In vitro transcriptional analysis of TyrR-mediated activation of the mtr and tyrP+3 promoters of Escherichia coli

The heparin-binding hemagglutinin protein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a nucleoid-associated protein

Nucleoid-associated proteins (NAPs) regulate multiple cellular processes such as gene expression, virulence, and dormancy throughout bacterial species. NAPs help in the survival and adaptation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) within the host. Fourteen NAPs have been identified in Escherichia coli; however, only seven NAPs are documented in Mtb. Given its complex lifestyle, it is reasonable to assume that Mtb would encode for more NAPs. Using bioinformatics tools and biochemical experiments, we have identified the heparin-binding hemagglutinin (HbhA) protein of Mtb as a novel sequence-independent DNA-binding protein which has previously been characterized as an adhesion molecule required for extrapulmonary dissemination. Deleting the carboxy-terminal domain of HbhA resulted in a complete loss of its DNA-binding activity. Atomic force microscopy showed HbhA-mediated architectural modulations in the DNA, which may play a regulatory role in transcription and genome organization. Our results showed that HbhA colocalizes with the nucleoid region of Mtb. Transcriptomics analyses of a hbhA KO strain revealed that it regulates the expression of ∼36% of total and ∼29% of essential genes. Deletion of hbhA resulted in the upregulation of ∼73% of all differentially expressed genes, belonging to multiple pathways suggesting it to be a global repressor. The results show that HbhA is a nonessential NAP regulating gene expression globally and acting as a plausible transcriptional repressor.

Activation by TyrR in Escherichia coli K-12 by Interaction between TyrR and the α-Subunit of RNA Polymerase

A novel selection was developed for mutants of the C-terminal domain of RpoA (α-CTD) altered in activation by the TyrR regulatory protein of Escherichia coli K-12. This allowed the identification of an aspartate to asparagine substitution at residue 250 (DN250) as an activation-defective (Act-) mutation. Amino acid residues known to be close to D250 were altered by in vitro mutagenesis, and the substitutions DR250, RE310, and RD310 were all shown to be defective in activation. None of these mutations caused defects in regulation of the upstream promoter (UP) element. The rpoA mutation DN250 was transferred onto the chromosome to facilitate the isolation of suppressor mutations. The TyrR mutations EK139 and RG119 caused partial suppression of rpoA DN250, and TyrR RC119, RL119, RP119, RA77, and SG100 caused partial suppression of rpoA RE310. Additional activation-defective rpoA mutants (DT250, RS310, and EG288) were also isolated, using the chromosomal rpoA DN250 strain. Several new Act-tyrR mutants were isolated in an rpoA+ strain, adding positions R77, D97, K101, D118, R119, R121, and E141 to known residues S95 and D103 and defining the activation patch on the amino-terminal domain (NTD) of TyrR. These results support a model for activation of TyrR-regulated genes where the activation patch on the TyrR NTD interacts with the TyrR-specific patch on the α-CTD of RNA polymerase. Given known structures, both these sites appear to be surface exposed and suggest a model for activation by TyrR. They also help resolve confusing results in the literature that implicated residues within the 261 and 265 determinants as activator contact sites. IMPORTANCE Regulation of transcription by RNA polymerases is fundamental for adaptation to a changing environment and for cellular differentiation, across all kingdoms of life. The gene tyrR in Escherichia coli is a particularly useful model because it is involved in both activation and repression of a large number of operons by a range of mechanisms, and it interacts with all three aromatic amino acids and probably other effectors. Furthermore, TyrR has homologues in many other genera, regulating many different genes, utilizing different effector molecules, and in some cases affecting virulence and important plant interactions.

Metabolic engineering for improving l-tryptophan production in Escherichia coli

l-Tryptophan is an important aromatic amino acid that is used widely in the food, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries. Compared with the traditional synthetic methods, production of l-tryptophan by microbes is environmentally friendly and has low production costs, and feed stocks are renewable. With the development of metabolic engineering, highly efficient production of l-tryptophan in Escherichia coli has been achieved by eliminating negative regulation factors, improving the intracellular level of precursors, engineering of transport systems and overexpression of rate-limiting enzymes. However, challenges remain for l-tryptophan biosynthesis to be cost-competitive. In this review, successful and applicable strategies derived from metabolic engineering for increasing l-tryptophan accumulation in E. coli are summarized. In addition, perspectives for further efficient production of l-tryptophan are discussed.

