Suppressor mutations in ribosomal proteins and FliY restore Bacillus subtilis swarming motility in the absence of EF-P

YfmR is a translation factor that prevents ribosome stalling and cell death in the absence of EF-P

Protein synthesis is performed by the ribosome and a host of highly conserved elongation factors. Elongation factor P (EF-P) prevents ribosome stalling at difficult-to-translate sequences, such as polyproline tracts. In bacteria, phenotypes associated with efp deletion range from modest to lethal, suggesting that some species encode an additional translation factor that has similar function to EF-P. Here we identify YfmR as a translation factor that is essential in the absence of EF-P in Bacillus subtilis. YfmR is an ABCF ATPase that is closely related to both Uup and EttA, ABCFs that bind the ribosomal E-site and are conserved in more than 50% of bacterial genomes. We show that YfmR associates with actively translating ribosomes and that depleting YfmR from Δefp cells causes severe ribosome stalling at a polyproline tract in vivo. YfmR depletion from Δefp cells was lethal and caused reduced levels of actively translating ribosomes. Our results therefore identify YfmR as an important translation factor that is essential in B. subtilis in the absence of EF-P.

YfmR is a translation factor that prevents ribosome stalling and cell death in the absence of EF-P

Protein synthesis is performed by the ribosome and a host of highly conserved elongation factors. Elongation factor P (EF-P) prevents ribosome stalling at difficult-to-translate sequences, particularly polyproline tracts. In bacteria, phenotypes associated with efp deletion range from modest to lethal, suggesting that some species encode an additional translation factor that has similar function to EF-P. Here we identify YfmR as a translation factor that is essential in the absence of EF-P in B. subtilis. YfmR is an ABCF ATPase that is closely related to both Uup and EttA, ABCFs that bind the ribosomal E-site and are conserved in more than 50% of bacterial genomes. We show that YfmR associates with actively translating ribosomes and that depleting YfmR from Δefp cells causes severe ribosome stalling at a polyproline tract in vivo. YfmR depletion from Δefp cells was lethal, and caused reduced levels of actively translating ribosomes. Our results therefore identify YfmR as an important translation factor that is essential in B. subtilis in the absence of EF-P.

Elongation Factor P Is Important for Sporulation Initiation

The universally conserved protein elongation factor P (EF-P) facilitates translation at amino acids that form peptide bonds with low efficiency, particularly polyproline tracts. Despite its wide conservation, it is not essential in most bacteria and its physiological role remains unclear. Here, we show that EF-P affects the process of sporulation initiation in the bacterium Bacillus subtilis. We observe that the lack of EF-P delays expression of sporulation-specific genes. Using ribosome profiling, we observe that expression of spo0A, encoding a transcription factor that functions as the master regulator of sporulation, is lower in a Δefp strain than the wild type. Ectopic expression of Spo0A rescues the sporulation initiation phenotype, indicating that reduced spo0A expression explains the sporulation defect in Δefp cells. Since Spo0A is the earliest sporulation transcription factor, these data suggest that sporulation initiation can be delayed when protein synthesis is impaired. IMPORTANCE Elongation factor P (EF-P) is a universally conserved translation factor that prevents ribosome stalling at amino acids that form peptide bonds with low efficiency, particularly polyproline tracts. Phenotypes associated with EF-P deletion are pleiotropic, and the mechanistic basis underlying many of these phenotypes is unclear. Here, we show that the absence of EF-P affects the ability of B. subtilis to initiate sporulation by preventing normal expression of Spo0A, the key transcriptional regulator of this process. These data illustrate a mechanism that accounts for the sporulation delay and further suggest that cells are capable of sensing translation stress before committing to sporulation.

Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals the Role of tmRNA on Biofilm Formation in Bacillus subtilis

Bacillus strains are widely distributed in terrestrial and marine environments, and some of them are used as biocontrol organisms for their biofilm-formation ability. In Bacillus subtilis, biofilm formation is fine-tuned by a complex network, a clear understanding of which still requires study. In bacteria, tmRNA, encoded by the ssrA gene, catalyzes trans-translation that can rescue ribosomes stalled on mRNA transcripts lacking a functional stop codon. tmRNA also affects physiological bioprocesses in some bacteria. In this study, we constructed a ssrA mutant in B. subtilis and found that the biofilm formation in the ssrA mutant was largely impaired. Moreover, we isolated a biofilm-formation suppressor of ssrA, in which the biofilm formation was restored to a level even stronger than that in the wild type. We further performed RNAseq assays with the wild type, ssrA mutant, and suppressor of ssrA for comparisons of their transcriptomes. By analyzing the transcriptomic data, we predicted the possible functions of some differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the tmRNA regulation of biofilm formation in B. subtilis. Finally, we found that the overexpression of two DEGs, acoA and yhjR, could restore the biofilm formation in the ssrA mutant, indicating that AcoA and YhjR were immediate regulators involved in the tmRNA regulatory web controlling biofilm formation in B. subtilis. Our data can improve the knowledge about the molecular network involved in Bacillus biofilm formation and provide new targets for manipulation of Bacillus biofilms for future investigation.

Identification of Genes Required for Swarming Motility in Bacillus subtilis Using Transposon Mutagenesis and High-Throughput Sequencing (TnSeq)

Bacillus subtilis exhibits swarming motility, a flagellar-mediated form of surface motility. Here, we use transposon mutagenesis and sequencing (TnSeq) to perform a high-throughput screen for candidate genes required for swarming. The TnSeq approach identified all of the known genes required for flagellar biosynthesis and nearly all of the previously reported regulators that promote swarming. Moreover, we identified an additional 36 genes that improve swarming and validated them individually. Among these, two mutants with severe defects were recovered, including fliT, required for flagellar biosynthesis, and a gene of unknown function, yolB, whose defect could not be attributed to a lack of flagella. In addition to discovering additional genes required for B. subtilis swarming, our work validates TnSeq as a powerful approach for comprehensively identifying genes important for nonessential processes such as colony expansion on plates. IMPORTANCE In TnSeq, transposons are randomly inserted throughout the chromosome at a population level, but insertions that disrupt genes of essential function cause strains that carry them to fall out of the population and appear underrepresented at the sequence level. Here, we apply TnSeq to the nonessential phenotype of motility in B. subtilis and spatially select for cells proficient in swarming. We find that insertions in nearly all genes previously identified as required for swarming are underrepresented in TnSeq analysis, and we identify 36 additional genes that enhance swarming. We demonstrate that TnSeq is a powerful tool for the genetic analysis of motility and likely other nonlethal screens for which enrichment is strong.

Translation stalling proline motifs are enriched in slow-growing, thermophilic, and multicellular bacteria

Rapid bacterial growth depends on the speed at which ribosomes can translate mRNA into proteins. mRNAs that encode successive stretches of proline can cause ribosomes to stall, substantially reducing translation speed. Such stalling is especially detrimental for species that must grow and divide rapidly. Here, we focus on di-prolyl motifs (XXPPX) and ask whether their prevalence varies with growth rate. To find out we conducted a broad survey of such motifs in >3000 bacterial genomes across 35 phyla. Indeed, fast-growing species encode fewer motifs than slow-growing species, especially in highly expressed proteins. We also found many di-prolyl motifs within thermophiles, where prolines can help maintain proteome stability. Moreover, bacteria with complex, multicellular lifecycles also encode many di-prolyl motifs. This is especially evident in the slow-growing phylum Myxococcota. Bacteria in this phylum encode many serine-threonine kinases, and many di-prolyl motifs at potential phosphorylation sites within these kinases. Serine-threonine kinases are involved in cell signaling and help regulate developmental processes linked to multicellularity in the Myxococcota. Altogether, our observations suggest that weakened selection on translational rate, whether due to slow or thermophilic growth, may allow di-prolyl motifs to take on new roles in biological processes that are unrelated to translational rate.

De-novo designed β-lysine derivatives can both augment and diminish the proliferation rates of E. coli through the action of Elongation Factor P

An investigation into the effect of modified β -lysines on the growth rates of eubacterial cells is reported. It is shown that the effects observed are due to the post translational modification of Elongation Factor P (EFP) with these compounds catalysed by PoxA. PoxA was found to be remarkably promiscuous, which allowed the activity of a wide range of exogenous β -lysines to be examined. Two chain-elongated β -lysine derivatives which differ in aminoalkyl chain length by only 2 carbon units exhibited opposing biological activities - one promoting growth and the other retarding it. Both compounds were shown to operate through modification of EFP.

