Correlation between growth rates, EIIACrr phosphorylation, and intracellular cyclic AMP levels in Escherichia coli K-12

Designing a Novel Temperature- and Noncanonical Amino Acid-Controlled Biological Logic Gate in Escherichia coli

Genetic code expansion (GCE) is a powerful strategy that expands the genetic code of an organism for incorporating noncanonical amino acids into proteins using engineered tRNAs and aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs). While GCE has opened up new possibilities for synthetic biology, little is known about the potential side effects of exogenous aaRS/tRNA pairs. In this study, we investigated the impact of exogenous aaRS and amber suppressor tRNA on gene expression in Escherichia coli. We discovered that in DH10β ΔcyaA, transformed with the F1RP/F2P two-hybrid system, the high consumption rate of cellular adenosine triphosphate by exogenous aaRS/tRNA at elevated temperatures induces temperature sensitivity in the expression of genes regulated by the cyclic AMP receptor protein (CRP). We harnessed this temperature sensitivity to create a novel biological AND gate in E. coli, responsive to both p-benzoylphenylalanine (BzF) and low temperature, using a BzF-dependent variant of E. coli chorismate mutase and split subunits of Bordetella pertussis adenylate cyclase. Our study provides new insights into the unexpected effects of exogenous aaRS/tRNA pairs and offers a new approach for constructing a biological logic gate.

Multiple regulatory inputs including cell envelope stress orchestrate expression of the Escherichia coli rpoN operon

The rpoN operon, an important regulatory hub in Enterobacteriaceae, includes rpoN encoding sigma factor σ54, hpf involved in ribosome hibernation, rapZ regulating glucosamine-6-phosphate levels, and two genes encoding proteins of the nitrogen-related phosphotransferase system. Little is known about regulatory mechanisms controlling the abundance of these proteins. This study employs transposon mutagenesis and chemical screens to dissect the complex expression of the rpoN operon. We find that envelope stress conditions trigger read-through transcription into the rpoN operon from a promoter located upstream of the preceding lptA-lptB locus. This promoter is controlled by the envelope stress sigma factor E and response regulator PhoP is required for its full response to a subset of stress signals. σE also stimulates ptsN-rapZ-npr expression using an element downstream of rpoN, presumably by interfering with mRNA processing by RNase E. Additionally, we identify a novel promoter in the 3' end of rpoN that directs transcription of the distal genes in response to ethanol. Finally, we show that translation of hpf and ptsN is individually regulated by the RNA chaperone Hfq, perhaps involving small RNAs. Collectively, our work demonstrates that the rpoN operon is subject to complex regulation, integrating signals related to envelope stress and carbon source quality.

UNRAVELING CRP/cAMP-MEDIATED METABOLIC REGULATION IN ESCHERICHIA COLI PERSISTER CELLS

A substantial gap persists in our comprehension of how bacterial metabolism undergoes rewiring during the transition to a persistent state. Also, it remains unclear which metabolic mechanisms become indispensable for persister cell survival. To address these questions, we directed our efforts towards persister cells in Escherichia coli that emerge during the late stationary phase. These cells have been recognized for their exceptional resilience and are commonly believed to be in a dormant state. Our results demonstrate that the global metabolic regulator Crp/cAMP redirects the metabolism of these antibiotic-tolerant cells from anabolism to oxidative phosphorylation. Although our data indicates that persisters exhibit a reduced metabolic rate compared to rapidly growing exponential-phase cells, their survival still relies on energy metabolism. Extensive genomic-level analyses of metabolomics, proteomics, and single-gene deletions consistently emphasize the critical role of energy metabolism, specifically the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, electron transport chain (ETC), and ATP synthase, in sustaining the viability of persisters. Altogether, this study provides much-needed clarification regarding the role of energy metabolism in antibiotic tolerance and highlights the importance of using a multipronged approach at the genomic level to obtain a broader picture of the metabolic state of persister cells.

How Bacterial Pathogens Coordinate Appetite with Virulence

Cells adjust growth and metabolism to nutrient availability. Having access to a variety of carbon sources during infection of their animal hosts, facultative intracellular pathogens must efficiently prioritize carbon utilization. Here, we discuss how carbon source controls bacterial virulence, with an emphasis on Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, which causes gastroenteritis in immunocompetent humans and a typhoid-like disease in mice, and propose that virulence factors can regulate carbon source prioritization by modifying cellular physiology. On the one hand, bacterial regulators of carbon metabolism control virulence programs, indicating that pathogenic traits appear in response to carbon source availability. On the other hand, signals controlling virulence regulators may impact carbon source utilization, suggesting that stimuli that bacterial pathogens experience within the host can directly impinge on carbon source prioritization. In addition, pathogen-triggered intestinal inflammation can disrupt the gut microbiota and thus the availability of carbon sources. By coordinating virulence factors with carbon utilization determinants, pathogens adopt metabolic pathways that may not be the most energy efficient because such pathways promote resistance to antimicrobial agents and also because host-imposed deprivation of specific nutrients may hinder the operation of certain pathways. We propose that metabolic prioritization by bacteria underlies the pathogenic outcome of an infection.

The molecular mechanism for carbon catabolite repression of the chitin response in Vibrio cholerae

Vibrio cholerae is a facultative pathogen that primarily occupies marine environments. In this niche, V. cholerae commonly interacts with the chitinous shells of crustacean zooplankton. As a chitinolytic microbe, V. cholerae degrades insoluble chitin into soluble oligosaccharides. Chitin oligosaccharides serve as both a nutrient source and an environmental cue that induces a strong transcriptional response in V. cholerae. Namely, these oligosaccharides induce the chitin sensor, ChiS, to activate the genes required for chitin utilization and horizontal gene transfer by natural transformation. Thus, interactions with chitin impact the survival of V. cholerae in marine environments. Chitin is a complex carbon source for V. cholerae to degrade and consume, and the presence of more energetically favorable carbon sources can inhibit chitin utilization. This phenomenon, known as carbon catabolite repression (CCR), is mediated by the glucose-specific Enzyme IIA (EIIAGlc) of the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system (PTS). In the presence of glucose, EIIAGlc becomes dephosphorylated, which inhibits ChiS transcriptional activity by an unknown mechanism. Here, we show that dephosphorylated EIIAGlc interacts with ChiS. We also isolate ChiS suppressor mutants that evade EIIAGlc-dependent repression and demonstrate that these alleles no longer interact with EIIAGlc. These findings suggest that EIIAGlc must interact with ChiS to exert its repressive effect. Importantly, the ChiS suppressor mutations we isolated also relieve repression of chitin utilization and natural transformation by EIIAGlc, suggesting that CCR of these behaviors is primarily regulated through ChiS. Together, our results reveal how nutrient conditions impact the fitness of an important human pathogen in its environmental reservoir.

Shaping bacterial gene expression by physiological and proteome allocation constraints

Networks of molecular regulators are often the primary objects of focus in the study of gene regulation, with the machinery of protein synthesis tacitly relegated to the background. Shifting focus to the constraints imposed by the allocation of protein synthesis flux reveals surprising ways in which the actions of molecular regulators are shaped by physiological demands. Using carbon catabolite repression as a case study, we describe how physiological constraints are sensed through metabolic fluxes and how flux-controlled regulation gives rise to simple empirical relations between protein levels and the rate of cell growth.

Model-driven experimental design workflow expands understanding of regulatory role of Nac in Escherichia coli

The establishment of experimental conditions for transcriptional regulator network (TRN) reconstruction in bacteria continues to be impeded by the limited knowledge of activating conditions for transcription factors (TFs). Here, we present a novel genome-scale model-driven workflow for designing experimental conditions, which optimally activate specific TFs. Our model-driven workflow was applied to elucidate transcriptional regulation under nitrogen limitation by Nac and NtrC, in Escherichia coli. We comprehensively predict alternative nitrogen sources, including cytosine and cytidine, which trigger differential activation of Nac using a model-driven workflow. In accordance with the prediction, genome-wide measurements with ChIP-exo and RNA-seq were performed. Integrative data analysis reveals that the Nac and NtrC regulons consist of 97 and 43 genes under alternative nitrogen conditions, respectively. Functional analysis of Nac at the transcriptional level showed that Nac directly down-regulates amino acid biosynthesis and restores expression of tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle genes to alleviate nitrogen-limiting stress. We also demonstrate that both TFs coherently modulate α-ketoglutarate accumulation stress due to nitrogen limitation by co-activating amino acid and diamine degradation pathways. A systems-biology approach provided a detailed and quantitative understanding of both TF's roles and how nitrogen and carbon metabolic networks respond complementarily to nitrogen-limiting stress.

