1
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Liao HS, Lee KT, Chung YH, Chen SZ, Hung YJ, Hsieh MH. Glutamine induces lateral root initiation, stress responses, and disease resistance in Arabidopsis. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 195:2289-2308. [PMID: 38466723 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiae144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
The production of glutamine (Gln) from NO3- and NH4+ requires ATP, reducing power, and carbon skeletons. Plants may redirect these resources to other physiological processes using Gln directly. However, feeding Gln as the sole nitrogen (N) source has complex effects on plants. Under optimal concentrations, Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) seedlings grown on Gln have similar primary root lengths, more lateral roots, smaller leaves, and higher amounts of amino acids and proteins compared to those grown on NH4NO3. While high levels of Gln accumulate in Arabidopsis seedlings grown on Gln, the expression of GLUTAMINE SYNTHETASE1;1 (GLN1;1), GLN1;2, and GLN1;3 encoding cytosolic GS1 increases and expression of GLN2 encoding chloroplastic GS2 decreases. These results suggest that Gln has distinct effects on regulating GLN1 and GLN2 gene expression. Notably, Arabidopsis seedlings grown on Gln have an unexpected gene expression profile. Compared with NH4NO3, which activates growth-promoting genes, Gln preferentially induces stress- and defense-responsive genes. Consistent with the gene expression data, exogenous treatment with Gln enhances disease resistance in Arabidopsis. The induction of Gln-responsive genes, including PATHOGENESIS-RELATED1, SYSTEMIC ACQUIRED RESISTANCE DEFICIENT1, WRKY54, and WALL ASSOCIATED KINASE1, is compromised in salicylic acid (SA) biosynthetic and signaling mutants under Gln treatments. Together, these results suggest that Gln may partly interact with the SA pathway to trigger plant immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Sheng Liao
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Kim-Teng Lee
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
- Molecular and Biological Agricultural Sciences, The Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
- Biotechnology Center, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung 40227, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Hsin Chung
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Soon-Ziet Chen
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Jie Hung
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
- Department of Life Sciences, National Central University, Taoyuan 32001, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Hsiun Hsieh
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
- Molecular and Biological Agricultural Sciences, The Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
- Biotechnology Center, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung 40227, Taiwan
- Department of Life Sciences, National Central University, Taoyuan 32001, Taiwan
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2
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Foresi N, De Marco MA, Del Castello F, Ramirez L, Nejamkin A, Calo G, Grimsley N, Correa-Aragunde N, Martínez-Noël GMA. The tiny giant of the sea, Ostreococcus's unique adaptations. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY : PPB 2024; 211:108661. [PMID: 38735153 DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2024.108661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2023] [Revised: 04/14/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024]
Abstract
Ostreococcus spp. are unicellular organisms with one of the simplest cellular organizations. The sequencing of the genomes of different Ostreococcus species has reinforced this status since Ostreococcus tauri has one most compact nuclear genomes among eukaryotic organisms. Despite this, it has retained a number of genes, setting it apart from other organisms with similar small genomes. Ostreococcus spp. feature a substantial number of selenocysteine-containing proteins, which, due to their higher catalytic activity compared to their selenium-lacking counterparts, may require a reduced quantity of proteins. Notably, O. tauri encodes several ammonium transporter genes, that may provide it with a competitive edge for acquiring nitrogen (N). This characteristic makes it an intriguing model for studying the efficient use of N in eukaryotes. Under conditions of low N availability, O. tauri utilizes N from abundant proteins or amino acids, such as L-arginine, similar to higher plants. However, the presence of a nitric oxide synthase (L-arg substrate) sheds light on a new metabolic pathway for L-arg in algae. The metabolic adaptations of O. tauri to day and night cycles offer valuable insights into carbon and iron metabolic configuration. O. tauri has evolved novel strategies to optimize iron uptake, lacking the classic components of the iron absorption mechanism. Overall, the cellular and genetic characteristics of Ostreococcus contribute to its evolutionary success, making it an excellent model for studying the physiological and genetic aspects of how green algae have adapted to the marine environment. Furthermore, given its potential for lipid accumulation and its marine habitat, it may represent a promising avenue for third-generation biofuels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noelia Foresi
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas-UNMdP-CONICET, Mar del Plata, Argentina.
| | - María Agustina De Marco
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Biotecnología (INBIOTEC)-CONICET-FIBA, Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | | | - Leonor Ramirez
- Department of Plant Physiology, Umeå Plant Science Centre, Umeå University, SE-901 87, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Andres Nejamkin
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas-UNMdP-CONICET, Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Gonzalo Calo
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Biotecnología (INBIOTEC)-CONICET-FIBA, Mar del Plata, Argentina
| | - Nigel Grimsley
- CNRS, LBBM, Sorbonne Université OOB, 1 Avenue de Pierre Fabre, 66650, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
| | | | - Giselle M A Martínez-Noël
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Biotecnología (INBIOTEC)-CONICET-FIBA, Mar del Plata, Argentina.
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3
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Selim KA, Alva V. PII-like signaling proteins: a new paradigm in orchestrating cellular homeostasis. Curr Opin Microbiol 2024; 79:102453. [PMID: 38678827 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2024.102453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
Members of the PII superfamily are versatile, multitasking signaling proteins ubiquitously found in all domains of life. They adeptly monitor and synchronize the cell's carbon, nitrogen, energy, redox, and diurnal states, primarily by binding interdependently to adenyl-nucleotides, including charged nucleotides (ATP, ADP, and AMP) and second messengers such as cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), cyclic di-adenosine monophosphate (c-di-AMP), and S-adenosylmethionine-AMP (SAM-AMP). These proteins also undergo a variety of posttranslational modifications, such as phosphorylation, adenylation, uridylation, carboxylation, and disulfide bond formation, which further provide cues on the metabolic state of the cell. Serving as precise metabolic sensors, PII superfamily proteins transmit this information to diverse cellular targets, establishing dynamic regulatory assemblies that fine-tune cellular homeostasis. Recently discovered, PII-like proteins are emerging families of signaling proteins that, while related to canonical PII proteins, have evolved to fulfill a diverse range of cellular functions, many of which remain elusive. In this review, we focus on the evolution of PII-like proteins and summarize the molecular mechanisms governing the assembly dynamics of PII complexes, with a special emphasis on the PII-like protein SbtB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khaled A Selim
- Microbiology / Molecular Physiology of Prokaryotes, Institute of Biology II, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestraße 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany; Protein Evolution Department, Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Vikram Alva
- Protein Evolution Department, Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
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4
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Salinas P, Bibak S, Cantos R, Tremiño L, Jerez C, Mata-Balaguer T, Contreras A. Studies on the PII-PipX-NtcA Regulatory Axis of Cyanobacteria Provide Novel Insights into the Advantages and Limitations of Two-Hybrid Systems for Protein Interactions. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:5429. [PMID: 38791467 PMCID: PMC11121479 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25105429] [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: 04/05/2024] [Revised: 05/11/2024] [Accepted: 05/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Yeast two-hybrid approaches, which are based on fusion proteins that must co-localise to the nucleus to reconstitute the transcriptional activity of GAL4, have greatly contributed to our understanding of the nitrogen interaction network of cyanobacteria, the main hubs of which are the trimeric PII and the monomeric PipX regulators. The bacterial two-hybrid system, based on the reconstitution in the E. coli cytoplasm of the adenylate cyclase of Bordetella pertussis, should provide a relatively faster and presumably more physiological assay for cyanobacterial proteins than the yeast system. Here, we used the bacterial two-hybrid system to gain additional insights into the cyanobacterial PipX interaction network while simultaneously assessing the advantages and limitations of the two most popular two-hybrid systems. A comprehensive mutational analysis of PipX and bacterial two-hybrid assays were performed to compare the outcomes between yeast and bacterial systems. We detected interactions that were previously recorded in the yeast two-hybrid system as negative, as well as a "false positive", the self-interaction of PipX, which is rather an indirect interaction that is dependent on PII homologues from the E. coli host, a result confirmed by Western blot analysis with relevant PipX variants. This is, to our knowledge, the first report of the molecular basis of a false positive in the bacterial two-hybrid system.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Asunción Contreras
- Departamento. de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Universidad de Alicante, 03690 San Vicente del Raspeig, Spain; (P.S.); (S.B.); (R.C.); (L.T.); (C.J.); (T.M.-B.)
