1
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Keshavam CC, Naz S, Gupta A, Sanyal P, Kochar M, Gangwal A, Sangwan N, Kumar N, Tyagi E, Goel S, Singh NK, Sowpati DT, Khare G, Ganguli M, Raze D, Locht C, Basu-Modak S, Gupta M, Nandicoori VK, Singh Y. The heparin-binding hemagglutinin protein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a nucleoid-associated protein. J Biol Chem 2023; 299:105364. [PMID: 37865319 PMCID: PMC10665949 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.105364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Nucleoid-associated proteins (NAPs) regulate multiple cellular processes such as gene expression, virulence, and dormancy throughout bacterial species. NAPs help in the survival and adaptation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) within the host. Fourteen NAPs have been identified in Escherichia coli; however, only seven NAPs are documented in Mtb. Given its complex lifestyle, it is reasonable to assume that Mtb would encode for more NAPs. Using bioinformatics tools and biochemical experiments, we have identified the heparin-binding hemagglutinin (HbhA) protein of Mtb as a novel sequence-independent DNA-binding protein which has previously been characterized as an adhesion molecule required for extrapulmonary dissemination. Deleting the carboxy-terminal domain of HbhA resulted in a complete loss of its DNA-binding activity. Atomic force microscopy showed HbhA-mediated architectural modulations in the DNA, which may play a regulatory role in transcription and genome organization. Our results showed that HbhA colocalizes with the nucleoid region of Mtb. Transcriptomics analyses of a hbhA KO strain revealed that it regulates the expression of ∼36% of total and ∼29% of essential genes. Deletion of hbhA resulted in the upregulation of ∼73% of all differentially expressed genes, belonging to multiple pathways suggesting it to be a global repressor. The results show that HbhA is a nonessential NAP regulating gene expression globally and acting as a plausible transcriptional repressor.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Saba Naz
- Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi, India; CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India
| | - Aanchal Gupta
- CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, New Delhi, India
| | - Priyadarshini Sanyal
- CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR- Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CSIR-CCMB) Campus, Hyderabad, India
| | - Manisha Kochar
- Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi, India; CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, New Delhi, India
| | | | - Nitika Sangwan
- Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Nishant Kumar
- Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Ekta Tyagi
- Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Simran Goel
- Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | | | | | - Garima Khare
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Delhi South Campus, New Delhi, India
| | - Munia Ganguli
- CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, New Delhi, India
| | - Dominique Raze
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019 - UMR9017 - CIIL - Centre for Infection and Immunity of Lille, Lille, France
| | - Camille Locht
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019 - UMR9017 - CIIL - Centre for Infection and Immunity of Lille, Lille, France
| | | | - Meetu Gupta
- CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, New Delhi, India.
| | - Vinay Kumar Nandicoori
- CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR- Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CSIR-CCMB) Campus, Hyderabad, India; National Institute of Immunology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi, India.
| | - Yogendra Singh
- Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi, India; Delhi School of Public Health, Institution of Eminence, University of Delhi, Delhi, India.
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2
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Thani AB. DNA supercoiling and regulation of intrinsic β-lactamase in pathogenic Escherichia coli. Arch Microbiol 2023; 205:385. [PMID: 37980630 DOI: 10.1007/s00203-023-03716-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Revised: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 11/21/2023]
Abstract
This review addresses the involvement of DNA supercoiling in the development of virulence and antibiotic profiles for uropathogenic Escherichia coli and the emergence of new pathotypes such as strain ST131 (serotype O25:H4). The mechanism suggests a role for topoisomerase enzymes and associated mutations in altering the chromosomal supercoiling state and introducing the required DNA twists for expression of intrinsic β-lactamase by ampC and certain virulence factors. In Escherichia coli, constitutive hyperexpression of intrinsic ampC is associated with specific mutations in the promoter and attenuator regions. However, many reports have documented the involvement of slow growth interventions in the expression of intrinsic resistance determinants. There is evidence that a stationary phase transcriptional switch protein, "BolA," is involved in the expression of the intrinsic ampC gene under starvation conditions. The process involves changes in the activity of the enzyme "gyrase," which leads to a change in the chromosomal DNA topology. Consequently, the DNA is relaxed, and the expression of the bolA gene is upregulated. The evolution of the extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli strain ST131 has demonstrated successful adaptability to various stress conditions and conferred compensatory mutations that endowed the microbe with resistance to fluoroquinolones and β-lactams. The results of this study provided new insights into the evidence for the influence of DNA topology in the expression of virulence genes and various determinants of antibiotic resistance (e.g., the intrinsic ampC gene) in Escherichia coli pathotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Bin Thani
- Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Bahrain, Zallaq, Kingdom of Bahrain.
