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Li Y, Shi W, Sun Z, Zhang W. Chemoreceptor MCP4580 of Vibrio splendidus mediates chemotaxis toward L-glutamic acid contributing to bacterial virulence. Microbiol Res 2024; 289:127917. [PMID: 39368257 DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2024.127917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2024] [Revised: 09/12/2024] [Accepted: 09/23/2024] [Indexed: 10/07/2024]
Abstract
Chemotaxis has an essential function in flagellar bacteria that allows them to sense and respond to specific environmental signals, enabling their survival and colonization. Vibrio splendidus is an important opportunistic pathogen that infects a wide range of hosts including fish, bivalve, and sea cucumber. Our study demonstrated that V. splendidus AJ01 exhibited chemotaxis toward L-glutamic acid (L-Glu), an abundant amino acid in the intestinal and respiratory tree tissues of the sea cucumber. Bacterial samples collected from two locations in soft agar swimming plates were subjected to RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis to identify the methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein (MCP) respond to L-Glu. Among the 40 annotated chemoreceptors, MCP4580 was identified as the MCP that mediates L-Glu-response. Molecular docking and site-directed mutagenesis revealed that L-arginine at residue 81 (R81) and L-glutamine at residue 88 (Q88) in the ligand-binding domain (LBD) are crucial for L-Glu recognition. Bacterial two-hybrid assay (BTH) showed that MCP4580 forms dimers and interacts with the histidine kinase CheA via the coupling protein CheW1 and CheW2. Phosphorylation analysis showed that the binding of L-Glu to MCP4580 results in the inhibition of CheA phosphorylation mainly via CheW1. Notably, sea cucumbers stimulated with each mutant strain of chemotaxis protein exhibited reduced mortality, highlighting the importance of chemotaxis in V. splendidus virulence. The present study provides valuable insights into the molecular components and signal transduction involved in the chemotaxis of V. splendidus toward L-Glu, and highlights the importance of chemotaxis in its virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya Li
- School of Marine Sciences, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315832, PR China; Key Laboratory of Aquacultural Biotechnology Ministry of Education, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315832, PR China
| | - Weibo Shi
- School of Marine Sciences, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315832, PR China; Key Laboratory of Aquacultural Biotechnology Ministry of Education, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315832, PR China
| | - Zihao Sun
- School of Marine Sciences, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315832, PR China; Key Laboratory of Aquacultural Biotechnology Ministry of Education, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315832, PR China
| | - Weiwei Zhang
- School of Marine Sciences, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315832, PR China; Key Laboratory of Aquacultural Biotechnology Ministry of Education, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315832, PR China.
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2
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Li Z, Zhu Y, Zhang W, Mu W. Rcs signal transduction system in Escherichia coli: Composition, related functions, regulatory mechanism, and applications. Microbiol Res 2024; 285:127783. [PMID: 38795407 DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2024.127783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2024] [Revised: 05/20/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/28/2024]
Abstract
The regulator of capsule synthesis (Rcs) system, an atypical two-component system prevalent in numerous gram-negative bacteria, serves as a sophisticated regulatory phosphorylation cascade mechanism. It plays a pivotal role in perceiving environmental stress and regulating the expression of downstream genes to ensure host survival. During the signaling transduction process, various proteins participate in phosphorylation to further modulate signal inputs and outputs. Although the structure of core proteins related to the Rcs system has been partially well-defined, and two models have been proposed to elucidate the intricate molecular mechanisms underlying signal sensing, a systematic characterization of the signal transduction process of the Rcs system remains challenging. Furthermore, exploring its corresponding regulator outputs is also unremitting. This review aimed to shed light on the regulation of bacterial virulence by the Rcs system. Moreover, with the assistance of the Rcs system, biosynthesis technology has developed high-value target production. Additionally, via this review, we propose designing chimeric Rcs biosensor systems to expand their application as synthesis tools. Finally, unsolved challenges are highlighted to provide the basic direction for future development of the Rcs system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeyu Li
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
| | - Yingying Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
| | - Wenli Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China
| | - Wanmeng Mu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214122, China.