The Nucleoid: an Overview

This review provides a brief review of the current understanding of the structure-function relationship of the Escherichia coli nucleoid developed after the overview by Pettijohn focusing on the physical properties of nucleoids. Isolation of nucleoids requires suppression of DNA expansion by various procedures. The ability to control the expansion of nucleoids in vitro has led to purification of nucleoids for chemical and physical analyses and for high-resolution imaging. Isolated E. coli genomes display a number of individually intertwined supercoiled loops emanating from a central core. Metabolic processes of the DNA double helix lead to three types of topological constraints that all cells must resolve to survive: linking number, catenates, and knots. The major species of nucleoid core protein share functional properties with eukaryotic histones forming chromatin; even the structures are different from histones. Eukaryotic histones play dynamic roles in the remodeling of eukaryotic chromatin, thereby controlling the access of RNA polymerase and transcription factors to promoters. The E. coli genome is tightly packed into the nucleoid, but, at each cell division, the genome must be faithfully replicated, divided, and segregated. Nucleoid activities such as transcription, replication, recombination, and repair are all affected by the structural properties and the special conformations of nucleoid. While it is apparent that much has been learned about the nucleoid, it is also evident that the fundamental interactions organizing the structure of DNA in the nucleoid still need to be clearly defined.

The TyrR transcription factor regulates the divergent akr-ipdC operons of Enterobacter cloacae UW5

The TyrR transcription factor regulates genes involved in the uptake and biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids in Enterobacteriaceae. Genes may be positively or negatively regulated depending on the presence or absence of each aromatic amino acid, all three of which function as cofactors for TyrR. In this report we detail the transcriptional control of two divergently transcribed genes, akr and ipdC, by TyrR, elucidated by promoter fusion expression assays and electrophoretic mobility shift assays to assess protein-DNA interactions. Expression of both genes was shown to be controlled by TyrR via interactions with two TyrR boxes located within the akr-ipdC intergenic region. Expression of ipdC required TyrR bound to the proximal strong box, and is strongly induced by phenylalanine, and to a lesser extent by tryptophan and tyrosine. Down-regulation of akr was reliant on interactions with the weak box, and may also require a second, as yet unidentified protein for further repression. Tyrosine enhanced repression of akr. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays demonstrated that TyrR interacts with both the strong and weak boxes, and that binding of the weak box in vitro requires an intact adjacent strong box. While the strong box shows a high degree of conservation with the TyrR binding site consensus sequence, the weak box has atypical spacing of the two half sites comprising the palindromic arms. Site-directed mutagenesis demonstrated sequence-specific interaction between TyrR and the weak box. This is the first report of TyrR-controlled expression of two divergent protein-coding genes, transcribed from independent promoters. Moreover, the identification of a predicted aldo-keto reductase as a member of the TyrR regulon further extends the function of the TyrR regulon.

Biosynthesis of the Aromatic Amino Acids

This chapter describes in detail the genes and proteins of Escherichia coli involved in the biosynthesis and transport of the three aromatic amino acids tyrosine, phenylalanine, and tryptophan. It provides a historical perspective on the elaboration of the various reactions of the common pathway converting erythrose-4-phosphate and phosphoenolpyruvate to chorismate and those of the three terminal pathways converting chorismate to phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan. The regulation of key reactions by feedback inhibition, attenuation, repression, and activation are also discussed. Two regulatory proteins, TrpR (108 amino acids) and TyrR (513 amino acids), play a major role in transcriptional regulation. The TrpR protein functions only as a dimer which, in the presence of tryptophan, represses the expression of trp operon plus four other genes (the TrpR regulon). The TyrR protein, which can function both as a dimer and as a hexamer, regulates the expression of nine genes constituting the TyrR regulon. TyrR can bind each of the three aromatic amino acids and ATP and under their influence can act as a repressor or activator of gene expression. The various domains of this protein involved in binding the aromatic amino acids and ATP, recognizing DNA binding sites, interacting with the alpha subunit of RNA polymerase, and changing from a monomer to a dimer or a hexamer are all described. There is also an analysis of the various strategies which allow TyrR in conjunction with particular amino acids to differentially affect the expression of individual genes of the TyrR regulon.

