The pnhA gene of Pasteurella multocida encodes a dinucleoside oligophosphate pyrophosphatase member of the Nudix hydrolase superfamily

Nudix proteins affecting microbial pathogenesis

Nudix proteins catalyse hydrolysis of pyrophosphate bonds in a variety of substrates and are ubiquitous in all domains of life. Their widespread presence and broad substrate specificity suggest that they have important cellular functions. In this review, we summarize the state of knowledge on microbial Nudix proteins involved in pathogenesis.

NrtR Regulates the Type III Secretion System Through cAMP/Vfr Pathway in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The type III secretion system (T3SS) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Expression of the T3SS is controlled under a complicate regulatory network. In this study, we demonstrate that NrtR (PA4916) is involved in the T3SS expression and pathogenesis of P. aeruginosa in a mouse acute pneumonia model. Overexpression of the T3SS central activator ExsA or exogenous supplementation of cAMP restored the expression of T3SS in the ΔnrtR mutant, suggesting that NrtR might regulate T3SS through the cAMP-Vfr signaling pathway. Further experiments demonstrated that the decrease of cAMP content is not due to the expression change of adenylate cyclases or phosphodiesterase in the ΔnrtR mutant. As it has been shown that nadD2 is upregulated in the ΔnrtR mutant, we overexpressed nadD2 in wild type PAK, which reduced the intracellular cAMP level and the expression of the T3SS genes. Meanwhile, deletion of nadD2 in the ΔnrtR mutant restored the expression and secretion of the T3SS. Co-immunoprecipitation assay revealed an interaction between NadD2 and the catalytic domain of the adenylate cyclase CyaB. Further in vitro assay indicated that NadD2 repressed the enzymatic activity of CyaB. Therefore, we have identified a novel regulatory mechanism of T3SS in P. aeruginosa.

The evolution of function within the Nudix homology clan

The Nudix homology clan encompasses over 80,000 protein domains from all three domains of life, defined by homology to each other. Proteins with a domain from this clan fall into four general functional classes: pyrophosphohydrolases, isopentenyl diphosphate isomerases (IDIs), adenine/guanine mismatch-specific adenine glycosylases (A/G-specific adenine glycosylases), and nonenzymatic activities such as protein/protein interaction and transcriptional regulation. The largest group, pyrophosphohydrolases, encompasses more than 100 distinct hydrolase specificities. To understand the evolution of this vast number of activities, we assembled and analyzed experimental and structural data for 205 Nudix proteins collected from the literature. We corrected erroneous functions or provided more appropriate descriptions for 53 annotations described in the Gene Ontology Annotation database in this family, and propose 275 new experimentally-based annotations. We manually constructed a structure-guided sequence alignment of 78 Nudix proteins. Using the structural alignment as a seed, we then made an alignment of 347 "select" Nudix homology domains, curated from structurally determined, functionally characterized, or phylogenetically important Nudix domains. Based on our review of Nudix pyrophosphohydrolase structures and specificities, we further analyzed a loop region downstream of the Nudix hydrolase motif previously shown to contact the substrate molecule and possess known functional motifs. This loop region provides a potential structural basis for the functional radiation and evolution of substrate specificity within the hydrolase family. Finally, phylogenetic analyses of the 347 select protein domains and of the complete Nudix homology clan revealed general monophyly with regard to function and a few instances of probable homoplasy. Proteins 2017; 85:775-811. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Substrate specificity characterization for eight putative nudix hydrolases. Evaluation of criteria for substrate identification within the Nudix family

The nearly 50,000 known Nudix proteins have a diverse array of functions, of which the most extensively studied is the catalyzed hydrolysis of aberrant nucleotide triphosphates. The functions of 171 Nudix proteins have been characterized to some degree, although physiological relevance of the assayed activities has not always been conclusively demonstrated. We investigated substrate specificity for eight structurally characterized Nudix proteins, whose functions were unknown. These proteins were screened for hydrolase activity against a 74-compound library of known Nudix enzyme substrates. We found substrates for four enzymes with kcat /Km values >10,000 M-1  s-1 : Q92EH0_LISIN of Listeria innocua serovar 6a against ADP-ribose, Q5LBB1_BACFN of Bacillus fragilis against 5-Me-CTP, and Q0TTC5_CLOP1 and Q0TS82_CLOP1 of Clostridium perfringens against 8-oxo-dATP and 3'-dGTP, respectively. To ascertain whether these identified substrates were physiologically relevant, we surveyed all reported Nudix hydrolytic activities against NTPs. Twenty-two Nudix enzymes are reported to have activity against canonical NTPs. With a single exception, we find that the reported kcat /Km values exhibited against these canonical substrates are well under 105 M-1  s-1 . By contrast, several Nudix enzymes show much larger kcat /Km values (in the range of 105 to >107 M-1  s-1 ) against noncanonical NTPs. We therefore conclude that hydrolytic activities exhibited by these enzymes against canonical NTPs are not likely their physiological function, but rather the result of unavoidable collateral damage occasioned by the enzymes' inability to distinguish completely between similar substrate structures. Proteins 2016; 84:1810-1822. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