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3
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Hueso-Gil A, Calles B, de Lorenzo V. In Vivo Sampling of Intracellular Heterogeneity of Pseudomonas putida Enables Multiobjective Optimization of Genetic Devices. ACS Synth Biol 2023; 12:1667-1676. [PMID: 37196337 PMCID: PMC10278179 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.3c00009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
The inner physicochemical heterogeneity of bacterial cells generates three-dimensional (3D)-dependent variations of resources for effective expression of given chromosomally located genes. This fact has been exploited for adjusting the most favorable parameters for implanting a complex device for optogenetic control of biofilm formation in the soil bacterium Pseudomonas putida. To this end, a DNA segment encoding a superactive variant of the Caulobacter crescendus diguanylate cyclase PleD expressed under the control of the cyanobacterial light-responsive CcaSR system was placed in a mini-Tn5 transposon vector and randomly inserted through the chromosome of wild-type and biofilm-deficient variants of P. putida lacking the wsp gene cluster. This operation delivered a collection of clones covering a whole range of biofilm-building capacities and dynamic ranges in response to green light. Since the phenotypic output of the device depends on a large number of parameters (multiple promoters, RNA stability, translational efficacy, metabolic precursors, protein folding, etc.), we argue that random chromosomal insertions enable sampling the intracellular milieu for an optimal set of resources that deliver a preset phenotypic specification. Results thus support the notion that the context dependency can be exploited as a tool for multiobjective optimization, rather than a foe to be suppressed in Synthetic Biology constructs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Belén Calles
- Systems Biology Department, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología-CSIC, Campus
de Cantoblanco, Madrid 28049, Spain
| | - Víctor de Lorenzo
- Systems Biology Department, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología-CSIC, Campus
de Cantoblanco, Madrid 28049, Spain
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4
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Dash S, Palma CSD, Baptista ISC, Almeida BLB, Bahrudeen MNM, Chauhan V, Jagadeesan R, Ribeiro AS. Alteration of DNA supercoiling serves as a trigger of short-term cold shock repressed genes of E. coli. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:8512-8528. [PMID: 35920318 PMCID: PMC9410904 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Cold shock adaptability is a key survival skill of gut bacteria of warm-blooded animals. Escherichia coli cold shock responses are controlled by a complex multi-gene, timely-ordered transcriptional program. We investigated its underlying mechanisms. Having identified short-term, cold shock repressed genes, we show that their responsiveness is unrelated to their transcription factors or global regulators, while their single-cell protein numbers' variability increases after cold shock. We hypothesized that some cold shock repressed genes could be triggered by high propensity for transcription locking due to changes in DNA supercoiling (likely due to DNA relaxation caused by an overall reduction in negative supercoiling). Concomitantly, we found that nearly half of cold shock repressed genes are also highly responsive to gyrase inhibition (albeit most genes responsive to gyrase inhibition are not cold shock responsive). Further, their response strengths to cold shock and gyrase inhibition correlate. Meanwhile, under cold shock, nucleoid density increases, and gyrases and nucleoid become more colocalized. Moreover, the cellular energy decreases, which may hinder positive supercoils resolution. Overall, we conclude that sensitivity to diminished negative supercoiling is a core feature of E. coli's short-term, cold shock transcriptional program, and could be used to regulate the temperature sensitivity of synthetic circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suchintak Dash
- Laboratory of Biosystem Dynamics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere 33520, Finland
| | - Cristina S D Palma
- Laboratory of Biosystem Dynamics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere 33520, Finland
| | - Ines S C Baptista
- Laboratory of Biosystem Dynamics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere 33520, Finland
| | - Bilena L B Almeida
- Laboratory of Biosystem Dynamics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere 33520, Finland