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5
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Lee KT, Liao HS, Hsieh MH. Glutamine Metabolism, Sensing and Signaling in Plants. PLANT & CELL PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 64:1466-1481. [PMID: 37243703 DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pcad054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 04/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Glutamine (Gln) is the first amino acid synthesized in nitrogen (N) assimilation in plants. Gln synthetase (GS), converting glutamate (Glu) and NH4+ into Gln at the expense of ATP, is one of the oldest enzymes in all life domains. Plants have multiple GS isoenzymes that work individually or cooperatively to ensure that the Gln supply is sufficient for plant growth and development under various conditions. Gln is a building block for protein synthesis and an N-donor for the biosynthesis of amino acids, nucleic acids, amino sugars and vitamin B coenzymes. Most reactions using Gln as an N-donor are catalyzed by Gln amidotransferase (GAT) that hydrolyzes Gln to Glu and transfers the amido group of Gln to an acceptor substrate. Several GAT domain-containing proteins of unknown function in the reference plant Arabidopsis thaliana suggest that some metabolic fates of Gln have yet to be identified in plants. In addition to metabolism, Gln signaling has emerged in recent years. The N regulatory protein PII senses Gln to regulate arginine biosynthesis in plants. Gln promotes somatic embryogenesis and shoot organogenesis with unknown mechanisms. Exogenous Gln has been implicated in activating stress and defense responses in plants. Likely, Gln signaling is responsible for some of the new Gln functions in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim-Teng Lee
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
- Molecular and Biological Agricultural Sciences, The Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
- Biotechnology Center, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung 40227, Taiwan
| | - Hong-Sheng Liao
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Hsiun Hsieh
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
- Molecular and Biological Agricultural Sciences, The Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
- Biotechnology Center, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung 40227, Taiwan
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6
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Zhang Z, Zhong Z, Xiong Y. Sailing in complex nutrient signaling networks: Where I am, where to go, and how to go? MOLECULAR PLANT 2023; 16:1635-1660. [PMID: 37740490 DOI: 10.1016/j.molp.2023.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/24/2023]
Abstract
To ensure survival and promote growth, sessile plants have developed intricate internal signaling networks tailored in diverse cells and organs with both shared and specialized functions that respond to various internal and external cues. A fascinating question arises: how can a plant cell or organ diagnose the spatial and temporal information it is experiencing to know "where I am," and then is able to make the accurate specific responses to decide "where to go" and "how to go," despite the absence of neuronal systems found in mammals. Drawing inspiration from recent comprehensive investigations into diverse nutrient signaling pathways in plants, this review focuses on the interactive nutrient signaling networks mediated by various nutrient sensors and transducers. We assess and illustrate examples of how cells and organs exhibit specific responses to changing spatial and temporal information within these interactive plant nutrient networks. In addition, we elucidate the underlying mechanisms by which plants employ posttranslational modification codes to integrate different upstream nutrient signals, thereby conferring response specificities to the signaling hub proteins. Furthermore, we discuss recent breakthrough studies that demonstrate the potential of modulating nutrient sensing and signaling as promising strategies to enhance crop yield, even with reduced fertilizer application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenzhen Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; Haixia Institute of Science and Technology, Synthetic Biology Center, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Zhaochen Zhong
- College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; Haixia Institute of Science and Technology, Synthetic Biology Center, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Yan Xiong
- College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; Haixia Institute of Science and Technology, Synthetic Biology Center, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China.
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7
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Vlasova V, Lapina T, Statinov V, Ermilova E. N-Acetyl-L-glutamate Kinase of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: In Vivo Regulation by PII Protein and Beyond. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:12873. [PMID: 37629055 PMCID: PMC10454706 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241612873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2023] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
N-Acetyl-L-glutamate kinase (NAGK) catalyzes the rate-limiting step in the ornithine/arginine biosynthesis pathway in eukaryotic and bacterial oxygenic phototrophs. NAGK is the most highly conserved target of the PII signal transduction protein in Cyanobacteria and Archaeplastida (red algae and Chlorophyta). However, there is still much to be learned about how NAGK is regulated in vivo. The use of unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as a model system has already been instrumental in identifying several key regulation mechanisms that control nitrogen (N) metabolism. With a combination of molecular-genetic and biochemical approaches, we show the existence of the complex CrNAGK control at the transcriptional level, which is dependent on N source and N availability. In growing cells, CrNAGK requires CrPII to properly sense the feedback inhibitor arginine. Moreover, we provide primary evidence that CrPII is only partly responsible for regulating CrNAGK activity to adapt to changing nutritional conditions. Collectively, our results suggest that in vivo CrNAGK is tuned at the transcriptional and post-translational levels, and CrPII and additional as yet unknown factor(s) are integral parts of this regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Elena Ermilova
- Biological Faculty, Saint-Petersburg State University, 199034 Saint-Petersburg, Russia; (V.V.); (T.L.); (V.S.)
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8
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Shen F, Qin Y, Wang R, Huang X, Wang Y, Gao T, He J, Zhou Y, Jiao Y, Wei J, Li L, Yang X. Comparative genomics reveals a unique nitrogen-carbon balance system in Asteraceae. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4334. [PMID: 37474573 PMCID: PMC10359422 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40002-9] [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: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The Asteraceae (daisy family) is one of the largest families of plants. The genetic basis for its high biodiversity and excellent adaptability has not been elucidated. Here, we compare the genomes of 29 terrestrial plant species, including two de novo chromosome-scale genome assemblies for stem lettuce, a member of Asteraceae, and Scaevola taccada, a member of Goodeniaceae that is one of the closest outgroups of Asteraceae. We show that Asteraceae originated ~80 million years ago and experienced repeated paleopolyploidization. PII, the universal regulator of nitrogen-carbon (N-C) assimilation present in almost all domains of life, has conspicuously lost across Asteraceae. Meanwhile, Asteraceae has stepwise upgraded the N-C balance system via paleopolyploidization and tandem duplications of key metabolic genes, resulting in enhanced nitrogen uptake and fatty acid biosynthesis. In addition to suggesting a molecular basis for their ecological success, the unique N-C balance system reported for Asteraceae offers a potential crop improvement strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Shen
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, 100097, Beijing, China
| | - Yajuan Qin
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, 100097, Beijing, China
| | - Rui Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Development and Quality Control of Ornamental Crops, College of Horticulture, China Agricultural University, 100193, Beijing, China
| | - Xin Huang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, 100097, Beijing, China
| | - Ying Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, 100097, Beijing, China
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Peking University, 100871, Beijing, China
| | - Tiangang Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Evolutionary and Systematic Botany, Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100093, Beijing, China
| | - Junna He
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Development and Quality Control of Ornamental Crops, College of Horticulture, China Agricultural University, 100193, Beijing, China
| | - Yue Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Peking University, 100871, Beijing, China
| | - Yuannian Jiao
- State Key Laboratory of Evolutionary and Systematic Botany, Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100093, Beijing, China
| | - Jianhua Wei
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, 100097, Beijing, China.
| | - Lei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, School of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Peking University, 100871, Beijing, China.
| | - Xiaozeng Yang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, Institute of Biotechnology, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, 100097, Beijing, China.
