as a TFB recruitment factor in Archaea, for which the designation TFB-RF1 is suggested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon M Ochs
- Lehrstuhl für Mikrobiologie, Universität Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
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Abstract
Archaea represent an important and vast domain of life. This cellular domain includes a large diversity of organisms characterized as prokaryotes with basal transcriptional machinery similar to eukarya. In this work we explore the most recent findings concerning the transcriptional regulatory organization in archaeal genomes since the perspective of the DNA-binding transcription factors (TFs), such as the high proportion of archaeal TFs homologous to bacteria, the apparent deficit of TFs, only comparable to the proportion of TFs in parasites or intracellular pathogenic bacteria, suggesting a deficit in this class of proteins. We discuss an appealing hypothesis to explain the apparent deficit of TFs in archaea, based on their characteristics, such as their small length sizes. The hypothesis suggests that a large fraction of these small-sized TFs could supply the deficit of TFs in archaea, by forming different combinations of monomers similar to that observed in eukaryotic transcriptional machinery, where a wide diversity of protein-protein interactions could act as mediators of regulatory feedback, indicating a chimera of bacterial and eukaryotic TFs' functionality. Finally, we discuss how global experiments can help to understand in a global context the role of TFs in these organisms.
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Deletion strains reveal metabolic roles for key elemental sulfur-responsive proteins in Pyrococcus furiosus. J Bacteriol 2011; 193:6498-504. [PMID: 21965560 DOI: 10.1128/jb.05445-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcriptional and enzymatic analyses of Pyrococcus furiosus previously indicated that three proteins play key roles in the metabolism of elemental sulfur (S(0)): a membrane-bound oxidoreductase complex (MBX), a cytoplasmic coenzyme A-dependent NADPH sulfur oxidoreductase (NSR), and sulfur-induced protein A (SipA). Deletion strains, referred to as MBX1, NSR1, and SIP1, respectively, have now been constructed by homologous recombination utilizing the uracil auxotrophic COM1 parent strain (ΔpyrF). The growth of all three mutants on maltose was comparable without S(0), but in its presence, the growth of MBX1 was greatly impaired while the growth of NSR1 and SIP1 was largely unaffected. In the presence of S(0), MBX1 produced little, if any, sulfide but much more acetate (per unit of protein) than the parent strain, demonstrating that MBX plays a critical role in S(0) reduction and energy conservation. In contrast, comparable amounts of sulfide and acetate were produced by NSR1 and the parent strain, indicating that NSR is not essential for energy conservation during S(0) reduction. Differences in transcriptional responses to S(0) in NSR1 suggest that two sulfide dehydrogenase isoenzymes provide a compensatory NADPH-dependent S(0) reduction system. Genes controlled by the S(0)-responsive regulator SurR were not as highly regulated in MBX1 and NSR1. SIP1 produced the same amount of acetate but more sulfide than the parent strain. That SipA is not essential for growth on S(0) indicates that it is not required for detoxification of metal sulfides, as previously suggested. A model is proposed for S(0) reduction by P. furiosus with roles for MBX and NSR in bioenergetics and for SipA in iron-sulfur metabolism.