Understanding the Genome-Wide Transcription Response To Various cAMP Levels in Bacteria Using Phenomenological Models

Attempts to understand gene regulation by global transcription factors have largely been limited to expression studies under binary conditions of presence and absence of the transcription factor. Studies addressing genome-wide transcriptional responses to changing transcription factor concentration at high resolution are lacking. Here, we create a data set containing the entire Escherichia coli transcriptome in Luria-Bertani (LB) broth as it responds to 10 different cAMP concentrations spanning the biological range. We use the Hill's model to accurately summarize individual gene responses into three intuitively understandable parameters, E_max, n, and k, reflecting the sensitivity, nonlinearity, and midpoint of the dynamic range. Our data show that most cAMP-regulated genes have an n of >2, with their k values centered around the wild-type concentration of cAMP. Additionally, cAMP receptor protein (CRP) affinity to a promoter is correlated with E_max but not k, hinting that a high-affinity CRP promoter need not ensure transcriptional activation at lower cAMP concentrations and instead affects the magnitude of the response. Finally, genes belonging to different functional classes are tuned to have different k, n, and E_max values. We demonstrate that phenomenological models are a better alternative for studying gene expression trends than classical clustering methods, with the phenomenological constants providing greater insights into how genes are tuned in a regulatory network. IMPORTANCE Different genes may follow different trends in response to various transcription factor concentrations. In this study, we ask two questions: (i) what are the trends that different genes follow in response to changing transcription factor concentrations and (ii) what methods can be used to extract information from the gene trends so obtained. We demonstrate a method to analyze transcription factor concentration-dependent genome-wide expression data using phenomenological models. Conventional clustering methods and principal-component analysis (PCA) can be used to summarize trends in data but have limited interpretability. The use of phenomenological models greatly enhances the interpretability and thus utility of conventional clustering. Transformation of dose-response data into phenomenological constants opens up avenues to ask and answer many different kinds of question. We show that the phenomenological constants obtained from the model fits can be used to generate insights about network topology and allows integration of other experimental data such as chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) to understand the system in greater detail.

Feedback regulation and coordination of the main metabolism for bacterial growth and metabolic engineering for amino acid fermentation

Living organisms such as bacteria are often exposed to continuous changes in the nutrient availability in nature. Therefore, bacteria must constantly monitor the environmental condition, and adjust the metabolism quickly adapting to the change in the growth condition. For this, bacteria must orchestrate (coordinate and integrate) the complex and dynamically changing information on the environmental condition. In particular, the central carbon metabolism (CCM), monomer synthesis, and macromolecular synthesis must be coordinately regulated for the efficient growth. It is a grand challenge in bioscience, biotechnology, and synthetic biology to understand how living organisms coordinate the metabolic regulation systems. Here, we consider the integrated sensing of carbon sources by the phosphotransferase system (PTS), and the feed-forward/feedback regulation systems incorporated in the CCM in relation to the pool sizes of flux-sensing metabolites and αketoacids. We also consider the metabolic regulation of amino acid biosynthesis (as well as purine and pyrimidine biosyntheses) paying attention to the feedback control systems consisting of (fast) enzyme level regulation with (slow) transcriptional regulation. The metabolic engineering for the efficient amino acid production by bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Corynebacterium glutamicum is also discussed (in relation to the regulation mechanisms). The amino acid synthesis is important for determining the rate of ribosome biosynthesis. Thus, the growth rate control (growth law) is further discussed on the relationship between (p)ppGpp level and the ribosomal protein synthesis.

Biosynthesis of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) in metabolically recombinant Escherichia coli

In this study, a phaC_R gene encoding PHA synthase was identified in Rhodoligotrophos defluvii which was adjacent to β-ketothiolase encoded by phaA_R gene and acetoacetyl-CoA reductase encoded by phaB_R gene. Amino acid comparison of PhaC_R showed the highest homology of 65.98% with PhaC of R. appendicifer, while its homology with typical class I PHA synthase in Cupriavidus necator was only 42.54%. PHA synthesis genes were then transformed into E. coli harboring phaCAB_R and phaC_RAB_C which were cultured with 15 g/L glucose respectively, and 20.46 wt% and 16.95 wt% of CDW for poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) were accumulated respectively. To further explore the effect of substrate specificity for PHA production, the ptsG gene was then deleted and 15 g/L glucose and 1.5 g/L propionate were co-employed as carbon sources, which enabled the synthesis of poly(3HB-co-3HV) copolymer. As a result, poly(3HB-co-3HV) was accumulated up to 24.74 wt% of CDW, and the highest content of 3-hydroxyvalerate (3HV) was 10.86 mol%. The T_d5 was 260 °C, which implied that it possessed good thermal stability, and the M_w of GPC in recombinant strains were between 22 and 26 × 10⁴ g/mol, and the highest PDI was 3.771. The structure of poly (3HB-co-3HV) copolymer was determined through ¹H NMR analysis.

Regulation of ytfK by cAMP-CRP Contributes to SpoT-Dependent Accumulation of (p)ppGpp in Response to Carbon Starvation YtfK Responds to Glucose Exhaustion

Guanosine penta- or tetraphosphate (known as (p)ppGpp) serves as second messenger to respond to nutrient downshift and other environmental stresses, a phenomenon called stringent response. Accumulation of (p)ppGpp promotes the coordinated inhibition of macromolecule synthesis, as well as the activation of stress response pathways to cope and adapt to harmful conditions. In Escherichia coli, the (p)ppGpp level is tightly regulated by two enzymes, the (p)ppGpp synthetase RelA and the bifunctional synthetase/hydrolase SpoT. We recently identified the small protein YtfK as a key regulator of SpoT-mediated activation of stringent response in E. coli. Here, we further characterized the regulation of ytfK. We observed that ytfK is subjected to catabolite repression and is positively regulated by the cyclic AMP (cAMP)-cAMP receptor protein (CRP) complex. Importantly, YtfK contributes to SpoT-dependent accumulation of (p)ppGpp and cell survival in response to glucose starvation. Therefore, regulation of ytfK by the cAMP-CRP appears important to adjust (p)ppGpp level and coordinate cellular metabolism in response to glucose availability.

PRD-Containing Virulence Regulators (PCVRs) in Pathogenic Bacteria

Bacterial pathogens rely on a complex network of regulatory proteins to adapt to hostile and nutrient-limiting host environments. The phosphoenolpyruvate phosphotransferase system (PTS) is a conserved pathway in bacteria that couples transport of sugars with phosphorylation to monitor host carbohydrate availability. A family of structurally homologous PTS-regulatory-domain-containing virulence regulators (PCVRs) has been recognized in divergent bacterial pathogens, including Streptococcus pyogenes Mga and Bacillus anthracis AtxA. These paradigm PCVRs undergo phosphorylation, potentially via the PTS, which impacts their dimerization and their activity. Recent work with predicted PCVRs from Streptococcus pneumoniae (MgaSpn) and Enterococcus faecalis (MafR) suggest they interact with DNA like nucleoid-associating proteins. Yet, Mga binds to promoter sequences as a homo-dimeric transcription factor, suggesting a bi-modal interaction with DNA. High-resolution crystal structures of 3 PCVRs have validated the domain structure, but also raised additional questions such as how ubiquitous are PCVRs, is PTS-mediated histidine phosphorylation via potential PCVRs widespread, do specific sugars signal through PCVRs, and do PCVRs interact with DNA both as transcription factors and nucleoid-associating proteins? Here, we will review known and putative PCVRs based on key domain and functional characteristics and consider their roles as both transcription factors and possibly chromatin-structuring proteins.

Hierarchical and simultaneous utilization of carbon substrates: mechanistic insights, physiological roles, and ecological consequences

Bacteria grown on a mixture of carbon substrates exhibit two utilization patterns: hierarchical utilization (HU) and simultaneous utilization (SU). How and why cells adopt these different behaviors remains poorly understood despite decades of research. Recent studies address various open questions from multiple viewpoints. From a mechanistic perspective, it was found that flux sensors play a central role in the regulation of substrate utilization, accounting for the known dependences on single-substrate growth rates, substrate concentrations, and the point where the substrate enters central metabolism. From a physiological perspective, several recent studies suggested HU or SU as growth-optimizing strategies through efficient allocation of essential proteome resources. However, other studies demonstrate that a significant fraction of the proteome is dedicated to functions apparently unnecessary for growth, casting doubt on explanations based on slight efficiency gains. From an ecological perspective, recent theoretical studies suggest that HU can help increase species diversity in bacterial communities.

