Organization and temporal expression of a flagellar basal body gene in Caulobacter crescentus

Temporal and spatial regulation of fliP, an early flagellar gene of Caulobacter crescentus that is required for motility and normal cell division

In Caulobacter crescentus, the genes encoding a single polar flagellum are expressed under cell cycle control. In this report, we describe the characterization of two early class II flagellar genes contained in the orfX-fliP locus. Strains containing mutations in this locus exhibit a filamentous growth phenotype and fail to express class III and IV flagellar genes. A complementing DNA fragment was sequenced and found to contain two potential open reading frames. The first, orfX, is predicted to encode a 105-amino-acid polypeptide that is similar to MopB, a protein which is required for both motility and virulence in Erwinia carotovora. The deduced amino acid sequence of the second open reading frame, fliP, is 264 amino acids in length and shows significant sequence identity with the FliP protein of Escherichia coli as well as virulence proteins of several plant and mammalian pathogens. The FliP homolog in pathogenic organisms has been implicated in the secretion of virulence factors, suggesting that the export of virulence proteins and some flagellar proteins share a common mechanism. The 5' end of orfX-fliP mRNA was determined and revealed an upstream promoter sequence that shares few conserved features with that of other early Caulobacter flagellar genes, suggesting that transcription of orfX-fliP may require a different complement of trans-acting factors. In C. crescentus, orfX-fliP is transcribed under cell cycle control, with a peak of transcriptional activity in the middle portion of the cell cycle. Later in the cell cycle, orfX-fliP expression occurs in both poles of the predivisional cell. Protein fusions to a lacZ reporter gene indicate that FliP is specifically targeted to the swarmer compartment of the predivisional cell.

A mutation that uncouples flagellum assembly from transcription alters the temporal pattern of flagellar gene expression in Caulobacter crescentus

The transcription of flagellar genes in Caulobacter crescentus is regulated by cell cycle events that culminate in the synthesis of a new flagellum once every cell division. Early flagellar gene products regulate the expression of late flagellar genes at two distinct stages of the flagellar trans-acting hierarchy. Here we investigate the coupling of early flagellar biogenesis with middle and late flagellar gene expression. We have isolated mutants (bfa) that do not require early class II flagellar gene products for the transcription of middle or late flagellar genes. bfa mutant strains are apparently defective in a negative regulatory pathway that couples early flagellar biogenesis to late flagellar gene expression. The bfa regulatory pathway functions solely at the level of transcription. Although flagellin promoters are transcribed in class II/bfa double mutants, there is no detectable flagellin protein on immunoblots prepared from mutant cell extracts. This finding suggests that early flagellar biogenesis is coupled to gene expression by two distinct mechanisms: one that negatively regulates transcription, mediated by bfa, and another that functions posttranscriptionally. To determine whether bfa affects the temporal pattern of late flagellar gene expression, cell cycle experiments were performed in bfa mutant strains. In a bfa mutant strain, flagellin expression fails to shut off at its normal time in the cell division cycle. This experimental result indicates that bfa may function as a regulator of flagellar gene transcription late in the cell cycle, after early flagellar structures have been assembled.

Activation of a temporally regulated Caulobacter promoter by upstream and downstream sequence elements

The flagellar genes of Caulobacter crescentus are expressed under cell-cycle control. Expression is regulated by both flagellar assembly cues and cell-cycle events. In this paper we define the sequences required for the expression of the flgF operon, a new class of sigma 54 flagellar promoter. This promoter type is expressed in the middle portion of the cell cycle and regulates the expression of basal-body genes. DNase I footprinting and mutagenesis demonstrates that an integration host factor (IHF)-binding site is required for maximal levels of transcription of the flgF promoter. In addition to containing a conventional upstream enhancer element (RE-1), this promoter is unusual in that it also requires sequences (element RE-2) immediately downstream of the transcriptional start site for maximal levels of gene expression. Cell-cycle experiments indicate that RE-1 and RE-2 contribute equally to the regulation of temporal transcription. The presence of two intact elements in the promoter results in a fourfold increase in promoter activity compared with a promoter containing only one intact element, suggesting that these two elements may function synergistically to activate transcription.

