A bacteriophage-encoded J-domain protein interacts with the DnaK/Hsp70 chaperone and stabilizes the heat-shock factor σ32 of Escherichia coli

J-domain protein chaperone circuits in proteostasis and disease

The J-domain proteins (JDP) form the largest protein family among cellular chaperones. In cooperation with the Hsp70 chaperone system, these co-chaperones orchestrate a plethora of distinct functions, including those that help maintain cellular proteostasis and development. JDPs evolved largely through the fusion of a J-domain with other protein subdomains. The highly conserved J-domain facilitates the binding and activation of Hsp70s. How JDPs (re)wire Hsp70 chaperone circuits and promote functional diversity remains insufficiently explained. Here, we discuss recent advances in our understanding of the JDP family with a focus on the regulation built around J-domains to ensure correct pairing and assembly of JDP-Hsp70 machineries that operate on different clientele under various cellular growth conditions.

Recombination Events in Putative Tail Fibre Gene in Litunavirus Phages Infecting Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Their Phylogenetic Consequences

Recombination is the main driver of bacteriophage evolution. It may serve as a tool for extending the phage host spectrum, which is significant not only for phages' ecology but also for their utilisation as therapeutic agents of bacterial infections. The aim of this study was to detect the recombination events in the genomes of Litunavirus phages infecting Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and present their impact on phylogenetic relations within this phage group. The phylogenetic analyses involved: the whole-genome, core-genome (Schitoviridae conserved genes), variable genome region, and the whole-genome minus variable region. Interestingly, the recombination events taking place in the putative host recognition region (tail fibre protein gene and the adjacent downstream gene) significantly influenced tree topology, suggesting a strong phylogenetic signal. Our results indicate the recombination between phages from two genera Litunavirus and Luzeptimavirus and demonstrate its influence on phage phylogeny.

Structural resemblance of the DNAJA-family protein, Tid1, to the DNAJB-family Hsp40

The specific pair of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) and Hsp40 constitutes an essential molecular chaperone system involved in numerous cellular processes, including the proper folding/refolding and transport of proteins. Hsp40 family members are characterized by the presence of a conserved J-domain (JD) that functions as a co-chaperone of Hsp70. Tumorous imaginal disc 1 (Tid1) is a tumor suppressor protein belonging to the DNAJA3 subfamily of Hsp40 and functions as a co-chaperone of the mitochondrial Hsp70, mortalin. In this work, we performed nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to determine the solution structure of JD and its interaction with the glycine/phenylalanine-rich region (GF-motif) of human Tid1. Notably, Tid1-JD, whose conformation was consistent with that of the DNAJB1 JD, appeared to stably interact with its subsequent GF-motif region. Collectively with our sequence analysis, the present results demonstrate that the functional and regulatory mode of Tid1 resembles that of the DNAJB1 subfamily members rather than DNAJA1 or DNAJA2 subfamily proteins. Therefore, it is suggested that an allosteric interaction between mortalin and Tid1 is involved in the mitochondrial Hsp70/Hsp40 chaperone system.

Comparative Proteomic Analysis of Psychrophilic vs. Mesophilic Bacterial Species Reveals Different Strategies to Achieve Temperature Adaptation

The old debate of nature (genes) vs. nurture (environmental variables) is once again topical concerning the effect of climate change on environmental microorganisms. Specifically, the Polar Regions are experiencing a drastic increase in temperature caused by the rise in greenhouse gas emissions. This study, in an attempt to mimic the molecular adaptation of polar microorganisms, combines proteomic approaches with a classical microbiological analysis in three bacterial species Shewanella oneidensis, Shewanella frigidimarina, and Psychrobacter frigidicola. Both shewanellas are members of the same genus but they live in different environments. On the other hand, Shewanella frigidimarina and Psychrobacter frigidicola share the same natural environment but belong to a different genus. The comparison of the strategies employed by each bacterial species estimates the contribution of genome vs. environmental variables in the adaptation to temperature. The results show a greater versatility of acclimatization for the genus Shewanella with respect to Psychrobacter. Besides, S. frigidimarina was the best-adapted species to thermal variations in the temperature range 4–30°C and displayed several adaptation mechanisms common with the other two species. Regarding the molecular machinery used by these bacteria to face the consequences of temperature changes, chaperones have a pivoting role. They form complexes with other proteins in the response to the environment, establishing cooperation with transmembrane proteins, elongation factors, and proteins for protection against oxidative damage.