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3
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Dubay MM, Acres J, Riekeles M, Nadeau JL. Recent advances in experimental design and data analysis to characterize prokaryotic motility. J Microbiol Methods 2023; 204:106658. [PMID: 36529156 DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2022.106658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Bacterial motility plays a key role in important cell processes such as chemotaxis and biofilm formation, but is challenging to quantify due to the small size of the individual microorganisms and the complex interplay of biological and physical factors that influence motility phenotypes. Swimming, the first type of motility described in bacteria, still remains largely unquantified. Light microscopy has enabled qualitative characterization of swimming patterns seen in different strains, such as run and tumble, run-reverse-flick, run and slow, stop and coil, and push and pull, which has allowed for elucidation of the underlying physics. However, quantifying these behaviors (e.g., identifying run distances and speeds, turn angles and behavior by surfaces or cell-cell interactions) remains a challenging task. A qualitative and quantitative understanding of bacterial motility is needed to bridge the gap between experimentation, omics analysis, and bacterial motility theory. In this review, we discuss the strengths and limitations of how phase contrast microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, and digital holographic microscopy have been used to quantify bacterial motility. Approaches to automated software analysis, including cell recognition, tracking, and track analysis, are also discussed with a view to providing a guide for experimenters to setting up the appropriate imaging and analysis system for their needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan Marie Dubay
- Department of Physics, Portland State University, 1719 SW 10(th) Ave., Portland, OR 97201, United States of America
| | - Jacqueline Acres
- Department of Physics, Portland State University, 1719 SW 10(th) Ave., Portland, OR 97201, United States of America
| | - Max Riekeles
- Astrobiology Group, Center of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Technical University Berlin, Hardenbergstraße 36A, 10623 Berlin, Germany
| | - Jay L Nadeau
- Department of Physics, Portland State University, 1719 SW 10(th) Ave., Portland, OR 97201, United States of America.
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4
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Ibrar M, Khan S, Hasan F, Yang X. Biosurfactants and chemotaxis interplay in microbial consortium-based hydrocarbons degradation. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:24391-24410. [PMID: 35061186 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-18492-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Hydrocarbons are routinely detected at low concentrations, despite the degrading metabolic potential of ubiquitous microorganisms. The potential drivers of hydrocarbons persistence are lower bioavailability and mass transfer limitation. Recently, bioremediation strategies have developed rapidly, but still, the solution is not resilient. Biosurfactants, known to increase bioavailability and augment biodegradation, are tightly linked to bacterial surface motility and chemotaxis, while chemotaxis help bacteria to locate aromatic compounds and increase the mass transfer. Harassing the biosurfactant production and chemotaxis properties of degrading microorganisms could be a possible approach for the complete degradation of hydrocarbons. This review provides an overview of interplay between biosurfactants and chemotaxis in bioremediation. Besides, we discuss the chemical surfactants and biosurfactant-mediated biodegradation by microbial consortium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Ibrar
- Guangdong Technology Research Center for Marine Algal Bioengineering, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Plant Epigenetics, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, People's Republic of China
- Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, People's Republic of China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Biological Resources and Ecology Environment, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Microbial Genetic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518055, People's Republic of China
- Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, 430074, Hubei, People's Republic of China
| | - Salman Khan
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, People's Republic of China
| | - Fariha Hasan
- Department of Microbiology, Applied, Environmental and Geomicrobiology Laboratory, Quaid-I-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Xuewei Yang
- Guangdong Technology Research Center for Marine Algal Bioengineering, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Plant Epigenetics, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, People's Republic of China.
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Biological Resources and Ecology Environment, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Microbial Genetic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518055, People's Republic of China.
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The many ways that nature has exploited the unusual structural and chemical properties of phosphohistidine for use in proteins. Biochem J 2021; 478:3575-3596. [PMID: 34624072 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20210533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Histidine phosphorylation is an important and ubiquitous post-translational modification. Histidine undergoes phosphorylation on either of the nitrogens in its imidazole side chain, giving rise to 1- and 3- phosphohistidine (pHis) isomers, each having a phosphoramidate linkage that is labile at high temperatures and low pH, in contrast with stable phosphomonoester protein modifications. While all organisms routinely use pHis as an enzyme intermediate, prokaryotes, lower eukaryotes and plants also use it for signal transduction. However, research to uncover additional roles for pHis in higher eukaryotes is still at a nascent stage. Since the discovery of pHis in 1962, progress in this field has been relatively slow, in part due to a lack of the tools and techniques necessary to study this labile modification. However, in the past ten years the development of phosphoproteomic techniques to detect phosphohistidine (pHis), and methods to synthesize stable pHis analogues, which enabled the development of anti-phosphohistidine (pHis) antibodies, have accelerated our understanding. Recent studies that employed anti-pHis antibodies and other advanced techniques have contributed to a rapid expansion in our knowledge of histidine phosphorylation. In this review, we examine the varied roles of pHis-containing proteins from a chemical and structural perspective, and present an overview of recent developments in pHis proteomics and antibody development.
