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Bartelli NL, Passanisi VJ, Michalska K, Song K, Nhan DQ, Zhou H, Cuthbert BJ, Stols LM, Eschenfeldt WH, Wilson NG, Basra JS, Cortes R, Noorsher Z, Gabraiel Y, Poonen-Honig I, Seacord EC, Goulding CW, Low DA, Joachimiak A, Dahlquist FW, Hayes CS. Proteolytic processing induces a conformational switch required for antibacterial toxin delivery. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5078. [PMID: 36038560 PMCID: PMC9424206 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32795-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Many Gram-negative bacteria use CdiA effector proteins to inhibit the growth of neighboring competitors. CdiA transfers its toxic CdiA-CT region into the periplasm of target cells, where it is released through proteolytic cleavage. The N-terminal cytoplasm-entry domain of the CdiA-CT then mediates translocation across the inner membrane to deliver the C-terminal toxin domain into the cytosol. Here, we show that proteolysis not only liberates the CdiA-CT for delivery, but is also required to activate the entry domain for membrane translocation. Translocation function depends on precise cleavage after a conserved VENN peptide sequence, and the processed ∆VENN entry domain exhibits distinct biophysical and thermodynamic properties. By contrast, imprecisely processed CdiA-CT fragments do not undergo this transition and fail to translocate to the cytoplasm. These findings suggest that CdiA-CT processing induces a critical structural switch that converts the entry domain into a membrane-translocation competent conformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas L Bartelli
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Victor J Passanisi
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Karolina Michalska
- Midwest Center for Structural Genomics, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, USA
- Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Structural Biology Center, X-ray Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, USA
| | - Kiho Song
- Biomolecular Science and Engineering Program, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Dinh Q Nhan
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Hongjun Zhou
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Bonnie J Cuthbert
- Department of Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Lucy M Stols
- Midwest Center for Structural Genomics, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, USA
| | - William H Eschenfeldt
- Midwest Center for Structural Genomics, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, USA
| | - Nicholas G Wilson
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Jesse S Basra
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Ricardo Cortes
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Zainab Noorsher
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Youssef Gabraiel
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Isaac Poonen-Honig
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Elizabeth C Seacord
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Celia W Goulding
- Department of Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
- Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - David A Low
- Biomolecular Science and Engineering Program, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Andrzej Joachimiak
- Midwest Center for Structural Genomics, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, USA
- Center for Structural Genomics of Infectious Diseases, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Structural Biology Center, X-ray Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Frederick W Dahlquist
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
- Biomolecular Science and Engineering Program, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Christopher S Hayes
- Biomolecular Science and Engineering Program, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.
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Cuthbert BJ, Hayes CS, Goulding CW. Functional and Structural Diversity of Bacterial Contact-Dependent Growth Inhibition Effectors. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:866854. [PMID: 35558562 PMCID: PMC9086364 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.866854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteria live in complex communities and environments, competing for space and nutrients. Within their niche habitats, bacteria have developed various inter-bacterial mechanisms to compete and communicate. One such mechanism is contact-dependent growth inhibition (CDI). CDI is found in many Gram-negative bacteria, including several pathogens. These CDI+ bacteria encode a CdiB/CdiA two-partner secretion system that delivers inhibitory toxins into neighboring cells upon contact. Toxin translocation results in the growth inhibition of closely related strains and provides a competitive advantage to the CDI+ bacteria. CdiB, an outer-membrane protein, secretes CdiA onto the surface of the CDI+ bacteria. When CdiA interacts with specific target-cell receptors, CdiA delivers its C-terminal toxin region (CdiA-CT) into the target-cell. CdiA-CT toxin proteins display a diverse range of toxic functions, such as DNase, RNase, or pore-forming toxin activity. CDI+ bacteria also encode an immunity protein, CdiI, that specifically binds and neutralizes its cognate CdiA-CT, protecting the CDI+ bacteria from auto-inhibition. In Gram-negative bacteria, toxin/immunity (CdiA-CT/CdiI) pairs have highly variable sequences and functions, with over 130 predicted divergent toxin/immunity complex families. In this review, we will discuss biochemical and structural advances made in the characterization of CDI. This review will focus on the diverse array of CDI toxin/immunity complex structures together with their distinct toxin functions. Additionally, we will discuss the most recent studies on target-cell recognition and toxin entry, along with the discovery of a new member of the CDI loci. Finally, we will offer insights into how these diverse toxin/immunity complexes could be harnessed to fight human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bonnie J. Cuthbert
- Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Christopher S. Hayes
- Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
- Biomolecular Science and Engineering Program, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Celia W. Goulding
- Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
- Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
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In Silico Three-Dimensional (3D) Modeling of the SecY Protein of ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma Solani’ Strains Associated with Grapevine “Bois Noir” and Its Possible Relationship with Strain Virulence. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PLANT BIOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/ijpb13020004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Grapevine “bois noir”, related to the presence of ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma solani’ (‘Ca. P. solani’), represents a serious threat in several vine-growing areas worldwide. In surveys conducted over two years, mild and/or moderate symptoms and lower pathogen titer were mainly associated with ‘Ca. P. solani’ strains harboring a secY gene sequence variant (secY52), whereas severe symptoms and higher titer were mainly observed in grapevines infected by phytoplasma strains carrying any one of another four variants. A comparison of amino acid sequences of the protein SecY of ‘Ca. P. solani’ strains revealed the presence of conservative and semi-conservative substitutions. The deduced three-dimensional (3D) protein analysis unveiled that one semi-conservative substitution identified in the sequence variant secY52 is responsible for a structural disordered region that probably confers a flexibility for binding to distinct molecular complexes. In fact, the other analyzed variants show an organized structure and the 3D in silico prediction allowed the identification of β-sheets. Thus, differences in symptom severity and pathogen concentration observed in grapevines infected by ‘Ca. P. solani’ strains carrying distinct secY gene sequence variants suggest a possible relationship between SecY protein structure and phytoplasma strain virulence.