Recombinant protein production provoked accumulation of ATP, fructose-1,6-bisphosphate and pyruvate in E. coli K12 strain TG1

Background

Recently it was shown that production of recombinant proteins in E. coli BL21(DE3) using pET based expression vectors leads to metabolic stress comparable to a carbon overfeeding response. Opposite to original expectations generation of energy as well as catabolic provision of precursor metabolites were excluded as limiting factors for growth and protein production. On the contrary, accumulation of ATP and precursor metabolites revealed their ample formation but insufficient withdrawal as a result of protein production mediated constraints in anabolic pathways. Thus, not limitation but excess of energy and precursor metabolites were identified as being connected to the protein production associated metabolic burden.

Results

Here we show that the protein production associated accumulation of energy and catabolic precursor metabolites is not unique to E. coli BL21(DE3) but also occurs in E. coli K12. Most notably, it was demonstrated that the IPTG-induced production of hFGF-2 using a tac-promoter based expression vector in the E. coli K12 strain TG1 was leading to persistent accumulation of key regulatory molecules such as ATP, fructose-1,6-bisphosphate and pyruvate.

Conclusions

Excessive energy generation, respectively, accumulation of ATP during recombinant protein production is not unique to the BL21(DE3)/T7 promoter based expression system but also observed in the E. coli K12 strain TG1 using another promoter/vector combination. These findings confirm that energy is not a limiting factor for recombinant protein production. Moreover, the data also show that an accelerated glycolytic pathway flux aggravates the protein production associated “metabolic burden”. Under conditions of compromised anabolic capacities cells are not able to reorganize their metabolic enzyme repertoire as required for reduced carbon processing.

A fructose/H+ symporter controlled by a LacI-type regulator promotes survival of pandemic Vibrio cholerae in seawater

The bacterium Vibrio cholerae can colonize the human intestine and cause cholera, but spends much of its life cycle in seawater. The pathogen must adapt to substantial environmental changes when moving between seawater and the human intestine, including different availability of carbon sources such as fructose. Here, we use in vitro experiments as well as mouse intestinal colonization assays to study the mechanisms used by pandemic V. cholerae to adapt to these environmental changes. We show that a LacI-type regulator (FruI) and a fructose/H+ symporter (FruT) are important for fructose uptake at low fructose concentrations, as those found in seawater. FruT is downregulated by FruI, which is upregulated when O2 concentrations are low (as in the intestine) by ArcAB, a two-component system known to respond to changes in oxygen levels. As a result, the bacteria predominantly use FruT for fructose uptake under seawater conditions (low fructose, high O2), and use a known fructose phosphotransferase system (PTS, Fpr) for fructose uptake under conditions found in the intestine. PTS activity leads to reduced levels of intracellular cAMP, which in turn upregulate virulence genes. Our results indicate that the FruT/FruI system may be important for survival of pandemic V. cholerae in seawater.

The impact of carbon and nitrogen catabolite repression in microorganisms

Organisms have cellular machinery that is focused on optimum utilization of resources to maximize growth and survival depending on various environmental and developmental factors. Catabolite repression is a strategy utilized by various species of bacteria and fungi to accommodate changes in the environment such as the depletion of resources, or an abundance of less-favored nutrient sources. Catabolite repression allows for the rapid use of certain substrates like glucose over other carbon sources. Effective handling of carbon and nitrogen catabolite repression in microorganisms is crucial to outcompete others in nutrient limiting conditions. Investigations into genes and proteins linked to preferential uptake of different nutrients under various environmental conditions can aid in identifying regulatory mechanisms that are crucial for optimum growth and survival of microorganisms. The exact time and way bacteria and fungi switch their utilization of certain nutrients is of great interest for scientific, industrial, and clinical reasons. Catabolite repression is of great significance for industrial applications that rely on microorganisms for the generation of valuable bio-products. The impact catabolite repression has on virulence of pathogenic bacteria and fungi and disease progression in hosts makes it important area of interest in medical research for the prevention of diseases and developing new treatment strategies. Regulatory networks under catabolite repression exemplify the flexibility and the tremendous diversity that is found in microorganisms and provides an impetus for newer insights into these networks.

Expression of the ace operon in Escherichia coli is triggered in response to growth rate-dependent flux-signal of ATP

The signal that triggers the expression of the ace operon and, in turn, the transition of central metabolism's architecture from acetogenic to gluconeogenic in Escherichia coli remains elusive despite extensive research both in vivo and in vitro. Here, with the aid of flux analysis together with measurements of the enzymic activity of isocitrate lyase (ICL) and its aceA-messenger ribonucleuc acid (mRNA) transcripts, we provide credible evidence suggesting that the expression of the ace operon in E. coli is triggered in response to growth rate-dependent threshold flux-signal of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Flux analysis revealed that the shortfall in ATP supply observed as the growth rate ($\mu $) diminishes from µmax to ≤ 0.43h-1 ($ \pm 0.02;n4)\ $is partially redressed by up-regulating flux through succinyl CoA synthetase. Unlike glycerol and glucose, pyruvate cannot feed directly into the two glycolytic ATP-generating reactions catalyzed by phosphoglycerokinase and pyruvate kinase. On the other hand, glycerol, which upon its conversion to D-glyceraldehyde, feeds into the phosphorylation and dephosphorylation parts of glycolysis including the substrate-level phosphorylation-ATP generating reactions, thus preventing ATP flux from dropping to the critical threshold signal required to trigger the acetate-diauxic switch until glycerol is fully consumed. The mRNA transcriptional patterns of key gluconeogenic enzymes, namely, ackA, acetate kinase; pta, phosphotransacetylase; acs, acetyl CoA synthetase and aceA, ICL, suggest that the pyruvate phenotype is better equipped than the glycerol phenotype for the switch from acetogenic to gluconeogenic metabolism.

A counting-strategy together with a spatial structured model describes RNA polymerase and ribosome availability in Escherichia coli

The allocation of resources during bacterial growth is strongly related to the availability of ribosomes and RNA polymerase molecules. Here, coarse-grained models offer a promising start due to their simple structure and the limited number of kinetic parameters. Based on published data sets for proteome and mRNA data in Escherichia coli, and together with mass balance equations describing gene expression, we are able to calculate the number of active molecules (that is, the number of ribosomes that are currently translating nascent and mature mRNA, as well as the number of RNA polymerase molecules on the DNA). This information is a prerequisite for meaningful coarse-grained models. In our approach, the cellular compartment is structured into a cytosolic region and a nucleoid region, and the processes of transcription and translation are assigned accordingly. The theoretical study reveals a quadratic relationship between the number of active ribosomes and the growth rate μ. While the overall available number of ribosomes follows the linear "bacterial growth law", the approach allows us to determine the growth limit for the chosen experimental environment (minimal medium, only one C source). The new approach is in good agreement with published experimental data, and, with a simple rule of thumb can be applied to other cellular systems.

Lac Operon Boolean Models: Dynamical Robustness and Alternative Improvements

In Veliz-Cuba and Stigler 2011, Boolean models were proposed for the lac operon in Escherichia coli capable of reproducing the operon being OFF, ON and bistable for three (low, medium and high) and two (low and high) parameters, representing the concentration ranges of lactose and glucose, respectively. Of these 6 possible combinations of parameters, 5 produce results that match with the biological experiments of Ozbudak et al., 2004. In the remaining one, the models predict the operon being OFF while biological experiments show a bistable behavior. In this paper, we first explore the robustness of two such models in the sense of how much its attractors change against any deterministic update schedule. We prove mathematically that, in cases where there is no bistability, all the dynamics in both models lack limit cycles while, when bistability appears, one model presents 30% of its dynamics with limit cycles while the other only 23%. Secondly, we propose two alternative improvements consisting of biologically supported modifications; one in which both models match with Ozbudak et al., 2004 in all 6 combinations of parameters and, the other one, where we increase the number of parameters to 9, matching in all these cases with the biological experiments of Ozbudak et al., 2004.

