Posttranslational protein modification in Archaea

Perturbed N-glycosylation of Halobacterium salinarum archaellum filaments leads to filament bundling and compromised cell motility

The swimming device of archaea-the archaellum-presents asparagine (N)-linked glycans. While N-glycosylation serves numerous roles in archaea, including enabling their survival in extreme environments, how this post-translational modification contributes to cell motility remains under-explored. Here, we report the cryo-EM structure of archaellum filaments from the haloarchaeon Halobacterium salinarum, where archaellins, the building blocks of the archaellum, are N-glycosylated, and the N-glycosylation pathway is well-resolved. We further determined structures of archaellum filaments from two N-glycosylation mutant strains that generate truncated glycans and analyzed their motility. While cells from the parent strain exhibited unidirectional motility, the N-glycosylation mutant strain cells swam in ever-changing directions within a limited area. Although these mutant strain cells presented archaellum filaments that were highly similar in architecture to those of the parent strain, N-linked glycan truncation greatly affected interactions between archaellum filaments, leading to dramatic clustering of both isolated and cell-attached filaments. We propose that the N-linked tetrasaccharides decorating archaellins act as physical spacers that minimize the archaellum filament aggregation that limits cell motility.

An Initial Proteomic Analysis of Biogas-Related Metabolism of Euryarchaeota Consortia in Sediments from the Santiago River, México

In this paper, sediments from the Santiago River were characterized to look for an alternative source of inoculum for biogas production. A proteomic analysis of methane-processing archaea present in these sediments was carried out. The Euryarchaeota superkingdom of archaea is responsible for methane production and methane assimilation in the environment. The Santiago River is a major river in México with great pollution and exceeded recovery capacity. Its sediments could contain nutrients and the anaerobic conditions for optimal growth of Euryarchaeota consortia. Batch bioreactor experiments were performed, and a proteomic analysis was conducted with current database information. The maximum biogas production was 266 NmL·L^-1·g VS^-1, with 33.34% of methane, and for proteomics, 3206 proteins were detected from 303 species of 69 genera. Most of them are metabolically versatile members of the genera Methanosarcina and Methanosarcinales, both with 934 and 260 proteins, respectively. These results showed a diverse euryarcheotic species with high potential to methane production. Although related proteins were found and could be feeding this metabolism through the methanol and acetyl-CoA pathways, the quality obtained from the biogas suggests that this metabolism is not the main one in carbon use, possibly the sum of several conditions including growth conditions and the pollution present in these sediments.

Glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor lipid remodeling directs proteins to the plasma membrane and governs cell wall mechanics

Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchoring is a common protein modification that targets proteins to the plasma membrane (PM). Knowledge about the GPI lipid tail, which guides the secretion of GPI-anchored proteins (GPI-APs), is limited in plants. Here, we report that rice (Oryza sativa) BRITTLE CULM16 (BC16), a membrane-bound O-acyltransferase (MBOAT) remodels GPI lipid tails and governs cell wall biomechanics. The bc16 mutant exhibits fragile internodes, resulting from reduced cell wall thickness and cellulose content. BC16 is the only MBOAT in rice and is located in the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus. Yeast gup1Δ mutant restoring assay and GPI lipid composition analysis demonstrated BC16 as a GPI lipid remodelase. Loss of BC16 alters GPI lipid structure and disturbs the targeting of BC1, a GPI-AP for cellulose biosynthesis, to the PM lipid nanodomains. Atomic force microscopy revealed compromised deposition of cellulosic nanofibers in bc16, leading to an increased Young's modulus and abnormal mechanical properties. Therefore, BC16-mediated lipid remodeling directs the GPI-APs, such as BC1, to the cell surface to fulfill multiple functions, including cellulose organization. Our work unravels a mechanism by which GPI lipids are remodeled in plants and provides insights into the control of cell wall biomechanics, offering a tool for breeding elite crops with improved support strength.

Proteome-wide analysis of stress response to temperature in Sulfolobus islandicus

Sulfolobus islandicus is thermophilic archaea that live in an extreme environment of 75 °C-80 °C and pH 2-3. Currently, the molecular mechanism of archaeal adaptation to high temperatures and the stability of proteins at high temperatures are still unclear. This study utilizes proteomics to analyze the differential expression of S. islandicus proteins at different temperatures. We found that ribosomes, glycolysis, nucleotide metabolism, RNA metabolism, transport system, and sulfur metabolism are all affected by temperature. Methylation modification of some proteins changed with temperature. Thermal proteome profiling (TPP) was used to analyze the thermal stability of proteins under 65 °C-85 °C growth conditions. It is suggested that the T_m values of proteins are mainly distributed around the optimum growth temperature (OGT). The proteins in the glycolysis pathway had high thermal stability. Meanwhile, proteins related to DNA replication and translation showed low thermal stability. The protein thermal stability of S. islandicus cultured under 65 °C and 85 °C was higher than that of 75 °C. Our study reveals that S. islandicus may adapt to temperature changes by regulating protein synthesis and carbon metabolism pathways, changing post-translational modifications, and improving protein stability at the same time. SIGNIFICANCE: The molecular mechanism of archaeal adaptation to high temperatures and the stability of proteins at high temperatures are still unclear. Our proteomics study identified 477 differentially expressed proteins of S. islandicus at different temperatures, suggesting that ribosomes, glycolysis, nucleotide metabolism, RNA metabolism, transport system, and sulfur metabolism are affected by temperature. Meanwhile, we found that methylation modification of some proteins changed with temperature. To evaluate the thermal stability of the proteome, we performed thermal proteome profiling to analyze the Tm of proteins under 65 °C-85 °C growth conditions. T_m values of proteins are mainly distributed around the optimum growth temperature. The proteins in the glycolysis pathway had high thermal stability. Meanwhile, proteins related to DNA replication and translation showed low thermal stability. Our study reveals that S. islandicus may adapt to temperature changes by regulating protein synthesis and carbon metabolism pathways, changing post-translational modifications, and improving protein stability at the same time.

Engineering of Sulfolobus acidocaldarius for Hemicellulosic Biomass Utilization

The saccharification of cellulose and hemicellulose is essential for utilizing lignocellulosic biomass as a biofuel. While cellulose is composed of glucose only, hemicelluloses are composed of diverse sugars such as xylose, arabinose, glucose, and galactose. Sulfolobus acidocaldarius is a good potential candidate for biofuel production using hemicellulose as this archaeon simultaneously utilizes various sugars. However, S. acidocaldarius has to be manipulated because the enzyme that breaks down hemicellulose is not present in this species. Here, we engineered S. acidocaldarius to utilize xylan as a carbon source by introducing xylanase and β-xylosidase. Heterologous expression of β-xylosidase enhanced the organism's degradability and utilization of xylooligosaccharides (XOS), but the mutant still failed to grow when xylan was provided as a carbon source. S. acidocaldarius exhibited the ability to degrade xylan into XOS when xylanase was introduced, but no further degradation proceeded after this sole reaction. Following cell growth and enzyme reaction, S. acidocaldarius successfully utilized xylan in the synergy between xylanase and β-xylosidase.