CwlQ Is Required for Swarming Motility but Not Flagellar Assembly in Bacillus subtilis

Lytic enzymes play an essential role in the remodeling of bacterial peptidoglycan (PG), an extracellular mesh-like structure that retains the membrane in the context of high internal osmotic pressure. Peptidoglycan must be unfailingly stable to preserve cell integrity, but must also be dynamically remodeled for the cell to grow, divide, and insert macromolecular machines. The flagellum is one such macromolecular machine that transits the PG, and flagellar insertion is aided by localized activity of a dedicated PG lyase in Gram-negative bacteria. To date, there is no known dedicated lyase in Gram-positive bacteria for the insertion of flagella. Here, we take a reverse-genetic candidate-gene approach and find that cells mutated for the lytic transglycosylase CwlQ exhibit a severe defect in flagellum-dependent swarming motility. We further show that CwlQ is expressed by the motility sigma factor SigD and is secreted by the type III secretion system housed inside the flagellum. Nonetheless, cells with mutations of CwlQ remain proficient for flagellar biosynthesis even when mutated in combination with four other lyases related to motility (LytC, LytD, LytF, and CwlO). The PG lyase (or lyases) essential for flagellar synthesis in B. subtilis, if any, remains unknown.IMPORTANCE Bacteria are surrounded by a wall of peptidoglycan and early work in Bacillus subtilis was the first to suggest that bacteria needed to enzymatically remodel the wall to permit insertion of the flagellum. No PG remodeling enzyme alone or in combination, however, has been found to be essential for flagellar assembly in B. subtilis Here, we take a reverse-genetic candidate-gene approach and find that the PG lytic transglycosylase CwlQ is required for swarming motility. Subsequent characterization determined that while CwlQ was coexpressed with motility genes and is secreted by the flagellar secretion apparatus, it was not required for flagellar synthesis. The PG lyase needed for flagellar assembly in B. subtilis remains unknown.

Translation elongation factor P (EF-P)

Translation elongation factor P (EF-P) is conserved in all three domains of life (called eIF5A and aIF5A in eukaryotes and archaea, respectively) and functions to alleviate ribosome pausing during the translation of specific sequences, including consecutive proline residues. EF-P was identified in 1975 as a factor that stimulated the peptidyltransferase reaction in vitro but its involvement in the translation of tandem proline residues was not uncovered until 2013. Throughout the four decades of EF-P research, perceptions of EF-P function have changed dramatically. In particular, while EF-P was thought to potentiate the formation of the first peptide bond in a protein, it is now broadly accepted to act throughout translation elongation. Further, EF-P was initially reported to be essential, but recent work has shown that the requirement of EF-P for growth is conditional. Finally, it is thought that post-translational modification of EF-P is strictly required for its function but recent studies suggest that EF-P modification may play a more nuanced role in EF-P activity. Here, we review the history of EF-P research, with an emphasis on its initial isolation and characterization as well as the discoveries that altered our perceptions of its function.

Elongation factor P is required for EIIGlc translation in Corynebacterium glutamicum due to an essential polyproline motif

Translating ribosomes require elongation factor P (EF-P) to incorporate consecutive prolines (XPPX) into nascent peptide chains. The proteome of Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC 13032 contains a total of 1,468 XPPX motifs, many of which are found in proteins involved in primary and secondary metabolism. We show here that synthesis of EII^Glc , the glucose-specific permease of the phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP): sugar phosphotransferase system (PTS) encoded by ptsG, is strongly dependent on EF-P, as an efp deletion mutant grows poorly on glucose as sole carbon source. The amount of EII^Glc is strongly reduced in this mutant, which consequently results in a lower rate of glucose uptake. Strikingly, the XPPX motif is essential for the activity of EII^Glc , and substitution of the prolines leads to inactivation of the protein. Finally, translation of GntR2, a transcriptional activator of ptsG, is also dependent on EF-P. However, its reduced amount in the efp mutant can be compensated for by other regulators. These results reveal for the first time a translational bottleneck involving production of the major glucose transporter EII^Glc , which has implications for future strain engineering strategies.