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Feng H, Fu R, Hou X, Lv Y, Zhang N, Liu Y, Xu Z, Miao Y, Krell T, Shen Q, Zhang R. Chemotaxis of Beneficial Rhizobacteria to Root Exudates: The First Step towards Root-Microbe Rhizosphere Interactions. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22136655. [PMID: 34206311 PMCID: PMC8269324 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22136655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Revised: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Chemotaxis, the ability of motile bacteria to direct their movement in gradients of attractants and repellents, plays an important role during the rhizosphere colonization by rhizobacteria. The rhizosphere is a unique niche for plant-microbe interactions. Root exudates are highly complex mixtures of chemoeffectors composed of hundreds of different compounds. Chemotaxis towards root exudates initiates rhizobacteria recruitment and the establishment of bacteria-root interactions. Over the last years, important progress has been made in the identification of root exudate components that play key roles in the colonization process, as well as in the identification of the cognate chemoreceptors. In the first part of this review, we summarized the roles of representative chemoeffectors that induce chemotaxis in typical rhizobacteria and discussed the structure and function of rhizobacterial chemoreceptors. In the second part we reviewed findings on how rhizobacterial chemotaxis and other root-microbe interactions promote the establishment of beneficial rhizobacteria-plant interactions leading to plant growth promotion and protection of plant health. In the last part we identified the existing gaps in the knowledge and discussed future research efforts that are necessary to close them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haichao Feng
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-Based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China; (H.F.); (R.F.); (X.H.); (Y.L.); (N.Z.); (Z.X.); (Y.M.); (Q.S.)
| | - Ruixin Fu
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-Based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China; (H.F.); (R.F.); (X.H.); (Y.L.); (N.Z.); (Z.X.); (Y.M.); (Q.S.)
| | - Xueqin Hou
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-Based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China; (H.F.); (R.F.); (X.H.); (Y.L.); (N.Z.); (Z.X.); (Y.M.); (Q.S.)
| | - Yu Lv
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-Based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China; (H.F.); (R.F.); (X.H.); (Y.L.); (N.Z.); (Z.X.); (Y.M.); (Q.S.)
| | - Nan Zhang
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-Based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China; (H.F.); (R.F.); (X.H.); (Y.L.); (N.Z.); (Z.X.); (Y.M.); (Q.S.)
| | - Yunpeng Liu
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources Collection and Preservation, Ministry of Agriculture, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China;
| | - Zhihui Xu
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-Based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China; (H.F.); (R.F.); (X.H.); (Y.L.); (N.Z.); (Z.X.); (Y.M.); (Q.S.)
| | - Youzhi Miao
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-Based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China; (H.F.); (R.F.); (X.H.); (Y.L.); (N.Z.); (Z.X.); (Y.M.); (Q.S.)
| | - Tino Krell
- Department of Environmental Protection, Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 18008 Granada, Spain;
| | - Qirong Shen
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-Based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China; (H.F.); (R.F.); (X.H.); (Y.L.); (N.Z.); (Z.X.); (Y.M.); (Q.S.)
| | - Ruifu Zhang
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-Based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China; (H.F.); (R.F.); (X.H.); (Y.L.); (N.Z.); (Z.X.); (Y.M.); (Q.S.)
