Role of an FtsK-like protein in genetic stability in Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2)

Establishment of an Efficient Expression and Regulation System in Streptomyces for Economical and High-Level Production of the Natural Blue Pigment Indigoidine

Indigoidine, as a kind of natural blue pigment, is widely used in textiles, food, and pharmaceuticals and is mainly synthesized from l-glutamine via a condensation reaction by indigoidine synthetases, most of which originates from Streptomyces species. However, due to the complex metabolic switches of Streptomyces, most of the researchers choose to overexpress indigoidine synthetases in the heterologous host to achieve high-level production of indigoidine. Considering the advantages of low-cost culture medium and simple culture conditions during the large-scale culture of Streptomyces, here, an updated regulation system derived from the Streptomyces self-sustaining system, constructed in our previous study, was established for the highly efficient production of indigoidine in Streptomyces lividans TK24. The updated system was constructed via promoter mining and σhrdB expression optimization, and this system was applied to precisely and continuously regulate the expression of indigoidine synthetase IndC derived from Streptomyces albus J1704. Finally, the engineered strain was cultured with cheap industrial glycerol as a supplementary carbon source, and 14.3 and 46.27 g/L indigoidine could be achieved in a flask and a 4 L fermentor, respectively, reaching the highest level of microbial synthesis of indigoidine. This study will lay a foundation for the industrial application of Streptomyces cell factories to produce indigoidine.

Dynamics of the Streptomyces chromosome: chance and necessity

Streptomyces are prolific producers of specialized metabolites with applications in medicine and agriculture. Remarkably, these bacteria possess a large linear chromosome that is genetically compartmentalized: core genes are grouped in the central part, while the ends are populated by poorly conserved genes including antibiotic biosynthetic gene clusters. The genome is highly unstable and exhibits distinct evolutionary rates along the chromosome. Recent chromosome conformation capture (3C) and comparative genomics studies have shed new light on the interplay between genome dynamics in space and time. Here, we review insights that illustrate how the balance between chance (random genome variations) and necessity (structural and functional constraints) may have led to the emergence of spatial structuring of the Streptomyces chromosome.

Compaction and control-the role of chromosome-organizing proteins in Streptomyces

Chromosomes are dynamic entities, whose organization and structure depend on the concerted activity of DNA-binding proteins and DNA-processing enzymes. In bacteria, chromosome replication, segregation, compaction and transcription are all occurring simultaneously, and to ensure that these processes are appropriately coordinated, all bacteria employ a mix of well-conserved and species-specific proteins. Unusually, Streptomyces bacteria have large, linear chromosomes and life cycle stages that include multigenomic filamentous hyphae and unigenomic spores. Moreover, their prolific secondary metabolism yields a wealth of bioactive natural products. These different life cycle stages are associated with profound changes in nucleoid structure and chromosome compaction, and require distinct repertoires of architectural-and regulatory-proteins. To date, chromosome organization is best understood during Streptomyces sporulation, when chromosome segregation and condensation are most evident, and these processes are coordinated with synchronous rounds of cell division. Advances are, however, now being made in understanding how chromosome organization is achieved in multigenomic hyphal compartments, in defining the functional and regulatory interplay between different architectural elements, and in appreciating the transcriptional control exerted by these 'structural' proteins.

Influence of core divisome proteins on cell division in Streptomyces venezuelae ATCC 10712

The sporulating, filamentous soil bacterium Streptomyces venezuelae ATCC 10712 differentiates under submerged and surface growth conditions. In order to lay a solid foundation for the study of development-associated division for this organism, a congenic set of mutants was isolated, individually deleted for a gene encoding either a cytoplasmic (i.e. ftsZ) or core inner membrane (i.e. divIC, ftsL, ftsI, ftsQ, ftsW) component of the divisome. While ftsZ mutants are completely blocked for division, single mutants in the other core divisome genes resulted in partial, yet similar, blocks in sporulation septum formation. Double and triple mutants for core divisome membrane components displayed phenotypes that were similar to those of the single mutants, demonstrating that the phenotypes were not synergistic. Division in this organism is still partially functional without multiple core divisome proteins, suggesting that perhaps other unknown lineage-specific proteins perform redundant functions. In addition, by isolating an ftsZ2p mutant with an altered -10 region, the conserved developmentally controlled promoter was also shown to be required for sporulation-associated division. Finally, microscopic observation of FtsZ-YFP dynamics in the different mutant backgrounds led to the conclusion that the initial assembly of regular Z rings does not per se require the tested divisome membrane proteins, but the stability of Z rings is dependent on the divisome membrane components tested. The observation is consistent with the interpretation that Z ring instability likely results from and further contributes to the observed defects in sporulation septation in mutants lacking core divisome proteins.