Transcriptional regulation of multi-drug tolerance and antibiotic-induced responses by the histone-like protein Lsr2 in M. tuberculosis

Multi-drug tolerance is a key phenotypic property that complicates the sterilization of mammals infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Previous studies have established that iniBAC, an operon that confers multi-drug tolerance to M. bovis BCG through an associated pump-like activity, is induced by the antibiotics isoniazid (INH) and ethambutol (EMB). An improved understanding of the functional role of antibiotic-induced genes and the regulation of drug tolerance may be gained by studying the factors that regulate antibiotic-mediated gene expression. An M. smegmatis strain containing a lacZ gene fused to the promoter of M. tuberculosis iniBAC (P_iniBAC) was subjected to transposon mutagenesis. Mutants with constitutive expression and increased EMB-mediated induction of P_iniBAC::lacZ mapped to the lsr2 gene (MSMEG6065), a small basic protein of unknown function that is highly conserved among mycobacteria. These mutants had a marked change in colony morphology and generated a new polar lipid. Complementation with multi-copy M. tuberculosis lsr2 (Rv3597c) returned P_iniBAC expression to baseline, reversed the observed morphological and lipid changes, and repressed P_iniBAC induction by EMB to below that of the control M. smegmatis strain. Microarray analysis of an lsr2 knockout confirmed upregulation of M. smegmatis iniA and demonstrated upregulation of genes involved in cell wall and metabolic functions. Fully 121 of 584 genes induced by EMB treatment in wild-type M. smegmatis were upregulated (“hyperinduced”) to even higher levels by EMB in the M. smegmatis lsr2 knockout. The most highly upregulated genes and gene clusters had adenine-thymine (AT)–rich 5-prime untranslated regions. In M. tuberculosis, overexpression of lsr2 repressed INH-mediated induction of all three iniBAC genes, as well as another annotated pump, efpA. The low molecular weight and basic properties of Lsr2 (pI 10.69) suggested that it was a histone-like protein, although it did not exhibit sequence homology with other proteins in this class. Consistent with other histone-like proteins, Lsr2 bound DNA with a preference for circular DNA, forming large oligomers, inhibited DNase I activity, and introduced a modest degree of supercoiling into relaxed plasmids. Lsr2 also inhibited in vitro transcription and topoisomerase I activity. Lsr2 represents a novel class of histone-like proteins that inhibit a wide variety of DNA-interacting enzymes. Lsr2 appears to regulate several important pathways in mycobacteria by preferentially binding to AT-rich sequences, including genes induced by antibiotics and those associated with inducible multi-drug tolerance. An improved understanding of the role of lsr2 may provide important insights into the mechanisms of action of antibiotics and the way that mycobacteria adapt to stresses such as antibiotic treatment.

Understanding the cellular processes stimulated when Mycobacterium tuberculosis is treated with antibiotics may provide clues as to why months of therapy and use of several drugs simultaneously are required to prevent antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic treatment “turns on” or induces certain M. tuberculosis genes. These genes are of special interest because they appear to help M. tuberculosis survive the stress of antibiotic treatment. Our study of the regulation of antibiotic-induced genes, including iniBAC, in two mycobacterial species revealed that a small protein called Lsr2 controls iniBAC and other antibiotic-induced genes, especially ones related to the cell wall. Lsr2 binds to DNA in a relatively non-specific manner and appears to inhibit certain enzymes that must interact with DNA as part of their function. These properties differentiate Lsr2 from classical regulators of gene expression that bind to specific DNA sequences, and suggest that Lsr2 is a novel histone-like protein. These proteins regulate genes by changing the way DNA is shaped, and, indeed, we found that Lsr2 can change the shape of DNA by introducing a small number of coils into its structure. Our results suggest that Lsr2 is a major regulator of antibiotic-induced responses in mycobacteria.