Programmed Deviations of Ribosomes From Standard Decoding in Archaea

Genetic code decoding, initially considered to be universal and immutable, is now known to be flexible. In fact, in specific genes, ribosomes deviate from the standard translational rules in a programmed way, a phenomenon globally termed recoding. Translational recoding, which has been found in all domains of life, includes a group of events occurring during gene translation, namely stop codon readthrough, programmed ± 1 frameshifting, and ribosome bypassing. These events regulate protein expression at translational level and their mechanisms are well known and characterized in viruses, bacteria and eukaryotes. In this review we summarize the current state-of-the-art of recoding in the third domain of life. In Archaea, it was demonstrated and extensively studied that translational recoding regulates the decoding of the 21st and the 22nd amino acids selenocysteine and pyrrolysine, respectively, and only one case of programmed -1 frameshifting has been reported so far in Saccharolobus solfataricus P2. However, further putative events of translational recoding have been hypothesized in other archaeal species, but not extensively studied and confirmed yet. Although this phenomenon could have some implication for the physiology and adaptation of life in extreme environments, this field is still underexplored and genes whose expression could be regulated by recoding are still poorly characterized. The study of these recoding episodes in Archaea is urgently needed.

In Vitro Glycosylation of Membrane Proteins Using N-Glycosyltransferase

Glycoproteins are post-translationally modified proteins that take part in nearly every biological process and make up a large percent of the proteome. N-Linked glycosylation can be performed by N-glycosyltransferase (NGT), which recognizes the consensus amino acid sequence, -Asn-X-Ser/Thr- (NXT), within the protein. The enzyme catalyzes glycosidic bond formation between the oligosaccharide donor, containing nucleoside phosphatase, and the amide nitrogen of the asparagine residue. The attachment of the sugar moiety can influence physiological and biological properties of the protein by affecting their folding, modulating interactions with other biomolecules, and modifying their functions at the cellular level. We are specifically interested in the properties of membrane glycoproteins, which are key components in a number of different disease states. Therefore, the use of in vitro protein glycosylation can help further evaluate the effects of the properties for these important macromolecules. In vitro studies of N-linked glycosylation were done in a stepwise fashion in a membrane-mimetic environment to confirm that the methods for glycosylating soluble proteins could be applicable to membrane proteins. Detergent and lipid systems were used since hydrophobic peptides and membrane proteins are insoluble in aqueous solvents. The stepwise method consisted of the glycosylation of a soluble 7-residue peptide, a hydrophobic WALP-NVT peptide, and a γ-sarcoglycan membrane protein, all of which contained the glycosylation site Asn-Val-Thr (NVT). Glycosylation of the samples was performed using Escherichia coli-expressed NGT from the Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae genome, and a single sugar moiety of glucose, provided from a nucleotide-linked donor, was added to the glycosylation site. Gel electrophoresis, mass spectrometry, and NMR studies were used for the detection of glycosyltransferase activity and to show the attachment of a single glucose molecule. Our experiments demonstrated that small or large membrane proteins that contain an N-glycosylation consensus sequence can be glycosylated by NGT in membrane-mimetic environments.

Molecular Logic of Prokaryotic Surface Layer Structures

Most prokaryotic cells are encased in a surface layer (S-layer) consisting of a paracrystalline array of repeating lattice-forming proteins. S-layer proteins populate a vast and diverse sequence space, performing disparate functions in prokaryotic cells, including cellular defense, cell-shape maintenance, and regulation of import and export of materials. This article highlights recent advances in the understanding of S-layer structure and assembly, made possible by rapidly evolving structural and cell biology methods. We underscore shared assembly principles revealed by recent work and discuss a common molecular framework that may be used to understand the structural organization of S-layer proteins across bacteria and archaea.

Despite enormous sequence diversity in surface (S)-layer proteins, structural diversity is much lower than previously thought.

S-layer proteins have a bipartite arrangement with a lattice-forming and an anchoring segment.

Novel structural biology methods are revealing the architectures of S-layers in situ.

S-layer assembly across prokaryotes is tightly coupled to the cell cycle, including the cell division machinery.

NAD(P)-dependent glucose dehydrogenase: Applications for biosensors, bioelectrodes, and biofuel cells

This review discusses the physical and chemical properties of nicotinamide redox cofactor dependent glucose dehydrogenase (NAD(P) dependent GDH) and its extensive application in biosensors and bio-fuel cells. GDHs from different organisms show diverse biochemical properties (e.g., activity and stability) and preferences towards cofactors, such as nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP⁺). The (NAD(P)⁺) play important roles in biological electron transfer, however, there are some difficulties related to their application in devices that originate from their chemical properties and labile binding to the GDH enzyme. This review discusses the electrode modifications aimed at immobilising NAD⁺ or NADP⁺ cofactors and GDH at electrodes. Binding of the enzyme was achieved by appropriate protein engineering techniques, including polymerisation, hydrophobisation or hydrophilisation processes. Various enzyme-modified electrodes applied in biosensors, enzymatic fuel cells, and biobatteries are compared. Importantly, GDH can operate alone or as part of an enzymatic cascade, which often improves the functional parameters of the biofuel cell or simply allows use of cheaper fuels. Overall, this review explores how NAD(P)-dependent GDH has recently demonstrated high potential for use in various systems to generate electricity from biological sources for applications in implantable biomedical devices, wireless sensors, and portable electronic devices.

Post-Translational Modifications Aid Archaeal Survival

Since the pioneering work of Carl Woese, Archaea have fascinated biologists of almost all areas given their unique evolutionary status, wide distribution, high diversity, and ability to grow in special environments. Archaea often thrive in extreme conditions such as high temperature, high/low pH, high salinity, and anoxic ecosystems. All of these are threats to the stability and proper functioning of biological molecules, especially proteins and nucleic acids. Post-translational modifications (PTMs), such as phosphorylation, methylation, acetylation, and glycosylation, are reportedly widespread in Archaea and represent a critical adaptive mechanism to extreme habitats. Here, we summarize our current understanding of the contributions of PTMs to aid in extremophile survival, with a particular focus on the maintenance of genome stability.