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources Collection and Preservation, Ministry of Agriculture, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-025-84396477
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7
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Ortega DR, Kjær A, Briegel A. The chemosensory systems of Vibrio cholerae. Mol Microbiol 2020; 114:367-376. [PMID: 32347610 PMCID: PMC7534058 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Revised: 04/16/2020] [Accepted: 04/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of the acute diarrheal disease cholera, is able to thrive in diverse habitats such as natural water bodies and inside human hosts. To ensure their survival, these bacteria rely on chemosensory pathways to sense and respond to changing environmental conditions. These pathways constitute a highly sophisticated cellular control system in Bacteria and Archaea. Reflecting the complex life cycle of V. cholerae, this organism has three different chemosensory pathways that together contain over 50 proteins expressed under different environmental conditions. Only one of them is known to control motility, while the function of the other two remains to be discovered. Here, we provide an overview of the chemosensory systems in V. cholerae and the advances toward understanding their structure and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davi R. Ortega
- Institute of BiologyLeiden UniversityLeidenThe Netherlands
- Present address:
Division of Biology and Biological EngineeringCalifornia Institute of TechnologyPasadenaCAUSA
| | - Andreas Kjær
- Department of BiochemistryUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Ariane Briegel
- Institute of BiologyLeiden UniversityLeidenThe Netherlands
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Harper CE, Hernandez CJ. Cell biomechanics and mechanobiology in bacteria: Challenges and opportunities. APL Bioeng 2020; 4:021501. [PMID: 32266323 PMCID: PMC7113033 DOI: 10.1063/1.5135585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2019] [Accepted: 02/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Physical forces play a profound role in the survival and function of all known forms of life. Advances in cell biomechanics and mechanobiology have provided key insights into the physiology of eukaryotic organisms, but much less is known about the roles of physical forces in bacterial physiology. This review is an introduction to bacterial mechanics intended for persons familiar with cells and biomechanics in mammalian cells. Bacteria play a major role in human health, either as pathogens or as beneficial commensal organisms within the microbiome. Although bacteria have long been known to be sensitive to their mechanical environment, understanding the effects of physical forces on bacterial physiology has been limited by their small size (∼1 μm). However, advancements in micro- and nano-scale technologies over the past few years have increasingly made it possible to rigorously examine the mechanical stress and strain within individual bacteria. Here, we review the methods currently used to examine bacteria from a mechanical perspective, including the subcellular structures in bacteria and how they differ from those in mammalian cells, as well as micro- and nanomechanical approaches to studying bacteria, and studies showing the effects of physical forces on bacterial physiology. Recent findings indicate a large range in mechanical properties of bacteria and show that physical forces can have a profound effect on bacterial survival, growth, biofilm formation, and resistance to toxins and antibiotics. Advances in the field of bacterial biomechanics have the potential to lead to novel antibacterial strategies, biotechnology approaches, and applications in synthetic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine E. Harper
- Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
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9
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Matilla MA, Martín-Mora D, Krell T. The use of isothermal titration calorimetry to unravel chemotactic signalling mechanisms. Environ Microbiol 2020; 22:3005-3019. [PMID: 32329116 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2020] [Revised: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Chemotaxis is based on the action of chemosensory pathways and is typically initiated by the recognition of chemoeffectors at chemoreceptor ligand-binding domains (LBD). Chemosensory signalling is highly complex; aspect that is not only reflected in the intricate interaction between many signalling proteins but also in the fact that bacteria frequently possess multiple chemosensory pathways and often a large number of chemoreceptors, which are mostly of unknown function. We review here the usefulness of isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) to study this complexity. ITC is the gold standard for studying binding processes due to its precision and sensitivity, as well as its capability to determine simultaneously the association equilibrium constant, enthalpy change and stoichiometry of binding. There is now evidence that members of all major LBD families can be produced as individual recombinant proteins that maintain their ligand-binding properties. High-throughput screening of these proteins using thermal shift assays offer interesting initial information on chemoreceptor ligands, providing the basis for microcalorimetric analyses and microbiological experimentation. ITC has permitted the identification and characterization of many chemoreceptors with novel specificities. This ITC-based approach can also be used to identify signal molecules that stimulate members of other families of sensor proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel A Matilla
- Department of Environmental Protection, Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Granada, Spain
| | - David Martín-Mora
- Department of Environmental Protection, Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Granada, Spain
| | - Tino Krell
- Department of Environmental Protection, Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Granada, Spain
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10
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Booth SC, Turner RJ. Phylogenetic characterization of the energy taxis receptor Aer in Pseudomonas and phenotypic characterization in Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes KF707. MICROBIOLOGY-SGM 2020; 165:1331-1344. [PMID: 31639075 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.000864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Chemotaxis allows bacteria to sense gradients in their environment and respond by directing their swimming. Aer is a receptor that, instead of responding to a specific chemoattractant, allows bacteria to sense cellular energy levels and move towards favourable environments. In Pseudomonas, the number of apparent Aer homologues differs between the only two species it has been characterized in, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Pseudomonas putida. Here we combined bioinformatic approaches with deletional mutagenesis in Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes KF707 to further characterize Aer. It was determined that the number of Aer homologues varies between zero and four throughout the genus Pseudomonas, and they were phylogenetically classified into five subgroups. We also used sequence analysis to show that these homologous receptors differ in their HAMP signal transduction domains. Genetic analysis also indicated that some Aer homologues have likely been subject to horizontal transfer. P. pseudoalcaligenes KF707 was unique among strains for having three Aer homologues as well as the receptors CttP and McpB. Phenotypic characterization in this strain showed that the most prevalent homologue of Aer was key, but not essential, for energy taxis. This study demonstrates that energy taxis in Pseudomonas varies between species and provides a new naming convention and associated phylogenetic details for Aer chemoreceptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean C Booth