Enhanced production of heterologous proteins by a synthetic microbial community: Conditions and trade-offs

Synthetic microbial consortia have been increasingly utilized in biotechnology and experimental evidence shows that suitably engineered consortia can outperform individual species in the synthesis of valuable products. Despite significant achievements, though, a quantitative understanding of the conditions that make this possible, and of the trade-offs due to the concurrent growth of multiple species, is still limited. In this work, we contribute to filling this gap by the investigation of a known prototypical synthetic consortium. A first E. coli strain, producing a heterologous protein, is sided by a second E. coli strain engineered to scavenge toxic byproducts, thus favoring the growth of the producer at the expense of diverting part of the resources to the growth of the cleaner. The simplicity of the consortium is ideal to perform an in depth-analysis and draw conclusions of more general interest. We develop a coarse-grained mathematical model that quantitatively accounts for literature data from different key growth phenotypes. Based on this, assuming growth in chemostat, we first investigate the conditions enabling stable coexistence of both strains and the effect of the metabolic load due to heterologous protein production. In these conditions, we establish when and to what extent the consortium outperforms the producer alone in terms of productivity. Finally, we show in chemostat as well as in a fed-batch scenario that gain in productivity comes at the price of a reduced yield, reflecting at the level of the consortium resource allocation trade-offs that are well-known for individual species.

In nature, microorganisms occur in communities comprising a variety of mutually interacting species. Established through evolution, these interactions allow for the survival and growth of microorganisms in their natural environment, and give rise to complex dynamics that could not be exhibited by any of the species in isolation. The richness of microbial community dynamics has been leveraged to outperform individual species in biotechnological production processes and other processes of high societal value. Yet, in view of their complexity, natural communities are difficult to study and control. In order to overcome these issues, a rapidly growing research field concerns the rational design and engineering of synthetic microbial consortia. Despite the great potential of synthetic microbial consortia, and significant efforts devoted to their mathematical modelling and analysis, a detailed understanding of how enhanced production can be achieved, and at what cost, is still unavailable. In this work, based on a quantitative model of a prototypical synthetic microbial consortium, we determine precise conditions under which a consortium outperforms individual species in the production of a recombinant protein. Moreover, we identify the inherent trade-offs between productivity and efficiency of substrate utilization.

Regulation underlying hierarchical and simultaneous utilization of carbon substrates by flux sensors in Escherichia coli

Many microbes exhibit nutrient preferences, exemplified by the “hierarchical” consumption of certain carbon substrates. Here we systematically investigate under which physiological conditions hierarchical substrate utilization occurs and its mechanisms of implementation. We show utilization hierarchy of Escherichia coli to be ordered by the carbon-uptake flux rather than the identity of the substrates. A detailed study of glycerol uptake finds that it is fully suppressed if the uptake flux of another glycolytic substrate exceeds a threshold, set to the influx obtained when grown on glycerol alone. Below this threshold, limited glycerol uptake is “supplemented” such that the total carbon uptake is maintained at the threshold. This behavior results from total-flux feedback mediated by cAMP-Crp signaling, but also requires inhibition by regulator fructose-1,6-bisphosphate, which senses the upper glycolytic flux and ensures that glycerol uptake defers to other glycolytic substrates but not to gluconeogenic ones. A quantitative model reproduces all observed utilization patterns including those of key mutants. The proposed mechanism relies on differential regulation of uptake enzymes and requires a specific operon organization. This organization is found conserved across related species for several uptake systems, suggesting the deployment of similar mechanisms for hierarchical substrate utilization by a spectrum of microbes.

Redox rebalance against genetic perturbations and modulation of central carbon metabolism by the oxidative stress regulation

The micro-aerophilic organisms and aerobes as well as yeast and higher organisms have evolved to gain energy through respiration (via oxidative phosphorylation), thereby enabling them to grow much faster than anaerobes. However, during respiration, reactive oxygen species (ROSs) are inherently (inevitably) generated, and threaten the cell's survival. Therefore, living organisms (or cells) must furnish the potent defense systems to keep such ROSs at harmless level, where the cofactor balance plays crucial roles. Namely, NADH is the source of energy generation (catabolism) in the respiratory chain reactions, through which ROSs are generated, while NADPH plays important roles not only for the cell synthesis (anabolism) but also for detoxifying ROSs. Therefore, the cell must rebalance the redox ratio by modulating the fluxes of the central carbon metabolism (CCM) by regulating the multi-level regulation machinery upon genetic perturbations and the change in the growth conditions. Here, we discuss about how aerobes accomplish such cofactor homeostasis against redox perturbations. In particular, we consider how single-gene mutants (including pgi, pfk, zwf, gnd and pyk mutants) modulate their metabolisms in relation to cofactor rebalance (and also by adaptive laboratory evolution). We also discuss about how the overproduction of NADPH (by the pathway gene mutation) can be utilized for the efficient production of useful value-added chemicals such as medicinal compounds, polyhydroxyalkanoates, and amino acids, all of which require NADPH in their synthetic pathways. We then discuss about the metabolic responses against oxidative stress, where αketoacids play important roles not only for the coordination between catabolism and anabolism, but also for detoxifying ROSs by non-enzymatic reactions, as well as for reducing the production of ROSs by repressing the activities of the TCA cycle and respiration (via carbon catabolite repression). Thus, we discuss about the mechanisms (basic strategies) that modulate the metabolism from respiration to respiro-fermentative metabolism causing overflow, based on the role of Pyk activity, affecting the NADPH production at the oxidative pentose phosphate (PP) pathway, and the roles of αketoacids for the change in the source of energy generation from the oxidative phosphorylation to the substrate level phosphorylation.

Metabolism of sucrose in a non-fermentative Escherichia coli under oxygen limitation

Biotechnological industry strives to develop anaerobic bioprocesses fueled by abundant and cheap carbon sources, like sucrose. However, oxygen-limiting conditions often lead to by-product formation and reduced ATP yields. While by-product formation is typically decreased by gene deletion, the breakdown of oligosaccharides with inorganic phosphate instead of water could increment the ATP yield. To observe the effect of oxygen limitation during sucrose consumption, a non-fermentative Escherichia coli K-12 strain was transformed with genes enabling sucrose assimilation. It was observed that the combined deletion of the genes adhE, adhP, mhpF, ldhA, and pta abolished the anaerobic growth using sucrose. Therefore, the biomass-specific conversion rates were obtained using oxygen-limited continuous cultures. Strains performing the breakdown of the sucrose by hydrolysis (SUC-HYD) or phosphorolysis (SUC-PHOSP) were studied in such conditions. An experimentally validated in silico model, modified to account for plasmid and protein burdens, was employed to calculate carbon and electron consistent conversion rates. In both strains, the biomass yields were lower than expected and, strikingly, SUC-PHOSP showed a yield lower than SUC-HYD. Flux balance analyses indicated a significant increase in the non-growth-associated ATP expenses by comparison with the growth on glucose. The observed fructose-1,6-biphosphatase and phosphoglucomutase activities, as well as the concentrations of glycogen, suggest the operation of ATP futile cycles triggered by a combination of the oxygen limitation and the metabolites released during the sucrose breakdown.

Engineering of phosphoenolpyruvate: carbohydrate phosphotransferase system increased acetate assimilation in Escherichia coli

Acetate is a potential low-cost carbon source and can be used for microbial production of valuable chemicals in Escherichia coli. In this study, separate and simultaneous inactivation of the ptsG, ptsI, and ptsP genes involved in the phosphoenolpyruvate:carbohydrate phosphotransferase system was performed in E. coli and the effects on cell growth and acetate assimilation were evaluated. The mutant strain with double deletion of ptsG and ptsP exhibited faster acetate use than the other mutants. Inactivation of ptsI seriously reduced acetate consumption. This work provides a novel engineering target for improving acetate use rates.