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Monteiro LDFR, Giraldi LA, Winck FV. From Feasting to Fasting: The Arginine Pathway as a Metabolic Switch in Nitrogen-Deprived Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Cells 2023; 12:1379. [PMID: 37408213 PMCID: PMC10216424 DOI: 10.3390/cells12101379] [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] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Revised: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The metabolism of the model microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii under nitrogen deprivation is of special interest due to its resulting increment of triacylglycerols (TAGs), that can be applied in biotechnological applications. However, this same condition impairs cell growth, which may limit the microalgae's large applications. Several studies have identified significant physiological and molecular changes that occur during the transition from an abundant to a low or absent nitrogen supply, explaining in detail the differences in the proteome, metabolome and transcriptome of the cells that may be responsible for and responsive to this condition. However, there are still some intriguing questions that reside in the core of the regulation of these cellular responses that make this process even more interesting and complex. In this scenario, we reviewed the main metabolic pathways that are involved in the response, mining and exploring, through a reanalysis of omics data from previously published datasets, the commonalities among the responses and unraveling unexplained or non-explored mechanisms of the possible regulatory aspects of the response. Proteomics, metabolomics and transcriptomics data were reanalysed using a common strategy, and an in silico gene promoter motif analysis was performed. Together, these results identified and suggested a strong association between the metabolism of amino acids, especially arginine, glutamate and ornithine pathways to the production of TAGs, via the de novo synthesis of lipids. Furthermore, our analysis and data mining indicate that signalling cascades orchestrated with the indirect participation of phosphorylation, nitrosylation and peroxidation events may be essential to the process. The amino acid pathways and the amount of arginine and ornithine available in the cells, at least transiently during nitrogen deprivation, may be in the core of the post-transcriptional, metabolic regulation of this complex phenomenon. Their further exploration is important to the discovery of novel advances in the understanding of microalgae lipids' production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucca de Filipe Rebocho Monteiro
- Laboratory of Regulatory Systems Biology, Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba 13416-000, Brazil
- Department of Botany, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-090, Brazil
| | - Laís Albuquerque Giraldi
- Laboratory of Regulatory Systems Biology, Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba 13416-000, Brazil
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Flavia Vischi Winck
- Laboratory of Regulatory Systems Biology, Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba 13416-000, Brazil
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Llop A, Labella JI, Borisova M, Forchhammer K, Selim KA, Contreras A. Pleiotropic effects of PipX, PipY, or RelQ overexpression on growth, cell size, photosynthesis, and polyphosphate accumulation in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC7942. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1141775. [PMID: 37007489 PMCID: PMC10060972 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1141775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The cyanobacterial protein PipY belongs to the Pyridoxal-phosphate (PLP)-binding proteins (PLPBP/COG0325) family of pyridoxal-phosphate-binding proteins, which are represented in all three domains of life. These proteins share a high degree of sequence conservation, appear to have purely regulatory functions, and are involved in the homeostasis of vitamin B6 vitamers and amino/keto acids. Intriguingly, the genomic context of the pipY gene in cyanobacteria connects PipY with PipX, a protein involved in signaling the intracellular energy status and carbon-to-nitrogen balance. PipX regulates its cellular targets via protein–protein interactions. These targets include the PII signaling protein, the ribosome assembly GTPase EngA, and the transcriptional regulators NtcA and PlmA. PipX is thus involved in the transmission of multiple signals that are relevant for metabolic homeostasis and stress responses in cyanobacteria, but the exact function of PipY is still elusive. Preliminary data indicated that PipY might also be involved in signaling pathways related to the stringent stress response, a pathway that can be induced in the unicellular cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC7942 by overexpression of the (p)ppGpp synthase, RelQ. To get insights into the cellular functions of PipY, we performed a comparative study of PipX, PipY, or RelQ overexpression in S. elongatus PCC7942. Overexpression of PipY or RelQ caused similar phenotypic responses, such as growth arrest, loss of photosynthetic activity and viability, increased cell size, and accumulation of large polyphosphate granules. In contrast, PipX overexpression decreased cell length, indicating that PipX and PipY play antagonistic roles on cell elongation or cell division. Since ppGpp levels were not induced by overexpression of PipY or PipX, it is apparent that the production of polyphosphate in cyanobacteria does not require induction of the stringent response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Llop
- Departamento de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
- Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Organismic Interactions Department, Cluster of Excellence 'Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections', University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jose I. Labella
- Departamento de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Marina Borisova
- Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Organismic Interactions Department, Cluster of Excellence 'Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections', University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Karl Forchhammer
- Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Organismic Interactions Department, Cluster of Excellence 'Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections', University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Khaled A. Selim
- Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Organismic Interactions Department, Cluster of Excellence 'Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections', University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Asunción Contreras
- Departamento de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
- *Correspondence: Asunción Contreras,
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11
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Calatrava V, Tejada-Jimenez M, Sanz-Luque E, Fernandez E, Galvan A, Llamas A. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a Reference Organism to Study Algal-Microbial Interactions: Why Can't They Be Friends? PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:plants12040788. [PMID: 36840135 PMCID: PMC9965935 DOI: 10.3390/plants12040788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
The stability and harmony of ecological niches rely on intricate interactions between their members. During evolution, organisms have developed the ability to thrive in different environments, taking advantage of each other. Among these organisms, microalgae are a highly diverse and widely distributed group of major primary producers whose interactions with other organisms play essential roles in their habitats. Understanding the basis of these interactions is crucial to control and exploit these communities for ecological and biotechnological applications. The green microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a well-established model, is emerging as a model organism for studying a wide variety of microbial interactions with ecological and economic significance. In this review, we unite and discuss current knowledge that points to C. reinhardtii as a model organism for studying microbial interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Calatrava
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Campus de Rabanales and Campus Internacional de Excelencia Agroalimentario (CeiA3), Edificio Severo Ochoa, University of Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
- Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, 260 Panama St., Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Manuel Tejada-Jimenez
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Campus de Rabanales and Campus Internacional de Excelencia Agroalimentario (CeiA3), Edificio Severo Ochoa, University of Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
| | - Emanuel Sanz-Luque
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Campus de Rabanales and Campus Internacional de Excelencia Agroalimentario (CeiA3), Edificio Severo Ochoa, University of Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
| | - Emilio Fernandez
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Campus de Rabanales and Campus Internacional de Excelencia Agroalimentario (CeiA3), Edificio Severo Ochoa, University of Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
| | - Aurora Galvan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Campus de Rabanales and Campus Internacional de Excelencia Agroalimentario (CeiA3), Edificio Severo Ochoa, University of Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
| | - Angel Llamas
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Campus de Rabanales and Campus Internacional de Excelencia Agroalimentario (CeiA3), Edificio Severo Ochoa, University of Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-957-218352
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12
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Babele PK, Srivastava A, Selim KA, Kumar A. Millet-inspired systems metabolic engineering of NUE in crops. Trends Biotechnol 2022; 41:701-713. [PMID: 36566140 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2022.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The use of nitrogen (N) fertilizers in agriculture has a great ability to increase crop productivity. However, their excessive use has detrimental effects on the environment. Therefore, it is necessary to develop crop varieties with improved nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) that require less N but have substantial yields. Orphan crops such as millets are cultivated in limited regions and are well adapted to lower input conditions. Therefore, they serve as a rich source of beneficial traits that can be transferred into major crops to improve their NUE. This review highlights the tremendous potential of systems biology to unravel the enzymes and pathways involved in the N metabolism of millets, which can open new possibilities to generate transgenic crops with improved NUE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piyoosh K Babele
- Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi 284003, Uttar Pradesh, India.