Subtelomeres are fast-evolving regions of the Streptomyces linear chromosome

Streptomyces possess a large linear chromosome (6-12 Mb) consisting of a conserved central region flanked by variable arms covering several megabases. In order to study the evolution of the chromosome across evolutionary times, a representative panel of Streptomyces strains and species (125) whose chromosomes are completely sequenced and assembled was selected. The pan-genome of the genus was modelled and shown to be open with a core-genome reaching 1018 genes. The evolution of Streptomyces chromosome was analysed by carrying out pairwise comparisons, and by monitoring indexes measuring the conservation of genes (presence/absence) and their synteny along the chromosome. Using the phylogenetic depth offered by the chosen panel, it was possible to infer that within the central region of the chromosome, the core-genes form a highly conserved organization, which can reveal the existence of an ancestral chromosomal skeleton. Conversely, the chromosomal arms, enriched in variable genes evolved faster than the central region under the combined effect of rearrangements and addition of new information from horizontal gene transfer. The genes hosted in these regions may be localized there because of the adaptive advantage that their rapid evolution may confer. We speculate that (i) within a bacterial population, the variability of these genes may contribute to the establishment of social characters by the production of 'public goods' (ii) at the evolutionary scale, this variability contributes to the diversification of the genetic pool of the bacteria.

Role of the Streptomyces spore wall synthesizing complex SSSC in differentiation of Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2)

A crucial stage of the Streptomyces life cycle is the sporulation septation, a process were dozens of cross walls are synchronously formed in the aerial hyphae in a highly coordinated manner. This process includes the remodeling of the spore envelopes to make Streptomyces spores resistant to detrimental environmental conditions. Sporulation septation and the synthesis of the thickened spore envelope in S. coelicolor A3(2) involves the Streptomyces spore wall synthesizing complex SSSC. The SSSC is a multi-protein complex including proteins directing peptidoglycan synthesis (MreBCD, PBP2, Sfr, RodZ) and cell wall glycopolymer synthesis (PdtA). It also includes two eukaryotic like serin/threonine protein kinases (eSTPK), PkaI and PkaH, which were shown to phosphorylate MreC. Since unbalancing phosphorylation activity by either deleting eSTPK genes or by expressing a second copy of an eSTPK gene affected proper sporulation, a model was developed, in which the activity of the SSSC is controlled by protein phosphorylation.

A Waking Review: Old and Novel Insights into the Spore Germination in Streptomyces

The complex development undergone by Streptomyces encompasses transitions from vegetative mycelial forms to reproductive aerial hyphae that differentiate into chains of single-celled spores. Whereas their mycelial life – connected with spore formation and antibiotic production – is deeply investigated, spore germination as the counterpoint in their life cycle has received much less attention. Still, germination represents a system of transformation from metabolic zero point to a new living lap. There are several aspects of germination that may attract our attention: (1) Dormant spores are strikingly well-prepared for the future metabolic restart; they possess stable transcriptome, hydrolytic enzymes, chaperones, and other required macromolecules stabilized in a trehalose milieu; (2) Germination itself is a specific sequence of events leading to a complete morphological remodeling that include spore swelling, cell wall reconstruction, and eventually germ tube emergences; (3) Still not fully unveiled are the strategies that enable the process, including a single cell’s signal transduction and gene expression control, as well as intercellular communication and the probability of germination across the whole population. This review summarizes our current knowledge about the germination process in Streptomyces, while focusing on the aforementioned points.

Staphylococcus aureus requires at least one FtsK/SpoIIIE protein for correct chromosome segregation

Faithful coordination between bacterial cell division and chromosome segregation in rod-shaped bacteria, such as Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, is dependent on the DNA translocase activity of FtsK/SpoIIIE proteins, which move DNA away from the division site before cytokinesis is completed. However, the role of these proteins in chromosome partitioning has not been well studied in spherical bacteria. Here, it was shown that the two Staphylococcus aureus FtsK/SpoIIIE homologues, SpoIIIE and FtsK, operate in independent pathways to ensure correct chromosome management during cell division. SpoIIIE forms foci at the centre of the closing septum in at least 50% of the cells that are close to complete septum synthesis. FtsK is a multifunctional septal protein with a C-terminal DNA translocase domain that is not required for correct chromosome management in the presence of SpoIIIE. However, lack of both SpoIIIE and FtsK causes severe nucleoid segregation and morphological defects, showing that the two proteins have partially redundant roles in S. aureus.

Developmental transcriptome of resting cell formation in Mycobacterium smegmatis

Background

Mycobacteria, along with exospore forming Streptomyces, belong to the phylum actinobacteria. Mycobacteria are generally believed to be non-differentiating. Recently however, we showed that the mycobacterial model organism M. smegmatis is capable of forming different types of morphologically distinct resting cells. When subjected to starvation conditions, cells of M. smegmatis exit from the canonical cell division cycle, segregate and compact their chromosomes, and become septated and multi-nucleoided. Under zero nutrient conditions the differentiation process terminates at this stage with the formation of Large Resting Cells (LARCs). In the presence of traces of carbon sources this multi-nucleoided cell stage completes cell division and separates into Small Resting Cells (SMRCs). Here, we carried out RNA-seq profiling of SMRC and LARC development to characterize the transcriptional program underlying these starvation-induced differentiation processes.