Phage-encoded ten-eleven translocation dioxygenase (TET) is active in C5-cytosine hypermodification in DNA

Chemical tailoring of canonical bases expands the functionality of DNA in the same manner that posttranscriptional and -translational modifications enhance functional diversity in RNA and proteins. We describe the activities of ten-eleven translocation dioxygenase (TET)-like iron(II)- and 2-oxo-glutarate–dependent 5mC dioxygenases that are encoded by several bacteriophages to enable hypermodification of C5-methyl cytosine bases in their DNA. Phage TETs act on methylation marks deposited within GpC sequences by functionally-associated cytosine 5-methyltransferases. The hydroxymethyl groups installed are further elaborated by tailoring enzymes, thereby decorating the phage DNA with diverse, complex modifications. These modifications are predicted to have protective roles against host defenses during viral infection.

TET/JBP (ten-eleven translocation/base J binding protein) enzymes are iron(II)- and 2-oxo-glutarate–dependent dioxygenases that are found in all kingdoms of life and oxidize 5-methylpyrimidines on the polynucleotide level. Despite their prevalence, few examples have been biochemically characterized. Among those studied are the metazoan TET enzymes that oxidize 5-methylcytosine in DNA to hydroxy, formyl, and carboxy forms and the euglenozoa JBP dioxygenases that oxidize thymine in the first step of base J biosynthesis. Both enzymes have roles in epigenetic regulation. It has been hypothesized that all TET/JBPs have their ancestral origins in bacteriophages, but only eukaryotic orthologs have been described. Here we demonstrate the 5mC-dioxygenase activity of several phage TETs encoded within viral metagenomes. The clustering of these TETs in a phylogenetic tree correlates with the sequence specificity of their genomically cooccurring cytosine C5-methyltransferases, which install the methyl groups upon which TETs operate. The phage TETs favor Gp5mC dinucleotides over the 5mCpG sites targeted by the eukaryotic TETs and are found within gene clusters specifying complex cytosine modifications that may be important for DNA packaging and evasion of host restriction.

Proteomic and Transcriptomic Analysis of Microviridae φX174 Infection Reveals Broad Upregulation of Host Escherichia coli Membrane Damage and Heat Shock Responses

A major part of the healthy human gut microbiome is the Microviridae bacteriophage, exemplified by the model φX174 phage, and their E. coli hosts. Although much has been learned from studying φX174 over the last half-century, until this work, the E. coli host response to infection has never been investigated in detail.

Measuring host-bacteriophage dynamics is an important approach to understanding bacterial survival functions and responses to infection. The model Microviridae bacteriophage φX174 is endemic to the human gut and has been studied for over 70 years, but the host response to infection has never been investigated in detail. To address this gap in our understanding of this important interaction within our microbiome, we have measured host Escherichia coli C proteomic and transcriptomic response to φX174 infection. We used mass spectrometry and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to identify and quantify all 11 φX174 proteins and over 1,700 E. coli proteins, enabling us to comprehensively map host pathways involved in φX174 infection. Most notably, we see significant host responses centered on membrane damage and remodeling, cellular chaperone and translocon activity, and lipoprotein processing, which we speculate is due to the peptidoglycan-disruptive effects of the φX174 lysis protein E on MraY activity. We also observe the massive upregulation of small heat shock proteins IbpA/B, along with other heat shock pathway chaperones, and speculate on how the specific characteristics of holdase protein activity may be beneficial for viral infections. Together, this study enables us to begin to understand the proteomic and transcriptomic host responses of E. coli to Microviridae infections and contributes insights to the activities of this important model host-phage interaction.