Regulation of glycolytic flux and overflow metabolism depending on the source of energy generation for energy demand

Overflow metabolism is a common phenomenon observed at higher glycolytic flux in many bacteria, yeast (known as Crabtree effect), and mammalian cells including cancer cells (known as Warburg effect). This phenomenon has recently been characterized as the trade-offs between protein costs and enzyme efficiencies based on coarse-graining approaches. Moreover, it has been recognized that the glycolytic flux increases as the source of energy generation changes from energetically efficient respiration to inefficient respiro-fermentative or fermentative metabolism causing overflow metabolism. It is highly desired to clarify the metabolic regulation mechanisms behind such phenomena. Metabolic fluxes are located on top of the hierarchical regulation systems, and represent the outcome of the integrated response of all levels of cellular regulation systems. In the present article, we discuss about the different levels of regulation systems for the modulation of fluxes depending on the growth rate, growth condition such as oxygen limitation that alters the metabolism towards fermentation, and genetic perturbation affecting the source of energy generation from respiration to respiro-fermentative metabolism in relation to overflow metabolism. The intracellular metabolite of the upper glycolysis such as fructose 1,6-bisphosphate (FBP) plays an important role not only for flux sensing, but also for the regulation of the respiratory activity either directly or indirectly (via transcription factors) at higher growth rate. The glycolytic flux regulation is backed up (enhanced) by unphosphorylated EIIA and HPr of the phosphotransferase system (PTS) components, together with the sugar-phosphate stress regulation, where the transcriptional regulation is further modulated by post-transcriptional regulation via the degradation of mRNA (stability of mRNA) in Escherichia coli. Moreover, the channeling may also play some role in modulating the glycolytic cascade reactions.

The Phosphohistidine Phosphatase SixA Targets a Phosphotransferase System

SixA, a well-conserved protein found in proteobacteria, actinobacteria, and cyanobacteria, is the only reported example of a bacterial phosphohistidine phosphatase. A single protein target of SixA has been reported to date: the Escherichia coli histidine kinase ArcB. The present work analyzes an ArcB-independent growth defect of a sixA deletion in E. coli A screen for suppressors, analysis of various mutants, and phosphorylation assays indicate that SixA modulates phosphorylation of the nitrogen-related phosphotransferase system (PTS^Ntr). The PTS^Ntr is a widely conserved bacterial pathway that regulates diverse metabolic processes through the phosphorylation states of its protein components, EI^Ntr, NPr, and EIIA^Ntr, which receive phosphoryl groups on histidine residues. However, a mechanism for dephosphorylating this system has not been reported. The results presented here suggest a model in which SixA removes phosphoryl groups from the PTS^Ntr by acting on NPr. This work uncovers a new role for the phosphohistidine phosphatase SixA and, through factors that affect SixA expression or activity, may point to additional inputs that regulate the PTS^Ntr IMPORTANCE One common means to regulate protein activity is through phosphorylation. Protein phosphatases exist to reverse this process, returning the protein to the unphosphorylated form. The vast majority of protein phosphatases that have been identified target phosphoserine, phosphotheronine, and phosphotyrosine. A widely conserved phosphohistidine phosphatase was identified in Escherichia coli 20 years ago but remains relatively understudied. The present work shows that this phosphatase modulates the nitrogen-related phosphotransferase system, a pathway that is regulated by nitrogen and carbon metabolism and affects diverse aspects of bacterial physiology. Until now, there was no known mechanism for removing phosphoryl groups from this pathway.

Type and capacity of glucose transport influences succinate yield in two-stage cultivations

Background

Glucose is the main carbon source of E. coli and a typical substrate in production processes. The main glucose uptake system is the glucose specific phosphotransferase system (Glc-PTS). The PTS couples glucose uptake with its phosphorylation. This is achieved by the concomitant conversion of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) to pyruvate. The Glc-PTS is hence unfavorable for the production of succinate as this product is derived from PEP.

Results

We studied, in a systematic manner, the effect of knocking out the Glc-PTS and of replacing it with the glucose facilitator (Glf) of Zymomonas mobilis on succinate yield and productivity. For this study a set of strains derived from MG1655, carrying deletions of ackA-pta, adhE and ldhA that prevent the synthesis of competing fermentation products, were constructed and tested in two-stage cultivations. The data show that inactivation of the Glc-PTS achieved a considerable increase in succinate yield and productivity. On the other hand, aerobic growth of this strain on glucose was strongly decreased. Expression of the alternative glucose transporter, Glf, in this strain enhanced aerobic growth but productivity and yield under anaerobic conditions were slightly decreased. This decrease in succinate yield was accompanied by pyruvate production. Yield could be increased in both Glc-PTS mutants by overexpressing phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (Pck). Productivity on the other hand, was decreased in the strain without alternative glucose transporter but strongly increased in the strain expressing Glf. The experiments were complemented by flux balance analysis in order to check the observed yields against the maximal theoretical yields. Furthermore, the phosphorylation state of EIIA^Glc was determined. The data indicate that the ratio of PEP to pyruvate is correlating with pyruvate excretion. This ratio is affected by the PTS reaction as well as by further reactions at the PEP/pyruvate node.

Conclusions

The results show that for optimization of succinate yield and productivity it is not sufficient to knock out or introduce single reactions. Rather, balancing of the fluxes of central metabolism most important at the PEP/pyruvate node is important.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12934-018-0980-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

La répression catabolique ou comment les bactéries choisissent leurs sucres préférés

La répression catabolique permet aux bactéries, mais aussi aux levures ou champignons, une utilisation préférentielle des sources de carbone. Ce phénomène se traduit par une croissance diauxique durant laquelle les bactéries assimilent d’abord les sources de carbone rapidement métabolisables, puis les sources de carbone non préférentielles. Divers mécanismes moléculaires sont responsables de la répression catabolique et contrôlent non seulement l’expression de gènes impliqués dans l’utilisation de sources de carbone alternatives, mais aussi l’expression de plusieurs gènes impliqués dans des processus cellulaires variés. Cette synthèse décrit les principaux mécanismes moléculaires retrouvés chez les entérobactéries et chez les firmicutes, ainsi que l’importance du système des phosphotransférases dans cette régulation.

Carbohydrate Utilization in Bacteria: Making the Most Out of Sugars with the Help of Small Regulatory RNAs

Survival of bacteria in ever-changing habitats with fluctuating nutrient supplies requires rapid adaptation of their metabolic capabilities. To this end, carbohydrate metabolism is governed by complex regulatory networks including posttranscriptional mechanisms that involve small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) and RNA-binding proteins. sRNAs limit the response to substrate availability and set the threshold or time required for induction and repression of carbohydrate utilization systems. Carbon catabolite repression (CCR) also involves sRNAs. In Enterobacteriaceae, sRNA Spot 42 cooperates with the transcriptional regulator cyclic AMP (cAMP)-receptor protein (CRP) to repress secondary carbohydrate utilization genes when a preferred sugar is consumed. In pseudomonads, CCR operates entirely at the posttranscriptional level, involving RNA-binding protein Hfq and decoy sRNA CrcZ. Moreover, sRNAs coordinate fluxes through central carbohydrate metabolic pathways with carbohydrate availability. In Gram-negative bacteria, the interplay between RNA-binding protein CsrA and its cognate sRNAs regulates glycolysis and gluconeogenesis in response to signals derived from metabolism. Spot 42 and cAMP-CRP jointly downregulate tricarboxylic acid cycle activity when glycolytic carbon sources are ample. In addition, bacteria use sRNAs to reprogram carbohydrate metabolism in response to anaerobiosis and iron limitation. Finally, sRNAs also provide homeostasis of essential anabolic pathways, as exemplified by the hexosamine pathway providing cell envelope precursors. In this review, we discuss the manifold roles of bacterial sRNAs in regulation of carbon source uptake and utilization, substrate prioritization, and metabolism.

The Csr System Regulates Escherichia coli Fitness by Controlling Glycogen Accumulation and Energy Levels

In the bacterium Escherichia coli, the posttranscriptional regulatory system Csr was postulated to influence the transition from glycolysis to gluconeogenesis. Here, we explored the role of the Csr system in the glucose-acetate transition as a model of the glycolysis-to-gluconeogenesis switch. Mutations in the Csr system influence the reorganization of gene expression after glucose exhaustion and disturb the timing of acetate reconsumption after glucose exhaustion. Analysis of metabolite concentrations during the transition revealed that the Csr system has a major effect on the energy levels of the cells after glucose exhaustion. This influence was demonstrated to result directly from the effect of the Csr system on glycogen accumulation. Mutation in glycogen metabolism was also demonstrated to hinder metabolic adaptation after glucose exhaustion because of insufficient energy. This work explains how the Csr system influences E. coli fitness during the glycolysis-gluconeogenesis switch and demonstrates the role of glycogen in maintenance of the energy charge during metabolic adaptation.IMPORTANCE Glycogen is a polysaccharide and the main storage form of glucose from bacteria such as Escherichia coli to yeasts and mammals. Although its function as a sugar reserve in mammals is well documented, the role of glycogen in bacteria is not as clear. By studying the role of posttranscriptional regulation during metabolic adaptation, for the first time, we demonstrate the role of sugar reserve played by glycogen in E. coli Indeed, glycogen not only makes it possible to maintain sufficient energy during metabolic transitions but is also the key component in the capacity of cells to resume growth. Since the essential posttranscriptional regulatory system Csr is a major regulator of glycogen accumulation, this work also sheds light on the central role of posttranscriptional regulation in metabolic adaptation.