The TyrR regulon

The TyrR protein of Escherichia coli can act both as a repressor and as an activator of transcription. It can interact with each of the three aromatic amino acids, with ATP and, under certain circumstances, with the C-terminal region of the alpha-subunit of RNA polymerase. TyrR protein is a dimer in solution but in the presence of tyrosine and ATP it self-associates to form a hexamer. Whereas TyrR dimers can, in the absence of any aromatic amino acids, bind to certain recognition sequences referred to as 'strong TyrR boxes', hexamers can bind to extended sequences including lower-affinity sites called 'weak TyrR boxes', some of which overlap the promoter. There is no single mechanism for repression, which in some cases involves exclusion of RNA polymerase from the promoter and in others, interference with the ability of bound RNA polymerase to form open complexes or to exit the promoter. When bound to a site upstream of certain promoters, TyrR protein in the presence of phenylalanine, tyrosine or tryptophan can interact with the alpha-subunit of RNA polymerase to activate transcription. In one unusual case, activation of a non-productive promoter is used to repress transcription from a promoter on the opposite strand. Regulation of individual transcription units within the regulon reflects their physiological function and is determined by the position and nature of the recognition sites (TyrR boxes) associated with each of the promoters. The intracellular levels of the various forms of the TyrR protein are also postulated to be of critical importance in determining regulatory outcomes. TyrR protein remains a paradigm for a regulator that is able to interact with multiple cofactors and exert a range of regulatory effects by forming different oligomers on DNA and making contact with other proteins. A recent analysis identifying putative TyrR boxes in the E. coli genome raises the possibility that the TyrR regulon may extend beyond the well-characterized transcription units described in this review.

Mode of action of the TyrR protein: repression and activation of the tyrP promoter of Escherichia coli

The tyrP gene of Escherichia coli encodes a tyrosine specific transporter. Its synthesis is repressed by tyrosine but is activated by phenylalanine and to a lesser extent by tryptophan. Both of these effects are mediated by the TyrR protein when it binds to one or both of its cognate binding sites (TyrR boxes) which encompass nucleotides -30 to -75. Activation in the presence of phenylalanine or tryptophan involves a dimer binding to the upstream box and interacting with the alpha subunit (alphaCTD) of RNA polymerase (RNAP). Repression in the presence of tyrosine involves a hexamer binding to both TyrR boxes. The molecular basis for this repression has been studied in vitro. Whereas initial gel shift experiments fail to show the exclusion of RNAP from the promoter region when TyrR hexamer is bound, a DNase I analysis of slices from the gel shows that in the presence of TyrR, RNAP now binds to a previously unrecognized upstream promoter. Although this upstream promoter is bound strongly by RNAP and forms an open complex on linear DNA templates, it fails to form an open complex on supercoiled templates in vitro and is unable to initiate transcription in vivo. A subsequent gel shift assay using a tyrP fragment which eliminates the upstream RNAP binding site confirms conclusively that, in the presence of tyrosine and ATP, the TyrR protein prevents RNAP from binding to the tyrP promoter. In vitro studies have also been carried out in the presence of TyrR protein and phenylalanine. Binding of TyrR protein to the upstream TyrR box in the presence of phenylalanine is shown to increase the affinity of RNAP for the promoter and stimulate open complex formation at the -10 region of the tyrP promoter. This observation coupled with the results from mutational analysis supports the proposal that TyrR-phenylalanine activates tyrP transcription by stimulating the onset of open complex formation.

