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Singh PK, Sharma P, Afanzar O, Goldfarb MH, Maklashina E, Eisenbach M, Cecchini G, Iverson TM. CryoEM structures reveal how the bacterial flagellum rotates and switches direction. Nat Microbiol 2024; 9:1271-1281. [PMID: 38632342 PMCID: PMC11087270 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-024-01674-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
Bacterial chemotaxis requires bidirectional flagellar rotation at different rates. Rotation is driven by a flagellar motor, which is a supercomplex containing multiple rings. Architectural uncertainty regarding the cytoplasmic C-ring, or 'switch', limits our understanding of how the motor transmits torque and direction to the flagellar rod. Here we report cryogenic electron microscopy structures for Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium inner membrane MS-ring and C-ring in a counterclockwise pose (4.0 Å) and isolated C-ring in a clockwise pose alone (4.6 Å) and bound to a regulator (5.9 Å). Conformational differences between rotational poses include a 180° shift in FliF/FliG domains that rotates the outward-facing MotA/B binding site to inward facing. The regulator has specificity for the clockwise pose by bridging elements unique to this conformation. We used these structures to propose how the switch reverses rotation and transmits torque to the flagellum, which advances the understanding of bacterial chemotaxis and bidirectional motor rotation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prashant K Singh
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Pankaj Sharma
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Oshri Afanzar
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Margo H Goldfarb
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Elena Maklashina
- Molecular Biology Division, San Francisco VA Health Care System, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Michael Eisenbach
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Gary Cecchini
- Molecular Biology Division, San Francisco VA Health Care System, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - T M Iverson
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
- Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
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2
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Schmitz C, Madej M, Nowakowska Z, Cuppari A, Jacula A, Ksiazek M, Mikruta K, Wisniewski J, Pudelko-Malik N, Saran A, Zeytuni N, Mlynarz P, Lamont RJ, Usón I, Siksnys V, Potempa J, Solà M. Response regulator PorX coordinates oligonucleotide signalling and gene expression to control the secretion of virulence factors. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:12558-12577. [PMID: 36464236 PMCID: PMC9757075 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac1103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/07/2022] Open
Abstract
The PglZ family of proteins belongs to the alkaline phosphatase superfamily, which consists of metallohydrolases with limited sequence identity but similar metal-coordination architectures in otherwise divergent active sites. Proteins with a well-defined PglZ domain are ubiquitous among prokaryotes as essential components of BREX phage defence systems and two-component systems (TCSs). Whereas other members of the alkaline phosphatase superfamily are well characterized, the activity, structure and biological function of PglZ family proteins remain unclear. We therefore investigated the structure and function of PorX, an orphan response regulator of the Porphyromonas gingivalis TCS containing a putative PglZ effector domain. The crystal structure of PorX revealed a canonical receiver domain, a helical bundle, and an unprecedented PglZ domain, similar to the general organization of the phylogenetically related BREX-PglZ proteins. The PglZ domain of PorX features an active site cleft suitable for large substrates. An extensive search for substrates revealed that PorX is a phosphodiesterase that acts on cyclic and linear oligonucleotides, including signalling molecules such as cyclic oligoadenylates. These results, combined with mutagenesis, biophysical and enzymatic analysis, suggest that PorX coordinates oligonucleotide signalling pathways and indirectly regulates gene expression to control the secretion of virulence factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claus Schmitz
- Department of Structural Biology, Molecular Biology Institute of Barcelona, CSIC, Barcelona Science Park, Barcelona E-08028, Spain
| | - Mariusz Madej
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków PL-30-387, Poland
| | - Zuzanna Nowakowska
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków PL-30-387, Poland
| | - Anna Cuppari
- Department of Structural Biology, Molecular Biology Institute of Barcelona, CSIC, Barcelona Science Park, Barcelona E-08028, Spain
| | - Anna Jacula
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków PL-30-387, Poland
| | - Miroslaw Ksiazek
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków PL-30-387, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Mikruta
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków PL-30-387, Poland
| | - Jerzy Wisniewski
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wroclaw PL-50-370, Poland
| | - Natalia Pudelko-Malik
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wroclaw PL-50-370, Poland
| | - Anshu Saran
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec H3A 0C7, Canada
| | - Natalie Zeytuni
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec H3A 0C7, Canada
| | - Piotr Mlynarz
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wroclaw PL-50-370, Poland
| | - Richard J Lamont
- Department of Oral Immunology and Infectious Diseases, School of Dentistry, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, USA
| | - Isabel Usón
- Department of Structural Biology, Molecular Biology Institute of Barcelona, CSIC, Barcelona Science Park, Barcelona E-08028, Spain
- ICREA Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Barcelona E-08010, Spain
| | - Virginijus Siksnys
- Institute of Biotechnology, Vilnius University, Vilnius 10257, Lithuania
| | - Jan Potempa
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków PL-30-387, Poland
- Department of Oral Immunology and Infectious Diseases, School of Dentistry, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, USA
| | - Maria Solà
- Department of Structural Biology, Molecular Biology Institute of Barcelona, CSIC, Barcelona Science Park, Barcelona E-08028, Spain
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3
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Minamino T, Kinoshita M, Morimoto YV, Namba K. Activation mechanism of the bacterial flagellar dual-fuel protein export engine. Biophys Physicobiol 2022; 19:e190046. [PMID: 36567733 PMCID: PMC9751260 DOI: 10.2142/biophysico.bppb-v19.0046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteria employ the flagellar type III secretion system (fT3SS) to construct flagellum, which acts as a supramolecular motility machine. The fT3SS of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is composed of a transmembrane export gate complex and a cytoplasmic ATPase ring complex. The transmembrane export gate complex is fueled by proton motive force across the cytoplasmic membrane and is divided into four distinct functional parts: a dual-fuel export engine; a polypeptide channel; a membrane voltage sensor; and a docking platform. ATP hydrolysis by the cytoplasmic ATPase complex converts the export gate complex into a highly efficient proton (H+)/protein antiporter that couples inward-directed H+ flow with outward-directed protein export. When the ATPase ring complex does not work well in a given environment, the export gate complex will remain inactive. However, when the electric potential difference, which is defined as membrane voltage, rises above a certain threshold value, the export gate complex becomes an active H+/protein antiporter to a considerable degree, suggesting that the export gate complex has a voltage-gated activation mechanism. Furthermore, the export gate complex also has a sodium ion (Na+) channel to couple Na+ influx with flagellar protein export. In this article, we review our current understanding of the activation mechanism of the dual-fuel protein export engine of the fT3SS. This review article is an extended version of a Japanese article, Membrane voltage-dependent activation of the transmembrane export gate complex in the bacterial flagellar type III secretion system, published in SEIBUTSU BUTSURI Vol. 62, p165-169 (2022).
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Affiliation(s)
- Tohru Minamino
- Graduate school of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Miki Kinoshita
- Graduate school of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Yusuke V. Morimoto
- Department of Physics and Information Technology, Faculty of Computer Science and Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Iizuka, Fukuoka 820-8502, Japan,Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan
| | - Keiichi Namba
- Graduate school of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan,RIKEN SPring-8 Center, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan,JEOL YOKOGUSHI Research Alliance Laboratories, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
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FliL Differentially Interacts with Two Stator Systems To Regulate Flagellar Motor Output in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Appl Environ Microbiol 2022; 88:e0153922. [PMID: 36286538 PMCID: PMC9680632 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01539-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
FliL emerged as a modulator of flagellar motor function in several bacterial species, but its function in
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
was unknown. Here, by performing single-motor studies using a bead assay, we elucidated its effects on the flagellar motor in
P. aeruginosa
.