IMPORTANCE A major part of the healthy human gut microbiome is the Microviridae bacteriophage, exemplified by the model φX174 phage, and their E. coli hosts. Although much has been learned from studying φX174 over the last half-century, until this work, the E. coli host response to infection has never been investigated in detail. We reveal the proteomic and transcriptomic pathways differentially regulated during the φX174 infection cycle and uncover the details of a coordinated cellular response to membrane damage that results in increased lipoprotein processing and membrane trafficking, likely due to the phage antibiotic-like lysis protein. We also reveal that small heat shock proteins IbpA/B are massively upregulated during infection and that these holdase chaperones are highly conserved across the domains of life, indicating that reliance on them is likely widespread across viruses.

Are Hsp90 inhibitors good candidates against Covid-19?

Drug reposition, or repurposing, has become a promising strategy in therapeutics due to its advantages in several aspects of drug therapy. General drug development is expensive and can take more than 10 years to go through the designing, development, and necessary approval steps. However, established drugs have already overcome these steps and thus a potential candidate may be already available decreasing the risks and costs involved. Viruses invade cells, usually provoking biochemical changes, leading to tissue damage, alteration of normal physiological condition in organisms and can even result in death. Inside the cell, the virus finds the machinery necessary for its multiplication, as for instance the protein quality control system, which involves chaperones and Hsps (heat shock proteins) that, in addition to physiological functions, help in the stabilization of viral proteins. Recently, many inhibitors of Hsp90 have been developed as therapeutic strategies against diseases such as the Hsp90 inhibitors used in anticancer therapy. Several shreds of evidence indicate that these inhibitors can also be used as therapeutic strategies against viruses. Therefore, since a drug treatment for COVID-19 is urgently needed, this review aims to discuss the potential use of Hsp90 inhibitors in the treatment of this globally threatening disease.

Cold adaptation in the environmental bacterium Shewanella oneidensis is controlled by a J-domain co-chaperone protein network

DnaK (Hsp70) is a major ATP-dependent chaperone that functions with two co-chaperones, a J-domain protein (JDP) and a nucleotide exchange factor to maintain proteostasis in most organisms. Here, we show that the environmental bacterium Shewanella oneidensis possesses a previously uncharacterized short JDP, AtcJ, dedicated to cold adaptation and composed of a functional J-domain and a C-terminal extension of 21 amino acids. We showed that atcJ is the first gene of an operon encoding also AtcA, AtcB and AtcC, three proteins of unknown functions. Interestingly, we found that the absence of AtcJ, AtcB or AtcC leads to a dramatically reduced growth at low temperature. In addition, we demonstrated that AtcJ interacts via its C-terminal extension with AtcC, and that AtcC binds to AtcB. Therefore, we identified a previously uncharacterized protein network that involves the DnaK system with a dedicated JDP to allow bacteria to survive to cold environment.

Identification of GCC-box and TCC-box motifs in the promoters of differentially expressed genes in rice (Oryza sativa L.): Experimental and computational approaches

The transcription factor selectively binds with the cis-regulatory elements of the promoter and regulates the differential expression of genes. In this study, we aimed to identify and validate the presence of GCC-box and TCC-box motifs in the promoters of upregulated differentially expressed genes (UR-DEGs) and downregulated differentially expressed genes (DR-DEGs) under anoxia using molecular beacon probe (MBP) based real-time PCR. The GCC-box motif was detected in UR-DEGs (DnaJ and 60S ribosomal protein L7 genes), whereas, the TCC-box was detected in DR-DEGs (DnaK and CPuORF11 genes). In addition, the mechanism of interaction of AP2/EREBP family transcription factor (LOC_Os03g22170) with GCC-box promoter motif present in DnaJ gene (LOC_Os06g09560) and 60S ribosomal protein L7 gene (LOC_Os08g42920); and TCC-box promoter motif of DnaK gene (LOC_Os02g48110) and CPuORF11 gene (LOC_Os02g01240) were explored using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations analysis including binding free energy calculations, principal component analyses, and free energy landscapes. The binding free energy analysis revealed that AP2/EREBP model residues such as Arg68, Arg72, Arg83, Lys87, and Arg90 were commonly involved in the formation of hydrogen bonds with GCC and TCC-box promoter motifs, suggesting that these residues are critical for strong interaction. The movement of the entire protein bound to DNA was restricted, confirming the stability of the complex. This study provides comprehensive binding information and a more detailed view of the dynamic interaction between proteins and DNA.