Results

Changes among the top modulated genes demonstrated that SMRCs and LARCs undergo similar transcriptional changes. The formation of multi-nucleoided cells (i.e. LARCs and the LARC-like intermediates observed during SMRC formation) was accompanied by upregulation of septum formation functions FtsZ, FtsW, and PbpB, as well as the DNA translocase FtsK. The observed compaction of chromosomes was accompanied by an increase of the transcript level of the DNA binding protein Hlp, an orthologue of the Streptomyces spore-specific chromosome condensation protein HupS. Both SMRC and LARC development were accompanied by similar temporal expression patterns of candidate regulators, including the transcription factors WhiB2, WhiB3, and WhiB4, which are orthologues of the Streptomyces sporulation regulators WhiB, WhiD and WblA, respectively.

Conclusions

Transcriptional analyses of the development of mycobacterial resting cell types suggest that these bacteria harbor a novel differentiation program and identify a series of potential regulators. This provides the basis for the genetic dissection of this actinobacterial differentiation process.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-016-3190-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Genome-Wide Chromatin Immunoprecipitation Sequencing Analysis Shows that WhiB Is a Transcription Factor That Cocontrols Its Regulon with WhiA To Initiate Developmental Cell Division in Streptomyces

WhiB is the founding member of a family of proteins (the WhiB-like [Wbl] family) that carry a [4Fe-4S] iron-sulfur cluster and play key roles in diverse aspects of the biology of actinomycetes, including pathogenesis, antibiotic resistance, and the control of development. In Streptomyces, WhiB is essential for the process of developmentally controlled cell division that leads to sporulation. The biochemical function of Wbl proteins has been controversial; here, we set out to determine unambiguously if WhiB functions as a transcription factor using chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) in Streptomyces venezuelae. In the first demonstration of in vivo genome-wide Wbl binding, we showed that WhiB regulates the expression of key genes required for sporulation by binding upstream of ~240 transcription units. Strikingly, the WhiB regulon is identical to the previously characterized WhiA regulon, providing an explanation for the identical phenotypes of whiA and whiB mutants. Using ChIP-seq, we demonstrated that in vivo DNA binding by WhiA depends on WhiB and vice versa, showing that WhiA and WhiB function cooperatively to control expression of a common set of WhiAB target genes. Finally, we show that mutation of the cysteine residues that coordinate the [4Fe-4S] cluster in WhiB prevents DNA binding by both WhiB and WhiA in vivo.

Despite the central importance of WhiB-like (Wbl) proteins in actinomycete biology, a conclusive demonstration of their biochemical function has been elusive, and they have been difficult to study, particularly in vitro, largely because they carry an oxygen-sensitive [4Fe-4S] cluster. Here we used genome-wide ChIP-seq to investigate the function of Streptomyces WhiB, the founding member of the Wbl family. The advantage of this approach is that the oxygen sensitivity of the [4Fe-4S] cluster becomes irrelevant once the protein has been cross-linked to DNA in vivo. Our data provide the most compelling in vivo evidence to date that WhiB, and, by extension, probably all Wbl proteins, function as transcription factors. Further, we show that WhiB does not act independently but rather coregulates its regulon of sporulation genes with a partner transcription factor, WhiA.

Synthesis of the spore envelope in the developmental life cycle of Streptomyces coelicolor

Members of the family of Streptomycetaceae, the main producer of antibiotics and other secondary metabolites, are Gram-positive multi-cellular soil bacteria with a complex life cycle. By apical tip extension Streptomyces coelicolor forms a multiply branching vegetative mycelium penetrating the substrate. Upon nutrient limitation, a hydrophobic aerial mycelium is erected, which eventually develops into a regular chain of spores that are able to survive detrimental environmental conditions. Morphological differentiation involves a switch in the peptidoglycan synthesizing machinery. Whereas apical tip extension is directed by the so-called polarisome, sporulation septation and synthesis of the thickened spore wall involves a multi-protein complex, which resembles the elongasome of rod-shaped bacteria. The Streptomyces spore wall synthesizing complex (SSSC) does not only direct synthesis of the peptidoglycan layer but is also involved in the incorporation of anionic spore wall glycopolymers, which contribute to the resistance of spores. The SSSC also contains eukaryotic type serine/threonine kinases which might control its activity by protein-phosphorylation.