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Santangelo TJ, Cuboňová L, Reeve JN. Deletion of alternative pathways for reductant recycling in Thermococcus kodakarensis increases hydrogen production. Mol Microbiol 2011; 81:897-911. [PMID: 21749486 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2011.07734.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Hydrogen (H₂) production by Thermococcus kodakarensis compares very favourably with the levels reported for the most productive algal, fungal and bacterial systems. T. kodakarensis can also consume H₂ and is predicted to use several alternative pathways to recycle reduced cofactors, some of which may compete with H₂ production for reductant disposal. To explore the reductant flux and possible competition for H₂ production in vivo, T. kodakarensis TS517 was mutated to precisely delete each of the alternative pathways of reductant disposal, H₂ production and consumption. The results obtained establish that H₂ is generated predominantly by the membrane-bound hydrogenase complex (Mbh), confirm the essential role of the SurR (TK1086p) regulator in vivo, delineate the roles of sulfur (S°) regulon proteins and demonstrate that preventing H₂ consumption results in a substantial net increase in H₂ production. Constitutive expression of TK1086 (surR) from a replicative plasmid restored the ability of T. kodakarensis TS1101 (ΔTK1086) to grow in the absence of S° and stimulated H₂ production, revealing a second mechanism to increase H₂ production. Transformation of T. kodakarensis TS1101 with plasmids that express SurR variants constructed to direct the constitutive synthesis of the Mbh complex and prevent expression of the S° regulon was only possible in the absence of S° and, under these conditions, the transformants exhibited wild-type growth and H₂ production. With S° present, they grew slower but synthesized more H₂ per unit biomass than T. kodakarensis TS517.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J Santangelo
- Department of Microbiology and Center for RNA Biology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
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Yoon SH, Reiss DJ, Bare JC, Tenenbaum D, Pan M, Slagel J, Moritz RL, Lim S, Hackett M, Menon AL, Adams MWW, Barnebey A, Yannone SM, Leigh JA, Baliga NS. Parallel evolution of transcriptome architecture during genome reorganization. Genome Res 2011; 21:1892-904. [PMID: 21750103 DOI: 10.1101/gr.122218.111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Assembly of genes into operons is generally viewed as an important process during the continual adaptation of microbes to changing environmental challenges. However, the genome reorganization events that drive this process are also the roots of instability for existing operons. We have determined that there exists a statistically significant trend that correlates the proportion of genes encoded in operons in archaea to their phylogenetic lineage. We have further characterized how microbes deal with operon instability by mapping and comparing transcriptome architectures of four phylogenetically diverse extremophiles that span the range of operon stabilities observed across archaeal lineages: a photoheterotrophic halophile (Halobacterium salinarum NRC-1), a hydrogenotrophic methanogen (Methanococcus maripaludis S2), an acidophilic and aerobic thermophile (Sulfolobus solfataricus P2), and an anaerobic hyperthermophile (Pyrococcus furiosus DSM 3638). We demonstrate how the evolution of transcriptional elements (promoters and terminators) generates new operons, restores the coordinated regulation of translocated, inverted, and newly acquired genes, and introduces completely novel regulation for even some of the most conserved operonic genes such as those encoding subunits of the ribosome. The inverse correlation (r=-0.92) between the proportion of operons with such internally located transcriptional elements and the fraction of conserved operons in each of the four archaea reveals an unprecedented view into varying stages of operon evolution. Importantly, our integrated analysis has revealed that organisms adapted to higher growth temperatures have lower tolerance for genome reorganization events that disrupt operon structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sung Ho Yoon
- Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, Washington 98109, USA
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Maruyama H, Shin M, Oda T, Matsumi R, Ohniwa RL, Itoh T, Shirahige K, Imanaka T, Atomi H, Yoshimura SH, Takeyasu K. Histone and TK0471/TrmBL2 form a novel heterogeneous genome architecture in the hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus kodakarensis. Mol Biol Cell 2011; 22:386-98. [PMID: 21148291 PMCID: PMC3031468 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e10-08-0668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Being distinct from bacteria and eukaryotes, Archaea constitute a third domain of living things. The DNA replication, transcription, and translation machineries of Archaea are more similar to those of eukaryotes, whereas the genes involved in metabolic processes show more similarity to their bacterial counterparts. We report here that TK0471/TrmB-like 2 (TrmBL2), in addition to histone, is a novel type of abundant chromosomal protein in the model euryarchaeon Thermococcus kodakarensis . The chromosome of T. kodakarensis can be separated into regions enriched either with histone, in which the genetic material takes on a “beads-on-a-string” appearance, or with TK0471/TrmBL2, in which it assumes a thick fibrous structure. TK0471/TrmBL2 binds to both coding and intergenic regions and represses transcription when bound to the promoter region. These results show that the archaeal chromosome is organized into heterogeneous structures and that TK0471/TrmBL2 acts as a general chromosomal protein as well as a global transcriptional repressor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Maruyama
- Laboratory of Plasma Membrane and Nuclear Signaling, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
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