Glucose-Specific Enzyme IIA of the Phosphoenolpyruvate:Carbohydrate Phosphotransferase System Modulates Chitin Signaling Pathways in Vibrio cholerae

In Vibrio cholerae, the genes required for chitin utilization and natural competence are governed by the chitin-responsive two-component system (TCS) sensor kinase ChiS. In the classical TCS paradigm, a sensor kinase specifically phosphorylates a cognate response regulator to activate gene expression. However, our previous genetic study suggested that ChiS stimulates the non-TCS transcriptional regulator TfoS by using mechanisms distinct from classical phosphorylation reactions (S. Yamamoto, J. Mitobe, T. Ishikawa, S. N. Wai, M. Ohnishi, H. Watanabe, and H. Izumiya, Mol Microbiol 91:326-347, 2014, https://doi.org/10.1111/mmi.12462). TfoS specifically activates the transcription of tfoR, encoding a small regulatory RNA essential for competence gene expression. Whether ChiS and TfoS interact directly remains unknown. To determine if other factors mediate the communication between ChiS and TfoS, we isolated transposon mutants that turned off tfoR::lacZ expression but possessed intact chiS and tfoS genes. We demonstrated an unexpected association of chitin-induced signaling pathways with the glucose-specific enzyme IIA (EIIA^glc) of the phosphoenolpyruvate:carbohydrate phosphotransferase system (PTS) for carbohydrate uptake and catabolite control of gene expression. Genetic and physiological analyses revealed that dephosphorylated EIIA^glc inactivated natural competence and tfoR transcription. Chitin-induced expression of the chb operon, which is required for chitin transport and catabolism, was also repressed by dephosphorylated EIIA^glc Furthermore, the regulation of tfoR and chb expression by EIIA^glc was dependent on ChiS and intracellular levels of ChiS were not affected by disruption of the gene encoding EIIA^glc These results define a previously unknown connection between the PTS and chitin signaling pathways in V. cholerae and suggest a strategy whereby this bacterium can physiologically adapt to the existing nutrient status.IMPORTANCE The EIIA^glc protein of the PTS coordinates a wide variety of physiological functions with carbon availability. In this report, we describe an unexpected association of chitin-activated signaling pathways in V. cholerae with EIIA^glc The signaling pathways are governed by the chitin-responsive TCS sensor kinase ChiS and lead to the induction of chitin utilization and natural competence. We show that dephosphorylated EIIA^glc inhibits both signaling pathways in a ChiS-dependent manner. This inhibition is different from classical catabolite repression that is caused by lowered levels of cyclic AMP. This work represents a newly identified connection between the PTS and chitin signaling pathways in V. cholerae and suggests a strategy whereby this bacterium can physiologically adapt to the existing nutrient status.

Experimental evolution reveals an effective avenue to release catabolite repression via mutations in XylR

Microbial production of fuels and chemicals from lignocellulosic biomass provides promising biorenewable alternatives to the conventional petroleum-based products. However, heterogeneous sugar composition of lignocellulosic biomass hinders efficient microbial conversion due to carbon catabolite repression. The most abundant sugar monomers in lignocellulosic biomass materials are glucose and xylose. Although industrial Escherichia coli strains efficiently use glucose, their ability to use xylose is often repressed in the presence of glucose. Here we independently evolved three E. coli strains from the same ancestor to achieve high efficiency for xylose fermentation. Each evolved strain has a point mutation in a transcriptional activator for xylose catabolic operons, either CRP or XylR, and these mutations are demonstrated to enhance xylose fermentation by allelic replacements. Identified XylR variants (R121C and P363S) have a higher affinity to their DNA binding sites, leading to a xylose catabolic activation independent of catabolite repression control. Upon introducing these amino acid substitutions into the E. coli D-lactate producer TG114, 94% of a glucose-xylose mixture (50 g⋅L-1 each) was used in mineral salt media that led to a 50% increase in product titer after 96 h of fermentation. The two amino acid substitutions in XylR enhance xylose utilization and release glucose-induced repression in different E. coli hosts, including wild type, suggesting its potential wide application in industrial E. coli biocatalysts.

Co-utilization of hexoses by a microconsortium of sugar-specific E. coli strains

Escherichia coli is an important commercial species used for production of biofuels, biopolymers, organic acids, sugar alcohols, and natural compounds. Processed biomass and agroindustrial byproducts serve as low-cost nutrient sources and contain a variety of hexoses available for bioconversion. However, metabolism of hexose mixtures by E. coli is inefficient due to carbon catabolite repression (CCR), where the transport and catabolic activity of one or more carbon sources is repressed and/or inhibited by the transport and catabolism of another carbon source. In this work, we developed a microconsortium of different E. coli strains, each engineered to preferentially catabolize a different hexose-glucose, galactose, or mannose. We modified the specificity and preference of carbon source using a combination of rational strain design and adaptive evolution. The modifications ultimately resulted in strains that preferentially catabolized their specified sugar. Finally, comparative analysis in galactose- and mannose-rich sugar mixtures revealed that the consortium grew faster and to higher cell densities compared to the wild-type strain. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 2309-2318. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

K+ modulates genetic competence and the stress regulon of Streptococcus mutans

Potassium (K+) is the most abundant cation in dental plaque fluid. Previously, we reported the link between K+ transport via Trk2 in Streptococcus mutans and its two critical virulence attributes: acid tolerance and surface adhesion. Herein, we build further on the intimate link between K+ levels and S. mutans biology. High (>25 mM) versus low (≤5 mM) K+ concentrations in the growth medium affected conformational epitopes of cell surface-localized adhesin P1. At low K+, the expression of stress response elements gcrR and codY, cell-adhesion-associated genes such as spaP and metabolism-associated genes such as bglP was induced at stationary phase (P<0.05), suggesting that K+-mediated regulation is growth phase-dependent and stress-sensitive. Production of the newly discovered secretory protein encoded by SMU_63c was strongly dependent on the availability of K+ and growth phase. This protein is a newly discovered regulator of genetic competence and biofilm cell density. Thus, the influence of K+ on DNA transformation efficiency was also examined. Compared with 25 mM K+ concentration, the presence of low K+ reduced the transformation frequency by 100-fold. Genetic transformation was abolished in a strain lacking a Trk2 system under all K+ concentrations tested. Consistent with these findings, repression of competence-associated genes, comS and comX, was observed under low environmental K+ conditions and in the strain lacking Trk2. Taken together, these results highlight a pivotal role for environmental K+ as a regulatory cation that modulates stress responses and genetic transformation in S. mutans.

Sophisticated Regulation of Transcriptional Factors by the Bacterial Phosphoenolpyruvate: Sugar Phosphotransferase System

The phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system (PTS) is a carbohydrate transport and phosphorylation system present in bacteria of all different phyla and in archaea. It is usually composed of three proteins or protein complexes, enzyme I, HPr, and enzyme II, which are phosphorylated at histidine or cysteine residues. However, in many bacteria, HPr can also be phosphorylated at a serine residue. The PTS not only functions as a carbohydrate transporter but also regulates numerous cellular processes either by phosphorylating its target proteins or by interacting with them in a phosphorylation-dependent manner. The target proteins can be catabolic enzymes, transporters, and signal transduction proteins but are most frequently transcriptional regulators. In this review, we will describe how PTS components interact with or phosphorylate proteins to regulate directly or indirectly the activity of transcriptional repressors, activators, or antiterminators. We will briefly summarize the well-studied mechanism of carbon catabolite repression in firmicutes, where the transcriptional regulator catabolite control protein A needs to interact with seryl-phosphorylated HPr in order to be functional. We will present new results related to transcriptional activators and antiterminators containing specific PTS regulation domains, which are the phosphorylation targets for three different types of PTS components. Moreover, we will discuss how the phosphorylation level of the PTS components precisely regulates the activity of target transcriptional regulators or antiterminators, with or without PTS regulation domain, and how the availability of PTS substrates and thus the metabolic status of the cell are connected with various cellular processes, such as biofilm formation or virulence of certain pathogens.