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Minamino T, Kinoshita M, Namba K. Insight Into Distinct Functional Roles of the Flagellar ATPase Complex for Flagellar Assembly in Salmonella. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:864178. [PMID: 35602071 PMCID: PMC9114704 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.864178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Most motile bacteria utilize the flagellar type III secretion system (fT3SS) to construct the flagellum, which is a supramolecular motility machine consisting of basal body rings and an axial structure. Each axial protein is translocated via the fT3SS across the cytoplasmic membrane, diffuses down the central channel of the growing flagellar structure and assembles at the distal end. The fT3SS consists of a transmembrane export complex and a cytoplasmic ATPase ring complex with a stoichiometry of 12 FliH, 6 FliI and 1 FliJ. This complex is structurally similar to the cytoplasmic part of the FOF1 ATP synthase. The export complex requires the FliH12-FliI6-FliJ1 ring complex to serve as an active protein transporter. The FliI6 ring has six catalytic sites and hydrolyzes ATP at an interface between FliI subunits. FliJ binds to the center of the FliI6 ring and acts as the central stalk to activate the export complex. The FliH dimer binds to the N-terminal domain of each of the six FliI subunits and anchors the FliI6-FliJ1 ring to the base of the flagellum. In addition, FliI exists as a hetero-trimer with the FliH dimer in the cytoplasm. The rapid association-dissociation cycle of this hetero-trimer with the docking platform of the export complex promotes sequential transfer of export substrates from the cytoplasm to the export gate for high-speed protein transport. In this article, we review our current understanding of multiple roles played by the flagellar cytoplasmic ATPase complex during efficient flagellar assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tohru Minamino
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Miki Kinoshita
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Keiichi Namba
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.,RIKEN SPring-8 Center and Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Osaka, Japan.,JEOL YOKOGUSHI Research Alliance Laboratories, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
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Tachiyama S, Skaar R, Chang Y, Carroll BL, Muthuramalingam M, Whittier SK, Barta ML, Picking WL, Liu J, Picking WD. Composition and Biophysical Properties of the Sorting Platform Pods in the Shigella Type III Secretion System. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 11:682635. [PMID: 34150677 PMCID: PMC8211105 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.682635] [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: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Shigella flexneri, causative agent of bacillary dysentery (shigellosis), uses a type III secretion system (T3SS) as its primary virulence factor. The T3SS injectisome delivers effector proteins into host cells to promote entry and create an important intracellular niche. The injectisome's cytoplasmic sorting platform (SP) is a critical assembly that contributes to substrate selection and energizing secretion. The SP consists of oligomeric Spa33 "pods" that associate with the basal body via MxiK and connect to the Spa47 ATPase via MxiN. The pods contain heterotrimers of Spa33 with one full-length copy associated with two copies of a C-terminal domain (Spa33C). The structure of Spa33C is known, but the precise makeup and structure of the pods in situ remains elusive. We show here that recombinant wild-type Spa33 can be prepared as a heterotrimer that forms distinct stable complexes with MxiK and MxiN. In two-hybrid analyses, association of the Spa33 complex with these proteins occurs via the full-length Spa33 component. Furthermore, these complexes each have distinct biophysical properties. Based on these properties, new high-resolution cryo-electron tomography data and architectural similarities between the Spa33 and flagellar FliM-FliN complexes, we provide a preliminary model of the Spa33 heterotrimers within the SP pods. From these findings and evolving models of SP interfaces and dynamics in the Yersinia and Salmonella T3SS, we suggest a model for SP function in which two distinct complexes come together within the context of the SP to contribute to form the complete pod structures during the recruitment of T3SS secretion substrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shoichi Tachiyama
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, United States,Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States,Microbial Sciences Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT, United States
| | - Ryan Skaar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, United States
| | - Yunjie Chang
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States,Microbial Sciences Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT, United States
| | - Brittany L. Carroll
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States,Microbial Sciences Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT, United States
| | | | - Sean K. Whittier
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, United States
| | - Michael L. Barta
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, United States
| | - Wendy L. Picking
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, United States
| | - Jun Liu
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States,Microbial Sciences Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT, United States
| | - William D. Picking
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, United States,*Correspondence: William D. Picking,
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Qi YH, Huang L, Liu GF, Leng M, Lu GT. PilG and PilH antagonistically control flagellum-dependent and pili-dependent motility in the phytopathogen Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris. BMC Microbiol 2020; 20:37. [PMID: 32070276 PMCID: PMC7029496 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-020-1712-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2019] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The virulence of the plant pathogen Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc) involves the coordinate expression of many virulence factors, including surface appendages flagellum and type IV pili, which are required for pathogenesis and the colonization of host tissues. Despite many insights gained on the structure and functions played by flagellum and pili in motility, biofilm formation, surface attachment and interactions with bacteriophages, we know little about how these appendages are regulated in Xcc. Results Here we present evidence demonstrating the role of two single domain response regulators PilG and PilH in the antagonistic control of flagellum-dependent (swimming) and pili-dependent (swarming) motility. Using informative mutagenesis, we reveal PilG positively regulates swimming motility while and negatively regulating swarming motility. Conversely, PilH negatively regulates swimming behaviour while and positively regulating swarming motility. By transcriptome analyses (RNA-seq and RT-PCR) we confirm these observations as PilG is shown to upregulate many genes involved chemotaxis and flagellar biosynthesis but these similar genes were downregulated by PilH. Co-immunoprecipitation, bacterial two-hybrid and pull-down analyses showed that PilH and PilG were able to interact with district subsets of proteins that potentially account for their regulatory impact. Additionally, we present evidence, using mutagenesis that PilG and PilH are involved in other cellular processes, including chemotaxis and virulence. Conclusions Taken together, we demonstrate that for the conditions tested PilG and PilH have inverse regulatory effects on flagellum-dependent and pili-dependent motility in Xcc and that this regulatory impact depends on these proteins influences on genes/proteins involved in flagellar biosynthesis and pilus assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan-Hua Qi
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, 100 Daxue Road, Nanning, 530004, Guangxi, China
| | - Li Huang
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, 100 Daxue Road, Nanning, 530004, Guangxi, China
| | - Guo-Fang Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, 100 Daxue Road, Nanning, 530004, Guangxi, China
| | - Ming Leng
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, 100 Daxue Road, Nanning, 530004, Guangxi, China
| | - Guang-Tao Lu
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, 100 Daxue Road, Nanning, 530004, Guangxi, China.