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Modular Lipoprotein Toxins Transferred by Outer Membrane Exchange Target Discrete Cell Entry Pathways. mBio 2021; 12:e0238821. [PMID: 34517761 PMCID: PMC8546572 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02388-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteria compete against related individuals by delivering toxins. In myxobacteria, a key delivery and kin discrimination mechanism is called outer membrane (OM) exchange (OME). Here, cells that display compatible polymorphic cell surface receptors recognize one another and bidirectionally transfer OM content. Included in the cargo is a suite of polymorphic SitA lipoprotein toxins. Consequently, OME between compatible cells that are not clonemates results in intoxication, while exchange between clonemates is harmonious because cells express a cognate repertoire of immunity proteins, which themselves are not transferred. SitA toxins belong to six nonhomologous families classified by sequence conservation within their N-terminal “escort domains” (EDs), while their C termini contain polymorphic nucleases that target the cytoplasmic compartment. To investigate how toxins delivered to the OM by OME translocate to the cytoplasm, we selected transposon mutants resistant to each family. Our screens identified eight genes that conferred resistance in a SitA family-specific manner. Most of these genes are predicted to localize to the cell envelope, and some resemble proteins that colicins exploit to gain cell entry. By constructing functional chimeric SitAs between families, we show that the ED determines the specificity of resistance. Importantly, a mutant that confers resistance to all six SitA families was discovered. This gene was named traC and plays an accessory role with traAB in OME. This work thus provides insight into the mechanism of kin discrimination in myxobacteria and provides working models for how SitA toxins exploit host proteins to gain cytoplasmic entry.
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Lipidation of Class IV CdiA Effector Proteins Promotes Target Cell Recognition during Contact-Dependent Growth Inhibition. mBio 2021; 12:e0253021. [PMID: 34634941 PMCID: PMC8510554 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02530-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Contact-dependent growth inhibition (CDI) systems enable the direct transfer of protein toxins between competing Gram-negative bacteria. CDI+ strains produce cell surface CdiA effector proteins that bind specific receptors on neighboring bacteria to initiate toxin delivery. Three classes of CdiA effectors that recognize different outer membrane protein receptors have been characterized in Escherichia coli to date. Here, we describe a fourth effector class that uses the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) core as a receptor to identify target bacteria. Selection for CDI-resistant target cells yielded waaF and waaP “deep-rough” mutants, which are unable to synthesize the full LPS core. The CDI resistance phenotypes of other waa mutants suggest that phosphorylated inner-core heptose residues form a critical CdiA recognition epitope. Class IV cdi loci also encode putative lysyl acyltransferases (CdiC) that are homologous to enzymes that lipidate repeats-in-toxin (RTX) cytolysins. We found that catalytically active CdiC is required for full target cell killing activity, and we provide evidence that the acyltransferase appends 3-hydroxydecanoate to a specific Lys residue within the CdiA receptor-binding domain. We propose that the lipid moiety inserts into the hydrophobic leaflet of lipid A to anchor CdiA interactions with the core oligosaccharide. Thus, LPS-binding CDI systems appear to have co-opted an RTX toxin-activating acyltransferase to increase the affinity of CdiA effectors for the target cell outer membrane.
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Myers-Morales T, Sim MMS, DuCote TJ, Garcia EC. Burkholderia multivorans requires species-specific GltJK for entry of a contact-dependent growth inhibition system protein. Mol Microbiol 2021; 116:957-973. [PMID: 34236112 PMCID: PMC9291907 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Revised: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Interbacterial antagonism and communication are driving forces behind microbial community development. In many Gram‐negative bacteria, contact‐dependent growth inhibition (CDI) systems contribute to these microbial interactions. CDI systems deliver the toxic C‐terminus of a large surface exposed protein to the cytoplasm of neighboring bacteria upon cell−contact. Termed the BcpA‐CT, import of this toxic effector domain is mediated by specific, yet largely unknown receptors on the recipient cell outer and inner membranes. In this study, we demonstrated that cytoplasmic membrane proteins GltJK, components of a predicted ABC‐type transporter, are required for entry of CDI system protein BcpA‐2 into Burkholderia multivorans recipient cells. Consistent with current CDI models, gltJK were also required for recipient cell susceptibility to a distinct BcpA‐CT that shared sequences within the predicted “translocation domain” of BcpA‐2. Strikingly, this translocation domain showed low sequence identity to the analogous region of an Escherichia coli GltJK‐utilizing CDI system protein. Our results demonstrated that recipient bacteria expressing E. coli gltJK were resistant to BcpA‐2‐mediated interbacterial antagonism, suggesting that BcpA‐2 specifically recognizes Burkholderia GltJK. Using a series of chimeric proteins, the specificity determinant was mapped to Burkholderia‐specific sequences at the GltK C‐terminus, providing insight into BcpA transport across the recipient cell cytoplasmic membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanya Myers-Morales
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Martha M S Sim
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Tanner J DuCote
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Erin C Garcia
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
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