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Jarrell KF, Albers SV, Machado JNDS. A comprehensive history of motility and Archaellation in Archaea. FEMS MICROBES 2021; 2:xtab002. [PMID: 37334237 PMCID: PMC10117864 DOI: 10.1093/femsmc/xtab002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 08/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Each of the three Domains of life, Eukarya, Bacteria and Archaea, have swimming structures that were all originally called flagella, despite the fact that none were evolutionarily related to either of the other two. Surprisingly, this was true even in the two prokaryotic Domains of Bacteria and Archaea. Beginning in the 1980s, evidence gradually accumulated that convincingly demonstrated that the motility organelle in Archaea was unrelated to that found in Bacteria, but surprisingly shared significant similarities to type IV pili. This information culminated in the proposal, in 2012, that the 'archaeal flagellum' be assigned a new name, the archaellum. In this review, we provide a historical overview on archaella and motility research in Archaea, beginning with the first simple observations of motile extreme halophilic archaea a century ago up to state-of-the-art cryo-tomography of the archaellum motor complex and filament observed today. In addition to structural and biochemical data which revealed the archaellum to be a type IV pilus-like structure repurposed as a rotating nanomachine (Beeby et al. 2020), we also review the initial discoveries and subsequent advances using a wide variety of approaches to reveal: complex regulatory events that lead to the assembly of the archaellum filaments (archaellation); the roles of the various archaellum proteins; key post-translational modifications of the archaellum structural subunits; evolutionary relationships; functions of archaella other than motility and the biotechnological potential of this fascinating structure. The progress made in understanding the structure and assembly of the archaellum is highlighted by comparing early models to what is known today.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ken F Jarrell
- Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Sonja-Verena Albers
- Institute for Biology II- Microbiology, Molecular Biology of Archaea, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestraße 1, Freiburg 79104, Germany
| | - J Nuno de Sousa Machado
- Institute for Biology II- Microbiology, Molecular Biology of Archaea, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestraße 1, Freiburg 79104, Germany
- Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine, University of Freiburg, Albertstraße 19A, 79104, Freiburg, Germany
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Syutkin AS, Pyatibratov MG, Fedorov OV. Flagella of halophilic archaea: differences in supramolecular organization. BIOCHEMISTRY (MOSCOW) 2015; 79:1470-82. [PMID: 25749160 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297914130033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Archaeal flagella are similar functionally to bacterial flagella, but structurally they are completely different. Helical archaeal flagellar filaments are formed of protein subunits called flagellins (archaellins). Notwithstanding progress in studies of archaeal flagella achieved in recent years, many problems in this area are still unsolved. In this review, we analyze the formation of these supramolecular structures by the example of flagellar filaments of halophilic archaea. Recent data on the structure of the flagellar filaments demonstrate that their supramolecular organization differs considerably in different haloarchaeal species.
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Affiliation(s)
- A S Syutkin
- Institute of Protein Research, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Moscow Region, 142290, Russia.