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Berkelmann D, Schneider D, Meryandini A, Daniel R. Unravelling the effects of tropical land use conversion on the soil microbiome. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOME 2020; 15:5. [PMID: 33902736 PMCID: PMC8067294 DOI: 10.1186/s40793-020-0353-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Accepted: 01/18/2020] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The consequences of deforestation and agricultural treatments are complex and affect all trophic levels. Changes of microbial community structure and composition associated with rainforest conversion to managed systems such as rubber and oil palm plantations have been shown by 16S rRNA gene analysis previously, but functional profile shifts have been rarely addressed. In this study, we analysed the effects of rainforest conversion to different converted land use systems, including agroforestry ("jungle rubber") and monoculture plantations comprising rubber and oil palm, on soilborne microbial communities by metagenomic shotgun sequencing in Sumatra, Indonesia. RESULTS The diversity of bacteria and archaea decreased whereas diversity of fungi increased in the converted land use systems. The soil microbiome was dominated by bacteria followed by fungi. We detected negative effects of land use conversion on the abundance of Proteobacteria (especially on Rhizobiales and Burkholderiales) and positive effects on the abundance of Acidobacteria and Actinobacteria. These abundance changes were mainly driven by pH, C:N ratio, and Fe, C and N content. With increasing land use intensity, the functional diversity decreased for bacteria, archaea and fungi. Gene abundances of specific metabolisms such as nitrogen metabolism and carbon fixation were affected by land use management practices. The abundance of genes related to denitrification and nitrogen fixation increased in plantations while abundance of genes involved in nitrification and methane oxidation showed no significant difference. Linking taxonomic and functional assignment per read indicated that nitrogen metabolism-related genes were mostly assigned to members of the Rhizobiales and Burkholderiales. Abundances of carbon fixation genes increased also with increasing land use intensity. Motility- and interaction-related genes, especially genes involved in flagellar assembly and chemotaxis genes, decreased towards managed land use systems. This indicated a shift in mobility and interspecific interactions in bacterial communities within these soils. CONCLUSIONS Rainforest conversion to managed land use systems drastically affects structure and functional potential of soil microbial communities. The decrease in motility- and interaction-related functions from rainforest to converted land use systems indicated not only a shift in nutrient cycling but also in community dynamics. Fertilizer application and correspondingly higher availability of nutrients in intensively managed plantations lead to an environment in which interspecific interactions are not favoured compared to rainforest soils. We could directly link effects of land management, microbial community structure and functional potential for several metabolic processes. As our study is the first study of this size and detail on soil microbial communities in tropical systems, we provide a basis for further analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dirk Berkelmann
- Genomic and Applied Microbiology and Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Georg-August-University, Grisebachstr. 8, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Dominik Schneider
- Genomic and Applied Microbiology and Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Georg-August-University, Grisebachstr. 8, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Anja Meryandini
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences IPB, Bogor Agricultural University, Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Rolf Daniel
- Genomic and Applied Microbiology and Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Georg-August-University, Grisebachstr. 8, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
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Minamino T, Kinoshita M, Namba K. Directional Switching Mechanism of the Bacterial Flagellar Motor. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2019; 17:1075-1081. [PMID: 31452860 PMCID: PMC6700473 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2019.07.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Revised: 07/26/2019] [Accepted: 07/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteria sense temporal changes in extracellular stimuli via sensory signal transducers and move by rotating flagella towards into a favorable environment for their survival. Each flagellum is a supramolecular motility machine consisting of a bi-directional rotary motor, a universal joint and a helical propeller. The signal transducers transmit environmental signals to the flagellar motor through a cytoplasmic chemotactic signaling pathway. The flagellar motor is composed of a rotor and multiple stator units, each of which acts as a transmembrane proton channel to conduct protons and exert force on the rotor. FliG, FliM and FliN form the C ring on the cytoplasmic face of the basal body MS ring made of the transmembrane protein FliF and act as the rotor. The C ring also serves as a switching device that enables the motor to spin in both counterclockwise (CCW) and clockwise (CW) directions. The phosphorylated form of the chemotactic signaling protein CheY binds to FliM and FliN to induce conformational changes of the C ring responsible for switching the direction of flagellar motor rotation from CCW to CW. In this mini-review, we will describe current understanding of the switching mechanism of the bacterial flagellar motor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tohru Minamino
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, 1-3 Yamadoaka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Miki Kinoshita
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, 1-3 Yamadoaka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Keiichi Namba
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, 1-3 Yamadoaka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
- RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamic Research & Spring-8 Center, 1-3 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
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10
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Organization of the Flagellar Switch Complex of Bacillus subtilis. J Bacteriol 2019; 201:JB.00626-18. [PMID: 30455280 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00626-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2018] [Accepted: 11/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
While the protein complex responsible for controlling the direction (clockwise [CW] or counterclockwise [CCW]) of flagellar rotation has been fairly well studied in Escherichia coli and Salmonella, less is known about the switch complex in Bacillus subtilis or other Gram-positive species. Two component proteins (FliG and FliM) are shared between E. coli and B. subtilis, but in place of the protein FliN found in E. coli, the B. subtilis complex contains the larger protein FliY. Notably, in B. subtilis the signaling protein CheY-phosphate induces a switch from CW to CCW rotation, opposite to its action in E. coli Here, we have examined the architecture and function of the switch complex in B. subtilis using targeted cross-linking, bacterial two-hybrid protein interaction experiments, and characterization of mutant phenotypes. In major respects, the B. subtilis switch complex appears to be organized similarly to that in E. coli The complex is organized around a ring built from the large middle domain of FliM; this ring supports an array of FliG subunits organized in a similar way to that of E. coli, with the FliG C-terminal domain functioning in the generation of torque via conserved charged residues. Key differences from E. coli involve the middle domain of FliY, which forms an additional, more outboard array, and the C-terminal domains of FliM and FliY, which are organized into both FliY homodimers and FliM heterodimers. Together, the results suggest that the CW and CCW conformational states are similar in the Gram-negative and Gram-positive switches but that CheY-phosphate drives oppositely directed movements in the two cases.IMPORTANCE Flagellar motility plays key roles in the survival of many bacteria and in the harmful action of many pathogens. Bacterial flagella rotate; the direction of flagellar rotation is controlled by a multisubunit protein complex termed the switch complex. This complex has been extensively studied in Gram-negative model species, but little is known about the complex in Bacillus subtilis or other Gram-positive species. Notably, the switch complex in Gram-positive species responds to its effector CheY-phosphate (CheY-P) by switching to CCW rotation, whereas in E. coli or Salmonella CheY-P acts in the opposite way, promoting CW rotation. In the work here, the architecture of the B. subtilis switch complex has been probed using cross-linking, protein interaction measurements, and mutational approaches. The results cast light on the organization of the complex and provide a framework for understanding the mechanism of flagellar direction control in B. subtilis and other Gram-positive species.
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Molecular Organization and Assembly of the Export Apparatus of Flagellar Type III Secretion Systems. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol 2019; 427:91-107. [PMID: 31172377 DOI: 10.1007/82_2019_170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The bacterial flagellum is a supramolecular motility machine consisting of the basal body, the hook, and the filament. For construction of the flagellum beyond the cellular membranes, a type III protein export apparatus uses ATP and proton-motive force (PMF) across the cytoplasmic membrane as the energy sources to transport flagellar component proteins from the cytoplasm to the distal end of the growing flagellar structure. The protein export apparatus consists of a PMF-driven transmembrane export gate complex and a cytoplasmic ATPase complex. In addition, the basal body C ring acts as a sorting platform for the cytoplasmic ATPase complex that efficiently brings export substrates and type III export chaperone-substrate complexes from the cytoplasm to the export gate complex. In this book chapter, we will summarize our current understanding of molecular organization and assembly of the flagellar type III protein export apparatus.
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12
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Cryo-electron tomography of periplasmic flagella in Borrelia burgdorferi reveals a distinct cytoplasmic ATPase complex. PLoS Biol 2018; 16:e3000050. [PMID: 30412577 PMCID: PMC6248999 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2018] [Revised: 11/21/2018] [Accepted: 10/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Periplasmic flagella are essential for the distinct morphology and motility of spirochetes. A flagella-specific type III secretion system (fT3SS) composed of a membrane-bound export apparatus and a cytosolic ATPase complex is responsible for the assembly of the periplasmic flagella. Here, we deployed cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) to visualize the fT3SS machine in the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. We show, for the first time, that the cytosolic ATPase complex is attached to the flagellar C-ring through multiple spokes to form the “spoke and hub” structure in B. burgdorferi. This structure not only strengthens structural rigidity of the round-shaped C-ring but also appears to rotate with the C-ring. Our studies provide structural insights into the unique mechanisms underlying assembly and rotation of the periplasmic flagella and may provide the basis for the development of novel therapeutic strategies against several pathogenic spirochetes. Cryo-electron tomography of periplasmic flagella in the Lyme disease bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi reveals it to have a distinct cytoplasmic ATPase complex and an atypical interaction with the flagellar C-ring. Type III secretion systems are widely utilized by gram-negative bacteria to assemble flagella or to transport virulence effectors into eukaryotic cells. The central component is known as a type III secretion machine, which consists of a membrane-bound export apparatus and a cytosolic ATPase complex. Powered by the proton motive force and ATP hydrolysis, the secretion machine is responsible for substrate recognition and export. Here, we use the Lyme disease spirochete B. burgdorferi as a model system to unveil unprecedented structural details of the intact flagellar secretion machine by high-throughput cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) and subtomogram averaging. We provide the first structural evidence that the cytosolic ATPase complex is attached to the flagellar C-ring through multiple spokes to form the “spoke and hub” structure in B. burgdorferi. The novel architecture of the ATPase complex not only strengthens the flagellar C-ring but also enables an optimal translocation of substrates through the ATPase complex and the export apparatus.