Relevance and proteomics challenge of functional posttranslational modifications in Kinetoplastid parasites

Protozoan parasitic infections are health, social and economic issues impacting both humans and animals, with significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Protozoan parasites have complicated life cycles with both intracellular and extracellular forms. As a consequence, protozoan adapt to changing environments in part through a dynamic enzyme-catalyzed process leading to reversible posttranslational modifications (PTMs). The characterization by proteomics approaches reveals the critical role of the PTMs of the proteins involved in host-pathogen interaction. The complexity of PTMs characterization is increased by the high diversity, stoichiometry, dynamic and also co-existence of several PTMs in the same moieties which crosstalk between them. Here, we review how to understand the complexity and the essential role of PTMs crosstalk in order to provide a new hallmark for vaccines developments, immunotherapies and personalized medicine. In addition, the importance of these motifs in the biology and biological cycle of kinetoplastid parasites is highlighted with key examples showing the potential to act as targets against protozoan diseases.

Propulsive nanomachines: the convergent evolution of archaella, flagella and cilia

Echoing the repeated convergent evolution of flight and vision in large eukaryotes, propulsive swimming motility has evolved independently in microbes in each of the three domains of life. Filamentous appendages – archaella in Archaea, flagella in Bacteria and cilia in Eukaryotes – wave, whip or rotate to propel microbes, overcoming diffusion and enabling colonization of new environments. The implementations of the three propulsive nanomachines are distinct, however: archaella and flagella rotate, while cilia beat or wave; flagella and cilia assemble at their tips, while archaella assemble at their base; archaella and cilia use ATP for motility, while flagella use ion-motive force. These underlying differences reflect the tinkering required to evolve a molecular machine, in which pre-existing machines in the appropriate contexts were iteratively co-opted for new functions and whose origins are reflected in their resultant mechanisms. Contemporary homologies suggest that archaella evolved from a non-rotary pilus, flagella from a non-rotary appendage or secretion system, and cilia from a passive sensory structure. Here, we review the structure, assembly, mechanism and homologies of the three distinct solutions as a foundation to better understand how propulsive nanomachines evolved three times independently and to highlight principles of molecular evolution.

Pyrrolysine in archaea: a 22nd amino acid encoded through a genetic code expansion

The 22nd amino acid discovered to be directly encoded, pyrrolysine, is specified by UAG. Until recently, pyrrolysine was only known to be present in archaea from a methanogenic lineage (Methanosarcinales), where it is important in enzymes catalysing anoxic methylamines metabolism, and a few anaerobic bacteria. Relatively new discoveries have revealed wider presence in archaea, deepened functional understanding, shown remarkable carbon source-dependent expression of expanded decoding and extended exploitation of the pyrrolysine machinery for synthetic code expansion. At the same time, other studies have shown the presence of pyrrolysine-containing archaea in the human gut and this has prompted health considerations. The article reviews our knowledge of this fascinating exception to the 'standard' genetic code.

Structure and function of archaeal histones

The genomes of all organisms throughout the tree of life are compacted and organized in chromatin by association of chromatin proteins. Eukaryotic genomes encode histones, which are assembled on the genome into octamers, yielding nucleosomes. Post-translational modifications of the histones, which occur mostly on their N-terminal tails, define the functional state of chromatin. Like eukaryotes, most archaeal genomes encode histones, which are believed to be involved in the compaction and organization of their genomes. Instead of discrete multimers, in vivo data suggest assembly of “nucleosomes” of variable size, consisting of multiples of dimers, which are able to induce repression of transcription. Based on these data and a model derived from X-ray crystallography, it was recently proposed that archaeal histones assemble on DNA into “endless” hypernucleosomes. In this review, we discuss the amino acid determinants of hypernucleosome formation and highlight differences with the canonical eukaryotic octamer. We identify archaeal histones differing from the consensus, which are expected to be unable to assemble into hypernucleosomes. Finally, we identify atypical archaeal histones with short N- or C-terminal extensions and C-terminal tails similar to the tails of eukaryotic histones, which are subject to post-translational modification. Based on the expected characteristics of these archaeal histones, we discuss possibilities of involvement of histones in archaeal transcription regulation.

Both Archaea and eukaryotes express histones, but whereas the tertiary structure of histones is conserved, the quaternary structure of histone–DNA complexes is very different. In a recent study, the crystal structure of the archaeal hypernucleosome was revealed to be an “endless” core of interacting histones that wraps the DNA around it in a left-handed manner. The ability to form a hypernucleosome is likely determined by dimer–dimer interactions as well as stacking interactions between individual layers of the hypernucleosome. We analyzed a wide variety of archaeal histones and found that most but not all histones possess residues able to facilitate hypernucleosome formation. Among these are histones with truncated termini or extended histone tails. Based on our analysis, we propose several possibilities of archaeal histone involvement in transcription regulation.

Plant glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchored proteins at the plasma membrane-cell wall nexus

Approximately 1% of plant proteins are predicted to be post-translationally modified with a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor that tethers the polypeptide to the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane. Whereas the synthesis and structure of GPI anchors is largely conserved across eukaryotes, the repertoire of functional domains present in the GPI-anchored proteome has diverged substantially. In plants, this includes a large fraction of the GPI-anchored proteome being further modified with plant-specific arabinogalactan (AG) O-glycans. The importance of the GPI-anchored proteome to plant development is underscored by the fact that GPI biosynthetic null mutants exhibit embryo lethality. Mutations in genes encoding specific GPI-anchored proteins (GAPs) further supports their contribution to diverse biological processes, occurring at the interface of the plasma membrane and cell wall, including signaling, cell wall metabolism, cell wall polymer cross-linking, and plasmodesmatal transport. Here, we review the literature concerning plant GPI-anchored proteins, in the context of their potential to act as molecular hubs that mediate interactions between the plasma membrane and the cell wall, and their potential to transduce the signal into the protoplast and, thereby, activate signal transduction pathways.

Histidine kinases and the missing phosphoproteome from prokaryotes to eukaryotes

Protein phosphorylation is the most common type of post-translational modification in eukaryotes. The phosphoproteome is defined as the complete set of experimentally detectable phosphorylation sites present in a cell's proteome under various conditions. However, we are still far from identifying all the phosphorylation sites in a cell mainly due to the lack of information about phosphorylation events involving residues other than Ser, Thr and Tyr. Four types of phosphate-protein linkage exist and these generate nine different phosphoresidues-pSer, pThr, pTyr, pHis, pLys, pArg, pAsp, pGlu and pCys. Most of the effort in studying protein phosphorylation has been focused on Ser, Thr and Tyr phosphorylation. The recent development of 1- and 3-pHis monoclonal antibodies promises to increase our understanding of His phosphorylation and the kinases and phosphatases involved. Several His kinases are well defined in prokaryotes, especially those involved in two-component system (TCS) signaling. However, in higher eukaryotes, NM23, a protein originally characterized as a nucleoside diphosphate kinase, is the only characterized protein-histidine kinase. This ubiquitous and conserved His kinase autophosphorylates its active site His, and transfers this phosphate either onto a nucleoside diphosphate or onto a protein His residue. Studies of NM23 protein targets using newly developed anti-pHis antibodies will surely help illuminate the elusive His phosphorylation-based signaling pathways. This review discusses the role that the NM23/NME/NDPK phosphotransferase has, how the addition of the pHis phosphoproteome will expand the phosphoproteome and make His phosphorylation part of the global phosphorylation world. It also summarizes why our understanding of phosphorylation is still largely restricted to the acid stable phosphoproteome, and highlights the study of NM23 histidine kinase as an entrée into the world of histidine phosphorylation.