| | - Amit Srivastava
- University of Jyväskylä, Nanoscience Centre, Department of Biological and Environmental Science, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Khaled A Selim
- Organismic Interactions Department, Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Cluster of Excellence 'Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections', Tübingen University, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Anil Kumar
- Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi 284003, Uttar Pradesh, India
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13
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Freudenberg RA, Wittemeier L, Einhaus A, Baier T, Kruse O. Advanced pathway engineering for phototrophic putrescine production. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2022; 20:1968-1982. [PMID: 35748533 PMCID: PMC9491463 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.13879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Revised: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The polyamine putrescine (1,4-diaminobutane) contributes to cellular fitness in most organisms, where it is derived from the amino acids ornithine or arginine. In the chemical industry, putrescine serves as a versatile building block for polyamide synthesis. The green microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii accumulates relatively high putrescine amounts, which, together with recent advances in genetic engineering, enables the generation of a powerful green cell factory to promote sustainable biotechnology for base chemical production. Here, we report a systematic investigation of the native putrescine metabolism in C. reinhardtii, leading to the first CO2 -based bio-production of putrescine, by employing modern synthetic biology and metabolic engineering strategies. A CRISPR/Cas9-based knockout of key enzymes of the polyamine biosynthesis pathway identified ornithine decarboxylase 1 (ODC1) as a gatekeeper for putrescine accumulation and demonstrated that the arginine decarboxylase (ADC) route is likely inactive and that amine oxidase 2 (AMX2) is mainly responsible for putrescine degradation in C. reinhardtii. A 4.5-fold increase in cellular putrescine levels was achieved by engineered overexpression of potent candidate ornithine decarboxylases (ODCs). We identified unexpected substrate promiscuity in two bacterial ODCs, which exhibited co-production of cadaverine and 4-aminobutanol. Final pathway engineering included overexpression of recombinant arginases for improved substrate availability as well as functional knockout of putrescine degradation, which resulted in a 10-fold increase in cellular putrescine titres and yielded 200 mg/L in phototrophic high cell density cultivations after 10 days.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert A. Freudenberg
- Faculty of Biology, Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec)Bielefeld UniversityBielefeldGermany
| | - Luisa Wittemeier
- Faculty of Biology, Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec)Bielefeld UniversityBielefeldGermany
| | - Alexander Einhaus
- Faculty of Biology, Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec)Bielefeld UniversityBielefeldGermany
| | - Thomas Baier
- Faculty of Biology, Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec)Bielefeld UniversityBielefeldGermany
| | - Olaf Kruse
- Faculty of Biology, Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec)Bielefeld UniversityBielefeldGermany
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14
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Chatterjee P, Schafran P, Li FW, Meeks JC. Nostoc Talks Back: Temporal Patterns of Differential Gene Expression During Establishment of Anthoceros-Nostoc Symbiosis. MOLECULAR PLANT-MICROBE INTERACTIONS : MPMI 2022; 35:917-932. [PMID: 35802132 DOI: 10.1094/mpmi-05-22-0101-r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Endosymbiotic associations between hornworts and nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria form when the plant is limited for combined nitrogen (N). We generated RNA-seq data to examine temporal gene expression patterns during the culturing of N-starved Anthoceros punctatus in the absence and the presence of symbiotic cyanobacterium Nostoc punctiforme. In symbiont-free A. punctatus gametophytes, N starvation caused downregulation of chlorophyll content and chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics as well as transcription of photosynthesis-related genes. This downregulation was reversed in A. punctatus cocultured with N. punctiforme, corresponding to the provision by the symbiont of N2-derived NH4+, which commenced within 5 days of coculture and reached a maximum by 14 days. We also observed transient increases in transcription of ammonium and nitrate transporters in a N. punctiforme-dependent manner as well as that of a SWEET transporter that was initially independent of N2-derived NH4+. The temporal patterns of differential gene expression indicated that N. punctiforme transmits signals that impact gene expression to A. punctatus both prior to and after its provision of fixed N. This study is the first illustrating the temporal patterns of gene expression during establishment of an endosymbiotic nitrogen-fixing association in this monophyletic evolutionary lineage of land plants. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
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Affiliation(s)
- Poulami Chatterjee
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, U.S.A
| | - Peter Schafran
- Boyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca, NY 14853, U.S.A
- Plant Biology Section, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14953, U.S.A
| | - Fay-Wei Li
- Boyce Thompson Institute, Ithaca, NY 14853, U.S.A
- Plant Biology Section, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14953, U.S.A
| | - John C Meeks
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, U.S.A
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15
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King DT, Zhu S, Hardie DB, Serrano-Negrón JE, Madden Z, Kolappan S, Vocadlo DJ. Chemoproteomic identification of CO 2-dependent lysine carboxylation in proteins. Nat Chem Biol 2022; 18:782-791. [PMID: 35710617 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-022-01043-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Carbon dioxide is an omnipresent gas that drives adaptive responses within organisms from all domains of life. The molecular mechanisms by which proteins serve as sensors of CO2 are, accordingly, of great interest. Because CO2 is electrophilic, one way it can modulate protein biochemistry is by carboxylation of the amine group of lysine residues. However, the resulting CO2-carboxylated lysines spontaneously decompose, giving off CO2, which makes studying this modification difficult. Here we describe a method to stably mimic CO2-carboxylated lysine residues in proteins. We leverage this method to develop a quantitative approach to identify CO2-carboxylated lysines of proteins and explore the lysine 'carboxylome' of the CO2-responsive cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. We uncover one CO2-carboxylated lysine within the effector binding pocket of the metabolic signaling protein PII. CO2-carboxylatation of this lysine markedly lowers the affinity of PII for its regulatory effector ligand ATP, illuminating a negative molecular control mechanism mediated by CO2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dustin T King
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Sha Zhu
- Department of Chemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Darryl B Hardie
- University of Victoria-Genome BC Proteomics Centre, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Jesús E Serrano-Negrón
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Zarina Madden
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Subramania Kolappan
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - David J Vocadlo
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. .,Department of Chemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
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16
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Huang A, Li Y, Duan J, Guo S, Cai X, Zhang X, Long H, Ren W, Xie Z. Metabolomic, proteomic and lactylated proteomic analyses indicate lactate plays important roles in maintaining energy and C:N homeostasis in Phaeodactylum tricornutum. BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR BIOFUELS AND BIOPRODUCTS 2022; 15:61. [PMID: 35641996 PMCID: PMC9153171 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-022-02152-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Background Phaeodactylum tricornutum accumulates lipids while the growth also increases under high CO2, shedding light on its potential application in the reduction of CO2 emissions and at the same time acquiring biodiesel raw materials. However, the sensing and transducing of high C:N signals and the related response mechanism(s) remained unknown. Results In this study, a multiple omics analysis was performed with P. tricornutum under low nitrogen (LN) and high CO2 (HC) conditions. The results indicated that 2-oxoglutarate was significantly increased under both LN and HC. Meanwhile, proteins involved in carbon concentration mechanism decreased, indicated that 2-oxoglutarate might regulate C:N balance through suppressing carbon fixation. Lactate, which acts in energy metabolism, signal transduction and ‘LactoylLys’ modification on proteins, was the most upregulated metabolite under both LN and HC conditions. Meanwhile, proteins involved in carbon, nitrogen and energy metabolisms were significantly regulated. Western blotting analysis suggested that non-histone L-lactylation modification was enhanced under LN and HC. Moreover, lactylated proteins were enriched in photosynthesis, central carbon metabolism, nitrogen metabolism, fatty acid synthesis and oxidative phosphorylation. Conclusion It is suggested that lactate might play important roles in energy homeostatic maintenance and C:N balance regulation in P. tricornutum through protein lactylation modification. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13068-022-02152-8.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aiyou Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in the South China Sea, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, People's Republic of China.,Laboratory of Development and Utilization of Marine Microbial Resource, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Hydrobiology and Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, People's Republic of China.,College of Marine Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuanxiang Li
- Department of Pharmacology and Regenerative Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Jiawen Duan
- College of Marine Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, People's Republic of China
| | - Shiyi Guo
- College of Marine Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoni Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in the South China Sea, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, People's Republic of China.,Laboratory of Development and Utilization of Marine Microbial Resource, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Hydrobiology and Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, People's Republic of China.,College of Marine Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in the South China Sea, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, People's Republic of China.,Laboratory of Development and Utilization of Marine Microbial Resource, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Hydrobiology and Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, People's Republic of China.,College of Marine Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, People's Republic of China
| | - Hao Long
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in the South China Sea, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, People's Republic of China.,Laboratory of Development and Utilization of Marine Microbial Resource, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Hydrobiology and Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, People's Republic of China.,College of Marine Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in the South China Sea, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, People's Republic of China.,Laboratory of Development and Utilization of Marine Microbial Resource, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Hydrobiology and Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, People's Republic of China.,College of Marine Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhenyu Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in the South China Sea, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, People's Republic of China. .,Laboratory of Development and Utilization of Marine Microbial Resource, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, People's Republic of China. .,Key Laboratory of Tropical Hydrobiology and Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, People's Republic of China. .,College of Marine Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, 570228, People's Republic of China.