Developmental biology of Streptomyces from the perspective of 100 actinobacterial genome sequences

To illuminate the evolution and mechanisms of actinobacterial complexity, we evaluate the distribution and origins of known Streptomyces developmental genes and the developmental significance of actinobacteria-specific genes. As an aid, we developed the Actinoblast database of reciprocal blastp best hits between the Streptomyces coelicolor genome and more than 100 other actinobacterial genomes (http://streptomyces.org.uk/actinoblast/). We suggest that the emergence of morphological complexity was underpinned by special features of early actinobacteria, such as polar growth and the coupled participation of regulatory Wbl proteins and the redox-protecting thiol mycothiol in transducing a transient nitric oxide signal generated during physiologically stressful growth transitions. It seems that some cell growth and division proteins of early actinobacteria have acquired greater importance for sporulation of complex actinobacteria than for mycelial growth, in which septa are infrequent and not associated with complete cell separation. The acquisition of extracellular proteins with structural roles, a highly regulated extracellular protease cascade, and additional regulatory genes allowed early actinobacterial stationary phase processes to be redeployed in the emergence of aerial hyphae from mycelial mats and in the formation of spore chains. These extracellular proteins may have contributed to speciation. Simpler members of morphologically diverse clades have lost some developmental genes.

Genes required for aerial growth, cell division, and chromosome segregation are targets of WhiA before sporulation in Streptomyces venezuelae

WhiA is a highly unusual transcriptional regulator related to a family of eukaryotic homing endonucleases. WhiA is required for sporulation in the filamentous bacterium Streptomyces, but WhiA homologues of unknown function are also found throughout the Gram-positive bacteria. To better understand the role of WhiA in Streptomyces development and its function as a transcription factor, we identified the WhiA regulon through a combination of chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing (ChIP-seq) and microarray transcriptional profiling, exploiting a new model organism for the genus, Streptomyces venezuelae, which sporulates in liquid culture. The regulon encompasses ~240 transcription units, and WhiA appears to function almost equally as an activator and as a repressor. Bioinformatic analysis of the upstream regions of the complete regulon, combined with DNase I footprinting, identified a short but highly conserved asymmetric sequence, GACAC, associated with the majority of WhiA targets. Construction of a null mutant showed that whiA is required for the initiation of sporulation septation and chromosome segregation in S. venezuelae, and several genes encoding key proteins of the Streptomyces cell division machinery, such as ftsZ, ftsW, and ftsK, were found to be directly activated by WhiA during development. Several other genes encoding proteins with important roles in development were also identified as WhiA targets, including the sporulation-specific sigma factor σ(WhiG) and the diguanylate cyclase CdgB. Cell division is tightly coordinated with the orderly arrest of apical growth in the sporogenic cell, and filP, encoding a key component of the polarisome that directs apical growth, is a direct target for WhiA-mediated repression during sporulation.

IMPORTANCE

Since the initial identification of the genetic loci required for Streptomyces development, all of the bld and whi developmental master regulators have been cloned and characterized, and significant progress has been made toward understanding the cell biological processes that drive morphogenesis. A major challenge now is to connect the cell biological processes and the developmental master regulators by dissecting the regulatory networks that link the two. Studies of these regulatory networks have been greatly facilitated by the recent introduction of Streptomyces venezuelae as a new model system for the genus, a species that sporulates in liquid culture. Taking advantage of S. venezuelae, we have characterized the regulon of genes directly under the control of one of these master regulators, WhiA. Our results implicate WhiA in the direct regulation of key steps in sporulation, including the cessation of aerial growth, the initiation of cell division, and chromosome segregation.

Structure-function relationships of two paralogous single-stranded DNA-binding proteins from Streptomyces coelicolor: implication of SsbB in chromosome segregation during sporulation

The linear chromosome of Streptomyces coelicolor contains two paralogous ssb genes, ssbA and ssbB. Following mutational analysis, we concluded that ssbA is essential, whereas ssbB plays a key role in chromosome segregation during sporulation. In the ssbB mutant, ∼30% of spores lacked DNA. The two ssb genes were expressed differently; in minimal medium, gene expression was prolonged for both genes and significantly upregulated for ssbB. The ssbA gene is transcribed as part of a polycistronic mRNA from two initiation sites, 163 bp and 75 bp upstream of the rpsF translational start codon. The ssbB gene is transcribed as a monocistronic mRNA, from an unusual promoter region, 73 bp upstream of the AUG codon. Distinctive DNA-binding affinities of single-stranded DNA-binding proteins monitored by tryptophan fluorescent quenching and electrophoretic mobility shift were observed. The crystal structure of SsbB at 1.7 Å resolution revealed a common OB-fold, lack of the clamp-like structure conserved in SsbA and previously unpublished S-S bridges between the A/B and C/D subunits. This is the first report of the determination of paralogous single-stranded DNA-binding protein structures from the same organism. Phylogenetic analysis revealed frequent duplication of ssb genes in Actinobacteria, whereas their strong retention suggests that they are involved in important cellular functions.