Sulfolobus - A Potential Key Organism in Future Biotechnology

Extremophilic organisms represent a potentially valuable resource for the development of novel bioprocesses. They can act as a source for stable enzymes and unique biomaterials. Extremophiles are capable of carrying out microbial processes and biotransformations under extremely hostile conditions. Extreme thermoacidophilic members of the well-characterized genus Sulfolobus are outstanding in their ability to thrive at both high temperatures and low pH. This review gives an overview of the biological system Sulfolobus including its central carbon metabolism and the development of tools for its genetic manipulation. We highlight findings of commercial relevance and focus on potential industrial applications. Finally, the current state of bioreactor cultivations is summarized and we discuss the use of Sulfolobus species in biorefinery applications.

Effects of salinity on the cellular physiological responses of Natrinema sp. J7-2

The halophilic archaea (haloarchaea) live in hyersaline environments such as salt lakes, salt ponds and marine salterns. To cope with the salt stress conditions, haloarchaea have developed two fundamentally different strategies: the "salt-in" strategy and the "compatible-solute" strategy. Although investigation of the molecular mechanisms underlying the tolerance to high salt concentrations has made outstanding achievements, experimental study from the aspect of transcription is rare. In the present study, we monitored cellular physiology of Natrinema sp. J7-2 cells incubated in different salinity media (15%, 25% and 30% NaCl) from several aspects, such as cellular morphology, growth, global transcriptome and the content of intracellular free amino acids. The results showed that the cells were polymorphic and fragile at a low salt concentration (15% NaCl) but had a long, slender rod shape at high salt concentrations (25% and 30% NaCl). The cells grew best in 25% NaCl, mediocre in 30% NaCl and struggled in 15% NaCl. An RNA-seq analysis revealed differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in various salinity media. A total of 1,148 genes were differentially expressed, consisting of 719 DEGs (348 up-regulated and 371 down-regulated genes) between cells in 15% vs 25% NaCl, and 733 DEGs (521 up-regulated and 212 down-regulated genes) between cells in 25% vs 30% NaCl. Moreover, 304 genes were commonly differentially expressed in both 15% vs 25% and 25% vs30% NaCl. The DEGs were enriched in different KEGG metabolic pathways, such as amino acids, glycerolipid, ribosome, nitrogen, protoporphyrin, porphyrin and porhiniods. The intracellular predominant free amino acids consisted of the glutamate family (Glu, Arg and Pro), aspartate family (Asp) and aromatic amino acids (Phe and Trp), especially Glu and Asp.

Characterizing Glycoproteins by Mass Spectrometry in Campylobacter jejuni

The glycosylation systems of Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni) are considered archetypal examples of both N- and O-linked glycosylations in the field of bacterial glycosylation. The discovery and characterization of these systems both have revealed important biological insight into C. jejuni and have led to the refinement and enhancement of methodologies to characterize bacterial glycosylation. In general, mass spectrometry-based characterization has become the preferred methodology for the study of C. jejuni glycosylation because of its speed, sensitivity, and ability to enable both qualitative and quantitative assessments of glycosylation events. In these experiments the generation of insightful data requires the careful selection of experimental approaches and mass spectrometry (MS) instrumentation. As such, it is essential to have a deep understanding of the technologies and approaches used for characterization of glycosylation events. Here we describe protocols for the initial characterization of C. jejuni glycoproteins using protein-/peptide-centric approaches and discuss considerations that can enhance the generation of insightful data.

Mannoside recognition and degradation by bacteria

Mannosides constitute a vast group of glycans widely distributed in nature. Produced by almost all organisms, these carbohydrates are involved in numerous cellular processes, such as cell structuration, protein maturation and signalling, mediation of protein-protein interactions and cell recognition. The ubiquitous presence of mannosides in the environment means they are a reliable source of carbon and energy for bacteria, which have developed complex strategies to harvest them. This review focuses on the various mannosides that can be found in nature and details their structure. It underlines their involvement in cellular interactions and finally describes the latest discoveries regarding the catalytic machinery and metabolic pathways that bacteria have developed to metabolize them.

Abundant Lysine Methylation and N-Terminal Acetylation in Sulfolobus islandicus Revealed by Bottom-Up and Top-Down Proteomics

Protein post-translational methylation has been reported to occur in archaea, including members of the genus Sulfolobus, but has never been characterized on a proteome-wide scale. Among important Sulfolobus proteins carrying such modification are the chromatin proteins that have been described to be methylated on lysine side chains, resembling eukaryotic histones in that aspect. To get more insight into the extent of this modification and its dynamics during the different growth steps of the thermoacidophylic archaeon S. islandicus LAL14/1, we performed a global and deep proteomic analysis using a combination of high-throughput bottom-up and top-down approaches on a single high-resolution mass spectrometer. 1,931 methylation sites on 751 proteins were found by the bottom-up analysis, with methylation sites on 526 proteins monitored throughout three cell culture growth stages: early-exponential, mid-exponential, and stationary. The top-down analysis revealed 3,978 proteoforms arising from 681 proteins, including 292 methylated proteoforms, 85 of which were comprehensively characterized. Methylated proteoforms of the five chromatin proteins (Alba1, Alba2, Cren7, Sul7d1, Sul7d2) were fully characterized by a combination of bottom-up and top-down data. The top-down analysis also revealed an increase of methylation during cell growth for two chromatin proteins, which had not been evidenced by bottom-up. These results shed new light on the ubiquitous lysine methylation throughout the S. islandicus proteome. Furthermore, we found that S. islandicus proteins are frequently acetylated at the N terminus, following the removal of the N-terminal methionine. This study highlights the great value of combining bottom-up and top-down proteomics for obtaining an unprecedented level of accuracy in detecting differentially modified intact proteoforms. The data have been deposited to the ProteomeXchange with identifiers PXD003074 and PXD004179.