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17
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New views on PII signaling: from nitrogen sensing to global metabolic control. Trends Microbiol 2022; 30:722-735. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2021.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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18
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Jerez C, Salinas P, Llop A, Cantos R, Espinosa J, Labella JI, Contreras A. Regulatory Connections Between the Cyanobacterial Factor PipX and the Ribosome Assembly GTPase EngA. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:781760. [PMID: 34956147 PMCID: PMC8696166 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.781760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacteria, phototrophic organisms performing oxygenic photosynthesis, must adapt their metabolic processes to important environmental challenges, like those imposed by the succession of days and nights. Not surprisingly, certain regulatory proteins are found exclusively in this phylum. One of these unique proteins, PipX, provides a mechanistic link between signals of carbon/nitrogen and of energy, transduced by the signaling protein PII, and the control of gene expression by the global nitrogen regulator NtcA. PII, required for cell survival unless PipX is inactivated or downregulated, functions by protein-protein interactions with transcriptional regulators, transporters, and enzymes. PipX also functions by protein-protein interactions, and previous studies suggested the existence of additional interacting partners or included it into a relatively robust six-node synteny network with proteins apparently unrelated to the nitrogen regulation system. To investigate additional functions of PipX while providing a proof of concept for the recently developed cyanobacterial linkage network, here we analyzed the physical and regulatory interactions between PipX and an intriguing component of the PipX synteny network, the essential ribosome assembly GTPase EngA. The results provide additional insights into the functions of cyanobacterial EngA and of PipX, showing that PipX interacts with the GD1 domain of EngA in a guanosine diphosphate-dependent manner and interferes with EngA functions in Synechococcus elongatus at a low temperature, an environmentally relevant context. Therefore, this work expands the PipX interaction network and establishes a possible connection between nitrogen regulation and the translation machinery. We discuss a regulatory model integrating previous information on PII-PipX with the results presented in this work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Jerez
- Departamento de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Paloma Salinas
- Departamento de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Antonio Llop
- Departamento de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Raquel Cantos
- Departamento de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Javier Espinosa
- Departamento de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Jose I Labella
- Departamento de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Asunción Contreras
- Departamento de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
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19
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Selim KA, Haffner M, Burkhardt M, Mantovani O, Neumann N, Albrecht R, Seifert R, Krüger L, Stülke J, Hartmann MD, Hagemann M, Forchhammer K. Diurnal metabolic control in cyanobacteria requires perception of second messenger signaling molecule c-di-AMP by the carbon control protein SbtB. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabk0568. [PMID: 34878830 PMCID: PMC8654305 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abk0568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Because of their photosynthesis-dependent lifestyle, cyanobacteria evolved sophisticated regulatory mechanisms to adapt to oscillating day-night metabolic changes. How they coordinate the metabolic switch between autotrophic and glycogen-catabolic metabolism in light and darkness is poorly understood. Recently, c-di-AMP has been implicated in diurnal regulation, but its mode of action remains elusive. To unravel the signaling functions of c-di-AMP in cyanobacteria, we isolated c-di-AMP receptor proteins. Thereby, the carbon-sensor protein SbtB was identified as a major c-di-AMP receptor, which we confirmed biochemically and by x-ray crystallography. In search for the c-di-AMP signaling function of SbtB, we found that both SbtB and c-di-AMP cyclase–deficient mutants showed reduced diurnal growth and that c-di-AMP–bound SbtB interacts specifically with the glycogen-branching enzyme GlgB. Accordingly, both mutants displayed impaired glycogen synthesis during the day and impaired nighttime survival. Thus, the pivotal role of c-di-AMP in day-night acclimation can be attributed to SbtB-mediated regulation of glycogen metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khaled A. Selim
- Organismic Interactions Department, Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Cluster of Excellence ‘Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections’, Tübingen University, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
- Department of Protein Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
- Corresponding author. (K.A.S.); (K.F.)
| | - Michael Haffner
- Organismic Interactions Department, Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Cluster of Excellence ‘Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections’, Tübingen University, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Markus Burkhardt
- Organismic Interactions Department, Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Cluster of Excellence ‘Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections’, Tübingen University, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Oliver Mantovani
- Plant Physiology Department, Institute of Biological Sciences, Rostock University, Rostock, Germany
| | - Niels Neumann
- Organismic Interactions Department, Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Cluster of Excellence ‘Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections’, Tübingen University, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Reinhard Albrecht
- Department of Protein Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Roland Seifert
- Institute of Pharmacology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Larissa Krüger
- Department of General Microbiology, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), Göttingen University, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Jörg Stülke
- Department of General Microbiology, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), Göttingen University, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Marcus D. Hartmann
- Department of Protein Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Martin Hagemann
- Plant Physiology Department, Institute of Biological Sciences, Rostock University, Rostock, Germany
| | - Karl Forchhammer
- Organismic Interactions Department, Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Cluster of Excellence ‘Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections’, Tübingen University, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
- Corresponding author. (K.A.S.); (K.F.)
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20
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Arabidopsis PII Proteins Form Characteristic Foci in Chloroplasts Indicating Novel Properties in Protein Interaction and Degradation. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222312666. [PMID: 34884470 PMCID: PMC8657445 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222312666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The PII protein is an evolutionary, highly conserved regulatory protein found in both bacteria and higher plants. In bacteria, it modulates the activity of several enzymes, transporters, and regulatory factors by interacting with them and thereby regulating important metabolic hubs, such as carbon/nitrogen homeostasis. More than two decades ago, the PII protein was characterized for the first time in plants, but its physiological role is still not sufficiently resolved. To gain more insights into the function of this protein, we investigated the interaction behavior of AtPII with candidate proteins by BiFC and FRET/FLIM in planta and with GFP/RFP traps in vitro. In the course of these studies, we found that AtPII interacts in chloroplasts with itself as well as with known interactors such as N-acetyl-L-glutamate kinase (NAGK) in dot-like aggregates, which we named PII foci. In these novel protein aggregates, AtPII also interacts with yet unknown partners, which are known to be involved in plastidic protein degradation. Further studies revealed that the C-terminal component of AtPII is crucial for the formation of PII foci. Altogether, the discovery and description of PII foci indicate a novel mode of interaction between PII proteins and other proteins in plants. These findings may represent a new starting point for the elucidation of physiological functions of PII proteins in plants.
