1
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Bost J, Recalde A, Waßmer B, Wagner A, Siebers B, Albers SV. Application of the endogenous CRISPR-Cas type I-D system for genetic engineering in the thermoacidophilic archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1254891. [PMID: 37849926 PMCID: PMC10577407 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1254891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)-Cas systems are widely distributed among bacteria and archaea. In this study, we demonstrate the successful utilization of the type I-D CRISPR-Cas system for genetic engineering in the thermoacidophilic archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius. Given its extreme growth conditions characterized by a temperature of 75°C and pH 3, an uracil auxotrophic selection system was previously established, providing a basis for our investigations. We developed a novel plasmid specifically designed for genome editing, which incorporates a mini-CRISPR array that can be induced using xylose, resulting in targeted DNA cleavage. Additionally, we integrated a gene encoding the β-galactosidase of Saccharolobus solfataricus into the plasmid, enabling blue-white screening and facilitating the mutant screening process. Through the introduction of donor DNA containing genomic modifications into the plasmid, we successfully generated deletion mutants and point mutations in the genome of S. acidocaldarius. Exploiting the PAM (protospacer adjacent motif) dependence of type I systems, we experimentally confirmed the functionality of three different PAMs (CCA, GTA, and TCA) through a self-targeting assessment assay and the gene deletion of upsE. Our findings elucidate the application of the endogenous Type I-D CRISPR-Cas system for genetic engineering in S. acidocaldarius, thus expanding its genetic toolbox.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Bost
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Alejandra Recalde
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Bianca Waßmer
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Alexander Wagner
- Molecular Enzyme Technology and Biochemistry (MEB), Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology (EMB), Centre for Water and Environmental Research (CWE), Faculty of Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Bettina Siebers
- Molecular Enzyme Technology and Biochemistry (MEB), Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology (EMB), Centre for Water and Environmental Research (CWE), Faculty of Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Sonja-Verena Albers
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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2
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Jiang Z, Lin Z, Gan Q, Wu P, Zhang X, Xiao Y, She Q, Ni J, Shen Y, Huang Q. The FHA domain protein ArnA functions as a global DNA damage response repressor in the hyperthermophilic archaeon Saccharolobus islandicus. mBio 2023; 14:e0094223. [PMID: 37389462 PMCID: PMC10470591 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00942-23] [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: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Forkhead-associated (FHA) domain proteins specifically recognize phosphorylated threonine via the FHA domain and are involved in signal transduction in various processes especially DNA damage response (DDR) and cell cycle regulation in eukaryotes. Although FHA domain proteins are found in prokaryotes, archaea, and bacteria, their functions are far less clear as compared to the eukaryotic counterparts, and it has not been studied whether archaeal FHA proteins play a role in DDR. Here, we have characterized an FHA protein from the hyperthermophilic Crenarchaeon Saccharolobus islandicus (SisArnA) by genetic, biochemical, and transcriptomic approaches. We find that ΔSisarnA exhibits higher resistance to DNA damage agent 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (NQO). The transcription of ups genes, encoding the proteins for pili-mediated cell aggregation and cell survival after DDR, is elevated in ΔSisarnA. The interactions of SisArnA with two predicted partners, SisvWA1 (SisArnB) and SisvWA2 (designated as SisArnE), were enhanced by phosphorylation in vitro. ΔSisarnB displays higher resistance to NQO than the wild type. In addition, the interaction between SisArnA and SisArnB, which is reduced in the NQO-treated cells, is indispensable for DNA binding in vitro. These indicate that SisArnA and SisArnB work together to inhibit the expression of ups genes in vivo. Interestingly, ΔSisarnE is more sensitive to NQO than the wild type, and the interaction between SisArnA and SisArnE is strengthened after NQO treatment, suggesting a positive role of SisArnE in DDR. Finally, transcriptomic analysis reveals that SisArnA represses a number of genes, implying that archaea apply the FHA/phospho-peptide recognition module for extensive transcriptional regulation. IMPORTANCE Cellular adaption to diverse environmental stresses requires a signal sensor and transducer for cell survival. Protein phosphorylation and its recognition by forkhead-associated (FHA) domain proteins are widely used for signal transduction in eukaryotes. Although FHA proteins exist in archaea and bacteria, investigation of their functions, especially those in DNA damage response (DDR), is limited. Therefore, the evolution and functional conservation of FHA proteins in the three domains of life is still a mystery. Here, we find that an FHA protein from the hyperthermophilic Crenarchaeon Saccharolobus islandicus (SisArnA) represses the transcription of pili genes together with its phosphorylated partner SisArnB. SisArnA derepression facilitates DNA exchange and repair in the presence of DNA damage. The fact that more genes including a dozen of those involved in DDR are found to be regulated by SisArnA implies that the FHA/phosphorylation module may serve as an important signal transduction pathway for transcriptional regulation in archaeal DDR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhichao Jiang
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Zijia Lin
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Qi Gan
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Pengju Wu
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Xuemei Zhang
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Yuanxi Xiao
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Qunxin She
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Jinfeng Ni
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Yulong Shen
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Qihong Huang
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
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3
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Biological role of the major AP (abasic site) endonuclease of an archaeon from geothermal environments. Extremophiles 2023; 27:1. [DOI: 10.1007/s00792-022-01286-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
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4
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Beltran LC, Cvirkaite-Krupovic V, Miller J, Wang F, Kreutzberger MAB, Patkowski JB, Costa TRD, Schouten S, Levental I, Conticello VP, Egelman EH, Krupovic M. Archaeal DNA-import apparatus is homologous to bacterial conjugation machinery. Nat Commun 2023; 14:666. [PMID: 36750723 PMCID: PMC9905601 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36349-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Conjugation is a major mechanism of horizontal gene transfer promoting the spread of antibiotic resistance among human pathogens. It involves establishing a junction between a donor and a recipient cell via an extracellular appendage known as the mating pilus. In bacteria, the conjugation machinery is encoded by plasmids or transposons and typically mediates the transfer of cognate mobile genetic elements. Much less is known about conjugation in archaea. Here, we determine atomic structures by cryo-electron microscopy of three conjugative pili, two from hyperthermophilic archaea (Aeropyrum pernix and Pyrobaculum calidifontis) and one encoded by the Ti plasmid of the bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens, and show that the archaeal pili are homologous to bacterial mating pili. However, the archaeal conjugation machinery, known as Ced, has been 'domesticated', that is, the genes for the conjugation machinery are encoded on the chromosome rather than on mobile genetic elements, and mediates the transfer of cellular DNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leticia C Beltran
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22903, USA
| | | | - Jessalyn Miller
- Department of Chemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Fengbin Wang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22903, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 35233, USA
| | - Mark A B Kreutzberger
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22903, USA
| | - Jonasz B Patkowski
- MRC Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College, London, UK
| | - Tiago R D Costa
- MRC Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College, London, UK
| | - Stefan Schouten
- NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - Ilya Levental
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, Center for Membrane and Cell Physiology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22903, USA
| | | | - Edward H Egelman
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22903, USA.
| | - Mart Krupovic
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR6047, Archaeal Virology Unit, 75015, Paris, France.
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5
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Sanchez-Nieves RL, Zhang C, Whitaker RJ. Integrated conjugative plasmid drives high frequency chromosomal gene transfer in Sulfolobus islandicus. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1114574. [PMID: 36756353 PMCID: PMC9899855 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1114574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Gene transfer in crenarchaea has been observed within natural and experimental populations of Sulfolobus. However, the molecular factors that govern how gene transfer and recombination manifest themselves in these populations is still unknown. In this study, we examine a plasmid-mediated mechanism of gene transfer in S. islandicus that results in localized high frequency recombination within the chromosome. Through chromosomal marker exchange assays with defined donors and recipients, we find that while bidirectional exchange occurs among all cells, those possessing the integrated conjugative plasmid, pM164, mobilize a nearby locus at a significantly higher frequency when compared to a more distal marker. We establish that traG is essential for this phenotype and that high frequency recombination can be replicated in transconjugants after plasmid transfer. Mapping recombinants through genomic analysis, we establish the distribution of recombinant tracts with decreasing frequency at increasing distance from pM164. We suggest the bias in transfer is a result of an Hfr (high frequency recombination)-like conjugation mechanism in this strain. In addition, we find recombinants containing distal non-selected recombination events, potentially mediated by a different host-encoded marker exchange (ME) mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruben L. Sanchez-Nieves
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States,Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Changyi Zhang
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Rachel J. Whitaker
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States,Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States,*Correspondence: Rachel J. Whitaker,
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6
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Sulfolobus islandicus Employs Orc1-2-Mediated DNA Damage Response in Defense against Infection by SSV2. J Virol 2022; 96:e0143822. [PMID: 36448807 PMCID: PMC9769372 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01438-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
All living organisms have evolved DNA damage response (DDR) strategies in coping with threats to the integrity of their genome. In response to DNA damage, Sulfolobus islandicus activates its DDR network in which Orc1-2, an ortholog of the archaeal Orc1/Cdc6 superfamily proteins, plays a central regulatory role. Here, we show that pretreatment with UV irradiation reduced virus genome replication in S. islandicus infected with the fusellovirus SSV2. Like treatment with UV or the DNA-damaging agent 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (NQO), infection with SSV2 facilitated the expression of orc1-2 and significantly raised the cellular level of Orc1-2. The inhibitory effect of UV irradiation on the virus DNA level was no longer apparent in the infected culture of an S. islandicus orc1-2 deletion mutant strain. On the other hand, the overexpression of orc1-2 decreased virus genomic DNA by ~102-fold compared to that in the parent strain. Furthermore, as part of the Orc1-2-mediated DDR response genes for homologous recombination repair (HRR), cell aggregation and intercellular DNA transfer were upregulated, whereas genes for cell division were downregulated. However, the HRR pathway remained functional in host inhibition of SSV2 genome replication in the absence of UpsA, a subunit of pili essential for intercellular DNA transfer. In agreement with this finding, lack of the general transcriptional activator TFB3, which controls the expression of the ups genes, only moderately affected SSV2 genome replication. Our results demonstrate that infection of S. islandicus by SSV2 triggers the host DDR pathway that, in return, suppresses virus genome replication. IMPORTANCE Extremophiles thrive in harsh habitats and thus often face a daunting challenge to the integrity of their genome. How these organisms respond to virus infection when their genome is damaged remains unclear. We found that the thermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus islandicus became more inhibitory to genome replication of the virus SSV2 after preinfection UV irradiation than without the pretreatment. On the other hand, like treatment with UV or other DNA-damaging agents, infection of S. islandicus by SSV2 triggers the activation of Orc1-2-mediated DNA damage response, including the activation of homologous recombination repair, cell aggregation and DNA import, and the repression of cell division. The inhibitory effect of pretreatment with UV irradiation on SSV2 genome replication was no longer observed in an S. islandicus mutant lacking Orc1-2. Our results suggest that DNA damage response is employed by S. islandicus as a strategy to defend against virus infection.