Crystal structures of archaeal 2-oxoacid:ferredoxin oxidoreductases from Sulfolobus tokodaii

As the first three-dimensional structure of the two-subunit type 2-oxoacid:ferredoxin oxidoreductases (OFOR) from archaea, we solved the crystal structures of STK_23000/STK_22980 (StOFOR1) and STK_24350/STK_24330 (StOFOR2) from Sulfolobus tokodaii. They showed similar overall structures, consisting of two a- and b-subunit heterodimers containing thiamin pyrophosphate (TPP) cofactor and [4Fe-4S] cluster, but lack an intramolecular ferredoxin domain. Unlike other OFORs, StOFORs can utilize both pyruvate and 2-oxoglutarate, playing a key role in the central metabolism. In the structure of StOFOR2 in unreacted pyruvate complex form, carboxylate group of pyruvate is recognized by Arg344 and Thr257 from the a-subunit, which are conserved in pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase from Desulfovbrio africanus (DaPFOR). In the structure of StOFOR1 co-crystallized with 2-oxobutyrate, electron density corresponding to a 1-hydroxypropyl group (post-decarboxylation state) was observed at the thiazole ring of TPP. The binding pockets of the StOFORs surrounding the methyl or propyl group of the ligands are wider than that of DaPFOR. Mutational analyses indicated that several residues were responsible for the broad 2-oxoacid specificity of StOFORs. We also constructed a possible complex structural model by placing a Zn(2+)-containing dicluster ferredoxin of S. tokodaii into the large pocket of StOFOR2, providing insight into the electron transfer between the two redox proteins.

Emerging facets of prokaryotic glycosylation

Glycosylation of proteins is one of the most prevalent post-translational modifications occurring in nature, with a wide repertoire of biological implications. Pathways for the main types of this modification, the N- and O-glycosylation, can be found in all three domains of life-the Eukarya, Bacteria and Archaea-thereby following common principles, which are valid also for lipopolysaccharides, lipooligosaccharides and glycopolymers. Thus, studies on any glycoconjugate can unravel novel facets of the still incompletely understood fundamentals of protein N- and O-glycosylation. While it is estimated that more than two-thirds of all eukaryotic proteins would be glycosylated, no such estimate is available for prokaryotic glycoproteins, whose understanding is lagging behind, mainly due to the enormous variability of their glycan structures and variations in the underlying glycosylation processes. Combining glycan structural information with bioinformatic, genetic, biochemical and enzymatic data has opened up an avenue for in-depth analyses of glycosylation processes as a basis for glycoengineering endeavours. Here, the common themes of glycosylation are conceptualised for the major classes of prokaryotic (i.e. bacterial and archaeal) glycoconjugates, with a special focus on glycosylated cell-surface proteins. We describe the current knowledge of biosynthesis and importance of these glycoconjugates in selected pathogenic and beneficial microbes.

Diversity in S-layers

Surface layers, referred simply as S-layers, are the two-dimensional crystalline arrays of protein or glycoprotein subunits on cell surface. They are one of the most common outermost envelope components observed in prokaryotic organisms (Archaea and Bacteria). Over the past decades, S-layers have become an issue of increasing interest due to their ubiquitousness, special features and functions. Substantial work in this field provides evidences of an enormous diversity in S-layers. This paper reviews and illustrates the diversity from several different aspects, involving the S-layer-carrying strains, the structure of S-layers, the S-layer proteins and genes, as well as the functions of S-layers.

Protein phosphorylation and its role in archaeal signal transduction

Reversible protein phosphorylation is the main mechanism of signal transduction that enables cells to rapidly respond to environmental changes by controlling the functional properties of proteins in response to external stimuli. However, whereas signal transduction is well studied in Eukaryotes and Bacteria, the knowledge in Archaea is still rather scarce. Archaea are special with regard to protein phosphorylation, due to the fact that the two best studied phyla, the Euryarchaeota and Crenarchaeaota, seem to exhibit fundamental differences in regulatory systems. Euryarchaeota (e.g. halophiles, methanogens, thermophiles), like Bacteria and Eukaryotes, rely on bacterial-type two-component signal transduction systems (phosphorylation on His and Asp), as well as on the protein phosphorylation on Ser, Thr and Tyr by Hanks-type protein kinases. Instead, Crenarchaeota (e.g. acidophiles and (hyper)thermophiles) only depend on Hanks-type protein phosphorylation. In this review, the current knowledge of reversible protein phosphorylation in Archaea is presented. It combines results from identified phosphoproteins, biochemical characterization of protein kinases and protein phosphatases as well as target enzymes and first insights into archaeal signal transduction by biochemical, genetic and polyomic studies.

The authors review the current knowledge about protein phosphorylation in Archaea and its impact on signaling in this organism group.

Didehydroaspartate Modification in Methyl-Coenzyme M Reductase Catalyzing Methane Formation

All methanogenic and methanotrophic archaea known to date contain methyl-coenzyme M reductase (MCR) that catalyzes the reversible reduction of methyl-coenzyme M to methane. This enzyme contains the nickel porphinoid F430 as a prosthetic group and, highly conserved, a thioglycine and four methylated amino acid residues near the active site. We describe herein the presence of a novel post-translationally modified amino acid, didehydroaspartate, adjacent to the thioglycine as revealed by mass spectrometry and high-resolution X-ray crystallography. Upon chemical reduction, the didehydroaspartate residue was converted into aspartate. Didehydroaspartate was found in MCR I and II from Methanothermobacter marburgensis and in MCR of phylogenetically distantly related Methanosarcina barkeri but not in MCR I and II of Methanothermobacter wolfeii, which indicates that didehydroaspartate is dispensable but might have a role in fine-tuning the active site to increase the catalytic efficiency.

Unusual Butane- and Pentanetriol-Based Tetraether Lipids in Methanomassiliicoccus luminyensis, a Representative of the Seventh Order of Methanogens

A new clade of archaea has recently been proposed to constitute the seventh methanogenic order, the Methanomassiliicoccales, which is related to the Thermoplasmatales and the uncultivated archaeal clades deep-sea hydrothermal vent Euryarchaeota group 2 and marine group II Euryarchaeota but only distantly related to other methanogens. In this study, we investigated the membrane lipid composition of Methanomassiliicoccus luminyensis, the sole cultured representative of this seventh order. The lipid inventory of M. luminyensis comprises a unique assemblage of novel lipids as well as lipids otherwise typical for thermophilic, methanogenic, or halophilic archaea. For instance, glycerol sesterpanyl-phytanyl diether core lipids found mainly in halophilic archaea were detected, and so were compounds bearing either heptose or methoxylated glycosidic head groups, neither of which have been reported so far for other archaea. The absence of quinones or methanophenazines is consistent with a biochemistry of methanogenesis different from that of the methanophenazine-containing methylotrophic methanogens. The most distinctive characteristic of the membrane lipid composition of M. luminyensis, however, is the presence of tetraether lipids in which one glycerol backbone is replaced by either butane- or pentanetriol, i.e., lipids recently discovered in marine sediments. Butanetriol dibiphytanyl glycerol tetraether (BDGT) constitutes the most abundant core lipid type (>50% relative abundance) in M. luminyensis We have thus identified a source for these unusual orphan lipids. The complementary analysis of diverse marine sediment samples showed that BDGTs are widespread in anoxic layers, suggesting an environmental significance of Methanomassiliicoccales and/or related BDGT producers beyond gastrointestinal tracts.