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21
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Sakamoto T, Takatani N, Sonoike K, Jimbo H, Nishiyama Y, Omata T. Dissection of the Mechanisms of Growth Inhibition Resulting from Loss of the PII Protein in the Cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942. PLANT & CELL PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 62:721-731. [PMID: 33650637 PMCID: PMC8474142 DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pcab030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
In cyanobacteria, the PII protein (the glnB gene product) regulates a number of proteins involved in nitrogen assimilation including PipX, the coactivator of the global nitrogen regulator protein NtcA. In Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942, construction of a PII-less mutant retaining the wild-type pipX gene is difficult because of the toxicity of uncontrolled action of PipX and the other defect(s) resulting from the loss of PIIper se, but the nature of the PipX toxicity and the PipX-independent defect(s) remains unclear. Characterization of a PipX-less glnB mutant (PD4) in this study showed that the loss of PII increases the sensitivity of PSII to ammonium. Ammonium was shown to stimulate the formation of reactive oxygen species in the mutant cells. The ammonium-sensitive growth phenotype of PD4 was rescued by the addition of an antioxidant α-tocopherol, confirming that photo-oxidative damage was the major cause of the growth defect. A targeted PII mutant retaining wild-type pipX was successfully constructed from the wild-type S. elongatus strain (SPc) in the presence of α-tocopherol. The resulting mutant (PD1X) showed an unusual chlorophyll fluorescence profile, indicating extremely slow reduction and re-oxidation of QA, which was not observed in mutants defective in both glnB and pipX. These results showed that the aberrant action of uncontrolled PipX resulted in an impairment of the electron transport reactions in both the reducing and oxidizing sides of QA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takayuki Sakamoto
- Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, 464-8601 Japan
| | - Nobuyuki Takatani
- Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, 464-8601 Japan
| | - Kintake Sonoike
- Faculty of Education and Integrated Arts and Sciences, Waseda University, Tokyo, 162-8480 Japan
| | - Haruhiko Jimbo
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, Saitama, 338-8570 Japan
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo,Tokyo 153-8902Japan
| | - Yoshitaka Nishiyama
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, Saitama, 338-8570 Japan
| | - Tatsuo Omata
- * Corresponding author: E-mail, ; Fax, +81-52-789-4107
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22
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Orthwein T, Huergo LF, Forchhammer K, Selim KA. Kinetic Analysis of a Protein-protein Complex to Determine its Dissociation Constant (K D) and the Effective Concentration (EC 50) of an Interplaying Effector Molecule Using Bio-layer Interferometry. Bio Protoc 2021; 11:e4152. [PMID: 34604457 DOI: 10.21769/bioprotoc.4152] [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: 03/04/2021] [Revised: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Biolayer interferometry (BLI) is an emerging analytical tool that allows the study of protein complexes in real time to determine protein complex kinetic parameters. This article describes a protocol to determine the KD of a protein complex using a 6×His tagged fusion protein as bait immobilized on the NTA sensor chip of the FortéBio® Octet K2 System (Sartorius). We also describe how to determine the half maximal effective concentration (EC50, also known as IC50 for inhibiting effectors) of a metabolite. The complete protocol allows the determination of protein complex KD and small molecular effector EC50 within 8 h, measured in triplicates. Graphic abstract: Principle of the Biolayer interferometry measurement. (Middle, top) Exemplary result of the BLI measurement using Octet® (Raw Data). Wavelength shift (Δλ) against time. (A) Baseline 1. Baseline measurement. When the sensor is equilibrated in the kinetics buffer. The light is reflected with no difference. (B) Load. The his-tagged proteins (ligand) are loaded onto the sensor surface. The light is reflected with a shift of the wavelength. (C) Baseline 2. The loaded sensor is equilibrated in the kinetics buffer. No further wavelength shift appears. (D) Association. The loaded sensor is dipped into the analyte solution. The analyte binds to the immobilized ligand along with an increased wavelength shift. (E) Dissociation. Afterward, the sensor is dipped again into the kinetics buffer without the analyte. Some analyte molecules dissociate. The wavelength shift decreases. (Subfigures A-E) The left side shows the position of the sensor during the measurement seen in the representative BLI measurement, marked with the figure label. The right side shows the light path in the sensor. Black waves represent the light emitted to the sensor surface. The red waves show the light reflected from the sensor surface back to the detector.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Orthwein
- Organismic Interactions Department, Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Cluster of Excellence 'Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections', Tübingen University, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Luciano F Huergo
- Setor Litoral, Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), Matinhos, Brazil
| | - Karl Forchhammer
- Organismic Interactions Department, Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Cluster of Excellence 'Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections', Tübingen University, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Khaled A Selim
- Organismic Interactions Department, Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Cluster of Excellence 'Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections', Tübingen University, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.,Department of Protein Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany.,Pharmaceutical and Drug Industries Research Division, National Research Center, Giza, Egypt
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Split NanoLuc technology allows quantitation of interactions between PII protein and its receptors with unprecedented sensitivity and reveals transient interactions. Sci Rep 2021; 11:12535. [PMID: 34131190 PMCID: PMC8206089 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-91856-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
PII proteins constitute a widespread signal transduction superfamily in the prokaryotic world. The canonical PII signal proteins sense metabolic state of the cells by binding the metabolite molecules ATP, ADP and 2-oxoglutarate. Depending on bound effector molecule, PII proteins interact with and modulate the activity of multiple target proteins. To investigate the complexity of interactions of PII with target proteins, analytical methods that do not disrupt the native cellular context are required. To this purpose, split luciferase proteins have been used to develop a novel complementation reporter called NanoLuc Binary Technology (NanoBiT). The luciferase NanoLuc is divided in two subunits: a 18 kDa polypeptide termed "Large BiT" and a 1.3 kDa peptide termed "Small BiT", which only weakly associate. When fused to proteins of interest, they reconstitute an active luciferase when the proteins of interest interact. Therefore, we set out to develop a new NanoBiT sensor based on the interaction of PII protein from Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 with PII-interacting protein X (PipX) and N-acetyl-L-glutamate kinase (NAGK). The novel NanoBiT sensor showed unprecedented sensitivity, which made it possible to detect even weak and transient interactions between PII variants and their interacting partners, thereby shedding new light in PII signalling processes.
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24