Genome plasticity and systems evolution in Streptomyces

Background

Streptomycetes are filamentous soil-dwelling bacteria. They are best known as the producers of a great variety of natural products such as antibiotics, antifungals, antiparasitics, and anticancer agents and the decomposers of organic substances for carbon recycling. They are also model organisms for the studies of gene regulatory networks, morphological differentiation, and stress response. The availability of sets of genomes from closely related Streptomyces strains makes it possible to assess the mechanisms underlying genome plasticity and systems adaptation.

Results

We present the results of a comprehensive analysis of the genomes of five Streptomyces species with distinct phenotypes. These streptomycetes have a pan-genome comprised of 17,362 orthologous families which includes 3,096 components in the core genome, 5,066 components in the dispensable genome, and 9,200 components that are uniquely present in only one species. The core genome makes up about 33%-45% of each genome repertoire. It contains important genes for Streptomyces biology including those involved in gene regulation, secretion, secondary metabolism and morphological differentiation. Abundant duplicate genes have been identified, with 4%-11% of the whole genomes composed of lineage-specific expansions (LSEs), suggesting that frequent gene duplication or lateral gene transfer events play a role in shaping the genome diversification within this genus. Two patterns of expansion, single gene expansion and chromosome block expansion are observed, representing different scales of duplication.

Conclusions

Our results provide a catalog of genome components and their potential functional roles in gene regulatory networks and metabolic networks. The core genome components reveal the minimum requirement for streptomycetes to sustain a successful lifecycle in the soil environment, reflecting the effects of both genome evolution and environmental stress acting upon the expressed phenotypes. A better understanding of the LSE gene families will, on the other hand, bring a wealth of new insights into the mechanisms underlying strain-specific phenotypes, such as the production of novel antibiotics, pathogenesis, and adaptive response to environmental challenges.

Cell division and DNA segregation in Streptomyces: how to build a septum in the middle of nowhere?

Streptomycetes are antibiotic-producing filamentous microorganisms that have a mycelial life style. In many ways streptomycetes are the odd ones out in terms of cell division. While the basic components of the cell division machinery are similar to those found in rod-shaped bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, many aspects of the control of cell division and its co-ordination with chromosome segregation are remarkably different. The rather astonishing fact that cell division is not essential for growth makes these bacteria unique. The fundamental difference between the cross-walls produced during normal growth and sporulation septa formed in aerial hyphae, and the role of the divisome in their formation are discussed. We then take a closer look at the way septum site localization is regulated in the long and multinucleoid Streptomyces hyphae, with particular focus on actinomycete-specific proteins and the role of nucleoid segregation and condensation.

New insights on the development of Streptomyces and their relationships with secondary metabolite production

Streptomycetes are very important industrial bacteria, which produce two thirds of all clinically relevant secondary metabolites. Furthermore, they produce large numbers of eukaryotic cell differentiation and apoptosis inducers. Streptomyces is a mycelial soil bacterium characterized by a complex developmental cycle that includes programmed cell death (PCD) phenomena and sporulation in solid cultures. Industrial fermentations are usually performed in liquid cultures, conditions in which Streptomyces strains generally do not sporulate, and it was traditionally assumed that there was no differentiation. Recently, novel aspects concerning differentiation during the presporulation phases were described in solid and liquid cultures, as well as in natural soils. In this review, we analyze the status of knowledge regarding the above-named aspects of Streptomyces differentiation and their relationships with secondary metabolite production.

Signals and regulators that govern Streptomyces development

Streptomyces coelicolor is the genetically best characterized species of a populous genus belonging to the gram-positive Actinobacteria. Streptomycetes are filamentous soil organisms, well known for the production of a plethora of biologically active secondary metabolic compounds. The Streptomyces developmental life cycle is uniquely complex and involves coordinated multicellular development with both physiological and morphological differentiation of several cell types, culminating in the production of secondary metabolites and dispersal of mature spores. This review presents a current appreciation of the signaling mechanisms used to orchestrate the decision to undergo morphological differentiation, and the regulators and regulatory networks that direct the intriguing development of multigenomic hyphae first to form specialized aerial hyphae and then to convert them into chains of dormant spores. This current view of S. coelicolor development is destined for rapid evolution as data from '-omics' studies shed light on gene regulatory networks, new genetic screens identify hitherto unknown players, and the resolution of our insights into the underlying cell biological processes steadily improve.

Alignment-free detection of horizontal gene transfer between closely related bacterial genomes

Bacterial epidemics are often caused by strains that have acquired their increased virulence through horizontal gene transfer. Due to this association with disease, the detection of horizontal gene transfer continues to receive attention from microbiologists and bioinformaticians alike. Most software for detecting transfer events is based on alignments of sets of genes or of entire genomes. But despite great advances in the design of algorithms and computer programs, genome alignment remains computationally challenging. We have therefore developed an alignment-free algorithm for rapidly detecting horizontal gene transfer between closely related bacterial genomes. Our implementation of this algorithm is called alfy for "ALignment Free local homologY" and is freely available from http://guanine.evolbio.mpg.de/alfy/. In this comment we demonstrate the application of alfy to the genomes of Staphylococcus aureus. We also argue that-contrary to popular belief and in spite of increasing computer speed-algorithmic optimization is becoming more, not less, important if genome data continues to accumulate at the present rate.