NudC Nudix hydrolase from Pseudomonas syringae, but not its counterpart from Pseudomonas aeruginosa, is a novel regulator of intracellular redox balance required for growth, motility and biofilm formation

Nudix pyrophosphatases, ubiquitous in all organisms, have not been well studied. Recent implications that some of them may be involved in response to stress and in pathogenesis indicate that they play important biological functions. We have investigated NudC Nudix proteins from the plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato str. DC3000 and from the human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1161. We found that these homologous enzymes are homodimeric and in vitro preferentially hydrolyse NADH. The P. syringae mutant strain deficient in NudC accumulated NADH and displayed significant defects in growth, motility and biofilm formation. The wild type copy of the nudC gene with its cognate promoter delivered in trans into the nudC mutant restored its fitness. However, introduction of the P. syringae nudC gene under the control of the strong tacp promoter into either P. syringae or P. aeruginosa cells had a toxic effect on both strains. Opposite to P. syringae NudC, the P. aeruginosa NudC deficiency as well as its overproduction had no visible impact on cells. Moreover, P. aeruginosa NudC does not compensate the lack of its counterpart in the P. syringae mutant. These results indicate that NudC from P. syringae, but not from P. aeruginosa is vital for bacteria.

Substrate ambiguity among the nudix hydrolases: biologically significant, evolutionary remnant, or both?

Many members of the nudix hydrolase family exhibit considerable substrate multispecificity and ambiguity, which raises significant issues when assessing their functions in vivo and gives rise to errors in database annotation. Several display low antimutator activity when expressed in bacterial tester strains as well as some degree of activity in vitro towards mutagenic, oxidized nucleotides such as 8-oxo-dGTP. However, many of these show greater activity towards other nucleotides such as ADP-ribose or diadenosine tetraphosphate (Ap(4)A). The antimutator activities have tended to gain prominence in the literature, whereas they may in fact represent the residual activity of an ancestral antimutator enzyme that has become secondary to the more recently evolved major activity after gene duplication. Whether any meaningful antimutagenic function has also been retained in vivo requires very careful assessment. Then again, other examples of substrate ambiguity may indicate as yet unexplored regulatory systems. For example, bacterial Ap(4)A hydrolases also efficiently remove pyrophosphate from the 5' termini of mRNAs, suggesting a potential role for Ap(4)A in the control of bacterial mRNA turnover, while the ability of some eukaryotic mRNA decapping enzymes to degrade IDP and dIDP or diphosphoinositol polyphosphates (DIPs) may also be indicative of new regulatory networks in RNA metabolism. DIP phosphohydrolases also degrade diadenosine polyphosphates and inorganic polyphosphates, suggesting further avenues for investigation. This article uses these and other examples to highlight the need for a greater awareness of the possible significance of substrate ambiguity among the nudix hydrolases as well as the need to exert caution when interpreting incomplete analyses.

Intruders below the radar: molecular pathogenesis of Bartonella spp

Bartonella spp. are facultative intracellular pathogens that employ a unique stealth infection strategy comprising immune evasion and modulation, intimate interaction with nucleated cells, and intraerythrocytic persistence. Infections with Bartonella are ubiquitous among mammals, and many species can infect humans either as their natural host or incidentally as zoonotic pathogens. Upon inoculation into a naive host, the bartonellae first colonize a primary niche that is widely accepted to involve the manipulation of nucleated host cells, e.g., in the microvasculature. Consistently, in vitro research showed that Bartonella harbors an ample arsenal of virulence factors to modulate the response of such cells, gain entrance, and establish an intracellular niche. Subsequently, the bacteria are seeded into the bloodstream where they invade erythrocytes and give rise to a typically asymptomatic intraerythrocytic bacteremia. While this course of infection is characteristic for natural hosts, zoonotic infections or the infection of immunocompromised patients may alter the path of Bartonella and result in considerable morbidity. In this review we compile current knowledge on the molecular processes underlying both the infection strategy and pathogenesis of Bartonella and discuss their connection to the clinical presentation of human patients, which ranges from minor complaints to life-threatening disease.