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Bolay P, Rozbeh R, Muro-Pastor MI, Timm S, Hagemann M, Florencio FJ, Forchhammer K, Klähn S. The Novel P II-Interacting Protein PirA Controls Flux into the Cyanobacterial Ornithine-Ammonia Cycle. mBio 2021; 12:e00229-21. [PMID: 33758091 PMCID: PMC8092223 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00229-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Among prokaryotes, cyanobacteria have an exclusive position as they perform oxygenic photosynthesis. Cyanobacteria substantially differ from other bacteria in further aspects, e.g., they evolved a plethora of unique regulatory mechanisms to control primary metabolism. This is exemplified by the regulation of glutamine synthetase (GS) via small proteins termed inactivating factors (IFs). Here, we reveal another small protein, encoded by the ssr0692 gene in the model strain Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, that regulates flux into the ornithine-ammonia cycle (OAC), the key hub of cyanobacterial nitrogen stockpiling and remobilization. This regulation is achieved by the interaction with the central carbon/nitrogen control protein PII, which commonly controls entry into the OAC by activating the key enzyme of arginine synthesis, N-acetyl-l-glutamate kinase (NAGK). In particular, the Ssr0692 protein competes with NAGK for PII binding and thereby prevents NAGK activation, which in turn lowers arginine synthesis. Accordingly, we termed it PII-interacting regulator of arginine synthesis (PirA). Similar to the GS IFs, PirA accumulates in response to ammonium upshift due to relief from repression by the global nitrogen control transcription factor NtcA. Consistent with this, the deletion of pirA affects the balance of metabolite pools of the OAC in response to ammonium shocks. Moreover, the PirA-PII interaction requires ADP and is prevented by PII mutations affecting the T-loop conformation, the major protein interaction surface of this signal processing protein. Thus, we propose that PirA is an integrator determining flux into N storage compounds not only depending on the N availability but also the energy state of the cell.IMPORTANCE Cyanobacteria contribute a significant portion to the annual oxygen yield and play important roles in biogeochemical cycles, e.g., as major primary producers. Due to their photosynthetic lifestyle, cyanobacteria also arouse interest as hosts for the sustainable production of fuel components and high-value chemicals. However, their broad application as microbial cell factories is hampered by limited knowledge about the regulation of metabolic fluxes in these organisms. Our research identified a novel regulatory protein that controls nitrogen flux, in particular arginine synthesis. Besides its role as a proteinogenic amino acid, arginine is a precursor for the cyanobacterial storage compound cyanophycin, which is of potential interest to biotechnology. Therefore, the obtained results will not only enhance our understanding of flux control in these organisms but also help to provide a scientific basis for targeted metabolic engineering and, hence, the design of photosynthesis-driven biotechnological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Bolay
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Solar Materials, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Rokhsareh Rozbeh
- Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Organismic Interactions Department, Tübingen University, Tübingen, Germany
| | - M Isabel Muro-Pastor
- Instituto de Bioquímica Vegetal y Fotosíntesis, CSIC-Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Stefan Timm
- Department of Plant Physiology, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Martin Hagemann
- Department of Plant Physiology, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Francisco J Florencio
- Instituto de Bioquímica Vegetal y Fotosíntesis, CSIC-Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Karl Forchhammer
- Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Organismic Interactions Department, Tübingen University, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Stephan Klähn
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Solar Materials, Leipzig, Germany
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25
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Orthwein T, Scholl J, Spät P, Lucius S, Koch M, Macek B, Hagemann M, Forchhammer K. The novel P II-interactor PirC identifies phosphoglycerate mutase as key control point of carbon storage metabolism in cyanobacteria. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2019988118. [PMID: 33526690 PMCID: PMC8018021 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2019988118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Nitrogen limitation imposes a major transition in the lifestyle of nondiazotrophic cyanobacteria that is controlled by a complex interplay of regulatory factors involving the pervasive signal processor PII Immediately upon nitrogen limitation, newly fixed carbon is redirected toward glycogen synthesis. How the metabolic switch for diverting fixed carbon toward the synthesis of glycogen or of cellular building blocks is operated was so far poorly understood. Here, using the nondiazotrophic cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 as model system, we identified a novel PII interactor, the product of the sll0944 gene, which we named PirC. We show that PirC binds to and inhibits the activity of 2,3-phosphoglycerate-independent phosphoglycerate mutase (PGAM), the enzyme that deviates newly fixed CO2 toward lower glycolysis. The binding of PirC to either PII or PGAM is tuned by the metabolite 2-oxoglutarate (2-OG), which accumulates upon nitrogen starvation. In these conditions, the high levels of 2-OG dissociate the PirC-PII complex to promote PirC binding to and inhibition of PGAM. Accordingly, a PirC-deficient mutant showed strongly reduced glycogen levels upon nitrogen deprivation, whereas polyhydroxybutyrate granules were overaccumulated compared to wild-type. Metabolome analysis revealed an imbalance in 3-phosphoglycerate to pyruvate levels in the pirC mutant, confirming that PirC controls the carbon flux in cyanobacteria via mutually exclusive interaction with either PII or PGAM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Orthwein
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jörg Scholl
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Philipp Spät
- Department of Quantitative Proteomics, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Stefan Lucius
- Institute of Biological Sciences, Plant Physiology Department, University of Rostock, 18059 Rostock, Germany
| | - Moritz Koch
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Boris Macek
- Department of Quantitative Proteomics, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Martin Hagemann
- Institute of Biological Sciences, Plant Physiology Department, University of Rostock, 18059 Rostock, Germany
| | - Karl Forchhammer
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany;
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The Protein-Protein Interaction Network Reveals a Novel Role of the Signal Transduction Protein PII in the Control of c-di-GMP Homeostasis in Azospirillum brasilense. mSystems 2020; 5:5/6/e00817-20. [PMID: 33144311 PMCID: PMC7646526 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00817-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The PII proteins sense and integrate important metabolic signals which reflect the cellular nutrition and energy status. Such extraordinary ability was capitalized by nature in such a way that the various PII proteins regulate different facets of metabolism by controlling the activity of a range of target proteins by protein-protein interactions. Here, we determined the PII protein interaction network in the plant growth-promoting nitrogen-fixing bacterium Azospirillum brasilense. The interactome data along with metabolome analysis suggest that PII functions as a master metabolic regulator hub. We provide evidence that PII proteins act to regulate c-di-GMP levels in vivo and cell motility and adherence behaviors. The PII family comprises a group of widely distributed signal transduction proteins ubiquitous in prokaryotes and in the chloroplasts of plants. PII proteins sense the levels of key metabolites ATP, ADP, and 2-oxoglutarate, which affect the PII protein structure and thereby the ability of PII to interact with a range of target proteins. Here, we performed multiple ligand fishing assays with the PII protein orthologue GlnZ from the plant growth-promoting nitrogen-fixing bacterium Azospirillum brasilense to identify 37 proteins that are likely to be part of the PII protein-protein interaction network. Among the PII targets identified were enzymes related to nitrogen and fatty acid metabolism, signaling, coenzyme synthesis, RNA catabolism, and transcription. Direct binary PII-target complex was confirmed for 15 protein complexes using pulldown assays with recombinant proteins. Untargeted metabolome analysis showed that PII is required for proper homeostasis of important metabolites. Two enzymes involved in c-di-GMP metabolism were among the identified PII targets. A PII-deficient strain showed reduced c-di-GMP levels and altered aerotaxis and flocculation behavior. These data support that PII acts as a major metabolic hub controlling important enzymes and the homeostasis of key metabolites such as c-di-GMP in response to the prevailing nutritional status. IMPORTANCE The PII proteins sense and integrate important metabolic signals which reflect the cellular nutrition and energy status. Such extraordinary ability was capitalized by nature in such a way that the various PII proteins regulate different facets of metabolism by controlling the activity of a range of target proteins by protein-protein interactions. Here, we determined the PII protein interaction network in the plant growth-promoting nitrogen-fixing bacterium Azospirillum brasilense. The interactome data along with metabolome analysis suggest that PII functions as a master metabolic regulator hub. We provide evidence that PII proteins act to regulate c-di-GMP levels in vivo and cell motility and adherence behaviors.
