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Standke HG, Kim L, Owens CP. Purification and Biochemical Characterization of the DNA Binding Domain of the Nitrogenase Transcriptional Activator NifA from Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus. Protein J 2023; 42:802-810. [PMID: 37787923 PMCID: PMC10590331 DOI: 10.1007/s10930-023-10158-w] [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] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
NifA is a σ54 activator that turns on bacterial nitrogen fixation under reducing conditions and when fixed cellular nitrogen levels are low. The redox sensing mechanism in NifA is poorly understood. In α- and β-proteobacteria, redox sensing involves two pairs of Cys residues within and immediately following the protein's central AAA+ domain. In this work, we examine if an additional Cys pair that is part of a C(X)5 C motif and located immediately upstream of the DNA binding domain of NifA from the α-proteobacterium Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus (Gd) is involved in redox sensing. We hypothesize that the Cys residues' redox state may directly influence the DNA binding domain's DNA binding affinity and/or alter the protein's oligomeric sate. Two DNA binding domain constructs were generated, a longer construct (2C-DBD), consisting of the DNA binding domain with the upstream Cys pair, and a shorter construct (NC-DBD) that lacks the Cys pair. The Kd of NC-DBD for its cognate DNA sequence (nifH-UAS) is equal to 20.0 µM. The Kd of 2C-DBD for nifH-UAS when the Cys pair is oxidized is 34.5 µM. Reduction of the disulfide bond does not change the DNA binding affinity. Additional experiments indicate that the redox state of the Cys residues does not influence the secondary structure or oligomerization state of the NifA DNA binding domain. Together, these results demonstrate that the Cys pair upstream of the DNA binding domain of Gd-NifA does not regulate DNA binding or domain dimerization in a redox dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi G Standke
- Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, One University Drive, Orange, CA, 92866, USA
| | - Lois Kim
- Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, One University Drive, Orange, CA, 92866, USA
| | - Cedric P Owens
- Schmid College of Science and Technology, Chapman University, One University Drive, Orange, CA, 92866, USA.
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Stefanello AA, Oliveira MASD, Souza EM, Pedrosa FO, Chubatsu LS, Huergo LF, Dixon R, Monteiro RA. Regulation of Herbaspirillum seropedicae NifA by the GlnK PII signal transduction protein is mediated by effectors binding to allosteric sites. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2019; 1868:140348. [PMID: 31866507 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2019.140348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2019] [Revised: 11/19/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Herbaspirillum seropedicae is a plant growth promoting bacterium that is able to fix nitrogen and to colonize the surface and internal tissues of important crops. Nitrogen fixation in H. seropedicae is regulated at the transcriptional level by the prokaryotic enhancer binding protein NifA. The activity of NifA is negatively affected by oxygen and positively stimulated by interaction with GlnK, a PII signaling protein that monitors intracellular levels of the key metabolite 2-oxoglutarate (2-OG) and functions as an indirect sensor of the intracellular nitrogen status. GlnK is also subjected to a cycle of reversible uridylylation in response to intracellular levels of glutamine. Previous studies have established the role of the N-terminal GAF domain of NifA in intramolecular repression of NifA activity and the role of GlnK in relieving this inhibition under nitrogen-limiting conditions. However, the mechanism of this control of NifA activity is not fully understood. Here, we constructed a series of GlnK variants to elucidate the role of uridylylation and effector binding during the process of NifA activation. Our data support a model whereby GlnK uridylylation is not necessary to activate NifA. On the other hand, binding of 2-OG and MgATP to GlnK are very important for NifA activation and constitute the most important signal of cellular nitrogen status to NifA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriano Alves Stefanello
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Universidade Federal do Paraná, CEP 81530-900 Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | | | - Emanuel Maltempi Souza
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Universidade Federal do Paraná, CEP 81530-900 Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | - Fábio Oliveira Pedrosa
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Universidade Federal do Paraná, CEP 81530-900 Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | - Leda Satie Chubatsu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Universidade Federal do Paraná, CEP 81530-900 Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | - Luciano Fernandes Huergo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Universidade Federal do Paraná, CEP 81530-900 Curitiba, PR, Brazil; Setor Litoral, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Matinhos, PR, CEP 80060-000, Brazil
| | - Ray Dixon
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, John Innes Centre, NR4 7UH Norwich, UK
| | - Rose Adele Monteiro
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Universidade Federal do Paraná, CEP 81530-900 Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
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Sotomaior P, Araújo LM, Nishikawa CY, Huergo LF, Monteiro RA, Pedrosa FO, Chubatsu LS, Souza EM. Effect of ATP and 2-oxoglutarate on the in vitro interaction between the NifA GAF domain and the GlnB protein of Azospirillum brasilense. Braz J Med Biol Res 2012; 45:1135-40. [PMID: 22983183 PMCID: PMC3854208 DOI: 10.1590/s0100-879x2012007500146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2012] [Accepted: 08/27/2012] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Azospirillum brasilense is a diazotroph that associates with important agricultural crops and thus has potential to be a nitrogen biofertilizer. The A. brasilense transcription regulator NifA, which seems to be constitutively expressed, activates the transcription of nitrogen fixation genes. It has been suggested that the nitrogen status-signaling protein GlnB regulates NifA activity by direct interaction with the NifA N-terminal GAF domain, preventing the inhibitory effect of this domain under conditions of nitrogen fixation. In the present study, we show that an N-terminal truncated form of NifA no longer required GlnB for activity and lost regulation by ammonium. On the other hand, in trans co-expression of the N-terminal GAF domain inhibited the N-truncated protein in response to fixed nitrogen levels. We also used pull-down assays to show in vitro interaction between the purified N-terminal GAF domain of NifA and the GlnB protein. The results showed that A. brasilense GlnB interacts directly with the NifA N-terminal domain and this interaction is dependent on the presence of ATP and 2-oxoglutarate.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Sotomaior
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brasil
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