RNA polymerase subunit requirements for activation by the enhancer-binding protein Rhodobacter capsulatus NtrC

Rhodobacter capsulatus NtrC is an enhancer-binding protein that activates transcription of the R. capsulatus sigma 70 RNA polymerase, but does not activate the Escherichia coli sigma 70-RNA polymerase at the nifA1 promoter. We utilized R. capsulatus:E. coli hybrid RNA polymerases assembled in vitro to investigate the subunits required for protein-protein interaction with RcNtrC at the nifA1mut1 promoter. Assembly of core Rc alpha beta beta' or hybrid RNA polymerases containing the Rc beta beta' subunits absolutely require the inclusion of an omega subunit, with the Ec omega subunit only partially promoting RNA polymerase assembly. The Rc alpha Ec beta beta' RNA polymerase is not activated by RcNtrC. Moreover, a mutant form of the Rc alpha lacking the alpha C-terminal domain, when assembled with the Rc beta beta'omega and sigma 70 subunits, is activated by RcNtrC. These results suggest that the R. capsulatus alpha subunit is not important for RcNtrC interaction. All hybrid RNA polymerases that contained the Rc beta' were activated by RcNtrC, suggesting that the Rc beta' subunit plays an important role. It is proposed that RcNtrC recruits R. capsulatus sigma 70-RNA polymerase to the promoter through interaction with Rc beta'. RcNtrC interacts with RNA polymerase from a unique position, with dimers centered at -118 bp from the start site. Placing the RcNtrC tandem binding sites on the opposite face of the helix (-113 bp) completely abolished transcription activation. Moving the RcNtrC tandem binding sites 20 bp closer to or further from the promoter significantly reduced activation, again suggesting unique spatial constraints on how RcNtrC interacts with the R. capsulatus RNA polymerase.

Mechanism of repression of the aroP P2 promoter by the TyrR protein of Escherichia coli

Previously, we have shown that expression of the Escherichia coli aroP P2 promoter is partially repressed by the TyrR protein alone and strongly repressed by the TyrR protein in the presence of the coeffector tyrosine or phenylalanine (P. Wang, J. Yang, and A. J. Pittard, J. Bacteriol. 179:4206-4212, 1997). Here we present in vitro results showing that the TyrR protein and RNA polymerase can bind simultaneously to the aroP P2 promoter. In the presence of tyrosine, the TyrR protein inhibits open complex formation at the P2 promoter, whereas in the absence of any coeffector or in the presence of phenylalanine, the TyrR protein inhibits a step(s) following the formation of open complexes. We also present mutational evidence which implicates the N-terminal domain of the TyrR protein in the repression of P2 expression. The TyrR binding site of aroP, which includes one weak and one strong TyrR box, is located 5 bp downstream of the transcription start site of P2. Results from a mutational analysis show that the strong box (which is located more closely to the P2 promoter), but not the weak box, plays a critical role in P2 repression.

Superimposition of tyrR protein-mediated regulation on osmoresponsive transcription of Escherichia coli proU in vivo

Osmotic regulation of proU expression in the enterobacteria is achieved, at least in part, by a repression mechanism involving the histone-like nucleoid protein H-NS. By the creation of binding sites for the TyrR regulator protein in the vicinity of the sigma70-controlled promoter of proU in Escherichia coli, we were able to demonstrate a superposed TyrR-mediated activation by L-phenylalanine (Phe), as well as repression by L-tyrosine, of proU expression in vivo. Based on the facts that pronounced activation in the presence of Phe was observed even at a low osmolarity and that the affinity of binding of TyrR to its cognate sites on DNA is not affected by Phe, we argue that H-NS-mediated repression of proU at a low osmolarity may not involve a classical silencing mechanism. Our data also suggest the involvement of recruited RNA polymerase in the mechanism of antirepression in E. coli.

Demonstration that the TyrR protein and RNA polymerase complex formed at the divergent P3 promoter inhibits binding of RNA polymerase to the major promoter, P1, of the aroP gene of Escherichia coli