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7
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Dissection of Functional Domains of Orc1-2, the Archaeal Global DNA Damage-Responsive Regulator. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232314609. [PMID: 36498936 PMCID: PMC9738581 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232314609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Revised: 11/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Orc1-2 is a non-initiator ortholog of archaeal/eukaryotic Orc1 proteins, which functions as a global regulator in DNA damage-responsive (DDR) expression. As for Orc1 initiators, the DDR regulator harbors an AAA+ ATPase domain, an Initiator-Specific Motif (ISM) and a winged-helix (wH) DNA-binding domain, which are also organized in a similar fashion. To investigate how Orc1-2 mediates the DDR regulation, the orc1-2 mutants inactivating each of these functional domains were constructed with Saccharolobus islandicus and genetically characterized. We found that disruption of each functional domain completely abolished the DDR regulation in these orc1-2 mutants. Strikingly, inactivation of ATP hydrolysis of Orc1-2 rendered an inviable mutant. However, the cell lethality can be suppressed by the deficiency of the DNA binding in the same protein, and it occurs independent of any DNA damage signal. Mutant Orc1-2 proteins were then obtained and investigated for DNA-binding in vitro. This revealed that both the AAA+ ATPase and the wH domains are involved in DNA-binding, where ISM and R381R383 in wH are responsible for specific DNA binding. We further show that Orc1-2 regulation occurs in two distinct steps: (a) eliciting cell division inhibition at a low Orc1-2 content, and this regulation is switched on by ATP binding and turned off by ATP hydrolysis; any failure in turning off the regulation leads to growth inhibition and cell death; (b) activation of the expression of DDR gene encoding DNA repair proteins at an elevated level of Orc1-2.
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8
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Gophna U, Altman-Price N. Horizontal Gene Transfer in Archaea-From Mechanisms to Genome Evolution. Annu Rev Microbiol 2022; 76:481-502. [PMID: 35667126 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-micro-040820-124627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Archaea remains the least-studied and least-characterized domain of life despite its significance not just to the ecology of our planet but also to the evolution of eukaryotes. It is therefore unsurprising that research into horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in archaea has lagged behind that of bacteria. Indeed, several archaeal lineages may owe their very existence to large-scale HGT events, and thus understanding both the molecular mechanisms and the evolutionary impact of HGT in archaea is highly important. Furthermore, some mechanisms of gene exchange, such as plasmids that transmit themselves via membrane vesicles and the formation of cytoplasmic bridges that allows transfer of both chromosomal and plasmid DNA, may be archaea specific. This review summarizes what we know about HGT in archaea, and the barriers that restrict it, highlighting exciting recent discoveries and pointing out opportunities for future research. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Microbiology, Volume 76 is September 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uri Gophna
- The Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; ,
| | - Neta Altman-Price
- The Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; , .,Department of Natural and Life Sciences, The Open University of Israel, Raanana, Israel
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9
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Foe VE. Does the Pachytene Checkpoint, a Feature of Meiosis, Filter Out Mistakes in Double-Strand DNA Break Repair and as a side-Effect Strongly Promote Adaptive Speciation? Integr Org Biol 2022; 4:obac008. [PMID: 36827645 PMCID: PMC8998493 DOI: 10.1093/iob/obac008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
This essay aims to explain two biological puzzles: why eukaryotic transcription units are composed of short segments of coding DNA interspersed with long stretches of non-coding (intron) DNA, and the near ubiquity of sexual reproduction. As is well known, alternative splicing of its coding sequences enables one transcription unit to produce multiple variants of each encoded protein. Additionally, padding transcription units with non-coding DNA (often many thousands of base pairs long) provides a readily evolvable way to set how soon in a cell cycle the various mRNAs will begin being expressed and the total amount of mRNA that each transcription unit can make during a cell cycle. This regulation complements control via the transcriptional promoter and facilitates the creation of complex eukaryotic cell types, tissues, and organisms. However, it also makes eukaryotes exceedingly vulnerable to double-strand DNA breaks, which end-joining break repair pathways can repair incorrectly. Transcription units cover such a large fraction of the genome that any mis-repair producing a reorganized chromosome has a high probability of destroying a gene. During meiosis, the synaptonemal complex aligns homologous chromosome pairs and the pachytene checkpoint detects, selectively arrests, and in many organisms actively destroys gamete-producing cells with chromosomes that cannot adequately synapse; this creates a filter favoring transmission to the next generation of chromosomes that retain the parental organization, while selectively culling those with interrupted transcription units. This same meiotic checkpoint, reacting to accidental chromosomal reorganizations inflicted by error-prone break repair, can, as a side effect, provide a mechanism for the formation of new species in sympatry. It has been a long-standing puzzle how something as seemingly maladaptive as hybrid sterility between such new species can arise. I suggest that this paradox is resolved by understanding the adaptive importance of the pachytene checkpoint, as outlined above.
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10
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Wani AK, Akhtar N, Sher F, Navarrete AA, Américo-Pinheiro JHP. Microbial adaptation to different environmental conditions: molecular perspective of evolved genetic and cellular systems. Arch Microbiol 2022; 204:144. [PMID: 35044532 DOI: 10.1007/s00203-022-02757-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Microorganisms are ubiquitous on Earth and can inhabit almost every environment. In a complex heterogeneous environment or in face of ecological disturbance, the microbes adjust to fluctuating environmental conditions through a cascade of cellular and molecular systems. Their habitats differ from cold microcosms of Antarctica to the geothermal volcanic areas, terrestrial to marine, highly alkaline zones to the extremely acidic areas and freshwater to brackish water sources. The diverse ecological microbial niches are attributed to the versatile, adaptable nature under fluctuating temperature, nutrient availability and pH of the microorganisms. These organisms have developed a series of mechanisms to face the environmental changes and thereby keep their role in mediate important ecosystem functions. The underlying mechanisms of adaptable microbial nature are thoroughly investigated at the cellular, genetic and molecular levels. The adaptation is mediated by a spectrum of processes like natural selection, genetic recombination, horizontal gene transfer, DNA damage repair and pleiotropy-like events. This review paper provides the fundamentals insight into the microbial adaptability besides highlighting the molecular network of microbial adaptation under different environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atif Khurshid Wani
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, 144411, India
| | - Nahid Akhtar
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, 144411, India
| | - Farooq Sher
- Department of Engineering, School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, NG11 8NS, UK
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11
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Schulze S, Schiller H, Mutan Z, Solomonic J, Telhan O, Pohlschroder M. Cost-Effective and Versatile Analysis of Archaeal Surface Adhesion Under Shaking and Standing Conditions. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2522:397-406. [PMID: 36125766 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2445-6_27] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Biofilms are aggregates of cells surrounded by an extracellular matrix providing protection from external stresses. While biofilms are commonly studied in bacteria, archaea also form such cell aggregates both in liquid cultures and on solid surfaces. Biofilm architectures vary when in liquid cultures versus on surfaces as well as when incubated under static conditions versus under shear forces of flowing liquid. Moreover, biofilms develop dynamically over time. Here, we describe surface adhesion assays employing a cost-effective, 3D-printed coverslip holder that can be used under a broad range of standing and shaking culture conditions. This multi-panel adhesion (mPAD) mount further allows the same culture to be sampled at multiple time points, ensuring consistency and comparability between samples and enabling analysis of the dynamics of biofilm formation. Additionally, a traditional surface adhesion assay in a 12-well plate under standing conditions is outlined as well. We anticipate the combination of these protocols to be useful for analyzing a wide array of biofilms and answering a multitude of biological questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Schulze
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Heather Schiller
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Zuha Mutan
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Jordan Solomonic
- Weitzman School of Design, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Orkan Telhan
- Weitzman School of Design, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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12
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Chauhan SM, Poudel S, Rychel K, Lamoureux C, Yoo R, Al Bulushi T, Yuan Y, Palsson BO, Sastry AV. Machine Learning Uncovers a Data-Driven Transcriptional Regulatory Network for the Crenarchaeal Thermoacidophile Sulfolobus acidocaldarius. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:753521. [PMID: 34777307 PMCID: PMC8578740 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.753521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Dynamic cellular responses to environmental constraints are coordinated by the transcriptional regulatory network (TRN), which modulates gene expression. This network controls most fundamental cellular responses, including metabolism, motility, and stress responses. Here, we apply independent component analysis, an unsupervised machine learning approach, to 95 high-quality Sulfolobus acidocaldarius RNA-seq datasets and extract 45 independently modulated gene sets, or iModulons. Together, these iModulons contain 755 genes (32% of the genes identified on the genome) and explain over 70% of the variance in the expression compendium. We show that five modules represent the effects of known transcriptional regulators, and hypothesize that most of the remaining modules represent the effects of uncharacterized regulators. Further analysis of these gene sets results in: (1) the prediction of a DNA export system composed of five uncharacterized genes, (2) expansion of the LysM regulon, and (3) evidence for an as-yet-undiscovered global regulon. Our approach allows for a mechanistic, systems-level elucidation of an extremophile's responses to biological perturbations, which could inform research on gene-regulator interactions and facilitate regulator discovery in S. acidocaldarius. We also provide the first global TRN for S. acidocaldarius. Collectively, these results provide a roadmap toward regulatory network discovery in archaea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siddharth M. Chauhan
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Saugat Poudel
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Kevin Rychel
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Cameron Lamoureux
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Reo Yoo
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Tahani Al Bulushi
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Yuan Yuan
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Bernhard O. Palsson
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Anand V. Sastry
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
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13
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Sivabalasarma S, Wetzel H, Nußbaum P, van der Does C, Beeby M, Albers SV. Analysis of Cell-Cell Bridges in Haloferax volcanii Using Electron Cryo-Tomography Reveal a Continuous Cytoplasm and S-Layer. Front Microbiol 2021; 11:612239. [PMID: 33519769 PMCID: PMC7838353 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.612239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Halophilic archaea have been proposed to exchange DNA and proteins using a fusion-based mating mechanism. Scanning electron microscopy previously suggested that mating involves an intermediate state, where cells are connected by an intercellular bridge. To better understand this process, we used electron cryo-tomography (cryoET) and fluorescence microscopy to visualize cells forming these intercellular bridges. CryoET showed that the observed bridges were enveloped by an surface layer (S-layer) and connected mating cells via a continuous cytoplasm. Macromolecular complexes like ribosomes and unknown thin filamentous helical structures were visualized in the cytoplasm inside the bridges, demonstrating that these bridges can facilitate exchange of cellular components. We followed formation of a cell–cell bridge by fluorescence time-lapse microscopy between cells at a distance of 1.5 μm. These results shed light on the process of haloarchaeal mating and highlight further mechanistic questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shamphavi Sivabalasarma