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Ford KM, Antani JD, Nagarajan A, Johnson MM, Lele PP. Switching and Torque Generation in Swarming E. coli. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:2197. [PMID: 30279682 PMCID: PMC6153309 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.02197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2018] [Accepted: 08/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Escherichia coli swarm on semi-solid surfaces with the aid of flagella. It has been hypothesized that swarmer cells overcome the increased viscous drag near surfaces by developing higher flagellar thrust and by promoting surface wetness with the aid of a flagellar switch. The switch enables reversals between clockwise (CW) and counterclockwise (CCW) directions of rotation of the flagellar motor. Here, we measured the behavior of flagellar motors in swarmer cells. Results indicated that although the torque was similar to that in planktonic cells, the tendency to rotate CCW was higher in swarmer cells. This suggested that swarmers likely have a smaller pool of phosphorylated CheY. Results further indicated that the upregulation of the flagellin gene was not critical for flagellar thrust or swarming. Consistent with earlier reports, moisture added to the swarm surface restored swarming in a CCW-only mutant, but not in a FliG mutant that rotated motors CW-only (FliGCW). Fluorescence assays revealed that FliGCW cells grown on agar surfaces carried fewer flagella than planktonic FliGCW cells. The surface-dependent reduction in flagella correlated with a reduction in the number of putative flagellar preassemblies. These results hint toward a possibility that the conformational dynamics of switch proteins play a role in the proper assembly of flagellar complexes and flagellar export, thereby aiding bacterial swarming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie M Ford
- Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Jyot D Antani
- Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Aravindh Nagarajan
- Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Madeline M Johnson
- Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Pushkar P Lele
- Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
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Fabiani FD, Renault TT, Peters B, Dietsche T, Gálvez EJC, Guse A, Freier K, Charpentier E, Strowig T, Franz-Wachtel M, Macek B, Wagner S, Hensel M, Erhardt M. A flagellum-specific chaperone facilitates assembly of the core type III export apparatus of the bacterial flagellum. PLoS Biol 2017; 15:e2002267. [PMID: 28771474 PMCID: PMC5542435 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2002267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2017] [Accepted: 06/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Many bacteria move using a complex, self-assembling nanomachine, the bacterial flagellum. Biosynthesis of the flagellum depends on a flagellar-specific type III secretion system (T3SS), a protein export machine homologous to the export machinery of the virulence-associated injectisome. Six cytoplasmic (FliH/I/J/G/M/N) and seven integral-membrane proteins (FlhA/B FliF/O/P/Q/R) form the flagellar basal body and are involved in the transport of flagellar building blocks across the inner membrane in a proton motive force-dependent manner. However, how the large, multi-component transmembrane export gate complex assembles in a coordinated manner remains enigmatic. Specific for most flagellar T3SSs is the presence of FliO, a small bitopic membrane protein with a large cytoplasmic domain. The function of FliO is unknown, but homologs of FliO are found in >80% of all flagellated bacteria. Here, we demonstrate that FliO protects FliP from proteolytic degradation and promotes the formation of a stable FliP–FliR complex required for the assembly of a functional core export apparatus. We further reveal the subcellular localization of FliO by super-resolution microscopy and show that FliO is not part of the assembled flagellar basal body. In summary, our results suggest that FliO functions as a novel, flagellar T3SS-specific chaperone, which facilitates quality control and productive assembly of the core T3SS export machinery. Many bacteria use the bacterial flagellum for directed movement in various environments. The assembly and function of the bacterial flagellum and the related virulence-associated injectisome relies on protein export via a conserved type III secretion system (T3SS). The multicomponent transmembrane core export apparatus of the flagellar T3SS consists of FlhA/B and FliP/Q/R and must assemble in a highly coordinated manner. In the present study, we determined the role of the transmembrane protein FliO in the maturation of the flagellar core protein export apparatus. We show that FliO functions as a flagellum-specific chaperone during the initial step of export apparatus assembly. FliO facilitates the efficient formation of a stable FliP–FliR core complex and is thus required for quality management and productive assembly of the flagellar export apparatus. Our results suggest a coordinated assembly process of the flagellar core export apparatus that nucleates with the FliO-dependent formation of a FliP–FliR complex. Subsequent incorporation of FliQ, FlhB, and FlhA leads to the assembly of a secretion-competent flagellar T3SS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian D. Fabiani
- Junior Research Group Infection Biology of Salmonella, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Thibaud T. Renault
- Junior Research Group Infection Biology of Salmonella, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Britta Peters
- Abteilung Mikrobiologie, Fachbereich Biologie/Chemie, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Tobias Dietsche
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine (IMIT), Section of Cellular and Molecular Microbiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Eric J. C. Gálvez
- Junior Research Group Microbial Immune Regulation, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Alina Guse
- Junior Research Group Infection Biology of Salmonella, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Karen Freier
- Junior Research Group Infection Biology of Salmonella, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | | | - Till Strowig
- Junior Research Group Microbial Immune Regulation, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | | | - Boris Macek
- Proteome Center Tübingen, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Samuel Wagner
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine (IMIT), Section of Cellular and Molecular Microbiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner-site Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Michael Hensel
- Abteilung Mikrobiologie, Fachbereich Biologie/Chemie, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Marc Erhardt
- Junior Research Group Infection Biology of Salmonella, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
- * E-mail:
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15
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Abstract
Type III secretion systems (T3SSs) afford Gram-negative bacteria an intimate means of altering the biology of their eukaryotic hosts--the direct delivery of effector proteins from the bacterial cytoplasm to that of the eukaryote. This incredible biophysical feat is accomplished by nanosyringe "injectisomes," which form a conduit across the three plasma membranes, peptidoglycan layer, and extracellular space that form a barrier to the direct delivery of proteins from bacterium to host. The focus of this chapter is T3SS function at the structural level; we will summarize the core findings that have shaped our understanding of the structure and function of these systems and highlight recent developments in the field. In turn, we describe the T3SS secretory apparatus, consider its engagement with secretion substrates, and discuss the posttranslational regulation of secretory function. Lastly, we close with a discussion of the future prospects for the interrogation of structure-function relationships in the T3SS.
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16
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Vincent MS, Durand E, Cascales E. The PorX Response Regulator of the Porphyromonas gingivalis PorXY Two-Component System Does Not Directly Regulate the Type IX Secretion Genes but Binds the PorL Subunit. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2016; 6:96. [PMID: 27630829 PMCID: PMC5005315 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2016.00096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2016] [Accepted: 08/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The Type IX secretion system (T9SS) is a versatile multi-protein complex restricted to bacteria of the Bacteriodetes phylum and responsible for the secretion or cell surface exposition of diverse proteins that participate to S-layer formation, gliding motility or pathogenesis. The T9SS is poorly characterized but a number of proteins involved in the assembly of the secretion apparatus in the oral pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis have been identified based on genome substractive analyses. Among these proteins, PorY, and PorX encode typical two-component system (TCS) sensor and CheY-like response regulator respectively. Although the porX and porY genes do not localize at the same genetic locus, it has been proposed that PorXY form a bona fide TCS. Deletion of porX in P. gingivalis causes a slight decrease of the expression of a number of other T9SS genes, including sov, porT, porP, porK, porL, porM, porN, and porY. Here, we show that PorX and the soluble cytoplasmic domain of PorY interact. Using electrophoretic mobility shift, DNA-protein co-purification and heterologous host expression assays, we demonstrate that PorX does not bind T9SS gene promoters and does not directly regulate expression of the T9SS genes. Finally, we show that PorX interacts with the cytoplasmic domain of PorL, a component of the T9SS membrane core complex and propose that the CheY-like PorX protein might be involved in the dynamics of the T9SS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxence S Vincent
- Laboratoire d'Ingénierie des Systèmes Macromoléculaires, Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée, Aix-Marseille Université - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (UMR7255) Marseille, France
| | - Eric Durand
- Laboratoire d'Ingénierie des Systèmes Macromoléculaires, Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée, Aix-Marseille Université - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (UMR7255) Marseille, France
| | - Eric Cascales
- Laboratoire d'Ingénierie des Systèmes Macromoléculaires, Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée, Aix-Marseille Université - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (UMR7255) Marseille, France