IMPORTANCE

Cellular membranes of members of all three domains of life, Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya, are largely formed by lipids in which glycerol serves as backbone for the hydrophobic alkyl chains. Recently, however, archaeal tetraether lipids with either butanetriol or pentanetriol as a backbone were identified in marine sediments and attributed to uncultured sediment-dwelling archaea. Here we show that the butanetriol-based dibiphytanyl tetraethers constitute the major lipids in Methanomassiliicoccus luminyensis, currently the only isolate of the novel seventh order of methanogens. Given the absence of these lipids in a large set of archaeal isolates, these compounds may be diagnostic for the Methanomassiliicoccales and/or closely related archaea.

aKMT Catalyzes Extensive Protein Lysine Methylation in the Hyperthermophilic Archaeon Sulfolobus islandicus but is Dispensable for the Growth of the Organism

Protein methylation is believed to occur extensively in creanarchaea. Recently, aKMT, a highly conserved crenarchaeal protein lysine methyltransferase, was identified and shown to exhibit broad substrate specificity in vitro Here, we have constructed an aKMT deletion mutant of the hyperthermophilic crenarchaeon Sulfolobus islandicus The mutant was viable but showed a moderately slower growth rate than the parental strain under non-optimal growth conditions. Consistent with the moderate effect of the lack of aKMT on the growth of the cell, expression of a small number of genes, which encode putative functions in substrate transportation, energy metabolism, transcriptional regulation, stress response proteins, etc, was differentially regulated by more than twofold in the mutant strain, as compared with that in the parental strain. Analysis of the methylation of total cellular protein by mass spectrometry revealed that methylated proteins accounted for ∼2/3 (1,158/1,751) and ∼1/3 (591/1,757) of the identified proteins in the parental and the mutant strains, respectively, indicating that there is extensive protein methylation in S. islandicus and that aKMT is a major protein methyltransferase in this organism. No significant sequence preference was detected at the sites of methylation by aKMT. Methylated lysine residues, when visible in the structure, are all located on the surface of the proteins. The crystal structure of aKMT in complex with S-adenosyl-l-methionine (SAM) or S-adenosyl homocysteine (SAH) reveals that the protein consists of four α helices and seven β sheets, lacking a substrate recognition domain found in PrmA, a bacterial homolog of aKMT, in agreement with the broad substrate specificity of aKMT. Our results suggest that aKMT may serve a role in maintaining the methylation status of cellular proteins required for the efficient growth of the organism under certain non-optimal conditions.

An enantioselective NADP+-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase responsible for cooxidative production of (3S)-5-hydroxy-3-methyl-pentanoic acid

A soil bacterium, Mycobacterium sp. B-009, is able to grow on racemic 1,2-propanediol (PD). The strain was revealed to oxidize 3-methyl-1,5-pentanediol (MPD) to 5-hydroxy-3-methyl-pentanoic acid (HMPA) during growth on PD. MPD was converted into an almost equimolar amount of the S-form of HMPA (S-HMPA) at 72%ee, suggesting the presence of an enantioselective MPD dehydrogenase (MPD-DH). As expected, an NADP+-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase, which catalyzes the initial step of MPD oxidation, was detected and purified from the cell-free extract. This enzyme was suggested to be a homodimeric medium-chain alcohol dehydrogenase/reductase (MDR). The catalytic and kinetic parameters indicated that MPD is the most suitable substrate for the enzyme. The enzyme was encoded by a 1047-bp gene (mpd1) and several mycobacterial strains were found to have putative MDR genes similar to mpd1. In a phylogenetic tree, MPD-DH formed an independent clade together with the putative MDR of Mycobacterium neoaurum, which produces opportunistic infections.

Transcriptomic analysis reveals how a lack of potassium ions increases Sulfolobus acidocaldarius sensitivity to pH changes

Extremely acidophilic microorganisms (optimum growth pH of ≤3) maintain a near neutral cytoplasmic pH via several homeostatic mechanisms, including an inside positive membrane potential created by potassium ions. Transcriptomic responses to pH stress in the thermoacidophilic archaeon, Sulfolobus acidocaldarius were investigated by growing cells without added sodium and/or potassium ions at both optimal and sub-optimal pH. Culturing the cells in the absence of added sodium or potassium ions resulted in a reduced growth rate compared to full-salt conditions as well as 43 and 75 significantly different RNA transcript ratios, respectively. Differentially expressed RNA transcripts during growth in the absence of added sodium ions included genes coding for permeases, a sodium/proline transporter and electron transport proteins. In contrast, culturing without added potassium ions resulted in higher RNA transcripts for similar genes as a lack of sodium ions plus genes related to spermidine that has a general role in response to stress and a decarboxylase that potentially consumes protons. The greatest RNA transcript response occurred when S. acidocaldarius cells were grown in the absence of potassium and/or sodium at a sub-optimal pH. These adaptations included those listed above plus osmoregulated glucans and mechanosensitive channels that have previously been shown to respond to osmotic stress. In addition, data analyses revealed two co-expressed IclR family transcriptional regulator genes with a previously unknown role in the S. acidocaldarius pH stress response. Our study provides additional evidence towards the importance of potassium in acidophile growth at acidic pH.

Post-translational modifications in Pseudomonas aeruginosa revolutionized by proteomic analysis

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that causes severe infections in vulnerable individuals. It is known that post-translational modifications (PTMs) play a key role in bacterial physiology. Their characterization is still challenging and the recent advances in proteomics allow large-scale and high-throughput analyses of PTMs. Here, we provide an overview of proteomic data about the modified proteins in P. aeruginosa. We emphasize the significant contribution of proteomics in knowledge enhancement of PTMs (phosphorylation, N-acetylation and glycosylation) and we discuss their importance in P. aeruginosa physiology.

All about that fat: Lipid modification of proteins in Cryptococcus neoformans

Lipid modification of proteins is a widespread, essential process whereby fatty acids, cholesterol, isoprenoids, phospholipids, or glycosylphospholipids are attached to polypeptides. These hydrophobic groups may affect protein structure, function, localization, and/or stability; as a consequence such modifications play critical regulatory roles in cellular systems. Recent advances in chemical biology and proteomics have allowed the profiling of modified proteins, enabling dissection of the functional consequences of lipid addition. The enzymes that mediate lipid modification are specific for both the lipid and protein substrates, and are conserved from fungi to humans. In this article we review these enzymes, their substrates, and the processes involved in eukaryotic lipid modification of proteins. We further focus on its occurrence in the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans, highlighting unique features that are both relevant for the biology of the organism and potentially important in the search for new therapies.