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Institute of Biology II, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Hanna Wetzel
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Institute of Biology II, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Phillip Nußbaum
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Institute of Biology II, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Chris van der Does
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Institute of Biology II, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Morgan Beeby
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sonja-Verena Albers
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Institute of Biology II, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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14
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Huang Q, Lin Z, Wu P, Ni J, Shen Y. Phosphoproteomic Analysis Reveals Rio1-Related Protein Phosphorylation Changes in Response to UV Irradiation in Sulfolobus islandicus REY15A. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:586025. [PMID: 33343525 PMCID: PMC7744417 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.586025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA damage response (DDR) in eukaryotes is largely regulated by protein phosphorylation. In archaea, many proteins are phosphorylated, however, it is unclear how the cells respond to DNA damage through global protein phosphorylation. We previously found that Δrio1, a Rio1 kinase homolog deletion strain of Sulfolobus islandicus REY15A, was sensitive to UV irradiation. In this study, we showed that Δrio1 grew faster than the wild type. Quantitative phosphoproteomic analysis of the wild type and Δrio1, untreated and irradiated with UV irradiation, revealed 562 phosphorylated sites (with a Ser/Thr/Tyr ratio of 65.3%/23.8%/10.9%) of 333 proteins in total. The phosphorylation levels of 35 sites of 30 proteins changed with >1.3-fold in the wild type strain upon UV irradiation. Interestingly, more than half of the UV-induced changes in the wild type did not occur in the Δrio1 strain, which were mainly associated with proteins synthesis and turnover. In addition, a protein kinase and several transcriptional regulators were differentially phosphorylated after UV treatment, and some of the changes were dependent on Rio1. Finally, many proteins involved in various cellular metabolisms exhibited Riol-related and UV-independent phosphorylation changes. Our results suggest that Rio1 is involved in the regulation of protein recycling and signal transduction in response to UV irradiation, and plays regulatory roles in multiple cellular processes in S. islandicus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qihong Huang
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Zijia Lin
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Pengju Wu
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Jinfeng Ni
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Yulong Shen
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
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15
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Ahmad S, Huang Q, Ni J, Xiao Y, Yang Y, Shen Y. Functional Analysis of the NucS/EndoMS of the Hyperthermophilic Archaeon Sulfolobus islandicus REY15A. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:607431. [PMID: 33335523 PMCID: PMC7736090 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.607431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
EndoMS is a recently identified mismatch specific endonuclease in Thermococcales of Archaea and Mycobacteria of Bacteria. The homologs of EndoMS are conserved in Archaea and Actinobacteria, where classic MutS-MutL-mediated DNA mismatch repair pathway is absent or non-functional. Here, we report a study on the in vitro mismatch cleavage activity and in vivo function of an EndoMS homolog (SisEndoMS) from Sulfolobus islandicus REY15A, the model archaeon belonging to Crenarchaeota. SisEndoMS is highly active on duplex DNA containing G/T, G/G, and T/T mismatches. Interestingly, the cleavage activity of SisEndoMS is stimulated by the heterotrimeric PCNAs, and when Mn2+ was used as the co-factor instead of Mg2+, SisEndoMS was also active on DNA substrates containing C/T or A/G mismatches, suggesting that the endonuclease activity can be regulated by ion co-factors and accessory proteins. We compared the spontaneous mutation rate of the wild type strain REY15A and ∆endoMS by counter selection against 5-fluoroorotic acid (5-FOA). The endoMS knockout mutant had much higher spontaneous mutation rate (5.06 × 10−3) than that of the wild type (4.6 × 10−6). A mutation accumulation analysis also showed that the deletion mutant had a higher mutation occurrence than the wild type, with transition mutation being the dominant, suggesting that SisEndoMS is responsible for mutation avoidance in this hyperthermophilic archaeon. Overexpression of the wild type SisEndoMS in S. islandicus resulted in retarded growth and abnormal cell morphology, similar to strains overexpressing Hje and Hjc, the Holliday junction endonucleases. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that SisEndoMS overexpression led to upregulation of distinct gene including the CRISPR-Cas IIIB system, methyltransferases, and glycosyltransferases, which are mainly localized to specific regions in the chromosome. Collectively, our results support that EndoMS proteins represent a noncanonical DNA repair pathway in Archaea. The mechanism of the mismatch repair pathway in Sulfolobus which have a single chromosome is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sohail Ahmad
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Qihong Huang
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Jinfeng Ni
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Yuanxi Xiao
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Yunfeng Yang
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Yulong Shen
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Microbial Technology Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
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16
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Liu Z, Sun M, Liu J, Liu T, Ye Q, Li Y, Peng N. A CRISPR-associated factor Csa3a regulates DNA damage repair in Crenarchaeon Sulfolobus islandicus. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:9681-9693. [PMID: 32833023 PMCID: PMC7515695 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Revised: 08/06/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
CRISPR−Cas system provides acquired immunity against invasive genetic elements in prokaryotes. In both bacteria and archaea, transcriptional factors play important roles in regulation of CRISPR adaptation and interference. In the model Crenarchaeon Sulfolobus islandicus, a CRISPR-associated factor Csa3a triggers CRISPR adaptation and activates CRISPR RNA transcription for the immunity. However, regulation of DNA repair systems for repairing the genomic DNA damages caused by the CRISPR self-immunity is less understood. Here, according to the transcriptome and reporter gene data, we found that deletion of the csa3a gene down-regulated the DNA damage response (DDR) genes, including the ups and ced genes. Furthermore, in vitro analyses demonstrated that Csa3a specifically bound the DDR gene promoters. Microscopic analysis showed that deletion of csa3a significantly inhibited DNA damage-induced cell aggregation. Moreover, the flow cytometry study and survival rate analysis revealed that the csa3a deletion strain was more sensitive to the DNA-damaging reagent. Importantly, CRISPR self-targeting and DNA transfer experiments revealed that Csa3a was involved in regulating Ups- and Ced-mediated repair of CRISPR-damaged host genomic DNA. These results explain the interplay between Csa3a functions in activating CRISPR adaptation and DNA repair systems, and expands our understanding of the lost link between CRISPR self-immunity and genome stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenzhen Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, P.R. China
| | - Mengmeng Sun
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Jilin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, P.R. China
| | - Tao Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, P.R. China
| | - Qing Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, P.R. China
| | - Yingjun Li
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, P.R. China
| | - Nan Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, P.R. China
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17
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Zamai L. Unveiling Human Non-Random Genome Editing Mechanisms Activated in Response to Chronic Environmental Changes: I. Where Might These Mechanisms Come from and What Might They Have Led To? Cells 2020; 9:E2362. [PMID: 33121045 PMCID: PMC7693803 DOI: 10.3390/cells9112362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Revised: 10/18/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
This article challenges the notion of the randomness of mutations in eukaryotic cells by unveiling stress-induced human non-random genome editing mechanisms. To account for the existence of such mechanisms, I have developed molecular concepts of the cell environment and cell environmental stressors and, making use of a large quantity of published data, hypothesised the origin of some crucial biological leaps along the evolutionary path of life on Earth under the pressure of natural selection, in particular, (1) virus-cell mating as a primordial form of sexual recombination and symbiosis; (2) Lamarckian CRISPR-Cas systems; (3) eukaryotic gene development; (4) antiviral activity of retrotransposon-guided mutagenic enzymes; and finally, (5) the exaptation of antiviral mutagenic mechanisms to stress-induced genome editing mechanisms directed at "hyper-transcribed" endogenous genes. Genes transcribed at their maximum rate (hyper-transcribed), yet still unable to meet new chronic environmental demands generated by "pollution", are inadequate and generate more and more intronic retrotransposon transcripts. In this scenario, RNA-guided mutagenic enzymes (e.g., Apolipoprotein B mRNA editing catalytic polypeptide-like enzymes, APOBECs), which have been shown to bind to retrotransposon RNA-repetitive sequences, would be surgically targeted by intronic retrotransposons on opened chromatin regions of the same "hyper-transcribed" genes. RNA-guided mutagenic enzymes may therefore "Lamarkianly" generate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and gene copy number variations (CNV), as well as transposon transposition and chromosomal translocations in the restricted areas of hyper-functional and inadequate genes, leaving intact the rest of the genome. CNV and SNP of hyper-transcribed genes may allow cells to surgically explore a new fitness scenario, which increases their adaptability to stressful environmental conditions. Like the mechanisms of immunoglobulin somatic hypermutation, non-random genome editing mechanisms may generate several cell mutants, and those codifying for the most environmentally adequate proteins would have a survival advantage and would therefore be Darwinianly selected. Non-random genome editing mechanisms represent tools of evolvability leading to organismal adaptation including transgenerational non-Mendelian gene transmission or to death of environmentally inadequate genomes. They are a link between environmental changes and biological novelty and plasticity, finally providing a molecular basis to reconcile gene-centred and "ecological" views of evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loris Zamai
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, 61029 Urbino, Italy; ; Tel./Fax: +39-0722-304-319
- National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN)-Gran Sasso National Laboratory (LNGS), 67100 Assergi, L’Aquila, Italy
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18
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Ancestral Reconstructions Decipher Major Adaptations of Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea upon Radiation into Moderate Terrestrial and Marine Environments. mBio 2020; 11:mBio.02371-20. [PMID: 33051370 PMCID: PMC7554672 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02371-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Unlike all other archaeal lineages, ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) of the phylum Thaumarchaeota are widespread and abundant in all moderate and oxic environments on Earth. The evolutionary adaptations that led to such unprecedented ecological success of a microbial clade characterized by highly conserved energy and carbon metabolisms have, however, remained underexplored. Here, we reconstructed the genomic content and growth temperature of the ancestor of all AOA, as well as the ancestors of the marine and soil lineages, based on 39 available complete or nearly complete genomes of AOA. Our evolutionary scenario depicts an extremely thermophilic, autotrophic, aerobic ancestor from which three independent lineages of a marine and two terrestrial groups radiated into moderate environments. Their emergence was paralleled by (i) a continuous acquisition of an extensive collection of stress tolerance genes mostly involved in redox maintenance and oxygen detoxification, (ii) an expansion of regulatory capacities in transcription and central metabolic functions, and (iii) an extended repertoire of cell appendages and modifications related to adherence and interactions with the environment. Our analysis provides insights into the evolutionary transitions and key processes that enabled the conquest of the diverse environments in which contemporary AOA are found.