Regulation of cellular differentiation in Caulobacter crescentus

In Caulobacter crescentus, asymmetry is generated in the predivisional cell, resulting in the formation of two distinct cell types upon cell division: a motile swarmer cell and a sessile stalked cell. These progeny cell types differ in their relative programs of gene expression and DNA replication. In progeny swarmer cells, DNA replication is silenced for a defined period, but stalked cells reinitiate chromosomal DNA replication immediately following cell division. The establishment of these differential programs of DNA replication may be due to the polar localization of DNA replication proteins, differences in chromosome higher-order structure, or pole-specific transcription. The best-understood aspect of Caulobacter development is biogenesis of the polar flagellum. The genes encoding the flagellum are expressed under cell cycle control predominantly in the predivisional cell type. Transcription of flagellar genes is regulated by a trans-acting hierarchy that responds to both flagellar assembly and cell cycle cues. As the flagellar genes are expressed, their products are targeted to the swarmer pole of the predivisional cell, where assembly occurs. Specific protein targeting and compartmentalized transcription are two mechanisms that contribute to the positioning of flagellar gene products at the swarmer pole of the predivisional cell.

Caulobacter FliQ and FliR membrane proteins, required for flagellar biogenesis and cell division, belong to a family of virulence factor export proteins

The Caulobacter crescentus fliQ and fliR genes encode membrane proteins that have a role in an early step of flagellar biogenesis and belong to a family of proteins implicated in the export of virulence factors. These include the MopD and MopE proteins from Erwinia carotovora, the Spa9 and Spa29 proteins from Shigella flexneri, and the YscS protein from Yersinia pestis. Inclusion in this family of proteins suggests that FliQ and FliR may participate in an export pathway required for flagellum assembly. In addition, mutations in either fliQ or fliR exhibit defects in cell division and thus may participate directly or indirectly in the division process. fliQ and fliR are class II flagellar genes residing near the top of the regulatory hierarchy that determines the order of flagellar gene transcription. The promoter sequence of the fliQR operon differs from most known bacterial promoter sequences but is similar to other Caulobacter class II flagellar gene promoter sequences. The conserved nucleotides in the promoter region are clustered in the -10, -20 to -30, and -35 regions. The importance of the conserved bases for promoter activity was demonstrated by mutational analysis. Transcription of the fliQR operon is initiated at a specific time in the cell cycle, and deletion analysis revealed that the minimal sequence required for transcriptional activation resides within 59 bp of the start site.

Organization and ordered expression of Caulobacter genes encoding flagellar basal body rod and ring proteins

The biogenesis of the polar flagellum in Caulobacter crescentus is limited to a specific time in the cell cycle and to a specific site on the cell. The basal body is the first part of the flagellum to be assembled. In this report we identify a cluster of genes encoding basal body components and describe their transcriptional regulation. The genes in this cluster form an operon whose expression is controlled temporally. The first two genes encode homologs of FlgF and FlgG, which are the proximal and distal rod proteins, respectively. The sequences of the N and C termini of the Salmonella typhimurium flagellar axial proteins, rod, hook and HAP-1, known to be highly conserved, share a high degree of sequence identity with the FlgF and FlgG rod proteins of the distantly related, C. crescentus. Two additional genes in the flgF, flgG operon, flaD and flgH, both encode proteins with potentially cleavable signal sequences. The flgH gene, encoding the L-ring protein, is also transcribed from an internal promoter. Transcription from the flgF promoter initiates prior to initiation at the internal flgH promoter. The internal promoter and its activator site reside within the C-terminal coding sequence of the upstream flaD gene. This type of gene overlap is also observed in bacterial genes involved in cell division. Flagellum biogenesis, like cell division, is a morphogenic event that requires the orderly assembly of component proteins and the overlapping gene organization may affect this "ordering" of assembly. The promoters for the flgF operon and the flgH gene use sigma 54 to initiate transcription. The use of sigma 54 promoters, known to require cognate binding proteins, could allow the fine-tuning that provides the temporal ordering of flagellar gene transcription. In this context, we have found that the flgF operon and the distal flgI gene encoding the P-ring, share a sigma 54 activator sequence (class IIA) that differs from the flgH L-ring gene sigma 54 activator site (class IIB) and the hook cluster (class IIC) sigma 54 activator site. The sequential activation of these three subgroups of structural genes reflects the order of assembly of their gene products into the flagellum.