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Siddaramappa S, Challacombe JF, DeCastro RE, Pfeiffer F, Sastre DE, Giménez MI, Paggi RA, Detter JC, Davenport KW, Goodwin LA, Kyrpides N, Tapia R, Pitluck S, Lucas S, Woyke T, Maupin-Furlow JA. A comparative genomics perspective on the genetic content of the alkaliphilic haloarchaeon Natrialba magadii ATCC 43099T. BMC Genomics 2012; 13:165. [PMID: 22559199 PMCID: PMC3403918 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-13-165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2011] [Accepted: 05/04/2012] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Natrialba magadii is an aerobic chemoorganotrophic member of the Euryarchaeota and is a dual extremophile requiring alkaline conditions and hypersalinity for optimal growth. The genome sequence of Nab. magadii type strain ATCC 43099 was deciphered to obtain a comprehensive insight into the genetic content of this haloarchaeon and to understand the basis of some of the cellular functions necessary for its survival. RESULTS The genome of Nab. magadii consists of four replicons with a total sequence of 4,443,643 bp and encodes 4,212 putative proteins, some of which contain peptide repeats of various lengths. Comparative genome analyses facilitated the identification of genes encoding putative proteins involved in adaptation to hypersalinity, stress response, glycosylation, and polysaccharide biosynthesis. A proton-driven ATP synthase and a variety of putative cytochromes and other proteins supporting aerobic respiration and electron transfer were encoded by one or more of Nab. magadii replicons. The genome encodes a number of putative proteases/peptidases as well as protein secretion functions. Genes encoding putative transcriptional regulators, basal transcription factors, signal perception/transduction proteins, and chemotaxis/phototaxis proteins were abundant in the genome. Pathways for the biosynthesis of thiamine, riboflavin, heme, cobalamin, coenzyme F420 and other essential co-factors were deduced by in depth sequence analyses. However, approximately 36% of Nab. magadii protein coding genes could not be assigned a function based on Blast analysis and have been annotated as encoding hypothetical or conserved hypothetical proteins. Furthermore, despite extensive comparative genomic analyses, genes necessary for survival in alkaline conditions could not be identified in Nab. magadii. CONCLUSIONS Based on genomic analyses, Nab. magadii is predicted to be metabolically versatile and it could use different carbon and energy sources to sustain growth. Nab. magadii has the genetic potential to adapt to its milieu by intracellular accumulation of inorganic cations and/or neutral organic compounds. The identification of Nab. magadii genes involved in coenzyme biosynthesis is a necessary step toward further reconstruction of the metabolic pathways in halophilic archaea and other extremophiles. The knowledge gained from the genome sequence of this haloalkaliphilic archaeon is highly valuable in advancing the applications of extremophiles and their enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jean F Challacombe
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA
| | - Rosana E DeCastro
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Funes 3250 4to Nivel, Mar del Plata, 7600, Argentina
| | - Friedhelm Pfeiffer
- Department of Membrane Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18, D-82152, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Diego E Sastre
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Funes 3250 4to Nivel, Mar del Plata, 7600, Argentina
| | - María I Giménez
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Funes 3250 4to Nivel, Mar del Plata, 7600, Argentina
| | - Roberto A Paggi
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Funes 3250 4to Nivel, Mar del Plata, 7600, Argentina
| | - John C Detter
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA
| | - Karen W Davenport
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA
| | - Lynne A Goodwin
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA
| | - Nikos Kyrpides
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, CA, 94598, USA
| | - Roxanne Tapia
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA
| | - Samuel Pitluck
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, CA, 94598, USA
| | - Susan Lucas
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, CA, 94598, USA
| | - Tanja Woyke
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, CA, 94598, USA
| | - Julie A Maupin-Furlow
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Bldg. 981, Museum Rd., P.O. Box 110700, Gainesville, FL, 32611-0700, USA
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S-layer glycoproteins and flagellins: reporters of archaeal posttranslational modifications. ARCHAEA-AN INTERNATIONAL MICROBIOLOGICAL JOURNAL 2010; 2010. [PMID: 20721273 PMCID: PMC2913515 DOI: 10.1155/2010/612948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2010] [Accepted: 06/15/2010] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Many archaeal proteins undergo posttranslational modifications. S-layer proteins and flagellins have been used successfully to study a variety of these modifications, including N-linked glycosylation, signal peptide removal and lipid modification. Use of these well-characterized reporter proteins in the genetically tractable model organisms, Haloferax volcanii, Methanococcus voltae and Methanococcus maripaludis, has allowed dissection of the pathways and characterization of many of the enzymes responsible for these modifications. Such studies have identified archaeal-specific variations in signal peptidase activity not found in the other domains of life, as well as the enzymes responsible for assembly and biosynthesis of novel N-linked glycans. In vitro assays for some of these enzymes have already been developed. N-linked glycosylation is not essential for either Hfx. volcanii or the Methanococcus species, an observation that allowed researchers to analyze the role played by glycosylation in the function of both S-layers and flagellins, by generating mutants possessing these reporters with only partial attached glycans or lacking glycan altogether. In future studies, it will be possible to consider questions related to the heterogeneity associated with given modifications, such as differential or modulated glycosylation.
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