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19
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All living cells are cognitive. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2020; 564:134-149. [PMID: 32972747 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2020.08.120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Revised: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
All living cells sense and respond to changes in external or internal conditions. Without that cognitive capacity, they could not obtain nutrition essential for growth, survive inevitable ecological changes, or correct accidents in the complex processes of reproduction. Wherever examined, even the smallest living cells (prokaryotes) display sophisticated regulatory networks establishing appropriate adaptations to stress conditions that maximize the probability of survival. Supposedly "simple" prokaryotic organisms also display remarkable capabilities for intercellular signalling and multicellular coordination. These observations indicate that all living cells are cognitive.
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20
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Feng X, Liu X, Xu R, Zhao R, Feng W, Liao J, Han W, She Q. A Unique B-Family DNA Polymerase Facilitating Error-Prone DNA Damage Tolerance in Crenarchaeota. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:1585. [PMID: 32793138 PMCID: PMC7390963 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Sulfolobus islandicus codes for four DNA polymerases: three are of the B-family (Dpo1, Dpo2, and Dpo3), and one is of the Y-family (Dpo4). Western analysis revealed that among the four polymerases, only Dpo2 exhibited DNA damage-inducible expression. To investigate how these DNA polymerases could contribute to DNA damage tolerance in S. islandicus, we conducted genetic analysis of their encoding genes in this archaeon. Plasmid-borne gene expression revealed that Dpo2 increases cell survival upon DNA damage at the expense of mutagenesis. Gene deletion studies showed although dpo1 is essential, the remaining three genes are dispensable. Furthermore, although Dpo4 functions in housekeeping translesion DNA synthesis (TLS), Dpo2, a B-family DNA polymerase once predicted to be inactive, functions as a damage-inducible TLS enzyme solely responsible for targeted mutagenesis, facilitating GC to AT/TA conversions in the process. Together, our data indicate that Dpo2 is the main DNA polymerase responsible for DNA damage tolerance and is the primary source of targeted mutagenesis. Given that crenarchaea encoding a Dpo2 also have a low-GC composition genome, the Dpo2-dependent DNA repair pathway may be conserved in this archaeal lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xu Feng
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, Microbial Technology Institute and State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Xiaotong Liu
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, Microbial Technology Institute and State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Ruyi Xu
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, Microbial Technology Institute and State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Ruiliang Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Wenqian Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Jianglan Liao
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, Microbial Technology Institute and State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Wenyuan Han
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Qunxin She
- CRISPR and Archaea Biology Research Center, Microbial Technology Institute and State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
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21
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van Wolferen M, Shajahan A, Heinrich K, Brenzinger S, Black IM, Wagner A, Briegel A, Azadi P, Albers SV. Species-Specific Recognition of Sulfolobales Mediated by UV-Inducible Pili and S-Layer Glycosylation Patterns. mBio 2020; 11:e03014-19. [PMID: 32156822 PMCID: PMC7064770 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.03014-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2019] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The UV-inducible pili system of Sulfolobales (Ups) mediates the formation of species-specific cellular aggregates. Within these aggregates, cells exchange DNA to repair DNA double-strand breaks via homologous recombination. Substitution of the Sulfolobus acidocaldarius pilin subunits UpsA and UpsB with their homologs from Sulfolobus tokodaii showed that these subunits facilitate species-specific aggregation. A region of low conservation within the UpsA homologs is primarily important for this specificity. Aggregation assays in the presence of different sugars showed the importance of N-glycosylation in the recognition process. In addition, the N-glycan decorating the S-layer of S. tokodaii is different from the one of S. acidocaldarius Therefore, each Sulfolobus species seems to have developed a unique UpsA binding pocket and unique N-glycan composition to ensure aggregation and, consequently, also DNA exchange with cells from only the same species, which is essential for DNA repair by homologous recombination.IMPORTANCE Type IV pili can be found on the cell surface of many archaea and bacteria where they play important roles in different processes. The UV-inducible pili system of Sulfolobales (Ups) pili from the crenarchaeal Sulfolobales species are essential in establishing species-specific mating partners, thereby assisting in genome stability. With this work, we show that different Sulfolobus species have specific regions in their Ups pili subunits, which allow them to interact only with cells from the same species. Additionally, different Sulfolobus species have unique surface-layer N-glycosylation patterns. We propose that the unique features of each species allow the recognition of specific mating partners. This knowledge for the first time gives insights into the molecular basis of archaeal self-recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marleen van Wolferen
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Institute of Biology II-Microbiology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Asif Shajahan
- Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Kristina Heinrich
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Institute of Biology II-Microbiology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | | | - Ian M Black
- Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Alexander Wagner
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Institute of Biology II-Microbiology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Ariane Briegel
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Parastoo Azadi
- Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Sonja-Verena Albers
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Institute of Biology II-Microbiology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- BIOSS Centre for Biological Signaling Studies, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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22
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Beeby M, Ferreira JL, Tripp P, Albers SV, Mitchell DR. Propulsive nanomachines: the convergent evolution of archaella, flagella and cilia. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2020; 44:253-304. [DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuaa006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2019] [Accepted: 03/06/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Echoing the repeated convergent evolution of flight and vision in large eukaryotes, propulsive swimming motility has evolved independently in microbes in each of the three domains of life. Filamentous appendages – archaella in Archaea, flagella in Bacteria and cilia in Eukaryotes – wave, whip or rotate to propel microbes, overcoming diffusion and enabling colonization of new environments. The implementations of the three propulsive nanomachines are distinct, however: archaella and flagella rotate, while cilia beat or wave; flagella and cilia assemble at their tips, while archaella assemble at their base; archaella and cilia use ATP for motility, while flagella use ion-motive force. These underlying differences reflect the tinkering required to evolve a molecular machine, in which pre-existing machines in the appropriate contexts were iteratively co-opted for new functions and whose origins are reflected in their resultant mechanisms. Contemporary homologies suggest that archaella evolved from a non-rotary pilus, flagella from a non-rotary appendage or secretion system, and cilia from a passive sensory structure. Here, we review the structure, assembly, mechanism and homologies of the three distinct solutions as a foundation to better understand how propulsive nanomachines evolved three times independently and to highlight principles of molecular evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan Beeby
- Department of Life Sciences, Frankland Road, Imperial College of London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Josie L Ferreira
- Department of Life Sciences, Frankland Road, Imperial College of London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Patrick Tripp
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Institute of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schaenzlestrasse 1, 79211 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Sonja-Verena Albers
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Institute of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schaenzlestrasse 1, 79211 Freiburg, Germany
| | - David R Mitchell
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, 750 E. Adams St., Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
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23
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Integration of large heterologous DNA fragments into the genome of Thermococcus kodakarensis. Extremophiles 2020; 24:339-353. [PMID: 32112303 DOI: 10.1007/s00792-020-01159-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2019] [Accepted: 01/31/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
In this study, a transformation system enabling large-scale gene recombination was developed for the hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus kodakarensis. Using the uracil auxotroph T. kodakarensis KU216 (∆pyrF) as a parent strain, we constructed multiple host strains harboring two 1-kbp DNA regions from the genomes of either the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus or Methanocaldococcus jannaschii. The two regions were selected so that the regions between them on the respective genomes would include pyrF genes, which can potentially be used for selection. Transformation using these host strains and genomic DNA from P. furiosus or M. jannaschii were carried out. Transformants with exogenous pyrF were obtained only using host strains with regions from P. furiosus, and only when the distances between the two regions were relatively short (2-5 kbp) on the P. furiosus genome. To insert longer DNA fragments, we examined the possibilities of using P. furiosus cells to provide intact genomic DNA. A cell pellet of P. furiosus was overlaid with that of T. kodakarensis so that cells were in direct contact. As a result, we were able to isolate T. kodakarensis strains harboring DNA fragments from P. furiosus with lengths of up to 75 kbp in a single transformation step.