Expression of an early gene in the flagellar regulatory hierarchy is sensitive to an interruption in DNA replication

Genes involved in the biogenesis of the flagellum in Caulobacter crescentus are expressed in a temporal order and are controlled by a trans-acting regulatory hierarchy. Strains with mutations in one of these genes, flaS, cannot transcribe flagellar structural genes and divide abnormally. This gene was cloned, and it was found that its transcription is initiated early in the cell cycle. Subclones that restored motility to FlaS mutants also restored normal cell division. Although transcription of flaS was not dependent on any other known gene in the flagellar hierarchy, it was autoregulated and subject to mild negative control by other genes at the same level of the hierarchy. An additional level of control was revealed when it was found that an interruption of DNA replication caused the inhibition of flaS transcription. The flaS transcript initiation site was identified, and an apparently unique promoter sequence was found to be highly conserved among the genes at the same level of the hierarchy. The flagellar genes with this conserved 5' region all initiate transcription early in the cell cycle and are all sensitive to a disruption in DNA replication. Mutations in these genes also cause an aberrant cell division phenotype. Therefore, flagellar genes at or near the top of the hierarchy may be controlled, in part, by a unique transcription factor and may be responsive to the same DNA replication cues that mediate other cell cycle events, such as cell division.

Positional information during Caulobacter cell differentiation

The formation of two distinct daughter cells upon division of the bacterium Caulobacter crescentus is the result of asymmetry in the predivisional cell, in part due to localization of both flagellar and chemotaxis proteins to the swarmer cell pole. Recent evidence suggests that both localized transcription and protein targeting directed by specific amino acid sequence are involved in the localization.

Timing of flagellar gene expression in the Caulobacter cell cycle is determined by a transcriptional cascade of positive regulatory genes

The Caulobacter crescentus flagellar (fla) genes are organized in a regulatory hierarchy in which genes at each level are required for expression of those at the next lower level. To determine the role of this hierarchy in the timing of fla gene expression, we have examined the organization and cell cycle regulation of genes located in the hook gene cluster. As shown here, this cluster is organized into four multicistronic transcription units flaN, flbG, flaO, and flbF that contain fla genes plus a fifth transcription unit II.1 of unknown function. Transcription unit II.1 is regulated independently of the fla gene hierarchy, and it is expressed with a unique pattern of periodicity very late in the cell cycle. The flaN, flbG, and flaO operons are all transcribed periodically, and flaO, which is near the top of the hierarchy and required in trans for the activation of flaN and flbG operons, is expressed earlier in the cell cycle than the other two transcription units. We have shown that delaying flaO transcription by fusing it to the II.1 promoter also delayed the subsequent expression of the flbG operon and the 27- and 25-kDa flagellin genes that are at the bottom of the regulatory hierarchy. Thus, the sequence and timing of fla gene expression in the cell cycle are determined in large measure by the positions of these genes in the regulatory hierarchy. These results also suggest that periodic transcription is a general feature of fla gene expression in C. crescentus.

Identification of a Caulobacter basal body structural gene and a cis-acting site required for activation of transcription

The genes that encode the components and regulatory proteins of the Caulobacter crescentus flagellum are transcribed at specific times in the cell cycle. One of these genes, flbN, is required early in the flagellar assembly process. The flbN gene was cloned and sequenced, and the time of transcription activation was determined. The derived amino acid sequence indicates that fibN encodes a 25-kilodalton protein with a cleavable leader peptide. The flbN-encoded protein has 30.8% identity with the protein encoded by the Salmonella typhimurium basal body L-ring gene, flgH. Site-directed mutagenesis and gel mobility shift assays identified a binding site at -100 from the transcription start site for a trans-acting protein, RF-2, that functions to partially activate flbN transcription at a defined time in the cell cycle. The RF-2 binding region is similar to a NifA binding site normally used in the activation of some sigma 54 promoters involved in nitrogen fixation in other bacteria. Transcription of a flbN-reporter gene fusion in an Escherichia coli background was dependent on the presence of a NifA transcription factor supplied by a plasmid-borne Rhizobium meliloti gene encoding NifA. A deletion or base changes in the RF-2 binding region eliminated expression of the flbN gene in E. coli even when a NifA protein was provided in trans, suggesting that a sigma 54 promoter with an upstream activator element is used by the C. crescentus flbN gene. A consensus sequence for a sigma 54 promoter was found at the appropriate distance 5' to one of two identified transcription start sites. Site-directed mutagenesis confirmed that a conserved nucleotide in this sigma 54 promoter consensus sequence was required for transcription. Deletion of the region 5' to the apparent sigma 54 promoter caused a complete loss of transcription activation. Transcription activation of flbN in C. crescentus involves the combination of several elements: the NifA-like site is required for full activation, and other sequence elements 5' to the promoter and 3' to the transcription start site are necessary for the correct time of transcription initiation.