Function, evolution, and structure of J-domain proteins

Hsp70 chaperone systems are very versatile machines present in nearly all living organisms and in nearly all intracellular compartments. They function in many fundamental processes through their facilitation of protein (re)folding, trafficking, remodeling, disaggregation, and degradation. Hsp70 machines are regulated by co-chaperones. J-domain containing proteins (JDPs) are the largest family of Hsp70 co-chaperones and play a determining role functionally specifying and directing Hsp70 functions. Many features of JDPs are not understood; however, a number of JDP experts gathered at a recent CSSI-sponsored workshop in Gdansk (Poland) to discuss various aspects of J-domain protein function, evolution, and structure. In this report, we present the main findings and the consensus reached to help direct future developments in the field of Hsp70 research.

BAH1 an E3 Ligase from Arabidopsis thaliana Stabilizes Heat Shock Factor σ32 of Escherichia coli by Interacting with DnaK/DnaJ Chaperone Team

In Escherichia coli, the DnaK/DnaJ chaperone can control the stability and activity of σ³², which is the key factor in heat shock response. Heterologous expression of eukaryotic molecular chaperones protects E. coli from heat stress. Here, we show that BAH1, an E3 ligase from plant that has a similar zinc finger domain to DnaJ, can perform block the effect of DnaK on σ³² in Escherichia coli. By constructing a chimeric DnaJ protein, with the J-domain of DnaJ fused to BAH1, we found BAH1 could partially compensate for the DnaJ' zinc finger domain in vivo, and that it was dependent on the zinc finger domain of BAH1. Furthermore, BAH1 could interact with both σ³² and DnaK to increase the level of HSPs, such as GroEL, DnaK, and σ³². These results suggested that the zinc finger domain was conserved during evolution.

Regulation of heat-shock genes in bacteria: from signal sensing to gene expression output

The heat-shock response is a mechanism of cellular protection against sudden adverse environmental growth conditions and results in the prompt production of various heat-shock proteins. In bacteria, specific sensory biomolecules sense temperature fluctuations and transduce intercellular signals that coordinate gene expression outputs. Sensory biomolecules, also known as thermosensors, include nucleic acids (DNA or RNA) and proteins. Once a stress signal is perceived, it is transduced to invoke specific molecular mechanisms controlling transcription of genes coding for heat-shock proteins. Transcriptional regulation of heat-shock genes can be under either positive or negative control mediated by dedicated regulatory proteins. Positive regulation exploits specific alternative sigma factors to redirect the RNA polymerase enzyme to a subset of selected promoters, while negative regulation is mediated by transcriptional repressors. Interestingly, while various bacteria adopt either exclusively positive or negative mechanisms, in some microorganisms these two opposite strategies coexist, establishing complex networks regulating heat-shock genes. Here, we comprehensively summarize molecular mechanisms that microorganisms have adopted to finely control transcription of heat-shock genes.

Plant E3 ligases ubiquitinate Escherichia coli σ32in vitro

Ubiquitin-like proteins (UBLs) are extremely well-conserved among eukaryotes and prokaryotes allowing interactions between proteins from different organisms. For example, the prokaryotic ubiquitin-like proteins (Pups) and the Proteasome accessory factor A (PafA) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis are sufficient to pupylate at least 51 Escherichia coli proteins. This work shows that the plant E3 ligases BnTR1 and AT1G02860 can ubiquitinate E. coli σ³², but not Hsp70 DnaK in vitro. Molecular biology and biochemical studies confirm that the RING finger domain of BnTR1 and AT1G02860 is essential for their function. These results suggest that the substrates of plant E3 ligases can be prokaryotic protein and therefore the plant ubiquitylation system may have evolved from prokaryote.