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24
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Abstract
Biofilms are structured and organized communities of microorganisms that represent one of the most successful forms of life on Earth. Bacterial biofilms have been studied in great detail, and many molecular details are known about the processes that govern bacterial biofilm formation, however, archaea are ubiquitous in almost all habitats on Earth and can also form biofilms. In recent years, insights have been gained into the development of archaeal biofilms, how archaea communicate to form biofilms and how the switch from a free-living lifestyle to a sessile lifestyle is regulated. In this Review, we explore the different stages of archaeal biofilm development and highlight similarities and differences between archaea and bacteria on a molecular level. We also consider the role of archaeal biofilms in industry and their use in different industrial processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marleen van Wolferen
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Institute of Biology II, Microbiology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Alvaro Orell
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Sonja-Verena Albers
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Institute of Biology II, Microbiology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
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25
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Schult F, Le TN, Albersmeier A, Rauch B, Blumenkamp P, van der Does C, Goesmann A, Kalinowski J, Albers SV, Siebers B. Effect of UV irradiation on Sulfolobus acidocaldarius and involvement of the general transcription factor TFB3 in the early UV response. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 46:7179-7192. [PMID: 29982548 PMCID: PMC6101591 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2018] [Accepted: 05/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Exposure to UV light can result in severe DNA damage. The alternative general transcription factor (GTF) TFB3 has been proposed to play a key role in the UV stress response in the thermoacidophilic crenarchaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius. Reporter gene assays confirmed that tfb3 is upregulated 90–180 min after UV treatment. In vivo tagging and immunodetection of TFB3 confirmed the induced expression at 90 min. Analysis of a tfb3 insertion mutant showed that genes encoding proteins of the Ups pili and the Ced DNA importer are no longer induced in a tfb3 insertion mutant after UV treatment, which was confirmed by aggregation assays. Thus, TFB3 plays a crucial role in the activation of these genes. Genome wide transcriptome analysis allowed a differentiation between a TFB3-dependent and a TFB3-independent early UV response. The TFB3-dependent UV response is characterized by the early induction of TFB3, followed by TFB3-dependent expression of genes involved in e.g. Ups pili formation and the Ced DNA importer. Many genes were downregulated in the tfb3 insertion mutant confirming the hypothesis that TFB3 acts as an activator of transcription. The TFB3-independent UV response includes the repression of nucleotide metabolism, replication and cell cycle progression in order to allow DNA repair.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Schult
- Molecular Enzyme Technology and Biochemistry (MEB), Biofilm Centre, Centre for Water and Environmental Research (CWE), Faculty of Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 5, 45141 Essen, Germany
| | - Thuong N Le
- Institute of Biology II, Molecular Biology of Archaea, University of Freiburg, Schaenzlestraße 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Albersmeier
- Center for Biotechnology (CEBITEC), University of Bielefeld, Universitätsstraße 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Bernadette Rauch
- Molecular Enzyme Technology and Biochemistry (MEB), Biofilm Centre, Centre for Water and Environmental Research (CWE), Faculty of Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 5, 45141 Essen, Germany
| | - Patrick Blumenkamp
- Institute for Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 58, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Chris van der Does
- Institute of Biology II, Molecular Biology of Archaea, University of Freiburg, Schaenzlestraße 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Alexander Goesmann
- Institute for Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 58, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Jörn Kalinowski
- Center for Biotechnology (CEBITEC), University of Bielefeld, Universitätsstraße 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Sonja-Verena Albers
- Institute of Biology II, Molecular Biology of Archaea, University of Freiburg, Schaenzlestraße 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Bettina Siebers
- Molecular Enzyme Technology and Biochemistry (MEB), Biofilm Centre, Centre for Water and Environmental Research (CWE), Faculty of Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 5, 45141 Essen, Germany
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26
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Sun M, Feng X, Liu Z, Han W, Liang YX, She Q. An Orc1/Cdc6 ortholog functions as a key regulator in the DNA damage response in Archaea. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 46:6697-6711. [PMID: 29878182 PMCID: PMC6061795 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2018] [Accepted: 05/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
While bacteria and eukaryotes show distinct mechanisms of DNA damage response (DDR) regulation, investigation of ultraviolet (UV)-responsive expression in a few archaea did not yield any conclusive evidence for an archaeal DDR regulatory network. Nevertheless, expression of Orc1-2, an ortholog of the archaeal origin recognition complex 1/cell division control protein 6 (Orc1/Cdc6) superfamily proteins was strongly activated in Sulfolobus solfataricus and Sulfolobus acidocaldarius upon UV irradiation. Here, a series of experiments were conducted to investigate the possible functions of Orc1-2 in DNA damage repair in Sulfolobus islandicus. Study of DDR in Δorc1-2 revealed that Orc1-2 deficiency abolishes DNA damage-induced differential expression of a large number of genes and the mutant showed hypersensitivity to DNA damage treatment. Reporter gene and DNase I footprinting assays demonstrated that Orc1-2 interacts with a conserved hexanucleotide motif present in several DDR gene promoters and regulates their expression. Manipulation of orc1-2 expression by promoter substitution in this archaeon revealed that a high level of orc1-2 expression is essential but not sufficient to trigger DDR. Together, these results have placed Orc1-2 in the heart of the archaeal DDR regulation, and the resulting Orc1-2-centered regulatory circuit represents the first DDR network identified in Archaea, the third domain of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengmeng Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology and College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, China.,Archaea Centre, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Xu Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology and College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, China.,Archaea Centre, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Zhenzhen Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology and College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, China
| | - Wenyuan Han
- Archaea Centre, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Yun Xiang Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology and College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, China
| | - Qunxin She
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology and College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, China.,Archaea Centre, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
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27
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Feng X, Sun M, Han W, Liang YX, She Q. A transcriptional factor B paralog functions as an activator to DNA damage-responsive expression in archaea. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 46:7085-7096. [PMID: 29618058 PMCID: PMC6101594 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2018] [Accepted: 03/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Previously it was shown that UV irradiation induces a strong upregulation of tfb3 coding for a paralog of the archaeal transcriptional factor B (TFB) in Sulfolobus solfataricus, a crenarchaea. To investigate the function of this gene in DNA damage response (DDR), tfb3 was inactivated by gene deletion in Sulfolobus islandicus and the resulting Δtfb3 was more sensitive to DNA damage agents than the original strain. Transcriptome analysis revealed that a large set of genes show TFB3-dependent activation, including genes of the ups operon and ced system. Furthermore, the TFB3 protein was found to be associated with DDR gene promoters and functional dissection of TFB3 showed that the conserved Zn-ribbon and coiled-coil motif are essential for the activation. Together, the results indicated that TFB3 activates the expression of DDR genes by interaction with other transcriptional factors at the promoter regions of DDR genes to facilitate the formation of transcription initiation complex. Strikingly, TFB3 and Ced systems are present in a wide range of crenarchaea, suggesting that the Ced system function as a primary DNA damage repair mechanism in Crenarchaeota. Our findings further suggest that TFB3 and the concurrent TFB1 form a TFB3-dependent DNA damage-responsive circuit with their target genes, which is evolutionarily conserved in the major lineage of Archaea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xu Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology and College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, China.,Archaea Centre, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Mengmeng Sun
- Archaea Centre, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Wenyuan Han
- Archaea Centre, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Yun Xiang Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology and College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, China
| | - Qunxin She
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology and College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, China.,Archaea Centre, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
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28
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Legerme G, Pohlschroder M. Limited Cross-Complementation Between Haloferax volcanii PilB1-C1 and PilB3-C3 Paralogs. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:700. [PMID: 31068907 PMCID: PMC6491452 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2018] [Accepted: 03/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Type IV pili are evolutionarily conserved cell surface filaments that promote surface adhesion and cell aggregation providing bacteria and archaea protection from a variety of stress conditions. In fact, prokaryotic genomes frequently contain several copies of the core biosynthesis genes, pilB and pilC, encoding an ATPase and membrane anchor, respectively. Recent phylogenetic analyses suggest that in haloarchaea, a subset of pilB-C paralogs, such as the Haloferax volcanii pilB1-C1, were gained via horizontal transfer from the crenarchaea, while the co-regulated type IV pilus subunits, the pilins, evolved by duplication, followed by diversification of the ancestral euryarchaeal pilins. Here, we report the identification of an H. volcanii pilB1 transposon mutant that exhibits an adhesion defect in defined media. A similar defect observed in an H. volcanii ∆pilB1-C1 strain can be rescued by expressing pilB1-C1 in trans. However, these proteins cannot rescue the severe adhesion defect of a previously reported ∆pilB3-C3 strain. Conversely, pilB3-C3, which are not predicted to have been laterally transferred, expressed in trans can rescue the adhesion defect of a ∆pilB1-C1 strain. This cross-complementation supports the proposed hybrid origin of the operon containing pilB1-C1 and shows that at least certain euryarchaeal PilB paralogs can work with different pilin sets. Efficient recognition of the euryarchaeal pilins by the crenarchaeal PilB1-C1 may have required some degree of pilin modification, but perhaps the modifications were minor enough that PilB3 recognition of these pilins was not precluded, resulting in modular evolution and an extensive combinatorial diversity that allows for adaptation to a variety of stress conditions and attachment to varied surfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgio Legerme
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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29
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White MF, Allers T. DNA repair in the archaea-an emerging picture. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2018; 42:514-526. [PMID: 29741625 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuy020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2018] [Accepted: 05/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
There has long been a fascination in the DNA repair pathways of archaea, for two main reasons. Firstly, many archaea inhabit extreme environments where the rate of physical damage to DNA is accelerated. These archaea might reasonably be expected to have particularly robust or novel DNA repair pathways to cope with this. Secondly, the archaea have long been understood to be a lineage distinct from the bacteria, and to share a close relationship with the eukarya, particularly in their information processing systems. Recent discoveries suggest the eukarya arose from within the archaeal domain, and in particular from lineages related to the TACK superphylum and Lokiarchaea. Thus, archaeal DNA repair proteins and pathways can represent a useful model system. This review focuses on recent advances in our understanding of archaeal DNA repair processes including base excision repair, nucleotide excision repair, mismatch repair and double-strand break repair. These advances are discussed in the context of the emerging picture of the evolution and relationship of the three domains of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malcolm F White
- Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, Fife KY16 9ST, UK
| | - Thorsten Allers
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
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30
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Increase of positive supercoiling in a hyperthermophilic archaeon after UV irradiation. Extremophiles 2018; 23:141-149. [PMID: 30467661 DOI: 10.1007/s00792-018-1068-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2018] [Accepted: 11/14/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Diverse DNA repair mechanisms are essential to all living organisms. Some of the most widespread repair systems allow recovery of genome integrity in the face of UV radiation. Here, we show that the hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus nautili possesses a remarkable ability to recovery from extreme chromosomal damage. Immediately following UV irradiation, chromosomal DNA of T. nautili is fragmented beyond recognition. However, the extensive UV-induced double-stranded breaks (DSB) are repaired over the course of several hours, allowing restoration of growth. DSBs also disrupted plasmid DNA in this species. Similar to the chromosome, plasmid integrity was restored during an outgrowth period. Intriguingly, the topology of recovered pTN1 plasmids differed from control strain by being more positively supercoiled. As reverse gyrase (RG) is the only enzyme capable of inducing positive supercoiling, our results suggest the activation of RG activity by UV-induced stress. We suggest simple UV stress could be used to study archaeal DNA repair and responses to DSB.