Post-translational methylations of the archaeal Mre11:Rad50 complex throughout the DNA damage response

The Mre11:Rad50 complex is central to DNA double strand break repair in the Archaea and Eukarya, and acts through mechanical and nuclease activities regulated by conformational changes induced by ATP binding and hydrolysis. Despite the widespread use of Mre11 and Rad50 from hyperthermophilic archaea for structural studies, little is known in the regulation of these proteins in the Archaea. Using purification and mass spectrometry approaches allowing nearly full sequence coverage of both proteins from the species Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, we show for the first time post-translational methylation of the archaeal Mre11:Rad50 complex. Under basal growth conditions, extensive lysine methylations were identified in Mre11 and Rad50 dynamic domains, as well as methylation of a few aspartates and glutamates, including a key Mre11 aspartate involved in nuclease activity. Upon γ-irradiation induced DNA damage, additional methylated residues were identified in Rad50, notably methylation of Walker B aspartate and glutamate residues involved in ATP hydrolysis. These findings strongly suggest a key role for post-translational methylation in the regulation of the archaeal Mre11:Rad50 complex and in the DNA damage response.

pNEB193-derived suicide plasmids for gene deletion and protein expression in the methane-producing archaeon, Methanosarcina acetivorans

Gene deletion and protein expression are cornerstone procedures for studying metabolism in any organism, including methane-producing archaea (methanogens). Methanogens produce coenzymes and cofactors not found in most bacteria, therefore it is sometimes necessary to express and purify methanogen proteins from the natural host. Protein expression in the native organism is also useful when studying post-translational modifications and their effect on gene expression or enzyme activity. We have created several new suicide plasmids to complement existing genetic tools for use in the methanogen, Methanosarcina acetivorans. The new plasmids are derived from the commercially available Escherichia coli plasmid, pNEB193, and cannot replicate autonomously in methanogens. The designed plasmids facilitate markerless gene deletion, gene transcription, protein expression, and purification of proteins with cleavable affinity tags from the methanogen, M. acetivorans.

Mechanisms of Evolutionary Innovation Point to Genetic Control Logic as the Key Difference Between Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes

The evolution of life from the simplest, original form to complex, intelligent animal life occurred through a number of key innovations. Here we present a new tool to analyze these key innovations by proposing that the process of evolutionary innovation may follow one of three underlying processes, namely a Random Walk, a Critical Path, or a Many Paths process, and in some instances may also constitute a "Pull-up the Ladder" event. Our analysis is based on the occurrence of function in modern biology, rather than specific structure or mechanism. A function in modern biology may be classified in this way either on the basis of its evolution or the basis of its modern mechanism. Characterizing key innovations in this way helps identify the likelihood that an innovation could arise. In this paper, we describe the classification, and methods to classify functional features of modern organisms into these three classes based on the analysis of how a function is implemented in modern biology. We present the application of our categorization to the evolution of eukaryotic gene control. We use this approach to support the argument that there are few, and possibly no basic chemical differences between the functional constituents of the machinery of gene control between eukaryotes, bacteria and archaea. This suggests that the difference between eukaryotes and prokaryotes that allows the former to develop the complex genetic architecture seen in animals and plants is something other than their chemistry. We tentatively identify the difference as a difference in control logic, that prokaryotic genes are by default 'on' and eukaryotic genes are by default 'off.' The Many Paths evolutionary process suggests that, from a 'default off' starting point, the evolution of the genetic complexity of higher eukaryotes is a high probability event.

Structural and Mechanistic Insights into the Pseudomonas fluorescens 2-Nitrobenzoate 2-Nitroreductase NbaA

The bacterial 2-nitroreductase NbaA is the primary enzyme initiating the degradation of 2-nitrobenzoate (2-NBA), and its activity is controlled by posttranslational modifications. To date, the structure of NbaA remains to be elucidated. In this study, the crystal structure of a Cys194Ala NbaA mutant was determined to a 1.7-Å resolution. The substrate analog 2-NBA methyl ester was used to decipher the substrate binding site by inhibition of the wild-type NbaA protein. Tandem mass spectrometry showed that 2-NBA methyl ester produced a 2-NBA ester bond at the Tyr193 residue in the wild-type NbaA but not residues in the Tyr193Phe mutant. Moreover, covalent binding of the 2-NBA methyl ester to Tyr193 reduced the reactivity of the Cys194 residue on the peptide link. The Tyr193 hydroxyl group was shown to be essential for enzyme catalysis, as a Tyr193Phe mutant resulted in fast dissociation of flavin mononucleotide (FMN) from the protein with the reduced reactivity of Cys194. FMN binding to NbaA varied with solution NaCl concentration, which was related to the catalytic activity but not to cysteine reactivity. These observations suggest that the Cys194 reactivity is negatively affected by a posttranslational modification of the adjacent Tyr193 residue, which interacts with FMN and the substrate in the NbaA catalytic site.

Evidence of glycoproteins and sulphated proteoglycan-like presence in extracellular polymeric substance from anaerobic granular sludge

The protein fraction of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) from two anaerobic granular sludge samples was characterized with sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and a far western blotting method. SDS-PAGE was used with various staining applications to obtain a protein (silver), glycoprotein [periodic acid-Shiff's (PAS)] or proteoglycan-like (Alcian blue at pH 2.5 (carboxylic group) or 1 (sulphated group)) fingerprint. The fingerprints of the EPS denatured protein from the two sludge samples differed. Some proteins are specific to Soluble (S) or Bound (B)-EPS (20-100 kDa). Denatured proteins with a polysaccharide moieties characterization are more present in B-EPS. Glycoproteins with α-d-mannosyl and/or α-d-glucosyl (90, 50, 40 kDa) were detected. Proteoglycan-like and sulphated proteoglycan-like substances are also detected, mainly in B-EPS. A 68 kDa sulphated proteoglycan-like substance contains two glucidic residue types: α-d-mannosyl and/or α-d-glucosyl and N-acetyl-β-d-glucosamine. Such heteroproteins are present around the membrane as well as the surface-layer from Archaea and from some bacteria. The glycoprotein and sulphated proteoglycan-like substance are assumed to contribute to anaerobic granule strength, thanks to their ability to perform interactions of various nature (ionic, hydrophobic, Ca(2+) as divalent cation bridging, etc.).

Proteomic Insights into Sulfur Metabolism in the Hydrogen-Producing Hyperthermophilic Archaeon Thermococcus onnurineus NA1

The hyperthermophilic archaeon Thermococcus onnurineus NA1 has been shown to produce H₂ when using CO, formate, or starch as a growth substrate. This strain can also utilize elemental sulfur as a terminal electron acceptor for heterotrophic growth. To gain insight into sulfur metabolism, the proteome of T. onnurineus NA1 cells grown under sulfur culture conditions was quantified and compared with those grown under H₂-evolving substrate culture conditions. Using label-free nano-UPLC-MSE-based comparative proteomic analysis, approximately 38.4% of the total identified proteome (589 proteins) was found to be significantly up-regulated (≥1.5-fold) under sulfur culture conditions. Many of these proteins were functionally associated with carbon fixation, Fe-S cluster biogenesis, ATP synthesis, sulfur reduction, protein glycosylation, protein translocation, and formate oxidation. Based on the abundances of the identified proteins in this and other genomic studies, the pathways associated with reductive sulfur metabolism, H₂-metabolism, and oxidative stress defense were proposed. The results also revealed markedly lower expression levels of enzymes involved in the sulfur assimilation pathway, as well as cysteine desulfurase, under sulfur culture condition. The present results provide the first global atlas of proteome changes triggered by sulfur, and may facilitate an understanding of how hyperthermophilic archaea adapt to sulfur-rich, extreme environments.