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.,Present address: Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Raymond J Turner
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
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11
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Yang W, Briegel A. Diversity of Bacterial Chemosensory Arrays. Trends Microbiol 2019; 28:68-80. [PMID: 31473052 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2019.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Revised: 07/15/2019] [Accepted: 08/01/2019] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Chemotaxis is crucial for the survival of bacteria, and the signaling systems associated with it exhibit a high level of evolutionary conservation. The architecture of the chemosensory array and the signal transduction mechanisms have been extensively studied in Escherichia coli. More recent studies have revealed a vast diversity of the chemosensory system among bacteria. Unlike E. coli, some bacteria assemble more than one chemosensory array and respond to a broader spectrum of environmental and internal stimuli. These chemosensory arrays exhibit a great variability in terms of protein composition, cellular localization, and functional variability. Here, we present recent findings that emphasize the extent of diversity in chemosensory arrays and highlight the importance of studying chemosensory arrays in bacteria other than the common model organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen Yang
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Ariane Briegel
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
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12
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Feng H, Zhang N, Fu R, Liu Y, Krell T, Du W, Shao J, Shen Q, Zhang R. Recognition of dominant attractants by key chemoreceptors mediates recruitment of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria. Environ Microbiol 2019; 21:402-415. [PMID: 30421582 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.14472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2018] [Revised: 10/09/2018] [Accepted: 11/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Chemotaxis to plant root exudates is supposed to be a prerequisite for efficient root colonization by rhizobacteria. This is a highly multifactorial process since root exudates are complex compound mixtures of which components are recognized by different chemoreceptors. Little information is available as to the key components in root exudates and their receptors that drive colonization related chemotaxis. We present here the first global assessment of this issue using the plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR) Bacillus velezensis SQR9 (formerly B. amyloliquefaciens). This strain efficiently colonizes cucumber roots, and here, we show that chemotaxis to cucumber root exudates was essential in this process. We conducted chemotaxis assays using cucumber root exudates at different concentrations, individual exudate components as well as recomposed exudates, taking into account their concentrations detected in root exudates. Results indicated that two key chemoreceptors, McpA and McpC, were essential for root exudate chemotaxis and root colonization. Both receptors possess a broad ligand range and recognize most of the exudate key components identified (malic, fumaric, gluconic and glyceric acids, Lys, Ser, Ala and mannose). The remaining six chemoreceptors did not contribute to exudate chemotaxis. This study provides novel insight into the evolution of the chemotaxis system in rhizobacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haichao Feng
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China.,Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources Collection and Preservation, Ministry of Agriculture, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Nan Zhang
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Ruixin Fu
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Yunpeng Liu
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources Collection and Preservation, Ministry of Agriculture, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Tino Krell
- Department of Environmental Protection, Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 18008, Granada, Spain
| | - Wenbin Du
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Jiahui Shao
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Qirong Shen
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Ruifu Zhang
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Organic Solid Waste Utilization, National Engineering Research Center for Organic-based Fertilizers, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China.,Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources Collection and Preservation, Ministry of Agriculture, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
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13
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High-Affinity Chemotaxis to Histamine Mediated by the TlpQ Chemoreceptor of the Human Pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. mBio 2018; 9:mBio.01894-18. [PMID: 30425146 PMCID: PMC6234866 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01894-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Genome analyses indicate that many bacteria possess an elevated number of chemoreceptors, suggesting that these species are able to perform chemotaxis to a wide variety of compounds. The scientific community is now only beginning to explore this diversity and to elucidate the corresponding physiological relevance. The discovery of histamine chemotaxis in the human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa provides insight into tactic movements that occur within the host. Since histamine is released in response to bacterial pathogens, histamine chemotaxis may permit bacterial migration and accumulation at infection sites, potentially modulating, in turn, quorum-sensing-mediated processes and the expression of virulence genes. As a consequence, the modulation of histamine chemotaxis by signal analogues may result in alterations of the bacterial virulence. As the first report of bacterial histamine chemotaxis, this study lays the foundation for the exploration of the physiological relevance of histamine chemotaxis and its role in pathogenicity. Histamine is a key biological signaling molecule. It acts as a neurotransmitter in the central and peripheral nervous systems and coordinates local inflammatory responses by modulating the activity of different immune cells. During inflammatory processes, including bacterial infections, neutrophils stimulate the production and release of histamine. Here, we report that the opportunistic human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa exhibits chemotaxis toward histamine. This chemotactic response is mediated by the concerted action of the TlpQ, PctA, and PctC chemoreceptors, which display differing sensitivities to histamine. Low concentrations of histamine were sufficient to activate TlpQ, which binds histamine with an affinity of 639 nM. To explore this binding, we resolved the high-resolution structure of the TlpQ ligand binding domain in complex with histamine. It has an unusually large dCACHE domain and binds histamine through a highly negatively charged pocket at its membrane distal module. Chemotaxis to histamine may play a role in the virulence of P. aeruginosa by recruiting cells at the infection site and consequently modulating the expression of quorum-sensing-dependent virulence genes. TlpQ is the first bacterial histamine receptor to be described and greatly differs from human histamine receptors, indicating that eukaryotes and bacteria have pursued different strategies for histamine recognition.