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31
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Lemor M, Kong Z, Henry E, Brizard R, Laurent S, Bossé A, Henneke G. Differential Activities of DNA Polymerases in Processing Ribonucleotides during DNA Synthesis in Archaea. J Mol Biol 2018; 430:4908-4924. [PMID: 30342933 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2018.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2018] [Revised: 09/09/2018] [Accepted: 10/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Consistent with the fact that ribonucleotides (rNTPs) are in excess over deoxyribonucleotides (dNTPs) in vivo, recent findings indicate that replicative DNA polymerases (DNA Pols) are able to insert ribonucleotides (rNMPs) during DNA synthesis, raising crucial questions about the fidelity of DNA replication in both Bacteria and Eukarya. Here, we report that the level of rNTPs is 20-fold higher than that of dNTPs in Pyrococcus abyssi cells. Using dNTP and rNTP concentrations present in vivo, we recorded rNMP incorporation in a template-specific manner during in vitro synthesis, with the family-D DNA Pol (PolD) having the highest propensity compared with the family-B DNA Pol and the p41/p46 complex. We also showed that ribonucleotides accumulate at a relatively high frequency in the genome of wild-type Thermococcales cells, and this frequency significantly increases upon deletion of RNase HII, the major enzyme responsible for the removal of RNA from DNA. Because ribonucleotides remain in genomic DNA, we then analyzed the effects on polymerization activities by the three DNA Pols. Depending on the identity of the base and the sequence context, all three DNA Pols bypass rNMP-containing DNA templates with variable efficiency and nucleotide (mis)incorporation ability. Unexpectedly, we found that PolD correctly base-paired a single ribonucleotide opposite rNMP-containing DNA templates. An evolutionary scenario is discussed concerning rNMP incorporation into DNA and genome stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mélanie Lemor
- Ifremer, Univ Brest, CNRS, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes, F-29280 Plouzané, France
| | - Ziqing Kong
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Etienne Henry
- CNRS, Ifremer, Univ Brest, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes, F-29280, Plouzané, France
| | - Raphaël Brizard
- Ifremer, Univ Brest, CNRS, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes, F-29280 Plouzané, France
| | - Sébastien Laurent
- Ifremer, Univ Brest, CNRS, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes, F-29280 Plouzané, France
| | - Audrey Bossé
- Ifremer, Univ Brest, CNRS, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes, F-29280 Plouzané, France
| | - Ghislaine Henneke
- Ifremer, Univ Brest, CNRS, Laboratoire de Microbiologie des Environnements Extrêmes, F-29280 Plouzané, France.
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32
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Surface modifications for phase change cooling applications via crenarchaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus P2 bio-coatings. Sci Rep 2017; 7:17891. [PMID: 29263395 PMCID: PMC5738355 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-18192-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2017] [Accepted: 12/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Due to its high heat removal capability and exploitation of latent heat, boiling is considered to be one of the most effective cooling methods in industry. Surface structure and wettability are two factors imposing boiling phenomena. Here, we propose an effective and facile method for surface enhancement via crenarchaeon Sulfolobus Solfataricus P2 bio-coatings. The positive effects of such surfaces of bio-coatings were assessed, and enhancements in heat transfer and cooling were obtained. Visualization was also performed, and bubble dynamics of generated bubbles and vapor columns from the tested surfaces with bio-coatings are here presented. Superior performance in terms of boiling heat transfer and cooling was reached with the use of crenarchaeon Sulfolobus Solfataricus P2 coated surfaces. Thus, this study clearly demonstrates the potential of futuristic surfaces with bio-coatings to achieve substantial energy saving and efficiency.
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33
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Chaudhury P, Quax TEF, Albers SV. Versatile cell surface structures of archaea. Mol Microbiol 2017; 107:298-311. [PMID: 29194812 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/29/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Archaea are ubiquitously present in nature and colonize environments with broadly varying growth conditions. Several surface appendages support their colonization of new habitats. A hallmark of archaea seems to be the high abundance of type IV pili (T4P). However, some unique non T4 filaments are present in a number of archaeal species. Archaeal surface structures can mediate different processes such as cellular surface adhesion, DNA exchange, motility and biofilm formation and represent an initial attachment site for infecting viruses. In addition to the functionally characterized archaeal T4P, archaeal genomes encode a large number of T4P components that might form yet undiscovered surface structures with novel functions. In this review, we summarize recent advancement in structural and functional characterizations of known archaeal surface structures and highlight the diverse processes in which they play a role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paushali Chaudhury
- Institute of Biology II, Molecular Biology of Archaea, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestr. 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Tessa E F Quax
- Institute of Biology II, Molecular Biology of Archaea, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestr. 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Sonja-Verena Albers
- Institute of Biology II, Molecular Biology of Archaea, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestr. 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
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34
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Liew LP, Lim ZY, Cohen M, Kong Z, Marjavaara L, Chabes A, Bell SD. Hydroxyurea-Mediated Cytotoxicity Without Inhibition of Ribonucleotide Reductase. Cell Rep 2017; 17:1657-1670. [PMID: 27806303 PMCID: PMC5134839 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2016.10.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2016] [Revised: 07/29/2016] [Accepted: 10/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In many organisms, hydroxyurea (HU) inhibits class I ribonucleotide reductase, leading to lowered cellular pools of deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates. The reduced levels for DNA precursors is believed to cause replication fork stalling. Upon treatment of the hyperthermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus with HU, we observe dose-dependent cell cycle arrest, accumulation of DNA double-strand breaks, stalled replication forks, and elevated levels of recombination structures. However, Sulfolobus has a HU-insensitive class II ribonucleotide reductase, and we reveal that HU treatment does not significantly impact cellular DNA precursor pools. Profiling of protein and transcript levels reveals modulation of a specific subset of replication initiation and cell division genes. Notably, the selective loss of the regulatory subunit of the primase correlates with cessation of replication initiation and stalling of replication forks. Furthermore, we find evidence for a detoxification response induced by HU treatment. Sulfolobus has a HU-insensitive class II ribonucleotide reductase HU impairs DNA replication and is toxic to Sulfolobus cells HU treatment leads to selective loss of the regulatory subunit of DNA primase
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Phing Liew
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK
| | - Zun Yi Lim
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, Indiana University, Simon Hall MSB, 212 South Hawthorne Drive, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Matan Cohen
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Simon Hall MSB, 212 South Hawthorne Drive, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Ziqing Kong
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Umeå University, SE 90197 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Lisette Marjavaara
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Umeå University, SE 90197 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Andrei Chabes
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Umeå University, SE 90197 Umeå, Sweden; Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden, Umeå University, SE 90197 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Stephen D Bell
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, Indiana University, Simon Hall MSB, 212 South Hawthorne Drive, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA; Department of Biology, Indiana University, Simon Hall MSB, 212 South Hawthorne Drive, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
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35
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Han W, Xu Y, Feng X, Liang YX, Huang L, Shen Y, She Q. NQO-Induced DNA-Less Cell Formation Is Associated with Chromatin Protein Degradation and Dependent on A 0A 1-ATPase in Sulfolobus. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:1480. [PMID: 28855893 PMCID: PMC5557786 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.01480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2017] [Accepted: 07/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
To investigate DNA damage response in the model crenarchaeon Sulfolobus islandicus, four different DNA damage agents were tested for their effects on cell death of this archaeon, including UV irradiation, methyl methanesulfonate, cisplatin, and 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (NQO). Cell death featured with DNA-less cell formation was revealed in DNA damage treatment with each agent. Cellular responses upon NQO treatment were characterized in details, and following sequential events were revealed, including: a modest accumulation of G1/S phase cells, membrane depolarization, proteolytic degradation of chromatin proteins, and chromosomal DNA degradation. Further insights into the process were gained from studying drugs that affect the archaeal ATP synthase, including a proton gradient uncoupler and an ATP synthase inhibitor. Whereas the proton uncoupler-mediated excess proton influx yielded cell death as observed for the NQO treatment, inhibition of ATP synthase attenuated NQO-induced membrane depolarization and DNA-less cell formation. In conclusion, the NQO-induced cell death in S. islandicus is characterized by proteolytic degradation of chromatin protein, and chromosomal DNA degradation, which probably represents a common feature for the cell death induced by different DNA damage agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenyuan Han
- Archaea Centre, Department of Biology, University of CopenhagenCopenhagen, Denmark
| | - Yanqun Xu
- Archaea Centre, Department of Biology, University of CopenhagenCopenhagen, Denmark.,State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology and College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural UniversityWuhan, China
| | - Xu Feng
- Archaea Centre, Department of Biology, University of CopenhagenCopenhagen, Denmark.,State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology and College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural UniversityWuhan, China
| | - Yun X Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology and College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural UniversityWuhan, China
| | - Li Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China
| | - Yulong Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Technology, Shandong UniversityJinan, China
| | - Qunxin She
