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Hohl M, Banks EJ, Manley MP, Le TBK, Low HH. Bidirectional pilus processing in the Tad pilus system motor CpaF. Nat Commun 2024; 15:6635. [PMID: 39103374 PMCID: PMC11300603 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50280-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 07/05/2024] [Indexed: 08/07/2024] Open
Abstract
The bacterial tight adherence pilus system (TadPS) assembles surface pili essential for adhesion and colonisation in many human pathogens. Pilus dynamics are powered by the ATPase CpaF (TadA), which drives extension and retraction cycles in Caulobacter crescentus through an unknown mechanism. Here we use cryogenic electron microscopy and cell-based light microscopy to characterise CpaF mechanism. We show that CpaF assembles into a hexamer with C2 symmetry in different nucleotide states. Nucleotide cycling occurs through an intra-subunit clamp-like mechanism that promotes sequential conformational changes between subunits. Moreover, a comparison of the active sites with different nucleotides bound suggests a mechanism for bidirectional motion. Conserved CpaF residues, predicted to interact with platform proteins CpaG (TadB) and CpaH (TadC), are mutated in vivo to establish their role in pilus processing. Our findings provide a model for how CpaF drives TadPS pilus dynamics and have broad implications for how other ancient type 4 filament family members power pilus assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Hohl
- Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College, London, UK
| | - Emma J Banks
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK
| | - Max P Manley
- Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College, London, UK
| | - Tung B K Le
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK
| | - Harry H Low
- Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College, London, UK.
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Tekedar HC, Patel F, Blom J, Griffin MJ, Waldbieser GC, Kumru S, Abdelhamed H, Dharan V, Hanson LA, Lawrence ML. Tad pili contribute to the virulence and biofilm formation of virulent Aeromonas hydrophila. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2024; 14:1425624. [PMID: 39145307 PMCID: PMC11322086 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1425624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 08/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Type IV pili (T4P) are versatile proteinaceous protrusions that mediate diverse bacterial processes, including adhesion, motility, and biofilm formation. Aeromonas hydrophila, a Gram-negative facultative anaerobe, causes disease in a wide range of hosts. Previously, we reported the presence of a unique Type IV class C pilus, known as tight adherence (Tad), in virulent Aeromonas hydrophila (vAh). In the present study, we sought to functionalize the role of Tad pili in the pathogenicity of A. hydrophila ML09-119. Through a comprehensive comparative genomics analysis of 170 A. hydrophila genomes, the conserved presence of the Tad operon in vAh isolates was confirmed, suggesting its potential contribution to pathogenicity. Herein, the entire Tad operon was knocked out from A. hydrophila ML09-119 to elucidate its specific role in A. hydrophila virulence. The absence of the Tad operon did not affect growth kinetics but significantly reduced virulence in catfish fingerlings, highlighting the essential role of the Tad operon during infection. Biofilm formation of A. hydrophila ML09-119 was significantly decreased in the Tad operon deletant. Absence of the Tad operon had no effect on sensitivity to other environmental stressors, including hydrogen peroxide, osmolarity, alkalinity, and temperature; however, it was more sensitive to low pH conditions. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the Tad mutant had a rougher surface structure during log phase growth than the wildtype strain, indicating the absence of Tad impacts the outer surface of vAh during cell division, of which the biological consequences are unknown. These findings highlight the role of Tad in vAh pathogenesis and biofilm formation, signifying the importance of T4P in bacterial infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hasan C. Tekedar
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, United States
| | - Fenny Patel
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, United States
| | - Jochen Blom
- Bioinformatics & Systems Biology, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Matt J. Griffin
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, United States
- Thad Cochran National Warmwater Aquaculture Center, Stoneville, MS, United States
| | | | - Salih Kumru
- Faculty of Fisheries, Recep Tayyip Erdogan University, Rize, Türkiye
| | - Hossam Abdelhamed
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, United States
| | - Vandana Dharan
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, United States
| | - Larry A. Hanson
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, United States
| | - Mark L. Lawrence
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, United States
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Charles-Orszag A, van Wolferen M, Lord SJ, Albers SV, Mullins RD. Adhesion pilus retraction powers twitching motility in the thermoacidophilic crenarchaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5051. [PMID: 38877024 PMCID: PMC11178785 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49101-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Type IV pili are filamentous appendages found in most bacteria and archaea, where they can support functions such as surface adhesion, DNA uptake, aggregation, and motility. In most bacteria, PilT-family ATPases disassemble adhesion pili, causing them to rapidly retract and produce twitching motility, important for surface colonization. As archaea do not possess PilT homologs, it was thought that archaeal pili cannot retract and that archaea do not exhibit twitching motility. Here, we use live-cell imaging, automated cell tracking, fluorescence imaging, and genetic manipulation to show that the hyperthermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius exhibits twitching motility, driven by retractable adhesion (Aap) pili, under physiologically relevant conditions (75 °C, pH 2). Aap pili are thus capable of retraction in the absence of a PilT homolog, suggesting that the ancestral type IV pili in the last universal common ancestor (LUCA) were capable of retraction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arthur Charles-Orszag
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, US
| | - Marleen van Wolferen
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Biology II, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Samuel J Lord
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, US
| | - Sonja-Verena Albers
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Biology II, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
- Signalling Research Centre BIOSS and CIBBS, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
| | - R Dyche Mullins
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, US.
