Probing the dynamic process of encapsulation in Escherichia coli GroEL

Characterization of Escherichia coli chaperonin GroEL as a ribonuclease

Chaperonins are evolutionarily conserved proteins that facilitate polypeptide assemblies. The most extensively studied chaperonin is GroEL, which plays a crucial role in Escherichia coli. In addition to its chaperone activity, the RNA cleavage activity of GroEL has also been proposed. However, direct evidence of GroEL as a ribonuclease (RNase) and its physiological significance has not been fully elucidated. Here, we characterized the role of GroEL in E. coli as an RNase distinct from RNase E/G activity using in vivo reporter assays, in vitro cleavage assays with varying reaction times, divalent ions, and 5' phosphorylation status. GroEL bound to single-stranded RNA at nanomolar concentrations. Functional analysis of GroEL chaperonin-defective mutants and segments identified specific regions, and the chaperone active status of GroEL is not a necessary factor for RNase activity. Additionally, RNase activity of GroEL was attenuated by co-overexpression with GroES. Finally, we characterized potential transcripts regulated by GroEL and the conserved RNase activity of GroEL in Shigella flexneri. Our findings indicate that GroEL is a novel post-transcriptional regulator in bacteria.

The versatile mutational "repertoire" of Escherichia coli GroEL, a multidomain chaperonin nanomachine

The bacterial chaperonins are highly sophisticated molecular nanomachines, controlled by the hydrolysis of ATP to dynamically trap and remove from the environment unstable protein molecules that are susceptible to denaturation and aggregation. Chaperonins also act to assist in the refolding of these unstable proteins, providing a means by which these proteins may return in active form to the complex environment of the cell. The Escherichia coli GroE chaperonin system is one of the largest protein supramolecular complexes known, whose quaternary structure is required for segregating aggregation-prone proteins. Over the course of more than two decades of research on GroE, it has become accepted that GroE, more specifically the GroEL subunit, is a "high-tolerance" molecular system, capable of accommodating numerous mutations, while retaining its molecular integrity. In some cases, a given site of mutation was revealed to be absolutely required for GroEL function, providing hints regarding the network of signals and triggers that propel this unique system. In other instances, however, a mutation has produced a more delicate response, altering only part of, or in some cases, only a single facet of, the molecular mechanism, and these mutants have often provided invaluable hints on the extent of the complexity underlying chaperonin-assisted protein folding. In this review, we highlight some examples of the latter type of GroEL mutants which compose the unique "mutational repertoire" of GroEL and touch upon the important clues that each mutant provided to the overall effort to elucidate the details of GroE action.