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Kuwabara S, Landers ER, Fisher DJ. Impact of nutrients on the function of the chlamydial Rsb partner switching mechanism. Pathog Dis 2022; 80:6831632. [PMID: 36385643 DOI: 10.1093/femspd/ftac044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Revised: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis is a leading cause of sexually transmitted infections and infectious blindness. Chlamydia undergo a biphasic developmental cycle alternating between the infectious elementary body (EB) and the replicative reticulate body (RB). The molecular mechanisms governing RB growth and RB-EB differentiation are unclear. We hypothesize that the bacterium senses host cell and bacterial energy levels and metabolites to ensure that development and growth coincide with nutrient availability. We predict that a partner switching mechanism (PSM) plays a key role in the sensing and response process acting as a molecular throttle sensitive to metabolite levels. Using purified wild type and mutant PSM proteins, we discovered that metal type impacts enzyme activity and the substrate specificity of RsbU and that RsbW prefers ATP over GTP as a phosphate donor. Immunoblotting analysis of RsbV1/V2 demonstrated the presence of both proteins beyond 20 hours post infection and we observed that an RsbV1-null strain has a developmental delay and exhibits differential growth attenuation in response to glucose levels. Collectively, our data support that the PSM regulates growth in response to metabolites and further defines biochemical features governing PSM-component interactions which could help in the development of novel PSM-targeted therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiomi Kuwabara
- Molecular Biology, Microbiology and Biochemistry Graduate Program, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901, United States
| | - Evan R Landers
- Molecular Biology, Microbiology and Biochemistry Graduate Program, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901, United States
| | - Derek J Fisher
- Molecular Biology, Microbiology and Biochemistry Graduate Program, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901, United States.,School of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901, United States
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The Small Molecule H89 Inhibits Chlamydia Inclusion Growth and Production of Infectious Progeny. Infect Immun 2021; 89:e0072920. [PMID: 33820812 PMCID: PMC8373235 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00729-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Chlamydia is an obligate intracellular bacterium and the most common reportable cause of human infection in the United States. This pathogen proliferates inside a eukaryotic host cell, where it resides within a membrane-bound compartment called the chlamydial inclusion. It has an unusual developmental cycle, marked by conversion between a replicating form, the reticulate body (RB), and an infectious form, the elementary body (EB). We found that the small molecule H89 slowed inclusion growth and decreased overall RB replication by 2-fold but caused a 25-fold reduction in infectious EBs. This disproportionate effect on EB production was mainly due to a defect in RB-to-EB conversion and not to the induction of chlamydial persistence, which is an altered growth state. Although H89 is a known inhibitor of specific protein kinases and vesicular transport to and from the Golgi apparatus, it did not cause these anti-chlamydial effects by blocking protein kinase A or C or by inhibiting protein or lipid transport. Thus, H89 is a novel anti-chlamydial compound that has a unique combination of effects on an intracellular Chlamydia infection.
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Escalona-Montaño AR, Zuñiga-Fabián M, Cabrera N, Mondragón-Flores R, Gómez-Sandoval JN, Rojas-Bernabé A, González-Canto A, Gutiérrez-Kobeh L, Pérez-Montfort R, Becker I, Aguirre-García MM. Protein Serine/Threonine Phosphatase Type 2C of Leishmania mexicana. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 11:641356. [PMID: 33937094 PMCID: PMC8082450 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.641356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation are increasingly recognized as important processes for regulating multiple physiological mechanisms. Phosphorylation is carried out by protein kinases and dephosphorylation by protein phosphatases. Phosphoprotein phosphatases (PPPs), one of three families of protein serine/threonine phosphatases, have great structural diversity and are involved in regulating many cell functions. PP2C, a type of PPP, is found in Leishmania, a dimorphic protozoan parasite and the causal agent of leishmaniasis. The aim of this study was to clone, purify, biochemically characterize and quantify the expression of PP2C in Leishmania mexicana (LmxPP2C). Recombinant LmxPP2C dephosphorylated a specific threonine (with optimal activity at pH 8) in the presence of the manganese divalent cation (Mn+2). LmxPP2C activity was inhibited by sanguinarine (a specific inhibitor) but was unaffected by protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibitors. Western blot analysis indicated that anti-LmxPP2C antibodies recognized a molecule of 45.2 kDa. Transmission electron microscopy with immunodetection localized LmxPP2C in the flagellar pocket and flagellum of promastigotes but showed poor staining in amastigotes. Interestingly, LmxPP2C belongs to the ortholog group OG6_142542, which contains only protozoa of the family Trypanosomatidae. This suggests a specific function of the enzyme in the flagellar pocket of these microorganisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alma Reyna Escalona-Montaño