A septal chromosome segregator protein evolved into a conjugative DNA-translocator protein

Streptomycetes, Gram-positive soil bacteria well known for the production of antibiotics feature a unique conjugative DNA transfer system. In contrast to classical conjugation which is characterized by the secretion of a pilot protein covalently linked to a single-stranded DNA molecule, in Streptomyces a double-stranded DNA molecule is translocated during conjugative transfer. This transfer involves a single plasmid encoded protein, TraB. A detailed biochemical and biophysical characterization of TraB, revealed a close relationship to FtsK, mediating chromosome segregation during bacterial cell division. TraB translocates plasmid DNA by recognizing 8-bp direct repeats located in a specific plasmid region clt. Similar sequences accidentally also occur on chromosomes and have been shown to be bound by TraB. We suggest that TraB mobilizes chromosomal genes by the interaction with these chromosomal clt-like sequences not relying on the integration of the conjugative plasmid into the chromosome.

Proteins encoded by the mre gene cluster in Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) cooperate in spore wall synthesis

It is still an open question how an intracellular cytoskeleton directs the synthesis of the peptidoglycan exoskeleton. In contrast to MreB of rod-shaped bacteria, which is essential for lateral cell wall synthesis, MreB of Streptomyces coelicolor has a role in sporulation. To study the function of the S. coelicolor mre gene cluster consisting of mreB, mreC, mreD, pbp2 and sfr, we generated non-polar replacement mutants. The individual mutants were viable and growth of substrate mycelium was not affected. However, all mutants produced enlarged spores, which frequently germinated prematurely and were sensitive to heat, high osmolarity and cell wall damaging agents. Protein-protein interaction assays by bacterial two-hybrid analyses indicated that the S. coelicolor Mre proteins form a spore wall synthesizing complex, which closely resembles the lateral wall synthesizing complex of rod-shaped bacteria. Screening of a genomic library identified several novel putative components of this complex. One of them (sco2097) was deleted. The Δsco2097 mutant formed sensitive spores with an aberrant morphology, demonstrating that SCO2097 is a new player in cell morphogenesis of Streptomyces. Our results suggest that all Mre proteins cooperate with the newly identified proteins in the synthesis of the thickened spore wall required to resist detrimental environmental conditions.

Membrane-associated DNA transport machines

DNA pumps play important roles in bacteria during cell division and during the transfer of genetic material by conjugation and transformation. The FtsK/SpoIIIE proteins carry out the translocation of double-stranded DNA to ensure complete chromosome segregation during cell division. In contrast, the complex molecular machines that mediate conjugation and genetic transformation drive the transport of single stranded DNA. The transformation machine also processes this internalized DNA and mediates its recombination with the resident chromosome during and after uptake, whereas the conjugation apparatus processes DNA before transfer. This article reviews these three types of DNA pumps, with attention to what is understood of their molecular mechanisms, their energetics and their cellular localizations.

Cell division is dispensable but not irrelevant in Streptomyces

In part, members of the genus Streptomyces have been studied because they produce many important secondary metabolites with antibiotic activity and for the interest in their relatively elaborate life cycle. These sporulating filamentous bacteria are remarkably synchronous for division and genome segregation in specialized aerial hyphae. Streptomycetes share some, but not all, of the division genes identified in the historic model rod-shaped organisms. Curiously, normally essential cell division genes are dispensable for growth and viability of Streptomyces coelicolor. Mainly, cell division plays a more important role in the developmental phase of life than during vegetative growth. Dispensability provides an advantageous genetic system to probe the mechanisms of division proteins, especially those with functions that are poorly understood.

The Bacillus subtilis SftA (YtpS) and SpoIIIE DNA translocases play distinct roles in growing cells to ensure faithful chromosome partitioning

In several bacterial species, the faithful completion of chromosome partitioning is known to be promoted by a conserved family of DNA translocases that includes Escherichia coli FtsK and Bacillus subtilis SpoIIIE. FtsK localizes at nascent division sites during every cell cycle and stimulates chromosome decatenation and the resolution of chromosome dimers formed by recA-dependent homologous recombination. In contrast, SpoIIIE localizes at sites where cells have divided and trapped chromosomal DNA in the membrane, which happens during spore development and under some conditions when DNA replication is perturbed. SpoIIIE completes chromosome segregation post-septationally by translocating trapped DNA across the membrane. Unlike E. coli, B. subtilis contains a second uncharacterized FtsK/SpoIIIE-like protein, SftA (formerly YtpS). We report that SftA plays a role similar to FtsK during each cell cycle but cannot substitute for SpoIIIE in rescuing trapped chromosomes. SftA colocalizes with FtsZ at nascent division sites but not with SpoIIIE at sites of chromosome trapping. SftA mutants divide over unsegregated chromosomes more frequently than wild-type unless recA is inactivated, suggesting that SftA, like FtsK, stimulates chromosome dimer resolution. Having two FtsK/SpoIIIE paralogues is not conserved among endospore-forming bacteria, but is highly conserved within several groups of soil- and plant-associated bacteria.