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Schubert C, Zedler S, Strecker A, Unden G. L-Aspartate as a high-quality nitrogen source in Escherichia coli: Regulation of L-aspartase by the nitrogen regulatory system and interaction of L-aspartase with GlnB. Mol Microbiol 2020; 115:526-538. [PMID: 33012071 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2020] [Revised: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Escherichia coli uses the C4-dicarboxylate transporter DcuA for L-aspartate/fumarate antiport, which results in the exploitation of L-aspartate for fumarate respiration under anaerobic conditions and for nitrogen assimilation under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. L-Aspartate represents a high-quality nitrogen source for assimilation. Nitrogen assimilation from L-aspartate required DcuA, and aspartase AspA to release ammonia. Ammonia is able to provide by established pathways the complete set of intracellular precursors (ammonia, L-aspartate, L-glutamate, and L-glutamine) for synthesizing amino acids, nucleotides, and amino sugars. AspA was regulated by a central regulator of nitrogen metabolism, GlnB. GlnB interacted with AspA and stimulated its L-aspartate deaminase activity (NH3 -forming), but not the reverse amination reaction. GlnB stimulation required 2-oxoglutarate and ATP, or uridylylated GlnB-UMP, consistent with the activation of nitrogen assimilation under nitrogen limitation. Binding to AspA was lost in the GlnB(Y51F) mutant of the uridylylation site. AspA, therefore, represents a new type of GlnB target that binds GlnB (with ATP and 2-oxoglutarate), or GlnB-UMP (with or without effectors), and both situations stimulate AspA deamination activity. Thus, AspA represents the central enzyme for nitrogen assimilation from L-aspartate, and AspA is integrated into the nitrogen assimilation network by the regulator GlnB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Schubert
- Microbiology and Wine Research, Institute for Molecular Physiology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Sandra Zedler
- Microbiology and Wine Research, Institute for Molecular Physiology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Alexander Strecker
- Microbiology and Wine Research, Institute for Molecular Physiology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Gottfried Unden
- Microbiology and Wine Research, Institute for Molecular Physiology, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
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28
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Selim KA, Tremiño L, Marco-Marín C, Alva V, Espinosa J, Contreras A, Hartmann MD, Forchhammer K, Rubio V. Functional and structural characterization of PII-like protein CutA does not support involvement in heavy metal tolerance and hints at a small-molecule carrying/signaling role. FEBS J 2020; 288:1142-1162. [PMID: 32599651 DOI: 10.1111/febs.15464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2019] [Revised: 04/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The PII-like protein CutA is annotated as being involved in Cu2+ tolerance, based on analysis of Escherichia coli mutants. However, the precise cellular function of CutA remains unclear. Our bioinformatic analysis reveals that CutA proteins are universally distributed across all domains of life. Based on sequence-based clustering, we chose representative cyanobacterial CutA proteins for physiological, biochemical, and structural characterization and examined their involvement in heavy metal tolerance, by generating CutA mutants in filamentous Nostoc sp. and in unicellular Synechococcus elongatus. However, we were unable to find any involvement of cyanobacterial CutA in metal tolerance under various conditions. This prompted us to re-examine experimentally the role of CutA in protecting E. coli from Cu2+ . Since we found no effect on copper tolerance, we conclude that CutA plays a different role that is not involved in metal protection. We resolved high-resolution CutA structures from Nostoc and S. elongatus. Similarly to their counterpart from E. coli and to canonical PII proteins, cyanobacterial CutA proteins are trimeric in solution and in crystal structure; however, no binding affinity for small signaling molecules or for Cu2+ could be detected. The clefts between the CutA subunits, corresponding to the binding pockets of PII proteins, are formed by conserved aromatic and charged residues, suggesting a conserved binding/signaling function for CutA. In fact, we find binding of organic Bis-Tris/MES molecules in CutA crystal structures, revealing a strong tendency of these pockets to accommodate cargo. This highlights the need to search for the potential physiological ligands and for their signaling functions upon binding to CutA. DATABASES: Structural data are available in Protein Data Bank (PDB) under the accession numbers 6GDU, 6GDV, 6GDW, 6GDX, 6T76, and 6T7E.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khaled A Selim
- Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Organismic Interactions Department, Tübingen University, Germany.,Department of Protein Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Lorena Tremiño
- Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia (IBV-CSIC), CIBER de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER-ISCIII), Valencia, Spain
| | - Clara Marco-Marín
- Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia (IBV-CSIC), CIBER de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER-ISCIII), Valencia, Spain
| | - Vikram Alva
- Department of Protein Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Javier Espinosa
- Departamento de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Universidad de Alicante, Spain
| | - Asunción Contreras
- Departamento de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Universidad de Alicante, Spain
| | - Marcus D Hartmann
- Department of Protein Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Karl Forchhammer
- Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Organismic Interactions Department, Tübingen University, Germany
| | - Vicente Rubio
- Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia (IBV-CSIC), CIBER de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER-ISCIII), Valencia, Spain
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29
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Labella JI, Cantos R, Salinas P, Espinosa J, Contreras A. Distinctive Features of PipX, a Unique Signaling Protein of Cyanobacteria. Life (Basel) 2020; 10:life10060079. [PMID: 32481703 PMCID: PMC7344720 DOI: 10.3390/life10060079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2020] [Revised: 05/23/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
PipX is a unique cyanobacterial protein identified by its ability to bind to PII and NtcA, two key regulators involved in the integration of signals of the nitrogen/carbon and energy status, with a tremendous impact on nitrogen assimilation and gene expression in cyanobacteria. PipX provides a mechanistic link between PII, the most widely distributed signaling protein, and NtcA, a global transcriptional regulator of cyanobacteria. PII, required for cell survival unless PipX is inactivated or down-regulated, functions by protein–protein interactions with transcriptional regulators, transporters, and enzymes. In addition, PipX appears to be involved in a wider signaling network, supported by the following observations: (i) PII–PipX complexes interact with PlmA, an as yet poorly characterized transcriptional regulator also restricted to cyanobacteria; (ii) the pipX gene is functionally connected with pipY, a gene encoding a universally conserved pyridoxal phosphate binding protein (PLPBP) involved in vitamin B6 and amino acid homeostasis, whose loss-of-function mutations cause B6-dependent epilepsy in humans, and (iii) pipX is part of a relatively robust, six-node synteny network that includes pipY and four additional genes that might also be functionally connected with pipX. In this overview, we propose that the study of the protein–protein interaction and synteny networks involving PipX would contribute to understanding the peculiarities and idiosyncrasy of signaling pathways that are conserved in cyanobacteria.
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Llebrés MT, Pascual MB, Valle C, de la Torre FN, Valderrama-Martin JM, Gómez L, Avila C, Cánovas FM. Structural and Functional Characteristics of Two Molecular Variants of the Nitrogen Sensor PII in Maritime Pine. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:823. [PMID: 32612622 PMCID: PMC7308587 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Accepted: 05/22/2020] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
High levels of nitrogen are stored as arginine during the last stages of seed formation in maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Aiton). The protein sensor PII regulates the feedback inhibition of arginine biosynthesis through interaction with the key enzyme N-acetylglutamate kinase (NAGK). In this study, the structural and functional characteristics of PII have been investigated in maritime pine to get insights into the regulation of arginine metabolism. Two different forms of PII have been identified, PpPIIa and PpPIIb, which differ in their amino acid sequence and most likely correspond to splicing variants of a single gene in the pine genome. Two PII variants are also present in other pine species but not in other conifers such as spruces. PpPIIa and PpPIIb are trimeric proteins for which structural modeling predicts similar tridimensional protein core structures. Both are located in the chloroplast, where the PII-target enzyme PpNAGK is also found. PpPIIa, PpPIIb, and PpNAGK have been recombinantly produced to investigate the formation of NAGK-PII complexes. The interaction of PpPIIa/PpPIIb and PpNAGK may be enhanced by glutamine and contribute to relieve the feedback inhibition of PpNAGK by arginine. Expression analysis of PpPII genes revealed that PpIIa transcripts were predominant during embryogenesis and germination. The potential roles of PpPIIa and PpPIIb in the regulation of arginine metabolism of maritime pine are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Teresa Llebrés
- Grupo de Biología Molecular y Biotecnología de Plantas, Departamento de Biología Molecular y Bioquímica, Faculty of Science, Universidad de Málaga, Campus Universitario de Teatinos, Málaga, Spain
| | - María Belén Pascual
- Grupo de Biología Molecular y Biotecnología de Plantas, Departamento de Biología Molecular y Bioquímica, Faculty of Science, Universidad de Málaga, Campus Universitario de Teatinos, Málaga, Spain
| | - Carolina Valle
- Grupo de Biología Molecular y Biotecnología de Plantas, Departamento de Biología Molecular y Bioquímica, Faculty of Science, Universidad de Málaga, Campus Universitario de Teatinos, Málaga, Spain
| | - Fernando N. de la Torre
- Grupo de Biología Molecular y Biotecnología de Plantas, Departamento de Biología Molecular y Bioquímica, Faculty of Science, Universidad de Málaga, Campus Universitario de Teatinos, Málaga, Spain
| | - José Miguel Valderrama-Martin
- Grupo de Biología Molecular y Biotecnología de Plantas, Departamento de Biología Molecular y Bioquímica, Faculty of Science, Universidad de Málaga, Campus Universitario de Teatinos, Málaga, Spain
| | - Luis Gómez
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas, Campus de Excelencia Internacional de Montegancedo, Parque Científico y Tecnológico de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Concepción Avila
- Grupo de Biología Molecular y Biotecnología de Plantas, Departamento de Biología Molecular y Bioquímica, Faculty of Science, Universidad de Málaga, Campus Universitario de Teatinos, Málaga, Spain
| | - Francisco M. Cánovas
- Grupo de Biología Molecular y Biotecnología de Plantas, Departamento de Biología Molecular y Bioquímica, Faculty of Science, Universidad de Málaga, Campus Universitario de Teatinos, Málaga, Spain
- *Correspondence: Francisco M. Cánovas,
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