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Phillips AM, Calvo RA, Kearns DB. Functional Activation of the Flagellar Type III Secretion Export Apparatus. PLoS Genet 2015; 11:e1005443. [PMID: 26244495 PMCID: PMC4526659 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1005443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2015] [Accepted: 07/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Flagella are assembled sequentially from the inside-out with morphogenetic checkpoints that enforce the temporal order of subunit addition. Here we show that flagellar basal bodies fail to proceed to hook assembly at high frequency in the absence of the monotopic protein SwrB of Bacillus subtilis. Genetic suppressor analysis indicates that SwrB activates the flagellar type III secretion export apparatus by the membrane protein FliP. Furthermore, mutants defective in the flagellar C-ring phenocopy the absence of SwrB for reduced hook frequency and C-ring defects may be bypassed either by SwrB overexpression or by a gain-of-function allele in the polymerization domain of FliG. We conclude that SwrB enhances the probability that the flagellar basal body adopts a conformation proficient for secretion to ensure that rod and hook subunits are not secreted in the absence of a suitable platform on which to polymerize.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew M. Phillips
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Rebecca A. Calvo
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Daniel B. Kearns
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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18
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Onoue Y, Kojima S, Homma M. Effect of FliG three amino acids deletion in Vibrio polar-flagellar rotation and formation. J Biochem 2015; 158:523-9. [PMID: 26142283 DOI: 10.1093/jb/mvv068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2015] [Accepted: 06/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Most of bacteria can swim by rotating flagella bidirectionally. The C ring, located at the bottom of the flagellum and in the cytoplasmic space, consists of FliG, FliM and FliN, and has an important function in flagellar protein secretion, torque generation and rotational switch of the motor. FliG is the most important part of the C ring that interacts directly with a stator subunit. Here, we introduced a three-amino acids in-frame deletion mutation (ΔPSA) into FliG from Vibrio alginolyticus, whose corresponding mutation in Salmonella confers a switch-locked phenotype, and examined its phenotype. We found that this FliG mutant could not produce flagellar filaments in a fliG null strain but the FliG(ΔPSA) protein could localize at the cell pole as does the wild-type protein. Unexpectedly, when this mutant was expressed in a wild-type strain, cells formed flagella efficiently but the motor could not rotate. We propose that this different phenotype in Vibrio and Salmonella might be due to distinct interactions between FliG mutant and FliM in the C ring between the bacterial species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasuhiro Onoue
- Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan
| | - Seiji Kojima
- Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan
| | - Michio Homma
- Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan
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19
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Bai F, Morimoto YV, Yoshimura SDJ, Hara N, Kami-Ike N, Namba K, Minamino T. Assembly dynamics and the roles of FliI ATPase of the bacterial flagellar export apparatus. Sci Rep 2014; 4:6528. [PMID: 25284201 PMCID: PMC4185386 DOI: 10.1038/srep06528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2014] [Accepted: 09/15/2014] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
For construction of the bacterial flagellum, FliI ATPase forms the FliH2-FliI complex in the cytoplasm and localizes to the flagellar basal body (FBB) through the interaction of FliH with a C ring protein, FliN. FliI also assembles into a homo-hexamer to promote initial entry of export substrates into the export gate. The interaction of FliH with an export gate protein, FlhA, is required for stable anchoring of the FliI6 ring to the gate. Here we report the stoichiometry and assembly dynamics of FliI-YFP by fluorescence microscopy with single molecule precision. More than six FliI-YFP molecules were associated with the FBB through interactions of FliH with FliN and FlhA. Single FliI-YFP molecule exchanges between the FBB-localized and free-diffusing ones were observed several times per minute. Neither the number of FliI-YFP associated with the FBB nor FliI-YFP turnover rate were affected by catalytic mutations in FliI, indicating that ATP hydrolysis by FliI does not drive the assembly-disassembly cycle of FliI during flagellar assembly. We propose that the FliH2FliI complex and FliI6 ring function as a dynamic substrate carrier and a static substrate loader, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fan Bai
- 1] Biodynamic Optical Imaging Center, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China [2] Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, 1-3 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan [3]
| | - Yusuke V Morimoto
- 1] Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, 1-3 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan [2] Quantitative Biology Center, RIKEN, 6-2-3 Furuedai, Suita, Osaka 565-0874, Japan [3]
| | - Shinsuke D J Yoshimura
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, 1-3 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Noritaka Hara
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, 1-3 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Nobunori Kami-Ike
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, 1-3 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Keiichi Namba
- 1] Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, 1-3 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan [2] Quantitative Biology Center, RIKEN, 6-2-3 Furuedai, Suita, Osaka 565-0874, Japan
| | - Tohru Minamino
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, 1-3 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
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20
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Abrusci P, McDowell MA, Lea SM, Johnson S. Building a secreting nanomachine: a structural overview of the T3SS. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2014; 25:111-7. [PMID: 24704748 PMCID: PMC4045390 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2013.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2013] [Revised: 11/05/2013] [Accepted: 11/06/2013] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Flagellar and non-flagellar T3SS are built assembling homologous protein machineries. Unified nomenclature for non-flagellar T3SS. New model of the T3SS needle is consistent with the flagellar filament, both in terms of helical parameters and orientation. Structural and functional implication of the new architecture of the T3SS export apparatus and ATPase complex.
To fulfill complex biological tasks, such as locomotion and protein translocation, bacteria assemble macromolecular nanomachines. One such nanodevice, the type III secretion system (T3SS), has evolved to provide a means of transporting proteins from the bacterial cytoplasm across the periplasmic and extracellular spaces. T3SS can be broadly classified into two highly homologous families: the flagellar T3SS which drive cell motility, and the non-flagellar T3SS (NF-T3SS) that inject effector proteins into eukaryotic host cells, a trait frequently associated with virulence. Although the structures and symmetries of ancillary components of the T3SS have diversified to match requirements of different species adapted to different niches, recent genetic, molecular and structural studies demonstrate that these systems are built by arranging homologous modular protein assemblies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrizia Abrusci
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, Oxford University, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RE, United Kingdom
| | - Melanie A McDowell
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, Oxford University, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RE, United Kingdom
| | - Susan M Lea
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, Oxford University, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RE, United Kingdom.
| | - Steven Johnson
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, Oxford University, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RE, United Kingdom
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21
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High hydrostatic pressure induces counterclockwise to clockwise reversals of the Escherichia coli flagellar motor. J Bacteriol 2013; 195:1809-14. [PMID: 23417485 DOI: 10.1128/jb.02139-12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The bacterial flagellar motor is a reversible rotary machine that rotates a left-handed helical filament, allowing bacteria to swim toward a more favorable environment. The direction of rotation reverses from counterclockwise (CCW) to clockwise (CW), and vice versa, in response to input from the chemotaxis signaling circuit. CW rotation is normally caused by binding of the phosphorylated response regulator CheY (CheY-P), and strains lacking CheY are typically locked in CCW rotation. The detailed mechanism of switching remains unresolved because it is technically difficult to regulate the level of CheY-P within the concentration range that produces flagellar reversals. Here, we demonstrate that high hydrostatic pressure can induce CW rotation even in the absence of CheY-P. The rotation of single flagellar motors in Escherichia coli cells with the cheY gene deleted was monitored at various pressures and temperatures. Application of >120 MPa pressure induced a reversal from CCW to CW at 20°C, although at that temperature, no motor rotated CW at ambient pressure (0.1 MPa). At lower temperatures, pressure-induced changes in direction were observed at pressures of <120 MPa. CW rotation increased with pressure in a sigmoidal fashion, as it does in response to increasing concentrations of CheY-P. Application of pressure generally promotes the formation of clusters of ordered water molecules on the surfaces of proteins. It is possible that hydration of the switch complex at high pressure induces structural changes similar to those caused by the binding of CheY-P.
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Interaction of the extreme N-terminal region of FliH with FlhA is required for efficient bacterial flagellar protein export. J Bacteriol 2012; 194:5353-60. [PMID: 22843851 DOI: 10.1128/jb.01028-12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The flagellar type III protein export apparatus plays an essential role in the formation of the bacterial flagellum. FliH forms a complex along with FliI ATPase and is postulated to provide a link between FliI ring formation and flagellar protein export. Two tryptophan residues of FliH, Trp7 and Trp10, are required for the effective docking of the FliH-FliI complex to the export gate made of six membrane proteins. However, it remains unknown which export gate component interacts with these two tryptophan residues. Here, we performed targeted photo-cross-linking of the extreme N-terminal region of FliH (FliH(EN)) with its binding partners. We replaced Trp7 and Trp10 of FliH with p-benzoyl-phenylalanine (pBPA), a photo-cross-linkable unnatural amino acid, to produce FliH(W7pBPA) and FliH(W10pBPA). They were both functional and were photo-cross-linked with one of the export gate proteins, FlhA, but not with the other gate proteins, indicating that these two tryptophan residues are in close proximity to FlhA. Mutant FlhA proteins that are functional in the presence of FliH and FliI but not in their absence showed a significantly reduced function also by N-terminal FliH mutations even in the presence of FliI. We suggest that the interaction of FliH(EN) with FlhA is required for anchoring the FliI hexamer ring to the export gate for efficient flagellar protein export.