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Charles-Orszag A, van Wolferen M, Lord SJ, Albers SV, Mullins RD. Sulfolobus acidocaldarius adhesion pili power twitching motility in the absence of a dedicated retraction ATPase. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.04.552066. [PMID: 37577505 PMCID: PMC10418518 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.04.552066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
Type IV pili are ancient and widespread filamentous organelles found in most bacterial and archaeal phyla where they support a wide range of functions, including substrate adhesion, DNA uptake, self aggregation, and cell motility. In most bacteria, PilT-family ATPases disassemble adhesion pili, causing them to rapidly retract and produce twitching motility, important for surface colonization. As archaea do not possess homologs of PilT, it was thought that archaeal pili cannot retract. Here, we employ live-cell imaging under native conditions (75°C and pH 2), together with automated single-cell tracking, high-temperature fluorescence imaging, and genetic manipulation to demonstrate that S. acidocaldarius exhibits bona fide twitching motility, and that this behavior depends specifically on retractable adhesion pili. Our results demonstrate that archaeal adhesion pili are capable of retraction in the absence of a PilT retraction ATPase and suggests that the ancestral type IV pilus machinery in the last universal common ancestor (LUCA) relied on such a bifunctional ATPase for both extension and retraction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arthur Charles-Orszag
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Marleen van Wolferen
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Biology II, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Samuel J Lord
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Sonja-Verena Albers
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Biology II, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Signalling Research Centres BIOSS and CIBBS, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - R Dyche Mullins
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
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Ortega D, Beeby M. How Did the Archaellum Get Its Rotation? Front Microbiol 2022; 12:803720. [PMID: 35558523 PMCID: PMC9087265 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.803720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
How new functions evolve fascinates many evolutionary biologists. Particularly captivating is the evolution of rotation in molecular machines, as it evokes familiar machines that we have made ourselves. The archaellum, an archaeal analog of the bacterial flagellum, is one of the simplest rotary motors. It features a long helical propeller attached to a cell envelope-embedded rotary motor. Satisfyingly, the archaellum is one of many members of the large type IV filament superfamily, which includes pili, secretion systems, and adhesins, relationships that promise clues as to how the rotating archaellum evolved from a non-rotary ancestor. Nevertheless, determining exactly how the archaellum got its rotation remains frustratingly elusive. Here we review what is known about how the archaellum got its rotation, what clues exist, and what more is needed to address this question.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Morgan Beeby
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
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Beeby M, Ferreira JL, Tripp P, Albers SV, Mitchell DR. Propulsive nanomachines: the convergent evolution of archaella, flagella and cilia. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2020; 44:253-304. [DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuaa006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2019] [Accepted: 03/06/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan Beeby
- Department of Life Sciences, Frankland Road, Imperial College of London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Josie L Ferreira
- Department of Life Sciences, Frankland Road, Imperial College of London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Patrick Tripp
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Institute of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schaenzlestrasse 1, 79211 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Sonja-Verena Albers
- Molecular Biology of Archaea, Institute of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schaenzlestrasse 1, 79211 Freiburg, Germany
| | - David R Mitchell
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, 750 E. Adams St., Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
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