Enzyme I facilitates reverse flux from pyruvate to phosphoenolpyruvate in Escherichia coli

The bacterial phosphoenolpyruvate-carbohydrate phosphotransferase system (PTS) consists of cascading phosphotransferases that couple the simultaneous import and phosphorylation of a variety of sugars to the glycolytic conversion of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) to pyruvate. As the primary route of glucose uptake in E. coli, the PTS plays a key role in regulating central carbon metabolism and carbon catabolite repression, and is a frequent target of metabolic engineering interventions. Here we show that Enzyme I, the terminal phosphotransferase responsible for the conversion of PEP to pyruvate, is responsible for a significant in vivo flux in the reverse direction (pyruvate to PEP) during both gluconeogenic and glycolytic growth. We use 13C alanine tracers to quantify this back-flux in single and double knockouts of genes relating to PEP synthetase and PTS components. Our findings are relevant to metabolic engineering design and add to our understanding of gene-reaction connectivity in E. coli.

Sugar Influx Sensing by the Phosphotransferase System of Escherichia coli

The phosphotransferase system (PTS) plays a pivotal role in the uptake of multiple sugars in Escherichia coli and many other bacteria. In the cell, individual sugar-specific PTS branches are interconnected through a series of phosphotransfer reactions, thus creating a global network that not only phosphorylates incoming sugars but also regulates a number of cellular processes. Despite the apparent importance of the PTS network in bacterial physiology, the holistic function of the network in the cell remains unclear. Here we used Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) to investigate the PTS network in E. coli, including the dynamics of protein interactions and the processing of different stimuli and their transmission to the chemotaxis pathway. Our results demonstrate that despite the seeming complexity of the cellular PTS network, its core part operates in a strikingly simple way, sensing the overall influx of PTS sugars irrespective of the sugar identity and distributing this information equally through all studied branches of the network. Moreover, it also integrates several other specific metabolic inputs. The integrated output of the PTS network is then transmitted linearly to the chemotaxis pathway, in stark contrast to the amplification of conventional chemotactic stimuli. Finally, we observe that default uptake through the uninduced PTS network correlates well with the quality of the carbon source, apparently representing an optimal regulatory strategy.

The bacterial phosphotransferase system (PTS) mediates uptake of multiple sugars from the environment and also controls cell physiology and swimming behavior in sugar gradients. In Escherichia coli and other bacteria, the PTS consists of a number of sugar-specific branches, interconnected via shared components through a series of phosphotransfer reactions. Whereas most previous studies have focused on understanding individual PTS branches, the holistic function of the entire PTS network in the cell remained elusive. In this study we address this question by investigating the dynamics of multiple protein interactions within the cellular PTS network upon stimulation with sugars and other metabolites. We demonstrate that despite its seeming complexity, the core part of the PTS network operates in a strikingly simple way, sensing the overall influx of PTS sugars and key metabolites into the cell and utilizing this information to control bacterial behavior. We further show that the default influx of the carbon source correlates with its quality, and we use computer simulations to demonstrate that this correlation apparently represents an optimal regulatory strategy.

Cyclic mononucleotide- and Clr-dependent gene regulation in Sinorhizobium meliloti

To identify physiological processes affected by cAMP in the plant-symbiotic nitrogen-fixing α-proteobacterium Sinorhizobium meliloti Rm2011, cAMP levels were artificially increased by overexpression of its cognate adenylate/guanylate cyclase gene cyaJ. This resulted in high accumulation of cAMP in the culture supernatant, decreased swimming motility and increased production of succinoglycan, an exopolysaccharide involved in host invasion. Weaker, similar phenotypic changes were induced by overexpression of cyaB and cyaG1. Effects on swimming motility and succinoglycan production were partially dependent on clr encoding a cyclic AMP receptor-like protein. Transcriptome profiling of an cyaJ-overexpressing strain identified 72 upregulated and 82 downregulated genes. A considerable number of upregulated genes are related to polysaccharide biosynthesis and osmotic stress response. These included succinoglycan biosynthesis genes, genes of the putative polysaccharide synthesis nodP2-exoF3 cluster and feuN, the first gene of the operon encoding the FeuNPQ regulatory system. Downregulated genes were mostly related to respiration, central metabolism and swimming motility. Promoter-probe studies in the presence of externally added cAMP revealed 18 novel Clr-cAMP-regulated genes. Moreover, the addition of cGMP into the growth medium also promoted clr-dependent gene regulation. In vitro binding of Clr-cAMP and Clr-cGMP to the promoter regions of SMc02178, SMb20906,SMc04190, SMc00925, SMc01136 and cyaF2 required the DNA motif (A/C/T)GT(T/C)(T/C/A)C (N4) G(G/A)(T/A)ACA. Furthermore, SMc02178, SMb20906,SMc04190and SMc00653 promoters were activated by Clr-cAMP/cGMP in Escherichia coli as heterologous host. These findings suggest direct activation of these 7 genes by Clr-cAMP/cGMP.

Distinct transcriptional regulation of the two Escherichia coli transhydrogenases PntAB and UdhA

Transhydrogenases catalyse interconversion of the redox cofactors NADH and NADPH, thereby conveying metabolic flexibility to balance catabolic NADPH formation with anabolic or stress-based consumption of NADPH. Escherichia coli is one of the very few microbes that possesses two isoforms: the membrane-bound, proton-translocating transhydrogenase PntAB and the cytosolic, energy-independent transhydrogenase UdhA. Despite their physiological relevance, we have only fragmented information on their regulation and the signals coordinating their counteracting activities. Here we investigated PntAB and UdhA regulation by studying transcriptional responses to environmental and genetic perturbations. By testing pntAB and udhA GFP reporter constructs in the background of WT E. coli and 62 transcription factor mutants during growth on different carbon sources, we show distinct transcriptional regulation of the two transhydrogenase promoters. Surprisingly, transhydrogenase regulation was independent of the actual catabolic overproduction or underproduction of NADPH but responded to nutrient levels and growth rate in a fashion that matches the cellular need for the redox cofactors NADPH and/or NADH. Specifically, the identified transcription factors Lrp, ArgP and Crp link transhydrogenase expression to particular amino acids and intracellular concentrations of cAMP. The overall identified set of regulators establishes a primarily biosynthetic role for PntAB and link UdhA to respiration.

Advances in the integration of transcriptional regulatory information into genome-scale metabolic models

A major goal of systems biology is to build predictive computational models of cellular metabolism. Availability of complete genome sequences and wealth of legacy biochemical information has led to the reconstruction of genome-scale metabolic networks in the last 15 years for several organisms across the three domains of life. Due to paucity of information on kinetic parameters associated with metabolic reactions, the constraint-based modelling approach, flux balance analysis (FBA), has proved to be a vital alternative to investigate the capabilities of reconstructed metabolic networks. In parallel, advent of high-throughput technologies has led to the generation of massive amounts of omics data on transcriptional regulation comprising mRNA transcript levels and genome-wide binding profile of transcriptional regulators. A frontier area in metabolic systems biology has been the development of methods to integrate the available transcriptional regulatory information into constraint-based models of reconstructed metabolic networks in order to increase the predictive capabilities of computational models and understand the regulation of cellular metabolism. Here, we review the existing methods to integrate transcriptional regulatory information into constraint-based models of metabolic networks.

Glucose becomes one of the worst carbon sources for E.coli on poor nitrogen sources due to suboptimal levels of cAMP

In most conditions, glucose is the best carbon source for E. coli: it provides faster growth than other sugars, and is consumed first in sugar mixtures. Here we identify conditions in which E. coli strains grow slower on glucose than on other sugars, namely when a single amino acid (arginine, glutamate, or proline) is the sole nitrogen source. In sugar mixtures with these nitrogen sources, E. coli still consumes glucose first, but grows faster rather than slower after exhausting glucose, generating a reversed diauxic shift. We trace this counterintuitive behavior to a metabolic imbalance: levels of TCA-cycle metabolites including α-ketoglutarate are high, and levels of the key regulatory molecule cAMP are low. Growth rates were increased by experimentally increasing cAMP levels, either by adding external cAMP, by genetically perturbing the cAMP circuit or by inhibition of glucose uptake. Thus, the cAMP control circuitry seems to have a ‘bug’ that leads to slow growth under what may be an environmentally rare condition.