Streptomyces coelicolor Dps-like proteins: differential dual roles in response to stress during vegetative growth and in nucleoid condensation during reproductive cell division

The Dps protein, a member of the ferritin family, contributes to DNA protection during oxidative stress and plays a central role in nucleoid condensation during stationary phase in unicellular eubacteria. Genome searches revealed the presence of three Dps-like orthologues within the genome of the Gram-positive bacterium Streptomyces coelicolor. Disruption of the S. coelicolor dpsA, dpsB and dpsC genes resulted in irregular condensation of spore nucleoids in a gene-specific manner. These irregularities are correlated with changes to the spacing between sporulation septa. This is the first example of these proteins playing a role in bacterial cell division. Translational fusions provided evidence for both developmental control of DpsA and DpsC expression and their localization to sporogenic compartments of aerial hyphae. In addition, various stress conditions induced expression of the Dps proteins in a stimulus-dependent manner in vegetative hyphae, suggesting stress-induced, protein-specific protective functions in addition to their role during reproductive cell division. Unlike in other bacteria, the S. coelicolor Dps proteins are not induced in response to oxidative stress.

One of the two genes encoding nucleoid-associated HU proteins in Streptomyces coelicolor is developmentally regulated and specifically involved in spore maturation

Streptomyces genomes encode two homologs of the nucleoid-associated HU proteins. One of them, here designated HupA, is of a conventional type similar to E. coli HUalpha and HUbeta, while the other, HupS, is a two-domain protein. In addition to the N-terminal part that is similar to that of HU proteins, it has a C-terminal domain that is similar to the alanine- and lysine-rich C termini of eukaryotic linker histones. Such two-domain HU proteins are found only among Actinobacteria. In this phylum some organisms have only a single HU protein of the type with a C-terminal histone H1-like domain (e.g., Hlp in Mycobacterium smegmatis), while others have only a single conventional HU. Yet others, including the streptomycetes, produce both types of HU proteins. We show here that the two HU genes in Streptomyces coelicolor are differentially regulated and that hupS is specifically expressed during sporulation, while hupA is expressed in vegetative hyphae. The developmental upregulation of hupS occurred in sporogenic aerial hyphal compartments and was dependent on the developmental regulators whiA, whiG, and whiI. HupS was found to be nucleoid associated in spores, and a hupS deletion mutant had an average nucleoid size in spores larger than that in the parent strain. The mutant spores were also defective in heat resistance and spore pigmentation, although they possessed apparently normal spore walls and displayed no increased sensitivity to detergents. Overall, the results show that HupS is specifically involved in sporulation and may affect nucleoid architecture and protection in spores of S. coelicolor.

cmdABCDEF, a cluster of genes encoding membrane proteins for differentiation and antibiotic production in Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2)

Background

Streptomyces coelicolor is the most studied Streptomyces species and an excellent model for studying differentiation and antibiotic production. To date, many genes have been identified to be required for its differentiation (e.g. bld genes for aerial growth and whi genes for sporulation) and antibiotics production (including actII-orf4, redD, cdaR as pathway-specific regulatory genes and afsR, absA1/A2 as pleiotropic regulatory genes).

Results

A gene cluster containing six genes (SCO4126-4131) was proved to be co-transcribed in S. coelicolor. Deletions of cmdABCDEF (SCO4126-4131) displayed defective sporulation including formation of aberrant branches, and abnormalities in chromosome segregation and spore septation. Disruption mutants of apparently orthologous genes of S. lividans and S. avermitilis also showed defective sporulation, implying that the role of these genes is similar among Streptomyces. Transcription of cmdB, and therefore presumably of the whole operon, was regulated developmentally. Five of the encoded proteins (CmdA, C, D, E, F) were predicted membrane proteins. The other, CmdB, a predicted ATP/GTP-binding protein with an ABC-transporter-ATPase domain shown here to be essential for its function, was also located on the cell membrane. These results indicate that CmdABCDEF proteins mainly affect Streptomyces differentiation at an early stage of aerial hyphae formation, and suggest that these proteins may form a complex on cell membrane for proper segregation of chromosomes. In addition, deletions of cmdABCDEF also revealed over-production of blue-pigmented actinorhodin (Act) via activation of transcription of the pathway-specific regulatory gene actII-orf4 of actinorhodin biosynthesis.