In previous studies, we have identified three promoters (P1, P2, and P3) in the regulatory region of the Escherichia coli aroP gene (P. Wang, J. Yang, and A. J. Pittard, J. Bacteriol. 179:4206-4212, 1997). Both P1 and P2 can direct mRNA synthesis for aroP expression, whereas P3 is a divergent promoter which overlaps with P1. The repression of transcription from the major promoter, P1, has been postulated to involve the activation of the divergent promoter, P3, by the TyrR protein (P. Wang, J. Yang, B. Lawley, and A. J. Pittard, J. Bacteriol. 179:4213-4218, 1997). In the present study, we confirmed the proposed mechanism of P3-mediated repression of P1 transcription by studying the binding of RNA polymerase to the promoters P1 and P3 in vitro in the presence and absence of TyrR protein and its cofactors. Our results show that (i) only one RNA polymerase molecule can bind to the DNA fragment carrying the aroP regulatory region, (ii) RNA polymerase has a higher affinity for P1 than for either P2 or P3 and binds to P1 in the absence of TyrR protein, (iii) in the presence of TyrR protein and its cofactor, phenylalanine or tyrosine, RNA polymerase preferentially binds to P3, and (iv) RNA polymerase does not respond to the activation-defective mutant TyrR protein TyrR-RQ10 and remains bound to P1 in the presence of TyrR-RQ10 and either of the cofactors.

Amino acid residues in the alpha-subunit C-terminal domain of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase involved in activation of transcription from the mtr promoter

To examine the role of the amino acid residues (between positions 258 and 275 and positions 297 and 298) of the alpha-subunit of RNA polymerase in TyrR-mediated activation of the mtr promoter, we have carried out in vitro transcription experiments using a set of mutant RNA polymerases with a supercoiled mtr template. Decreases in factor-independent transcription in vitro by mutant RNA polymerases L262A, R265A, and K297A suggested the presence of a possible UP element associated with the mtr promoter. Mutational studies have revealed that an AT-rich sequence centered at -41 of the mtr promoter (SeqA) functions like an UP element. In vivo and in vitro analyses using a mutant mtr promoter carrying a disrupted putative UP element showed that this AT-rich sequence is responsible for interactions with the alpha-subunit which influence transcription in the absence of TyrR protein. However, the putative UP element is not needed for activator-dependent activation of the mtr promoter by TyrR and phenylalanine. The results from in vitro studies indicated that the alpha-subunit residues leucine-262, arginine-265, and lysine-297 are critical for interaction with the putative UP element of the mtr promoter and play major roles in TyrR-dependent transcription activation. The residues at positions 258, 260, 261, 268, and 270 also play important roles in TyrR-dependent activation. Other residues, at positions 259, 263, 264, 266, 269, 271, 273, 275, and 298, appear to play less significant roles or no role in activation of mtr transcription.

Repression of the aroP gene of Escherichia coli involves activation of a divergent promoter

The repression of aroP expression which is mediated by the TyrR protein with phenylalanine, tyrosine, or tryptophan has been shown to be primarily a direct result of TyrR-mediated activation of a divergent promoter, P3, which directs the RNA polymerase away from promoter P1. Evidence which has been presented to support this conclusion is as follows. Repression of P1 does not occur either in vitro or in vivo if wild-type TyrR protein is substituted by the activation-negative mutant RQ10 (with an R-to-Q change at position 10). Repression of P1 is greatly diminished if the P3 promoter is inactivated or if a 5-bp insertion is made between the P3 promoter and the binding sites for TyrR. Repression is also abolished if the promoter strength of P1 is increased or a putative UP element associated with P3 is altered. Repression of the second promoter, P2, still occurs if the wild-type TyrR protein is substituted with RQ10 or EQ274. The tryptophan-mediated repression of aroP does not involve the TrpR protein.

The various strategies within the TyrR regulation of Escherichia coli to modulate gene expression

The TyrR Regulon of Escherichia coli comprises eight transcription units whose expression is modulated by the TyrR protein. This protein, which is normally a homodimer in solution, can self-associate to form a hexamer, bind with high affinity to specific DNA sequences (TyrR boxes) and interact with the alpha subunit of the RNA polymerase. These various reactions are influenced by the abundance of one or more of the aromatic amino acids, tyrosine, phenylalanine or tryptophan and by the specific location and sequence of the TyrR boxes associated with each transcription unit. This review describes how these activities can be combined in different ways to produce a variety of responses to varying levels of the three aromatic amino acids.