- Archaea Centre, Department of Biology, University of CopenhagenCopenhagen, Denmark.,State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology and College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural UniversityWuhan, China
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36
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Wagner A, Whitaker RJ, Krause DJ, Heilers JH, van Wolferen M, van der Does C, Albers SV. Mechanisms of gene flow in archaea. Nat Rev Microbiol 2017; 15:492-501. [DOI: 10.1038/nrmicro.2017.41] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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37
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Le TN, Wagner A, Albers SV. A conserved hexanucleotide motif is important in UV-inducible promoters in Sulfolobus acidocaldarius. MICROBIOLOGY-SGM 2017; 163:778-788. [PMID: 28463103 PMCID: PMC5817253 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.000455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Upon DNA damage, Sulfolobales exhibit a global gene regulatory response resulting in the expression of DNA transfer and repair proteins and the repression of the cell division machinery. Because the archaeal DNA damage response is still poorly understood, we investigated the promoters of the highly induced ups operon. Ups pili are involved in cellular aggregation and DNA exchange between cells. With LacS reporter gene assays we identified a conserved, non-palindromic hexanucleotide motif upstream of the ups core promoter elements to be essential for promoter activity. Substitution of this cis regulatory motif in the ups promoters resulted in abolishment of cellular aggregation and reduced DNA transfer. By screening the Sulfolobus acidocaldarius genome we identified a total of 214 genes harbouring the hexanucleotide motif in their respective promoter regions. Many of these genes were previously found to be regulated upon UV light treatment. Given the fact that the identified motif is conserved among S. acidocaldarius and Sulfolobus tokodaii promoters, we speculate that a common regulatory mechanism is present in these two species in response to DNA-damaging conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thuong Ngoc Le
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Institute of Biology II - Microbiology, University of Freiburg, Schaenzlestrasse 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Alexander Wagner
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Institute of Biology II - Microbiology, University of Freiburg, Schaenzlestrasse 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Sonja-Verena Albers
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Institute of Biology II - Microbiology, University of Freiburg, Schaenzlestrasse 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
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38
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Ranawat P, Rawat S. Radiation resistance in thermophiles: mechanisms and applications. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2017; 33:112. [DOI: 10.1007/s11274-017-2279-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2016] [Accepted: 04/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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39
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Ranawat P, Rawat S. Stress response physiology of thermophiles. Arch Microbiol 2017; 199:391-414. [DOI: 10.1007/s00203-016-1331-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2016] [Revised: 12/07/2016] [Accepted: 12/16/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Radzvilavicius AL, Blackstone NW. Conflict and cooperation in eukaryogenesis: implications for the timing of endosymbiosis and the evolution of sex. J R Soc Interface 2016; 12:20150584. [PMID: 26468067 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2015.0584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Roughly 1.5-2.0 Gya, the eukaryotic cell evolved from an endosymbiosis of an archaeal host and proteobacterial symbionts. The timing of this endosymbiosis relative to the evolution of eukaryotic features remains subject to considerable debate, yet the evolutionary process itself constrains the timing of these events. Endosymbiosis entailed levels-of-selection conflicts, and mechanisms of conflict mediation had to evolve for eukaryogenesis to proceed. The initial mechanisms of conflict mediation (e.g. signalling with calcium and soluble adenylyl cyclase, substrate carriers, adenine nucleotide translocase, uncouplers) led to metabolic homeostasis in the eukaryotic cell. Later mechanisms (e.g. mitochondrial gene loss) contributed to the chimeric eukaryotic genome. These integral features of eukaryotes were derived because of, and therefore subsequent to, endosymbiosis. Perhaps the greatest opportunity for conflict arose with the emergence of eukaryotic sex, involving whole-cell fusion. A simple model demonstrates that competition on the lower level severely hinders the evolution of sex. Cytoplasmic mixing, however, is beneficial for non-cooperative endosymbionts, which could have used their aerobic metabolism to manipulate the life history of the host. While early evolution of sex may have facilitated symbiont acquisition, sex would have also destabilized the subsequent endosymbiosis. More plausibly, the evolution of sex and the true nucleus concluded the transition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arunas L Radzvilavicius
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment and CoMPLEX, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Neil W Blackstone
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115
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41
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Abstract
The intercellular transfer of DNA is a phenomenon that occurs in all domains of life and is a major driving force of evolution. Upon UV-light treatment, cells of the crenarchaeal genus Sulfolobus express Ups pili, which initiate cell aggregate formation. Within these aggregates, chromosomal DNA, which is used for the repair of DNA double-strand breaks, is exchanged. Because so far no clear homologs of bacterial DNA transporters have been identified among the genomes of Archaea, the mechanisms of archaeal DNA transport have remained a puzzling and underinvestigated topic. Here we identify saci_0568 and saci_0748, two genes from Sulfolobus acidocaldarius that are highly induced upon UV treatment, encoding a transmembrane protein and a membrane-bound VirB4/HerA homolog, respectively. DNA transfer assays showed that both proteins are essential for DNA transfer between Sulfolobus cells and act downstream of the Ups pili system. Our results moreover revealed that the system is involved in the import of DNA rather than the export. We therefore propose that both Saci_0568 and Saci_0748 are part of a previously unidentified DNA importer. Given the fact that we found this transporter system to be widely spread among the Crenarchaeota, we propose to name it the Crenarchaeal system for exchange of DNA (Ced). In this study we have for the first time to our knowledge described an archaeal DNA transporter.
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42
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Taubner RS, Schleper C, Firneis MG, Rittmann SKMR. Assessing the Ecophysiology of Methanogens in the Context of Recent Astrobiological and Planetological Studies. Life (Basel) 2015; 5:1652-86. [PMID: 26703739 PMCID: PMC4695842 DOI: 10.3390/life5041652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2015] [Revised: 10/15/2015] [Accepted: 11/10/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Among all known microbes capable of thriving under extreme and, therefore, potentially extraterrestrial environmental conditions, methanogens from the domain Archaea are intriguing organisms. This is due to their broad metabolic versatility, enormous diversity, and ability to grow under extreme environmental conditions. Several studies revealed that growth conditions of methanogens are compatible with environmental conditions on extraterrestrial bodies throughout the Solar System. Hence, life in the Solar System might not be limited to the classical habitable zone. In this contribution we assess the main ecophysiological characteristics of methanogens and compare these to the environmental conditions of putative habitats in the Solar System, in particular Mars and icy moons. Eventually, we give an outlook on the feasibility and the necessity of future astrobiological studies concerning methanogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth-Sophie Taubner
- Research Platform: ExoLife, University of Vienna, Türkenschanzstraße 17, 1180 Vienna, Austria.
- Institute of Astrophysics, University of Vienna, Türkenschanzstraße 17, 1180 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Christa Schleper
- Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics Division, Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Maria G Firneis
- Research Platform: ExoLife, University of Vienna, Türkenschanzstraße 17, 1180 Vienna, Austria.
- Institute of Astrophysics, University of Vienna, Türkenschanzstraße 17, 1180 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Simon K-M R Rittmann
- Archaea Biology and Ecogenomics Division, Department of Ecogenomics and Systems Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstraße 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
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DNA Processing Proteins Involved in the UV-Induced Stress Response of Sulfolobales. J Bacteriol 2015; 197:2941-51. [PMID: 26148716 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00344-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2015] [Accepted: 06/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED The ups operon of Sulfolobus species is highly induced upon UV stress. Previous studies showed that the pili encoded by this operon are involved in cellular aggregation, which is essential for subsequent DNA exchange between cells, resulting in homologous recombination. The presence of this pilus system increases the fitness of Sulfolobus cells under UV light-induced stress conditions, as the transfer of DNA takes place in order to repair UV-induced DNA lesions via homologous recombination. Four conserved genes (saci_1497 to saci_1500) which encode proteins with putative DNA processing functions are present downstream of the ups operon. In this study, we show that after UV treatment the cellular aggregation of strains with saci_1497, saci_1498, and saci_1500 deletions is similar to that of wild-type strains; their survival rates, however, were reduced and similar to or lower than those of the pilus deletion strains, which could not aggregate anymore. DNA recombination assays indicated that saci_1498, encoding a ParB-like protein, plays an important role in DNA transfer. Moreover, biochemical analysis showed that the endonuclease III encoded by saci_1497 nicks UV-damaged DNA. In addition, RecQ-like helicase Saci_1500 is able to unwind homologous recombination intermediates, such as Holliday junctions. Interestingly, a saci_1500 deletion mutant was more sensitive to UV light but not to the replication-stalling agents hydroxyurea and methyl methanesulfonate, suggesting that Saci_1500 functions specifically in the UV damage pathway. Together these results suggest a role of Saci_1497 to Saci_1500 in the repair or transfer of DNA that takes place after UV-induced damage to the genomic DNA of Sulfolobus acidocaldarius. IMPORTANCE Sulfolobales species increase their fitness after UV stress by a UV-inducible pilus system that enables high rates of DNA exchange between cells. Downstream of the pilus operon, three genes that seem to play a role in the repair or transfer of the DNA between Sulfolobus cells were identified, and their possible functions are discussed. Next to the previously described role of UV-inducible pili in the exchange of DNA, we have thereby increased our knowledge of DNA transfer at the level of DNA processing. This paper therefore contributes to the overall understanding of the DNA exchange mechanism among Sulfolobales cells.