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14
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Matilla MA, Krell T. The effect of bacterial chemotaxis on host infection and pathogenicity. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2018; 42:4563582. [PMID: 29069367 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fux052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 152] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2017] [Accepted: 10/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Chemotaxis enables microorganisms to move according to chemical gradients. Although this process requires substantial cellular energy, it also affords key physiological benefits, including enhanced access to growth substrates. Another important implication of chemotaxis is that it also plays an important role in infection and disease, as chemotaxis signalling pathways are broadly distributed across a variety of pathogenic bacteria. Furthermore, current research indicates that chemotaxis is essential for the initial stages of infection in different human, animal and plant pathogens. This review focuses on recent findings that have identified specific bacterial chemoreceptors and corresponding chemoeffectors associated with pathogenicity. Pathogenicity-related chemoeffectors are either host and niche-specific signals or intermediates of the host general metabolism. Plant pathogens were found to contain an elevated number of chemotaxis signalling genes and functional studies demonstrate that these genes are critical for their ability to enter the host. The expanding body of knowledge of the mechanisms underlying chemotaxis in pathogens provides a foundation for the development of new therapeutic strategies capable of blocking infection and preventing disease by interfering with chemotactic signalling pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel A Matilla
- Department of Environmental Protection, Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 18008 Granada, Spain
| | - Tino Krell
- Department of Environmental Protection, Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 18008 Granada, Spain
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15
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Shelud'ko AV, Filip'echeva YA, Telesheva EM, Yevstigneyeva SS, Petrova LP, Katsy EI. Restoration of polar-flagellum motility and biofilm-forming capacity in the mmsB1 mutant of the alphaproteobacterium Azospirillum brasilense Sp245 points to a new role for a homologue of 3-hydroxyisobutyrate dehydrogenase. Can J Microbiol 2018; 65:144-154. [PMID: 30336067 DOI: 10.1139/cjm-2018-0481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The bacterium Azospirillum brasilense can swim and swarm owing to the rotation of a constitutive polar flagellum (Fla) and inducible lateral flagella, respectively. They also form biofilms on various interfaces. Experimental data on flagellar assembly and social behaviours in these bacteria are scarce. Here, for the first time, the chromosomal coding sequence mmsB1 for a homologue of 3-hydroxyisobutyrate dehydrogenase (protein accession Nos. ADT80774 and E7CWE2) was shown to play a role in the assembly of motile Fla and in biofilm biomass accumulation. In the previously obtained mutant SK039 of A. brasilense Sp245, an Omegon-Km insertion in mmsB1 was concurrent with changes in cell-surface properties and with suppression of Fla assembly (partial) and Fla-dependent motility (complete). Here, the immotile leaky Fla- mutant SK039 was complemented with the expression vector pRK415-borne mmsB1 gene of Sp245. In the complemented mutant, the elevated relative cell hydrophobicity and changed relative membrane fluidity of SK039 returned to the wild-type levels; also, biofilm biomass accumulation increased and even reached Sp245's levels under nutritionally rich conditions. In strain SK039 (pRK415-mmsB1), the percentage of cells with Fla became significantly higher than that in mutant SK039, and the Fla-driven swimming velocity was equal to that in strain Sp245.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrei V Shelud'ko
- Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Plants and Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospekt Entuziastov, 13, 410049 Saratov, Russia.,Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Plants and Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospekt Entuziastov, 13, 410049 Saratov, Russia
| | - Yulia A Filip'echeva
- Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Plants and Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospekt Entuziastov, 13, 410049 Saratov, Russia.,Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Plants and Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospekt Entuziastov, 13, 410049 Saratov, Russia
| | - Elizaveta M Telesheva
- Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Plants and Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospekt Entuziastov, 13, 410049 Saratov, Russia.,Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Plants and Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospekt Entuziastov, 13, 410049 Saratov, Russia
| | - Stella S Yevstigneyeva
- Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Plants and Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospekt Entuziastov, 13, 410049 Saratov, Russia.,Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Plants and Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospekt Entuziastov, 13, 410049 Saratov, Russia
| | - Lilia P Petrova
- Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Plants and Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospekt Entuziastov, 13, 410049 Saratov, Russia.,Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Plants and Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospekt Entuziastov, 13, 410049 Saratov, Russia
| | - Elena I Katsy
- Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Plants and Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospekt Entuziastov, 13, 410049 Saratov, Russia.,Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Plants and Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospekt Entuziastov, 13, 410049 Saratov, Russia