Salinity regulation of the interaction of halovirus SNJ1 with its host and alteration of the halovirus replication strategy to adapt to the variable ecosystem

Halovirus is a major force that affects the evolution of extreme halophiles and the biogeochemistry of hypersaline environments. However, until now, the systematic studies on the halovirus ecology and the effects of salt concentration on virus-host systems are lacking. To provide more valuable information for understanding ecological strategies of a virus-host system in the hypersaline ecosystem, we studied the interaction between halovirus SNJ1 and its host Natrinema sp.J7-2 under various NaCl concentrations. We found that the adsorption rate and lytic rate increased with salt concentration, demonstrating that a higher salt concentration promoted viral adsorption and proliferation. Contrary to the lytic rate, the lysogenic rate decreased as the salt concentration increased. Our results also demonstrated that cells incubated at a high salt concentration prior to infection increased the ability of the virus to adsorb and lyse its host cells; therefore, the physiological status of host cells also affected the virus-host interaction. In conclusion, SNJ1 acted as a predator, lysing host cells and releasing progeny viruses in hypersaline environments; in low salt environments, viruses lysogenized host cells to escape the damage from low salinity.

S-layers: principles and applications

Monomolecular arrays of protein or glycoprotein subunits forming surface layers (S-layers) are one of the most commonly observed prokaryotic cell envelope components. S-layers are generally the most abundantly expressed proteins, have been observed in species of nearly every taxonomical group of walled bacteria, and represent an almost universal feature of archaeal envelopes. The isoporous lattices completely covering the cell surface provide organisms with various selection advantages including functioning as protective coats, molecular sieves and ion traps, as structures involved in surface recognition and cell adhesion, and as antifouling layers. S-layers are also identified to contribute to virulence when present as a structural component of pathogens. In Archaea, most of which possess S-layers as exclusive wall component, they are involved in determining cell shape and cell division. Studies on structure, chemistry, genetics, assembly, function, and evolutionary relationship of S-layers revealed considerable application potential in (nano)biotechnology, biomimetics, biomedicine, and synthetic biology.

Carbohydrate metabolism in Archaea: current insights into unusual enzymes and pathways and their regulation

The metabolism of Archaea, the third domain of life, resembles in its complexity those of Bacteria and lower Eukarya. However, this metabolic complexity in Archaea is accompanied by the absence of many "classical" pathways, particularly in central carbohydrate metabolism. Instead, Archaea are characterized by the presence of unique, modified variants of classical pathways such as the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas (EMP) pathway and the Entner-Doudoroff (ED) pathway. The pentose phosphate pathway is only partly present (if at all), and pentose degradation also significantly differs from that known for bacterial model organisms. These modifications are accompanied by the invention of "new," unusual enzymes which cause fundamental consequences for the underlying regulatory principles, and classical allosteric regulation sites well established in Bacteria and Eukarya are lost. The aim of this review is to present the current understanding of central carbohydrate metabolic pathways and their regulation in Archaea. In order to give an overview of their complexity, pathway modifications are discussed with respect to unusual archaeal biocatalysts, their structural and mechanistic characteristics, and their regulatory properties in comparison to their classic counterparts from Bacteria and Eukarya. Furthermore, an overview focusing on hexose metabolic, i.e., glycolytic as well as gluconeogenic, pathways identified in archaeal model organisms is given. Their energy gain is discussed, and new insights into different levels of regulation that have been observed so far, including the transcript and protein levels (e.g., gene regulation, known transcription regulators, and posttranslational modification via reversible protein phosphorylation), are presented.

Assignment of the stereochemistry and anomeric configuration of sugars within oligosaccharides via overlapping disaccharide ladders using MS(n)

A systematic approach is described that can pinpoint the stereo-structures (sugar identity, anomeric configuration, and location) of individual sugar units within linear oligosaccharides. Using a highly modified mass spectrometer, dissociation of linear oligosaccharides in the gas phase was optimized along multiple-stage tandem dissociation pathways (MS(n), n = 4 or 5). The instrument was a hybrid triple quadrupole/linear ion trap mass spectrometer capable of high-efficiency bidirectional ion transfer between quadrupole arrays. Different types of collision-induced dissociation (CID), either on-resonance ion trap or beam-type CID could be utilized at any given stage of dissociation, enabling either glycosidic bond cleavages or cross-ring cleavages to be maximized when wanted. The approach first involves optimizing the isolation of disaccharide units as an ordered set of overlapping substructures via glycosidic bond cleavages during early stages of MS(n), with explicit intent to minimize cross-ring cleavages. Subsequently, cross-ring cleavages were optimized for individual disaccharides to yield key diagnostic product ions (m/z 221). Finally, fingerprint patterns that establish stereochemistry and anomeric configuration were obtained from the diagnostic ions via CID. Model linear oligosaccharides were derivatized at the reducing end, allowing overlapping ladders of disaccharides to be isolated from MS(n). High confidence stereo-structural determination was achieved by matching MS(n) CID of the diagnostic ions to synthetic standards via a spectral matching algorithm. Using this MS(n) (n = 4 or 5) approach, the stereo-structures, anomeric configurations, and locations of three individual sugar units within two pentasaccharides were successfully determined.

Bacterial cell-envelope glycoconjugates

Prokaryotic glycosylation fulfills an important role in maintaining and protecting the structural integrity and function of the bacterial cell wall, as well as serving as a flexible adaption mechanism to evade environmental and host-induced pressure. The scope of bacterial and archaeal protein glycosylation has considerably expanded over the past decade(s), with numerous examples covering the glycosylation of flagella, pili, glycosylated enzymes, as well as surface-layer proteins. This article addresses structure, analysis, function, genetic basis, biosynthesis, and biomedical and biotechnological applications of cell-envelope glycoconjugates, S-layer glycoprotein glycans, and "nonclassical" secondary-cell wall polysaccharides. The latter group of polymers mediates the important attachment and regular orientation of the S-layer to the cell wall. The structures of these glycopolymers reveal an enormous diversity, resembling the structural variability of bacterial lipopolysaccharides and capsular polysaccharides. While most examples are presented for Gram-positive bacteria, the S-layer glycan of the Gram-negative pathogen Tannerella forsythia is also discussed. In addition, archaeal S-layer glycoproteins are briefly summarized.