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23
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Levenson R, Zhou H, Dahlquist FW. Structural insights into the interaction between the bacterial flagellar motor proteins FliF and FliG. Biochemistry 2012; 51:5052-60. [PMID: 22670715 DOI: 10.1021/bi3004582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The binding of the soluble cytoplasmic protein FliG to the transmembrane protein FliF is one of the first interactions in the assembly of the bacterial flagellum. Once established, this interaction is integral in keeping the flagellar cytoplasmic ring, responsible for both transmission of torque and control of the rotational direction of the flagellum, anchored to the central transmembrane ring on which the flagellum is assembled. Here we isolate and characterize the interaction between the N-terminal domain of Thermotoga maritima FliG (FliG(N)) and peptides corresponding to the conserved C-terminal portion of T. maritima FliF. Using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and other techniques, we show that the last ~40 amino acids of FliF (FliF(C)) interact strongly (upper bound K(d) in the low nanomolar range) with FliG(N). The formation of this complex causes extensive conformational changes in FliG(N). We find that T. maritima FliG(N) is homodimeric in the absence of the FliF(C) peptide but forms a heterodimeric complex with the peptide, and we show that this same change in oligomeric state occurs in full-length T. maritima FliG, as well. We relate previously observed phenotypic effects of FliF(C) mutations to our direct observation of binding. Lastly, on the basis of NMR data, we propose that the primary interaction site for FliF(C) is located on a conserved hydrophobic patch centered along helix 1 of FliG(N). These results provide new detailed information about the bacterial flagellar motor and support efforts to understand the cytoplasmic ring's precise molecular structure and mechanism of rotational switching.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Levenson
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106-9510, USA
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24
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Bzymek KP, Hamaoka BY, Ghosh P. Two translation products of Yersinia yscQ assemble to form a complex essential to type III secretion. Biochemistry 2012; 51:1669-77. [PMID: 22320351 PMCID: PMC3289748 DOI: 10.1021/bi201792p] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The bacterial flagellar C-ring is composed of two essential proteins, FliM and FliN. The smaller protein, FliN, is similar to the C-terminus of the larger protein, FliM, both being composed of SpoA domains. While bacterial type III secretion (T3S) systems encode many proteins in common with the flagellum, they mostly have a single protein in place of FliM and FliN. This protein resembles FliM at its N-terminus and is as large as FliM but is more like FliN at its C-terminal SpoA domain. We have discovered that a FliN-sized cognate indeed exists in the Yersinia T3S system to accompany the FliM-sized cognate. The FliN-sized cognate, YscQ-C, is the product of an internal translation initiation site within the locus encoding the FliM-sized cognate YscQ. Both intact YscQ and YscQ-C were found to be required for T3S, indicating that the internal translation initiation site, which is conserved in some but not all YscQ orthologs, is crucial for function. The crystal structure of YscQ-C revealed a SpoA domain that forms a highly intertwined, domain-swapped homodimer, similar to those observed in FliN and the YscQ ortholog HrcQ(B). A single YscQ-C homodimer associated reversibly with a single molecule of intact YscQ, indicating conformational differences between the SpoA domains of intact YscQ and YscQ-C. A "snap-back" mechanism suggested by the structure can account for this. The 1:2 YscQ-YscQ-C complex is a close mimic of the 1:4 FliM-FliN complex and the likely building block of the putative Yersinia T3S system C-ring.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Partho Ghosh
- Corresponding Author: Phone: 858-822-1139. Fax: 858-822-2871.
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Minamino T, Kinoshita M, Imada K, Namba K. Interaction between FliI ATPase and a flagellar chaperone FliT during bacterial flagellar protein export. Mol Microbiol 2011; 83:168-78. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2011.07924.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Adjusting the spokes of the flagellar motor with the DNA-binding protein H-NS. J Bacteriol 2011; 193:5914-22. [PMID: 21890701 DOI: 10.1128/jb.05458-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The H-NS protein of bacteria is a global regulator that stimulates transcription of flagellar genes and that also acts directly to modulate flagellar motor function. H-NS is known to bind FliG, a protein of the rotor that interacts with the stator and is directly involved in rotation of the motor. Here, we find that H-NS, well known for its ability to organize DNA, acts in the flagellar motor to organize protein subunits in the rotor. It binds to a middle domain of FliG that bridges the core parts of the rotor and parts nearer the edge that interact with the stator. In the absence of H-NS the organization of FliG subunits is disrupted, whereas overexpression of H-NS enhances FliG organization as monitored by targeted disulfide cross-linking, alters the disposition of a helix joining the middle and C-terminal domains of FliG, and enhances motor performance under conditions requiring a strengthened rotor-stator interface. The H-NS homolog StpA was also shown to bind FliG and to act similarly, though less effectively, in organizing FliG. The motility-enhancing effects of H-NS contrast with those of the recently characterized motility inhibitor YcgR. The present findings provide an integrated, structurally grounded framework for understanding the roughly opposing effects of these motility regulators.
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Paul K, Gonzalez-Bonet G, Bilwes AM, Crane BR, Blair D. Architecture of the flagellar rotor. EMBO J 2011; 30:2962-71. [PMID: 21673656 DOI: 10.1038/emboj.2011.188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2011] [Accepted: 05/18/2011] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Rotation and switching of the bacterial flagellum depends on a large rotor-mounted protein assembly composed of the proteins FliG, FliM and FliN, with FliG most directly involved in rotation. The crystal structure of a complex between the central domains of FliG and FliM, in conjunction with several biochemical and molecular-genetic experiments, reveals the arrangement of the FliG and FliM proteins in the rotor. A stoichiometric mismatch between FliG (26 subunits) and FliM (34 subunits) is explained in terms of two distinct positions for FliM: one where it binds the FliG central domain and another where it binds the FliG C-terminal domain. This architecture provides a structural framework for addressing the mechanisms of motor rotation and direction switching and for unifying the large body of data on motor performance. Recently proposed alternative models of rotor assembly, based on a subunit contact observed in crystals, are not supported by experiment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koushik Paul
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
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28
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Chemotaxis signaling protein CheY binds to the rotor protein FliN to control the direction of flagellar rotation in Escherichia coli. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2010; 107:9370-5. [PMID: 20439729 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1000935107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 136] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The direction of rotation of the Escherichia coli flagellum is controlled by an assembly called the switch complex formed from multiple subunits of the proteins FliG, FliM, and FliN. Structurally, the switch complex corresponds to a drum-shaped feature at the bottom of the basal body, termed the C-ring. Stimulus-regulated reversals in flagellar motor rotation are the basis for directed movement such as chemotaxis. In E. coli, the motors turn counterclockwise (CCW) in their default state, allowing the several filaments on a cell to join together in a bundle and propel the cell smoothly forward. In response to the chemotaxis signaling molecule phospho-CheY (CheY(P)), the motors can switch to clockwise (CW) rotation, causing dissociation of the filament bundle and reorientation of the cell. CheY(P) has previously been shown to bind to a conserved segment near the N terminus of FliM. Here, we show that this interaction serves to capture CheY(P) and that the switch to CW rotation involves the subsequent interaction of CheY(P) with FliN. FliN is located at the bottom of the C-ring, in close association with the C-terminal domain of FliM (FliM(C)), and the switch to CW rotation has been shown to involve relative movement of FliN and FliM(C). Using a recently developed structural model for the FliN/FliM(C) array, and the CheY(P)-binding site here identified on FliN, we propose a mechanism by which CheY(P) binding could induce the conformational switch to CW rotation.