Nucleotide sequence of the Caulobacter crescentus flaF and flbT genes and an analysis of codon usage in organisms with G + C-rich genomes

The Caulobacter crescentus flaFG region encodes trans-acting, regulatory factors that modulate flagellin synthesis during flagellum biogenesis. In this study, sequence analysis and experiments utilizing a promoterless cat gene demonstrated that the flaF and flbT genes have overlapping transcripts with the same orientation. In addition, the 5' ends of the flgL and flbA genes were located. A sequence resembling an Rho-factor-independent terminator was found in the 3' region of the flaF gene. This region was uniquely A + T-rich and the encoded mRNA contained an inverted repeat sequence which could form a stable stem-loop structure followed by nine U-residues. The codon usage of C. crescentus genes was examined and indicated a preference for specific codons from each of the synonymous codon groups. Furthermore, comparison to the codon usage of other organisms with G + C-rich genomes indicated a strong preference for the same codons preferred by C. crescentus.

FlbD of Caulobacter crescentus is a homologue of the NtrC (NRI) protein and activates sigma 54-dependent flagellar gene promoters

The periodic transcription of flagellar genes in the Caulobacter crescentus cell cycle is controlled, in part, by their organization in a regulatory hierarchy. The flbG (hook operon), flaN, and flagellin gene operons, which are at the lowest levels of the hierarchy and expressed late in the cell cycle, contain Ntr-like promoters. We report that flbD, one of the early genes required in trans for expression of these operons, codes for a 52-kDa protein homologous to the transcriptional activators NtrC (NRI), NifA, DctD, HydG, and XylR. Our results show that in Escherichia coli flbD partially complements glnG (ntrC) mutations and stimulates transcription of the C. crescentus sigma 54 RNA polymerase-dependent flbG gene. Additionally, the sequence predicts that FlbD protein, along with NtrC, DctD, and HydG proteins, is structurally related at the amino-terminal domain to a larger family of response regulators that mediate cellular responses to environmental stimuli. FlbD may be a singular member of this large protein family in that its function is tied to an internal cell-cycle signal. FlbD is also unusual in that its amino-terminal domain contains only one of the three residues conserved in previously described members of this family of response regulators.

Genetic switching in the flagellar gene hierarchy of Caulobacter requires negative as well as positive regulation of transcription

Caulobacter crescentus flagellar (fla, flb, or flg) genes are periodically expressed in the cell cycle and they are organized in a regulatory hierarchy. We have analyzed the genetic interactions required for fla gene expression by determining the effect of mutations in 30 known fla genes on transcription from four operons in the hook gene cluster. These results show that the flaO (transcription unit III) and flbF (transcription unit IV) operons are located at or near the top of the hierarchy. They also reveal an extensive network of negative transcriptional controls that are superimposed on the positive regulatory cascade described previously. The strong negative autoregulation observed for the flaN (transcription unit I), flbG (transcription unit II), and flaO (transcription unit III) promoters provides one possible mechanism for turning off fla gene expression at the end of the respective synthetic periods. We suggest that these positive and negative transcriptional interactions are components of genetic switches that determine the sequence in which fla genes are turned on and off in the C. crescentus cell cycle.