Conclusion

In this study, six co-transcribed genes cmdABCDEF were identified by their effects on differentiation and antibiotic production in Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2). These six membrane-located proteins are possibly assembled into a complex to function.

Genetic interactions of smc, ftsK, and parB genes in Streptomyces coelicolor and their developmental genome segregation phenotypes

The mechanisms by which chromosomes condense and segregate during developmentally regulated cell division are of interest for Streptomyces coelicolor, a sporulating, filamentous bacterium with a large, linear genome. These processes coordinately occur as many septa synchronously form in syncytial aerial hyphae such that prespore compartments accurately receive chromosome copies. Our genetic approach analyzed mutants for ftsK, smc, and parB. DNA motor protein FtsK/SpoIIIE coordinates chromosome segregation with septum closure in rod-shaped bacteria. SMC (structural maintenance of chromosomes) participates in condensation and organization of the nucleoid. ParB/Spo0J partitions the origin of replication using a nucleoprotein complex, assembled at a centromere-like sequence. Consistent with previous work, we show that an ftsK-null mutant produces anucleate spores at the same frequency as the wild-type strain (0.8%). We report that the smc and ftsK deletion-insertion mutants (ftsK' truncation allele) have developmental segregation defects (7% and 15% anucleate spores, respectively). By use of these latter mutants, viable double and triple mutants were isolated in all combinations with a previously described parB-null mutant (12% anucleate spores). parB and smc were in separate segregation pathways; the loss of both exacerbates the segregation defect (24% anucleate spores). For a triple mutant, deletion of the region encoding the FtsK motor domain and one transmembrane segment partially alleviates the segregation defect of the smc parB mutant (10% anucleate spores). Considerable redundancy must exist in this filamentous organism because segregation of some genomic material occurs 90% of the time during development in the absence of three functions with only a fourfold loss of spore viability. Furthermore, we report that scpA and scpAB mutants (encoding SMC-associated proteins) have spore nucleoid organization defects. Finally, FtsK-enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) localized as bands or foci between incipient nucleoids, while SMC-EGFP foci were not uniformly positioned along aerial hyphae, nor were they associated with every condensing nucleoid.

SmeA, a small membrane protein with multiple functions in Streptomyces sporulation including targeting of a SpoIIIE/FtsK-like protein to cell division septa

Sporulation in aerial hyphae of Streptomyces coelicolor involves profound changes in regulation of fundamental morphogenetic and cell cycle processes to convert the filamentous and multinucleoid cells to small unigenomic spores. Here, a novel sporulation locus consisting of smeA (encoding a small putative membrane protein) and sffA (encoding a SpoIIIE/FtsK-family protein) is characterized. Deletion of smeA-sffA gave rise to pleiotropic effects on spore maturation, and influenced the segregation of chromosomes and placement of septa during sporulation. Both smeA and sffA were expressed specifically in apical cells of sporogenic aerial hyphae simultaneously with or slightly after Z-ring assembly. The presence of smeA-like genes in streptomycete chromosomes, plasmids and transposons, often paired with a gene for a SpoIIIE/FtsK- or Tra-like protein, indicates that SmeA and SffA functions might be related to DNA transfer. During spore development SffA accumulated specifically at sporulation septa where it colocalized with FtsK. However, sffA did not show redundancy with ftsK, and SffA function appeared distinct from the DNA translocase activity displayed by FtsK during closure of sporulation septa. The septal localization of SffA was dependent on SmeA, suggesting that SmeA may act as an assembly factor for SffA and possibly other proteins required during spore maturation.

Loss of the controlled localization of growth stage-specific cell-wall synthesis pleiotropically affects developmental gene expression in an ssgA mutant of Streptomyces coelicolor

Members of the family of SsgA-like proteins (SALPs) are found exclusively in sporulating actinomycetes, and SsgA itself activates sporulation-specific cell division. We previously showed that SALPs play a chaperonin-like role in supporting the function of enzymes involved in peptidoglycan maintenance (PBPs and autolysins). Here we show that SsgA localizes dynamically during development, and most likely marks the sites where changes in local cell-wall morphogenesis are required, in particular septum formation and germination. In sporogenic aerial hyphae, SsgA initially localizes as strong foci to the growing tips, followed by distribution as closely spaced foci in a pattern similar to an early stage of FtsZ assembly. Spore septa formed in these hyphae colocalize with single SsgA-GFP foci, and when the maturing spores are separated, these foci are distributed symmetrically, resulting in two foci per mature spore. Evidence is provided that SsgA also controls the correct localization of germination sites. Transcriptome analysis revealed that expression of around 300 genes was significantly altered in mutants in ssgA and its regulatory gene ssgR. The list includes surprisingly many known developmental genes, most of which were upregulated, highlighting SsgA as a key player in the control of Streptomyces development.