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16
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Tusk SE, Delalez NJ, Berry RM. Subunit Exchange in Protein Complexes. J Mol Biol 2018; 430:4557-4579. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2018.06.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2018] [Revised: 06/21/2018] [Accepted: 06/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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17
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Waite AJ, Frankel NW, Emonet T. Behavioral Variability and Phenotypic Diversity in Bacterial Chemotaxis. Annu Rev Biophys 2018; 47:595-616. [PMID: 29618219 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-biophys-062215-010954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Living cells detect and process external signals using signaling pathways that are affected by random fluctuations. These variations cause the behavior of individual cells to fluctuate over time (behavioral variability) and generate phenotypic differences between genetically identical individuals (phenotypic diversity). These two noise sources reduce our ability to predict biological behavior because they diversify cellular responses to identical signals. Here, we review recent experimental and theoretical advances in understanding the mechanistic origin and functional consequences of such variation in Escherichia coli chemotaxis-a well-understood model of signal transduction and behavior. After briefly summarizing the architecture and logic of the chemotaxis system, we discuss determinants of behavior and chemotactic performance of individual cells. Then, we review how cell-to-cell differences in protein abundance map onto differences in individual chemotactic abilities and how phenotypic variability affects the performance of the population. We conclude with open questions to be addressed by future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam James Waite
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520; .,Current affiliation: Calico Life Sciences, LLC, South San Francisco, California 94080
| | - Nicholas W Frankel
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520; .,Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94158
| | - Thierry Emonet
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520; .,Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520
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18
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Bi S, Sourjik V. Stimulus sensing and signal processing in bacterial chemotaxis. Curr Opin Microbiol 2018; 45:22-29. [PMID: 29459288 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2018.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 136] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2017] [Revised: 01/30/2018] [Accepted: 02/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Motile bacteria use chemotaxis to migrate towards environments that are favorable for growth and survival. The signaling pathway that mediates this behavior is largely conserved among prokaryotes, with Escherichia coli chemotaxis system being one of the simplest and the best studied. At the core of this pathway are the arrays of clustered chemoreceptors that detect, amplify and integrate various stimuli. Recent work provided deeper understanding of spatial organization and signal processing by these clusters and uncovered the variety of sensory mechanisms used to detect environmental stimuli. Moreover, studies of bacteria with different lifestyles have led to new insights into the diversity and evolutionary conservation of the chemotaxis pathway, as well as the physiological relevance of chemotactic behavior in different environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuangyu Bi
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology and LOEWE Center for Synthetic Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Strasse 16, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Victor Sourjik
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology and LOEWE Center for Synthetic Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Strasse 16, 35043 Marburg, Germany.
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19
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The activity of the C4-dicarboxylic acid chemoreceptor of Pseudomonas aeruginosa is controlled by chemoattractants and antagonists. Sci Rep 2018; 8:2102. [PMID: 29391435 PMCID: PMC5795001 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-20283-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2017] [Accepted: 01/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Chemotaxis toward organic acids has been associated with colonization fitness and virulence and the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa exhibits taxis toward several tricarboxylic acid intermediates. In this study, we used high-throughput ligand screening and isothermal titration calorimetry to demonstrate that the ligand binding domain (LBD) of the chemoreceptor PA2652 directly recognizes five C4-dicarboxylic acids with KD values ranging from 23 µM to 1.24 mM. In vivo experimentation showed that three of the identified ligands act as chemoattractants whereas two of them behave as antagonists by inhibiting the downstream chemotaxis signalling cascade. In vitro and in vivo competition assays showed that antagonists compete with chemoattractants for binding to PA2652-LBD, thereby decreasing the affinity for chemoattractants and the subsequent chemotactic response. Two chemosensory pathways encoded in the genome of P. aeruginosa, che and che2, have been associated to chemotaxis but we found that only the che pathway is involved in PA2652-mediated taxis. The receptor PA2652 is predicted to contain a sCACHE LBD and analytical ultracentrifugation analyses showed that PA2652-LBD is dimeric in the presence and the absence of ligands. Our results indicate the feasibility of using antagonists to interfere specifically with chemotaxis, which may be an alternative strategy to fight bacterial pathogens.