Negative transcriptional regulation in the Caulobacter flagellar hierarchy

The Caulobacter crescentus flagellum is formed at a specific time in the cell cycle and its assembly requires the ordered expression of a large number of genes. These genes are controlled in a positive trans-acting hierarchy that reflects the order of assembly of the flagellum. Using plasmids carrying transcriptional fusions of either a neo or a lux reporter gene to the promoters of three flagellar genes representing different ranks in the hierarchy (the hook operon, a basal body gene flbN, and the flaO gene), we have measured the level of chimeric gene expression in 13 flagellar mutant backgrounds. Mutants in the hook operon or in basal body genes caused overproduction of both hook operon and basal body gene chimeric mRNAs, suggesting that negative regulation is superimposed on the positive trans-acting control for these early events in the flagellar hierarchy. Mutants in the structural genes and in genes involved in flagellar assembly had no effect on flaO expression, placing the flaO gene near the top of the hierarchy. However, flaO expression appears to be under negative control by two regulatory genes flaS and flaW. Negative control, as a response to the completion of specific steps in the assembly process, may be an important mechanism used by the cell to turn off flagellar gene expression once the gene product is no longer needed.

L-, P-, and M-ring proteins of the flagellar basal body of Salmonella typhimurium: gene sequences and deduced protein sequences

The flgH, flgI, and fliF genes of Salmonella typhimurium encode the major proteins for the L, P, and M rings of the flagellar basal body. We have determined the sequences of these genes and the flgJ gene and examined the deduced amino acid sequences of their products. FlgH and FlgI, which are exported across the cell membrane to their destinations in the outer membrane and periplasmic space, respectively, both had typical N-terminal cleaved signal-peptide sequences. FlgH is predicted to have a considerable amount of beta-sheet structure, as has been noted for other outer membrane proteins. FlgI is predicted to have an even greater amount of beta-structure. FliF, as is usual for a cytoplasmic membrane protein of a procaryote, lacked a signal peptide; it is predicted to have considerable alpha-helical structure, including an N-terminal sequence that is likely to be membrane-spanning. However, it had overall a quite hydrophilic sequence with a high charge density, especially towards its C terminus. The flgJ gene, immediately adjacent to flgI and the last gene of the flgB operon, encodes a flagellar protein of unknown function whose deduced sequence was hydrophilic and may correspond to a cytoplasmic protein. Several aspects of the DNA sequence of these genes and their surrounds suggest complex regulation of the flagellar gene system. A notable example occurs within the flgB operon, where between the end of flgG (encoding the distal rod protein of the basal body) and the start of flgH (encoding the L-ring protein) there was an unusually long noncoding region containing a potential stem-loop sequence, which could attenuate termination of transcription or stabilize part of the transcript against degradation. Another example is the interface between the flgB and flgK operons, where transcription termination of the former may occur within the coding region of the latter.

Temporal regulation and overlap organization of two Caulobacter flagellar genes

The biogenesis of the bacterial flagellum and chemotaxis apparatus in both Escherichia coli and Caulobacter crescentus requires the ordered expression of over 40 genes whose expression is controlled by a trans-acting regulatory hierarchy. In C. crescentus, additional control mechanisms ensure that the transcription of these genes is initiated at the correct time in the cell cycle. We demonstrate here that two flagellar genes, flaE and flaY, whose products function in trans to modulate the level of transcription of other flagellar genes, are themselves temporally controlled. DNA sequence analysis of the 3413 base-pairs encompassing the flaE and flaY coding sequences and the 5' regulatory region showed that flaE encodes a protein of 16,000 Mr and flaY a protein of 17,000 Mr. Evidence that flaE and flaY are transcribed as a polycistronic message includes (1) the polar effect of Tn5 insertions; (2) deletion analysis showing that the flaE promoter is essential for complementation of both flaE and flaY alleles; and (3) nuclease S1 assays showing protection of a transcript spanning both genes. The transcript start site in front of flaE was determined and the -10 region conforms to the E. coli sigma 28 promoter consensus sequence. Nuclease S1 analysis also revealed a protected fragment whose size was consistent with a transcript initiating in vivo at a consensus "nif" promoter sequence in front of the flaY gene. The entire promoter region and an upstream consensus sequence that might be a regulatory element for the flaY gene lies within the carboxyl-terminal coding sequence of the flaE gene.