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Chimileski S, Papke RT. Getting a hold on archaeal type IV pili: an expanding repertoire of cellular appendages implicates complex regulation and diverse functions. Front Microbiol 2015; 6:362. [PMID: 25999922 PMCID: PMC4419858 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.00362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2015] [Accepted: 04/10/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Scott Chimileski
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut Storrs, CT, USA
| | - R Thane Papke
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut Storrs, CT, USA
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Salzer R, Kern T, Joos F, Averhoff B. The Thermus thermophilus comEA/comEC operon is associated with DNA binding and regulation of the DNA translocator and type IV pili. Environ Microbiol 2015; 18:65-74. [PMID: 25727469 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.12820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2014] [Accepted: 02/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Natural transformation systems and type IV pili are linked in many naturally competent bacteria. In the Gram-negative bacterium Thermus thermophilus, a leading model organism for studies of DNA transporters in thermophilic bacteria, seven competence proteins play a dual role in both systems, whereas two competence genes, comEA and comEC, are suggested to represent unique DNA translocator proteins. Here we show that the T. thermophilus ComEA protein binds dsDNA and is anchored in the inner membrane. comEA is co-transcribed with the flanking comEC gene, and transcription of this operon is upregulated by nutrient limitation and low temperature. To our surprise, a comEC mutant was impaired in piliation. We followed this observation and uncovered that the impaired piliation of the comEC mutant is due to a transcriptional downregulation of pilA4 and the pilN both playing a dual role in piliation and natural competence. Moreover, the comEC mutation resulted in a dramatic decrease in mRNA levels of the pseudopilin gene pilA1, which is unique for the DNA transporter. We conclude that ComEC modulates transcriptional regulation of type IV pili and DNA translocator components thereby mediating a response to extracellular parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralf Salzer
- Molecular Microbiology and Bioenergetics, Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Timo Kern
- Molecular Microbiology and Bioenergetics, Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Friederike Joos
- Department of Structural Biology, Max-Planck Institute of Biophysics, Frankfurt am Main, 60438, Germany
| | - Beate Averhoff
- Molecular Microbiology and Bioenergetics, Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Pohlschroder M, Esquivel RN. Archaeal type IV pili and their involvement in biofilm formation. Front Microbiol 2015; 6:190. [PMID: 25852657 PMCID: PMC4371748 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.00190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2015] [Accepted: 02/20/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Type IV pili are ancient proteinaceous structures present on the cell surface of species in nearly all bacterial and archaeal phyla. These filaments, which are required for a diverse array of important cellular processes, are assembled employing a conserved set of core components. While type IV pilins, the structural subunits of pili, share little sequence homology, their signal peptides are structurally conserved allowing for in silico prediction. Recently, in vivo studies in model archaea representing the euryarchaeal and crenarchaeal kingdoms confirmed that several of these pilins are incorporated into type IV adhesion pili. In addition to facilitating surface adhesion, these in vivo studies also showed that several predicted pilins are required for additional functions that are critical to biofilm formation. Examples include the subunits of Sulfolobus acidocaldarius Ups pili, which are induced by exposure to UV light and promote cell aggregation and conjugation, and a subset of the Haloferax volcanii adhesion pilins, which play a critical role in microcolony formation while other pilins inhibit this process. The recent discovery of novel pilin functions such as the ability of haloarchaeal adhesion pilins to regulate swimming motility may point to novel regulatory pathways conserved across prokaryotic domains. In this review, we will discuss recent advances in our understanding of the functional roles played by archaeal type IV adhesion pili and their subunits, with particular emphasis on their involvement in biofilm formation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rianne N Esquivel
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA, USA
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47
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Noncanonical cell-to-cell DNA transfer in Thermus spp. is insensitive to argonaute-mediated interference. J Bacteriol 2014; 197:138-46. [PMID: 25331432 DOI: 10.1128/jb.02113-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Horizontal gene transfer drives the rapid evolution of bacterial populations. Classical processes that promote the lateral flow of genetic information are conserved throughout the prokaryotic world. However, some species have nonconserved transfer mechanisms that are not well known. This is the case for the ancient extreme thermophile Thermus thermophilus. In this work, we show that T. thermophilus strains are capable of exchanging large DNA fragments by a novel mechanism that requires cell-to-cell contacts and employs components of the natural transformation machinery. This process facilitates the bidirectional transfer of virtually any DNA locus but favors by 10-fold loci found in the megaplasmid over those in the chromosome. In contrast to naked DNA acquisition by transformation, the system does not activate the recently described DNA-DNA interference mechanism mediated by the prokaryotic Argonaute protein, thus allowing the organism to distinguish between DNA transferred from a mate and exogenous DNA acquired from unknown hosts. This Argonaute-mediated discrimination may be tentatively viewed as a strategy for safe sharing of potentially "useful" traits by the components of a given population of Thermus spp. without increasing the genome sizes of its individuals.
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48
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Krause DJ, Didelot X, Cadillo-Quiroz H, Whitaker RJ. Recombination shapes genome architecture in an organism from the archaeal domain. Genome Biol Evol 2014; 6:170-8. [PMID: 24391154 PMCID: PMC3914695 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evu003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Variation in recombination rates across chromosomes has been shown to be a primary force shaping the architecture of genome divergence. In archaea, little is known about variation in recombination across the chromosome or how it shapes genome evolution. We identified significant variations in polymorphism occurring across the chromosomes of ten closely related sympatric strains of the thermoacidophilic archaeon Sulfolobus islandicus. Statistical analyses show that recombination varies across the genome and interacts with selection to define large genomic regions with reduced polymorphism, particularly in the regions surrounding the three origins of replication. Our findings demonstrate how recombination defines the mosaic of variation in this asexually reproducing microorganism and provide insight into the evolutionary origins of genome architecture in this organism from the Archaeal domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Krause
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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49
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Perras AK, Wanner G, Klingl A, Mora M, Auerbach AK, Heinz V, Probst AJ, Huber H, Rachel R, Meck S, Moissl-Eichinger C. Grappling archaea: ultrastructural analyses of an uncultivated, cold-loving archaeon, and its biofilm. Front Microbiol 2014; 5:397. [PMID: 25140167 PMCID: PMC4122167 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2014.00397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2014] [Accepted: 07/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Similarly to Bacteria, Archaea are microorganisms that interact with their surrounding environment in a versatile manner. To date, interactions based on cellular structure and surface appendages have mainly been documented using model systems of cultivable archaea under laboratory conditions. Here, we report on the microbial interactions and ultrastructural features of the uncultivated SM1 Euryarchaeon, which is highly dominant in its biotope. Therefore, biofilm samples taken from the Sippenauer Moor, Germany, were investigated via transmission electron microscopy (TEM; negative staining, thin-sectioning) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in order to elucidate the fine structures of the microbial cells and the biofilm itself. The biofilm consisted of small archaeal cocci (0.6 μm diameter), arranged in a regular pattern (1.0-2.0 μm distance from cell to cell), whereas each archaeon was connected to 6 other archaea on average. Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) were limited to the close vicinity of the archaeal cells, and specific cell surface appendages (hami, Moissl et al., 2005) protruded beyond the EPS matrix enabling microbial interaction by cell-cell contacts among the archaea and between archaea and bacteria. All analyzed hami revealed their previously described architecture of nano-grappling hooks and barb-wire basal structures. Considering the archaeal cell walls, the SM1 Euryarchaea exhibited a double-membrane, which has rarely been reported for members of this phylogenetic domain. Based on these findings, the current generalized picture on archaeal cell walls needs to be revisited, as archaeal cell structures are more complex and sophisticated than previously assumed, particularly when looking into the uncultivated majority.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra K Perras
- Department of Microbiology and Archaea Center, University of Regensburg Regensburg, Germany
| | - Gerhard Wanner
- Department of Biology I, Biozentrum Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Andreas Klingl
- Department of Biology I, Biozentrum Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich Planegg-Martinsried, Germany ; Zellbiologie, Philipps-Universität Marburg Marburg, Germany ; LOEWE Research Centre for Synthetic Microbiology (Synmikro) Marbug, Germany
| | - Maximilian Mora
- Department of Microbiology and Archaea Center, University of Regensburg Regensburg, Germany
| | - Anna K Auerbach
- Department of Microbiology and Archaea Center, University of Regensburg Regensburg, Germany
| | - Veronika Heinz
- Department of Microbiology and Archaea Center, University of Regensburg Regensburg, Germany
| | - Alexander J Probst
- Department of Microbiology and Archaea Center, University of Regensburg Regensburg, Germany
| | - Harald Huber
- Department of Microbiology and Archaea Center, University of Regensburg Regensburg, Germany
| | - Reinhard Rachel
- Department of Microbiology and Archaea Center, University of Regensburg Regensburg, Germany
| | - Sandra Meck
- Department of Microbiology and Archaea Center, University of Regensburg Regensburg, Germany
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50
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Salzer R, Kern T, Joos F, Averhoff B. Environmental factors affecting the expression of type IV pilus genes as well as piliation of Thermus thermophilus. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2014; 357:56-62. [PMID: 24935261 DOI: 10.1111/1574-6968.12506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2014] [Accepted: 06/06/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The thermophilic bacterium Thermus thermophilus HB27 is known for its highly efficient natural transformation system, which has become a model system to study the structure and function of DNA transporter in thermophilic bacteria. The DNA transporter is functionally linked to type IV pili (T4P), which are essential for twitching motility and adhesion to solid surfaces. However, the pilus structures themselves are dispensable for natural transformation. Here, we report that the cellular mRNA levels of the major structural subunit of the T4P, PilA4, are regulated by environmental factors. Growth of T. thermophilus in minimal medium or low temperature (55 °C) leads to a significant increase in pilA4 transcripts. In contrast, the transcript levels of the minor pilin pilA1 as well as other T4P genes are nearly unaffected. The elevated pilA4 mRNA levels are accompanied by an increase in piliation of the cells but not by elevated natural transformation frequencies. Hyperpiliation leads to increased adhesion to plastic surfaces. The increased cell-surface interactions are suggested to represent an adaptive response to temperature stress and may be advantageous for survival of T. thermophilus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralf Salzer
- Molecular Microbiology & Bioenergetics, Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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