A novel plant E3 ligase stabilizes Escherichia coli heat shock factor σ32

The heat shock response is crucial for organisms against heat-damaged proteins and maintaining homeostasis at a high temperature. Heterologous expression of eukaryotic molecular chaperones protects Escherichia coli from heat stress. Here we report that expression of the plant E3 ligase BnTR1 significantly increases the thermotolerance of E. coli. Different from eukaryotic chaperones, BnTR1 expression induces the accumulation of heat shock factor σ³² and heat shock proteins. The active site of BnTR1 in E. coli is the zinc fingers of the RING domain, which interacts with DnaK resulting in stabilizing σ³². Our findings indicate the expression of BnTR1 confers thermoprotective effects on E. coli cells, and it may provide useful clues to engineer thermophilic bacterial strains.

Multilevel interaction of the DnaK/DnaJ(HSP70/HSP40) stress-responsive chaperone machine with the central metabolism

Networks of molecular chaperones maintain cellular protein homeostasis by acting at nearly every step in the biogenesis of proteins and protein complexes. Herein, we demonstrate that the major chaperone DnaK/HSP70 of the model bacterium Escherichia coli is critical for the proper functioning of the central metabolism and for the cellular response to carbon nutrition changes, either directly or indirectly via the control of the heat-shock response. We identified carbon sources whose utilization was positively or negatively affected by DnaK and isolated several central metabolism genes (among other genes identified in this work) that compensate for the lack of DnaK and/or DnaK/Trigger Factor chaperone functions in vivo. Using carbon sources with specific entry points coupled to NMR analyses of real-time carbon assimilation, metabolic coproducts production and flux rearrangements, we demonstrate that DnaK significantly impacts the hierarchical order of carbon sources utilization, the excretion of main coproducts and the distribution of metabolic fluxes, thus revealing a multilevel interaction of DnaK with the central metabolism.

Heat shock transcription factor δ³² is targeted for degradation via an ubiquitin-like protein ThiS in Escherichia coli

The posttranslational modification of proteins with ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like proteins (UBLs) plays an important role in eukaryote biology, through which substrate proteins are targeted for degradation by the proteasome. Prokaryotes have been thought to degrade proteins by an ubiquitin independent pathway. Here, we show that ThiS, an ubiquitin-like protein, is covalently attached to δ(32) and at least 27 other proteins, leading to their subsequent degradation by proteases, in a similar manner to the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) in eukaryotes. Molecular biology and biochemical studies confirm that specific lysine sites in δ(32) can be modified by ThiS. The results presented here establish a new model for δ(32) degradation and show that Escherichia coli uses a small-protein modifier to control protein stability.

YfgM is an ancillary subunit of the SecYEG translocon in Escherichia coli

Protein secretion in Gram-negative bacteria is essential for both cell viability and pathogenesis. The vast majority of secreted proteins exit the cytoplasm through a transmembrane conduit called the Sec translocon in a process that is facilitated by ancillary modules, such as SecA, SecDF-YajC, YidC, and PpiD. In this study we have characterized YfgM, a protein with no annotated function. We found it to be a novel ancillary subunit of the Sec translocon as it co-purifies with both PpiD and the SecYEG translocon after immunoprecipitation and blue native/SDS-PAGE. Phenotypic analyses of strains lacking yfgM suggest that its physiological role in the cell overlaps with the periplasmic chaperones SurA and Skp. We, therefore, propose a role for YfgM in mediating the trafficking of proteins from the Sec translocon to the periplasmic chaperone network that contains SurA, Skp, DegP, PpiD, and FkpA.