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Erhardt M, Hirano T, Su Y, Paul K, Wee DH, Mizuno S, Aizawa SI, Hughes KT. The role of the FliK molecular ruler in hook-length control in Salmonella enterica. Mol Microbiol 2010; 75:1272-84. [PMID: 20132451 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2010.07050.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
A molecular ruler, FliK, controls the length of the flagellar hook. FliK measures hook length and catalyses the secretion-substrate specificity switch from rod-hook substrate specificity to late substrate secretion, which includes the filament subunits. Here, we show normal hook-length control and filament assembly in the complete absence of the C-ring thus refuting the previous 'cup' model for hook-length control. Mutants of C-ring components, which are reported to produce short hooks, show a reduced rate of hook-basal body assembly thereby allowing for a premature secretion-substrate specificity switch. Unlike fliK null mutants, hook-length control in an autocleavage-defective mutant of flhB, the protein responsible for the switch to late substrate secretion, is completely abolished. FliK deletion variants that retain the ability to measure hook length are secreted thus demonstrating that FliK directly measures rod-hook length during the secretion process. Finally, we present a unifying model accounting for all published data on hook-length control in which FliK acts as a molecular ruler that takes measurements of rod-hook length while being intermittently secreted during the assembly process of the hook-basal body complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Erhardt
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
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31
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Isolation of basal bodies with C-ring components from the Na+-driven flagellar motor of Vibrio alginolyticus. J Bacteriol 2010; 192:375-8. [PMID: 19880601 DOI: 10.1128/jb.01121-09] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
To investigate the Na(+)-driven flagellar motor of Vibrio alginolyticus, we attempted to isolate its C-ring structure. FliG but not FliM copurified with the basal bodies. FliM proteins may be easily dissociated from the basal body. We could detect FliG on the MS ring surface of the basal bodies.
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Minamino T, Yoshimura SDJ, Morimoto YV, González-Pedrajo B, Kami-ike N, Namba K. Roles of the extreme N-terminal region of FliH for efficient localization of the FliHâFliI complex to the bacterial flagellar type III export apparatus. Mol Microbiol 2009; 74:1471-83. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2009.06946.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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Sarkar MK, Paul K, Blair DF. Subunit organization and reversal-associated movements in the flagellar switch of Escherichia coli. J Biol Chem 2009; 285:675-84. [PMID: 19858188 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m109.068676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacterial flagella contain a rotor-mounted protein complex termed the switch complex that functions in flagellar assembly, rotation, and clockwise/counterclockwise direction control. In Escherichia coli and Salmonella, the switch complex contains the proteins FliG, FliM, and FliN and corresponds structurally with the C-ring in the flagellar basal body. Certain features of subunit organization in the switch complex have been deduced previously, but details of subunit organization in the lower part of the C-ring and the molecular movements responsible for motor switching remain unclear. In this study, we use cross-linking, binding, and mutational experiments to examine subunit organization in the bottom of the C-ring and to probe movements that occur upon switching. The results show that FliN tetramers alternate with FliM C-terminal domains to form the bottom of the C-ring in an arrangement that closely reproduces the major features observed in electron microscopic reconstructions. When motors were switched to clockwise rotation by a repellent stimulus, cross-link yields were altered in a pattern indicating relative movement of FliN and FliM(C). These results are discussed in the framework of a structurally grounded hypothesis for the switching mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayukh K Sarkar
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA
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Abstract
Helicobacter pylori uses flagellum-mediated chemotaxis to promote infection. Bacterial flagella change rotational direction by changing the state of the flagellar motor via a subcomplex referred to as the switch. Intriguingly, the H. pylori genome encodes four switch complex proteins, FliM, FliN, FliY, and FliG, instead of the more typical three of Escherichia coli or Bacillus subtilis. Our goal was to examine whether and how all four switch proteins participate in flagellation. Previous work determined that FliG was required for flagellation, and we extend those findings to show that all four switch proteins are necessary for normal numbers of flagellated cells. Furthermore, while fliY and fliN are partially redundant with each other, both are needed for wild-type levels of flagellation. We also report the isolation of an H. pylori strain containing an R54C substitution in fliM, resulting in bacteria that swim constantly and do not change direction. Along with data demonstrating that CheY-phosphate interacts with FliM, these findings suggest that FliM functions in H. pylori much as it does in other organisms.
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Flagellar formation in C-ring-defective mutants by overproduction of FliI, the ATPase specific for flagellar type III secretion. J Bacteriol 2009; 191:6186-91. [PMID: 19648242 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00601-09] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The flagellar cytoplasmic ring (C ring), which consists of three proteins, FliG, FliM, and FliN, is located on the cytoplasmic side of the flagellum. The C ring is a multifunctional structure necessary for flagellar protein secretion, torque generation, and switching of the rotational direction of the motor. The deletion of any one of the fliG, fliM, and fliN genes results in a Fla(-) phenotype. Here, we show that the overproduction of the flagellum-specific ATPase FliI overcomes the inability of basal bodies with partial C-ring structures to produce complete flagella. Flagella made upon FliI overproduction were paralyzed, indicating that an intact C ring is essential for motor function. In FliN- or FliM-deficient mutants, flagellum production was about 10% of the wild-type level, while it was only a few percent in FliG-deficient mutants, suggesting that the size of partial C rings affects the extent of flagellation. For flagella made in C-ring mutants, the hook length varied considerably, with many being markedly shorter or longer than that of the wild type. The broad distribution of hook lengths suggests that defective C rings cannot control the hook length as tightly as the wild type even though FliK and FlhB are both intact.
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Abstract
AbstractThe bacterial flagellar motor is a reversible rotary nano-machine, about 45 nm in diameter, embedded in the bacterial cell envelope. It is powered by the flux of H+or Na+ions across the cytoplasmic membrane driven by an electrochemical gradient, the proton-motive force or the sodium-motive force. Each motor rotates a helical filament at several hundreds of revolutions per second (hertz). In many species, the motor switches direction stochastically, with the switching rates controlled by a network of sensory and signalling proteins. The bacterial flagellar motor was confirmed as a rotary motor in the early 1970s, the first direct observation of the function of a single molecular motor. However, because of the large size and complexity of the motor, much remains to be discovered, in particular, the structural details of the torque-generating mechanism. This review outlines what has been learned about the structure and function of the motor using a combination of genetics, single-molecule and biophysical techniques, with a focus on recent results and single-molecule techniques.