- Unidad de Investigación UNAM-INC, División de Investigación, Facultad de Medicina, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez., Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Mariana Zuñiga-Fabián
- Ciencias Experimentales, Escuela Nacional Colegio de Ciencias y Humanidades Plantel, Naucalpan, Mexico
| | - Nallely Cabrera
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Estructural, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Ricardo Mondragón-Flores
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados (CINVESTAV-IPN), Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Jenny Nancy Gómez-Sandoval
- División de Ingeniería en Biotecnología, Universidad Politécnica del Valle de Toluca, Almoloya de Juárez, Mexico
| | - Araceli Rojas-Bernabé
- Escuela Superior de Medicina, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Augusto González-Canto
- Unidad de Investigación en Medicina Experimental, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Hospital General de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Laila Gutiérrez-Kobeh
- Unidad de Investigación UNAM-INC, División de Investigación, Facultad de Medicina, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez., Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Ruy Pérez-Montfort
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Estructural, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Ingeborg Becker
- Unidad de Investigación en Medicina Experimental, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Hospital General de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Maria Magdalena Aguirre-García
- Unidad de Investigación UNAM-INC, División de Investigación, Facultad de Medicina, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez., Ciudad de México, Mexico
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Soules KR, Dmitriev A, LaBrie SD, Dimond ZE, May BH, Johnson DK, Zhang Y, Battaile KP, Lovell S, Hefty PS. Structural and ligand binding analyses of the periplasmic sensor domain of RsbU in Chlamydia trachomatis support a role in TCA cycle regulation. Mol Microbiol 2020; 113:68-88. [PMID: 31637787 PMCID: PMC7007330 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Chlamydia trachomatis is an obligate intracellular bacteria that undergo dynamic morphologic and physiologic conversions upon gaining an access to a eukaryotic cell. These conversions likely require the detection of key environmental conditions and regulation of metabolic activity. Chlamydia encodes homologs to proteins in the Rsb phosphoregulatory partner-switching pathway, best described in Bacillus subtilis. ORF CT588 has a strong sequence similarity to RsbU cytoplasmic phosphatase domain but also contains a unique periplasmic sensor domain that is expected to control the phosphatase activity. A 1.7 Å crystal structure of the periplasmic domain of the RsbU protein from C. trachomatis (PDB 6MAB) displays close structural similarity to DctB from Vibrio and Sinorhizobium. DctB has been shown, both structurally and functionally, to specifically bind to the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediate succinate. Surface plasmon resonance and differential scanning fluorimetry of TCA intermediates and potential metabolites from a virtual screen of RsbU revealed that alpha-ketoglutarate, malate and oxaloacetate bound to the RsbU periplasmic domain. Substitutions in the putative binding site resulted in reduced binding capabilities. An RsbU null mutant showed severe growth defects which could be restored through genetic complementation. Chemical inhibition of ATP synthesis by oxidative phosphorylation phenocopied the growth defect observed in the RsbU null strain. Altogether, these data support a model with the Rsb system responding differentially to TCA cycle intermediates to regulate metabolism and key differentiation processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katelyn R Soules
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA
| | - Aidan Dmitriev
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA
| | - Scott D LaBrie
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA
| | - Zoë E Dimond
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA
| | - Benjamin H May
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA
| | - David K Johnson
- Computational Chemical Biology Core Facility, Del Shankel Structural Biology Center, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66047, USA
| | - Yang Zhang
- Computational Medicine & Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Kevin P Battaile
- IMCA-CAT, Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute, Argonne, IL, 60439, USA
| | - Scott Lovell
- Protein Structure Laboratory, Del Shankel Structural Biology Center, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66047, USA
| | - P Scott Hefty
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA
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