Proteome reallocation in Escherichia coli with increasing specific growth rate

Cells usually respond to changing growth conditions with a change in the specific growth rate (μ) and adjustment of their proteome to adapt and maintain metabolic efficiency. Description of the principles behind proteome resource allocation is important for understanding metabolic regulation in response to changing μ. Thus, we analysed the proteome resource allocation dynamics of Escherichia coli into different metabolic processes in response to changing μ. E. coli was grown on minimal and defined rich media in steady state continuous cultures at different μ and characterised combining two LC-MS/MS-based proteomics methods: stable isotope labelling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) and intensity based label-free absolute quantification. We detected slowly growing cells investing more proteome resources in energy generation and carbohydrate transport and metabolism whereas for achieving faster growth cells needed to devote most resources to translation and processes closely related to the protein synthesis pipeline. Furthermore, down-regulation of energy generation and carbohydrate metabolism proteins with faster growth displayed very similar expression dynamics with the global transcriptional regulator CRP (cyclic AMP receptor protein), pointing to a dominant protein resource allocating role of this protein. Our data also suggest that acetate overflow may be the result of global proteome resource optimisation as cells saved proteome resources by switching from fully respiratory to respiro-fermentative growth. The presented results give a quantitative overview of how E. coli adjusts its proteome to achieve faster growth and in future could contribute to the design of more efficient cell factories through proteome optimisation.

Directed evolution of the Escherichia coli cAMP receptor protein at the cAMP pocket

The Escherichia coli cAMP receptor protein (CRP) requires cAMP binding to undergo a conformational change for DNA binding and transcriptional regulation. Two CRP residues, Thr(127) and Ser(128), are known to play important roles in cAMP binding through hydrogen bonding and in the cAMP-induced conformational change, but the connection between the two is not completely clear. Here, we simultaneously randomized the codons for these two residues and selected CRP mutants displaying high CRP activity in a cAMP-producing E. coli. Many different CRP mutants satisfied the screening condition for high CRP activity, including those that cannot form any hydrogen bonds with the incoming cAMP at the two positions. In vitro DNA-binding analysis confirmed that these selected CRP mutants indeed display high CRP activity in response to cAMP. These results indicate that the hydrogen bonding ability of the Thr(127) and Ser(128) residues is not critical for the cAMP-induced CRP activation. However, the hydrogen bonding ability of Thr(127) and Ser(128) was found to be important in attaining high cAMP affinity. Computational analysis revealed that most natural cAMP-sensing CRP homologs have Thr/Ser, Thr/Thr, or Thr/Asn at positions 127 and 128. All of these pairs are excellent hydrogen bonding partners and they do not elevate CRP activity in the absence of cAMP. Taken together, our analyses suggest that CRP evolved to have hydrogen bonding residues at the cAMP pocket residues 127 and 128 for performing dual functions: preserving high cAMP affinity and keeping CRP inactive in the absence of cAMP.

Rethinking the roles of CRP, cAMP, and sugar-mediated global regulation in the Vibrionaceae

Many proteobacteria modulate a suite of catabolic genes using the second messenger cyclic 3', 5'-AMP (cAMP) and the cAMP receptor protein (CRP). Together, the cAMP-CRP complex regulates target promoters, usually by activating transcription. In the canonical model, the phosphotransferase system (PTS), and in particular the EIIA(Glc) component for glucose uptake, provides a mechanistic link that modulates cAMP levels depending on glucose availability, resulting in more cAMP and activation of alternative catabolic pathways when glucose is unavailable. Within the Vibrionaceae, cAMP-CRP appears to play the classical role in modulating metabolic pathways; however, it also controls functions involved in natural competence, bioluminescence, pheromone signaling, and colonization of animal hosts. For this group of marine bacteria, chitin is an ecologically relevant resource, and chitin's monomeric sugar N-acetylglucosamine (NAG) supports robust growth while also triggering regulatory responses. Recent studies with Vibrio fischeri indicate that NAG and glucose uptake share EIIA(Glc), yet the responses of cAMP-CRP to these two carbon sources are starkly different. Moreover, control of cAMP levels appears to be more dominantly controlled by export and degradation. Perhaps more surprisingly, although CRP may require cAMP, its activity can be controlled in response to glucose by a mechanism independent of cAMP levels. Future studies in this area promise to shed new light on the role of cAMP and CRP.

Growth on glucose decreases cAMP-CRP activity while paradoxically increasing intracellular cAMP in the light-organ symbiont Vibrio fischeri

Proteobacteria often co-ordinate responses to carbon sources using CRP and the second messenger cyclic 3', 5'-AMP (cAMP), which combine to control transcription of genes during growth on non-glucose substrates as part of the catabolite-repression response. Here we show that cAMP-CRP is active and important in Vibrio fischeri during colonization of its host squid Euprymna scolopes. Moreover, consistent with a classical role in catabolite repression, a cAMP-CRP-dependent reporter showed lower activity in cells grown in media amended with glucose rather than glycerol. Surprisingly though, intracellular cAMP levels were higher in glucose-grown cells. Mutant analyses were consistent with predictions that CyaA was responsible for cAMP generation, that the EIIA(Glc) component of glucose transport could enhance cAMP production and that the phophodiesterases CpdA and CpdP consumed intracellular and extracellular cAMP respectively. However, the observation of lower cAMP levels in glycerol-grown cells seemed best explained by changes in cAMP export, via an unknown mechanism. Our data also indicated that cAMP-CRP activity decreased during growth on glucose independently of crp's native transcriptional regulation or cAMP levels. We speculate that some unknown mechanism, perhaps carbon-source-dependent post-translational modulation of CRP, may help control cAMP-CRP activity in V.fischeri.

Biofilm Growth of Escherichia coli Is Subject to cAMP-Dependent and cAMP-Independent Inhibition

We established that Escherichia coli strain 15 (ATCC 9723) produces both curli and cellulose, and forms robust biofilms. Since this strain is wild type with respect to the phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system (PTS), it is an ideal strain in which to investigate the effects of the PTS on the biofilm growth of E. coli. We began by looking into the effects of PTS and non-PTS sugars on the biofilm growth of this strain. All the sugars tested tended to activate biofilm growth at low concentrations but to inhibit biofilm growth at high concentrations. Acidification of the medium was an inhibitory factor in the absence of buffer, but buffering to prevent a pH drop did not prevent the inhibitory effects of the sugars. The concentration at which inhibition set in varied from sugar to sugar. For most sugars, cyclic (c)AMP counteracted the inhibition at the lowest inhibitory concentrations but became ineffective at higher concentrations. Our results suggest that cAMP-dependent catabolite repression, which is mediated by the PTS in E. coli, plays a role in the regulation of biofilm growth in response to sugars. cAMP-independent processes, possibly including Cra, also appear to be involved, in addition to pH effects.

Cross-Talk between the Canonical and the Nitrogen-Related Phosphotransferase Systems Modulates Synthesis of the KdpFABC Potassium Transporter in

Many Proteobacteria possess the regulatory nitrogen-related phosphotransferase system (PTS^Ntr), which operates in parallel to the transport PTS. PTS^Ntr is composed of the proteins EI^Ntr and NPr and the final phosphate acceptor EIIA^Ntr. Both PTSs can exchange phosphoryl groups among each other. Proteins governing K⁺ uptake represent a major target of PTS^Ntr in <i>Escherichia coli</i>. Nonphosphorylated EIIA^Ntr binds and stimulates the K⁺ sensor KdpD, which activates expression of the <i>kdpFABC</i> operon encoding a K⁺ transporter. Here we show that this regulation also operates in an <i>ilvG</i>^<i>+</i> strain ruling out previous concern about interference with a nonfunctional <i>ilvG</i> allele present in many strains. Furthermore, we analyzed phosphorylation of EIIA^Ntr. In wild-type cells EIIA^Ntr is predominantly phosphorylated, regardless of the growth stage and the utilized carbon source. However, cross-phosphorylation of EIIA^Ntr by the transport PTS becomes apparent in the absence of EI^Ntr: EIIA^Ntr is predominantly nonphosphorylated when cells grow on a PTS sugar and phosphorylated when a non-PTS carbohydrate is utilized. These differences in phosphorylation are transduced into corresponding <i>kdpFABC</i> transcription levels. Thus, the transport PTS may affect phosphorylation of EIIA^Ntr and accordingly modulate processes controlled by EIIA^Ntr. Our data suggest that this cross-talk becomes most relevant under conditions that would inhibit activity of EI^Ntr.