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20
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Machuca MA, Roujeinikova A. Method for Efficient Refolding and Purification of Chemoreceptor Ligand Binding Domain. J Vis Exp 2017. [PMID: 29286481 DOI: 10.3791/57092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Identification of natural ligands of chemoreceptors and structural studies aimed at elucidation of the molecular basis of the ligand specificity can be greatly facilitated by the production of milligram amounts of pure, folded ligand binding domains. Attempts to heterologously express periplasmic ligand binding domains of bacterial chemoreceptors in Escherichia coli (E. coli) often result in their targeting into inclusion bodies. Here, a method is presented for protein recovery from inclusion bodies, its refolding and purification, using the periplasmic dCACHE ligand binding domain of Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni) chemoreceptor Tlp3 as an example. The approach involves expression of the protein of interest with a cleavable His6-tag, isolation and urea-mediated solubilisation of inclusion bodies, protein refolding by urea depletion, and purification by means of affinity chromatography, followed by tag removal and size-exclusion chromatography. The circular dichroism spectroscopy is used to confirm the folded state of the pure protein. It has been demonstrated that this protocol is generally useful for production of milligram amounts of dCACHE periplasmic ligand binding domains of other bacterial chemoreceptors in a soluble and crystallisable form.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayra A Machuca
- Infection and Immunity Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute; Department of Microbiology, Monash University;
| | - Anna Roujeinikova
- Infection and Immunity Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute; Department of Microbiology, Monash University; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University;
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21
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Machuca MA, Johnson KS, Liu YC, Steer DL, Ottemann KM, Roujeinikova A. Helicobacter pylori chemoreceptor TlpC mediates chemotaxis to lactate. Sci Rep 2017; 7:14089. [PMID: 29075010 PMCID: PMC5658362 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-14372-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2017] [Accepted: 10/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
It is recently appreciated that many bacterial chemoreceptors have ligand-binding domains (LBD) of the dCACHE family, a structure with two PAS-like subdomains, one membrane-proximal and the other membrane-distal. Previous studies had implicated only the membrane-distal subdomain in ligand recognition. Here, we report the 2.2 Å resolution crystal structure of dCACHE LBD of the Helicobacter pylori chemoreceptor TlpC. H. pylori tlpC mutants are outcompeted by wild type during stomach colonisation, but no ligands had been mapped to this receptor. The TlpC dCACHE LBD has two PAS-like subdomains, as predicted. The membrane-distal one possesses a long groove instead of a small, well-defined pocket. The membrane-proximal subdomain, in contrast, had a well-delineated pocket with a small molecule that we identified as lactate. We confirmed that amino acid residues making contact with the ligand in the crystal structure-N213, I218 and Y285 and Y249-were required for lactate binding. We determined that lactate is an H. pylori chemoattractant that is sensed via TlpC with a K D = 155 µM. Lactate is utilised by H. pylori, and our work suggests that this pathogen seeks out lactate using chemotaxis. Furthermore, our work suggests that dCACHE domain proteins can utilise both subdomains for ligand recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayra A Machuca
- Infection and Immunity Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
- Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Kevin S Johnson
- Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA
| | - Yu C Liu
- Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - David L Steer
- Monash Biomedical Proteomics Facility, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Karen M Ottemann
- Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA.
| | - Anna Roujeinikova
- Infection and Immunity Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia.
- Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia.
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia.
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22
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Abstract
Chemoreceptors in bacteria detect a variety of signals and feed this information into chemosensory pathways that represent a major mode of signal transduction. The five chemoreceptors from Escherichia coli have served as traditional models in the study of this protein family. Genome analyses revealed that many bacteria contain much larger numbers of chemoreceptors with broader sensory capabilities. Chemoreceptors differ in topology, sensing mode, cellular location, and, above all, the type of ligand binding domain (LBD). Here, we highlight LBD diversity using well-established and emerging model organisms as well as genomic surveys. Nearly a hundred different types of protein domains that are found in chemoreceptor sequences are known or predicted LBDs, but only a few of them are ubiquitous. LBDs of the same class recognize different ligands, and conversely, the same ligand can be recognized by structurally different LBDs; however, recent studies began to reveal common characteristics in signal-LBD relationships. Although signals can stimulate chemoreceptors in a variety of different ways, diverse LBDs appear to employ a universal transmembrane signaling mechanism. Current and future studies aim to establish relationships between LBD types, the nature of signals that they recognize, and the mechanisms of signal recognition and transduction.
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