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Minamino T, Imada K, Namba K. Mechanisms of type III protein export for bacterial flagellar assembly. MOLECULAR BIOSYSTEMS 2008; 4:1105-15. [PMID: 18931786 DOI: 10.1039/b808065h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 149] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Flagellar type III protein export is highly organized and well controlled in a timely manner by dynamic, specific and cooperative interactions among components of the export apparatus, allowing the huge and complex macromolecular assembly to be built efficiently. The bacterial flagellum, which is required for motility, consists of a rotary motor, a universal joint and a helical propeller. Most of the flagellar components are translocated to the distal, growing end of the flagellum for assembly through the central channel of the flagellum itself by the flagellar type III protein export apparatus, which is postulated to be located on the cytoplasmic side of the flagellar basal body. The export specificity switching machinery, which consists of at least two proteins that function as a molecular ruler and an export switch, respectively, monitors the state of hook-basal body assembly in the cell exterior and switches export specificity, thereby coupling sequential flagellar gene expression with the flagellar assembly process. The export ATPase complex composed of an ATPase and its regulator acts as a pilot to deliver its export substrate to the export gate and helps initial entry of the substrate N-terminal chain into a narrow pore of the export gate. The energy of ATP hydrolysis appears to be used to disassemble and release the ATPase complex from the protein about to be exported, and the rest of the successive unfolding/translocation process of the long polypeptide chain is driven solely by proton motive force (PMF), perhaps through biased one-dimensional Brownian diffusion. Interestingly, the subunits of the ATPase complex have significant sequence similarities to subunits of F(0)F(1)-ATP synthase, a rotary motor that drives the chemical reaction of ATP synthesis using PMF, and the entire crystal structure of the export ATPase is extremely similar to the alpha/beta subunits of F(0)F(1)-ATP synthase, suggesting that the flagellar export apparatus and F(0)F(1)-ATP synthase share the mechanism for their two distinct functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tohru Minamino
- Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, 1-3 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
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Izallalen M, Mahadevan R, Burgard A, Postier B, Didonato R, Sun J, Schilling CH, Lovley DR. Geobacter sulfurreducens strain engineered for increased rates of respiration. Metab Eng 2008; 10:267-75. [PMID: 18644460 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymben.2008.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2008] [Revised: 06/18/2008] [Accepted: 06/25/2008] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Geobacter species are among the most effective microorganisms known for the bioremediation of radioactive and toxic metals in contaminated subsurface environments and for converting organic compounds to electricity in microbial fuel cells. However, faster rates of electron transfer could aid in optimizing these processes. Therefore, the Optknock strain design methodology was applied in an iterative manner to the constraint-based, in silico model of Geobacter sulfurreducens to identify gene deletions predicted to increase respiration rates. The common factor in the Optknock predictions was that each resulted in a predicted increase in the cellular ATP demand, either by creating ATP-consuming futile cycles or decreasing the availability of reducing equivalents and inorganic phosphate for ATP biosynthesis. The in silico model predicted that increasing the ATP demand would result in higher fluxes of acetate through the TCA cycle and higher rates of NADPH oxidation coupled with decreases in flux in reactions that funnel acetate toward biosynthetic pathways. A strain of G. sulfurreducens was constructed in which the hydrolytic, F(1) portion of the membrane-bound F(0)F(1) (H(+))-ATP synthase complex was expressed when IPTG was added to the medium. Induction of the ATP drain decreased the ATP content of the cell by more than half. The cells with the ATP drain had higher rates of respiration, slower growth rates, and a lower cell yield. Genome-wide analysis of gene transcript levels indicated that when the higher rate of respiration was induced transcript levels were higher for genes involved in energy metabolism, especially in those encoding TCA cycle enzymes, subunits of the NADH dehydrogenase, and proteins involved in electron acceptor reduction. This was accompanied by lower transcript levels for genes encoding proteins involved in amino acid biosynthesis, cell growth, and motility. Several changes in gene expression that involve processes not included in the in silico model were also detected, including increased expression of a number of redox-active proteins, such as c-type cytochromes and a putative multicopper outer-surface protein. The results demonstrate that it is possible to genetically engineer increased respiration rates in G. sulfurreducens in accordance with predictions from in silico metabolic modeling. To our knowledge, this is the first report of metabolic engineering to increase the respiratory rate of a microorganism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mounir Izallalen
- Department of Microbiology, 203 Morril Science IV-N, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
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39
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Chevance FFV, Hughes KT. Coordinating assembly of a bacterial macromolecular machine. Nat Rev Microbiol 2008; 6:455-65. [PMID: 18483484 DOI: 10.1038/nrmicro1887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 513] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The assembly of large and complex organelles, such as the bacterial flagellum, poses the formidable problem of coupling temporal gene expression to specific stages of the organelle-assembly process. The discovery that levels of the bacterial flagellar regulatory protein FlgM are controlled by its secretion from the cell in response to the completion of an intermediate flagellar structure (the hook-basal body) was only the first of several discoveries of unique mechanisms that coordinate flagellar gene expression with assembly. In this Review, we discuss this mechanism, together with others that also coordinate gene regulation and flagellar assembly in Gram-negative bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabienne F V Chevance
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, 257 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA
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40
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Chevance FFV, Hughes KT. Coordinating assembly of a bacterial macromolecular machine. NATURE REVIEWS. MICROBIOLOGY 2008. [PMID: 18483484 DOI: 10.1038/nrmicro1887.] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The assembly of large and complex organelles, such as the bacterial flagellum, poses the formidable problem of coupling temporal gene expression to specific stages of the organelle-assembly process. The discovery that levels of the bacterial flagellar regulatory protein FlgM are controlled by its secretion from the cell in response to the completion of an intermediate flagellar structure (the hook-basal body) was only the first of several discoveries of unique mechanisms that coordinate flagellar gene expression with assembly. In this Review, we discuss this mechanism, together with others that also coordinate gene regulation and flagellar assembly in Gram-negative bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabienne F V Chevance
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, 257 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA
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Characterization of the periplasmic domain of MotB and implications for its role in the stator assembly of the bacterial flagellar motor. J Bacteriol 2008; 190:3314-22. [PMID: 18310339 DOI: 10.1128/jb.01710-07] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
MotA and MotB are integral membrane proteins that form the stator complex of the proton-driven bacterial flagellar motor. The stator complex functions as a proton channel and couples proton flow with torque generation. The stator must be anchored to an appropriate place on the motor, and this is believed to occur through a putative peptidoglycan-binding (PGB) motif within the C-terminal periplasmic domain of MotB. In this study, we constructed and characterized an N-terminally truncated variant of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium MotB consisting of residues 78 through 309 (MotB(C)). MotB(C) significantly inhibited the motility of wild-type cells when exported into the periplasm. Some point mutations in the PGB motif enhanced the motility inhibition, while an in-frame deletion variant, MotB(C)(Delta197-210), showed a significantly reduced inhibitory effect. Wild-type MotB(C) and its point mutant variants formed a stable homodimer, while the deletion variant was monomeric. A small amount of MotB was coisolated only with the secreted form of MotB(C)-His(6) by Ni-nitrilotriacetic acid affinity chromatography, suggesting that the motility inhibition results from MotB-MotB(C) heterodimer formation in the periplasm. However, the monomeric mutant variant MotB(C)(Delta197-210) did not bind to MotB, suggesting that MotB(C) is directly involved in stator assembly. We propose that the MotB(C) dimer domain plays an important role in targeting and stable anchoring of the MotA/MotB complex to putative stator-binding sites of the motor.
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Terashima H, Kojima S, Homma M. Flagellar motility in bacteria structure and function of flagellar motor. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2008; 270:39-85. [PMID: 19081534 DOI: 10.1016/s1937-6448(08)01402-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 174] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Bacterial flagella are filamentous organelles that drive cell locomotion. They thrust cells in liquids (swimming) or on surfaces (swarming) so that cells can move toward favorable environments. At the base of each flagellum, a reversible rotary motor, which is powered by the proton- or the sodium-motive force, is embedded in the cell envelope. The motor consists of two parts: the rotating part, or rotor, that is connected to the hook and the filament, and the nonrotating part, or stator, that conducts coupling ion and is responsible for energy conversion. Intensive genetic and biochemical studies of the flagellum have been conducted in Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli, and more than 50 gene products are known to be involved in flagellar assembly and function. The energy-coupling mechanism, however, is still not known. In this chapter, we survey our current knowledge of the flagellar system, based mostly on studies from Salmonella, E. coli, and marine species Vibrio alginolyticus, supplemented with distinct aspects of other bacterial species revealed by recent studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroyuki Terashima
- Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
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Brown PN, Terrazas M, Paul K, Blair DF. Mutational analysis of the flagellar protein FliG: sites of interaction with FliM and implications for organization of the switch complex. J Bacteriol 2006; 189:305-12. [PMID: 17085573 PMCID: PMC1797384 DOI: 10.1128/jb.01281-06] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The switch complex at the base of the bacterial flagellum is essential for flagellar assembly, rotation, and switching. In Escherichia coli and Salmonella, the complex contains about 26 copies of FliG, 34 copies of FliM, and more then 100 copies of FliN, together forming the basal body C ring. FliG is involved most directly in motor rotation and is located in the upper (membrane-proximal) part of the C ring. A crystal structure of the middle and C-terminal parts of FliG shows two globular domains connected by an alpha-helix and a short extended segment. The middle domain of FliG has a conserved surface patch formed by the residues EHPQ(125-128) and R(160) (the EHPQR motif), and the C-terminal domain has a conserved surface hydrophobic patch. To examine the functional importance of these and other surface features of FliG, we made mutations in residues distributed over the protein surface and measured the effects on flagellar assembly and function. Mutations preventing flagellar assembly occurred mainly in the vicinity of the EHPQR motif and the hydrophobic patch. Mutations causing aberrant clockwise or counterclockwise motor bias occurred in these same regions and in the waist between the upper and lower parts of the C-terminal domain. Pull-down assays with glutathione S-transferase-FliM showed that FliG interacts with FliM through both the EHPQR motif and the hydrophobic patch. We propose a model for the organization of FliG and FliM subunits that accounts for the FliG-FliM interactions identified here and for the different copy numbers of FliG and FliM in the flagellum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Perry N Brown
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0840, USA
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