| | - Mohamed N M Bahrudeen
- Laboratory of Biosystem Dynamics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere 33520, Finland
| | - Vatsala Chauhan
- Laboratory of Biosystem Dynamics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere 33520, Finland
| | - Rahul Jagadeesan
- Laboratory of Biosystem Dynamics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere 33520, Finland
| | - Andre S Ribeiro
- Laboratory of Biosystem Dynamics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere 33520, Finland.,Center of Technology and Systems (CTS-Uninova), NOVA University of Lisbon 2829-516, Monte de Caparica, Portugal
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5
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Villain P, Catchpole R, Forterre P, Oberto J, da Cunha V, Basta T. Expanded dataset reveals the emergence and evolution of DNA gyrase in Archaea. Mol Biol Evol 2022; 39:6639447. [PMID: 35811376 PMCID: PMC9348778 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msac155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA gyrase is a type II topoisomerase with the unique capacity to introduce negative supercoiling in DNA. In bacteria, DNA gyrase has an essential role in the homeostatic regulation of supercoiling. While ubiquitous in bacteria, DNA gyrase was previously reported to have a patchy distribution in Archaea but its emergent function and evolutionary history in this domain of life remains elusive. In this study, we used phylogenomic approaches and an up-to date sequence dataset to establish global and archaea-specific phylogenies of DNA gyrases. The most parsimonious evolutionary scenario infers that DNA gyrase was introduced into the lineage leading to Euryarchaeal group II via a single horizontal gene transfer from a bacterial donor which we identified as an ancestor of Gracilicutes and/or Terrabacteria. The archaea-focused trees indicate that DNA gyrase spread from Euryarchaeal group II to some DPANN and Asgard lineages via rare horizontal gene transfers. The analysis of successful recent transfers suggests a requirement for syntropic or symbiotic/parasitic relationship between donor and recipient organisms. We further show that the ubiquitous archaeal Topoisomerase VI may have co-evolved with DNA gyrase to allow the division of labor in the management of topological constraints. Collectively, our study reveals the evolutionary history of DNA gyrase in Archaea and provides testable hypotheses to understand the prerequisites for successful establishment of DNA gyrase in a naive archaeon and the associated adaptations in the management of topological constraints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Villain
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Ryan Catchpole
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Patrick Forterre
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.,Archaeal Virology Unit, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Jacques Oberto
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Violette da Cunha
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Tamara Basta
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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6
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Aldawood E, Roberts IS. Regulation of Escherichia coli Group 2 Capsule Gene Expression: A Mini Review and Update. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:858767. [PMID: 35359738 PMCID: PMC8960920 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.858767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The expression of a group 2 capsule (K antigen), such as the K1 or K5 antigen, is a key virulence factor of Escherichia coli responsible for extra-intestinal infections. Capsule expression confers resistance to innate host defenses and plays a critical role in invasive disease. Capsule expression is temperature-dependent being expressed at 37°C but not at 20°C when outside the host. Group 2 capsule gene expression involves two convergent promoters PR1 and PR3, the regulation of which is critical to capsule expression. Temperature-dependent expression is controlled at transcriptional level directly by the binding of H-NS to PR1 and PR3 and indirectly through BipA with additional input from IHF and SlyA. More recently, other regulatory proteins, FNR, Fur, IHF, MprA, and LrhA, have been implicated in regulating capsule gene expression in response to other environmental stimuli and there is merging data for the growth phase-dependent regulation of the PR1 and PR3 promoters. The aim of the present Mini Review is to provide a unified update on the latest data on how the expression of group 2 capsules is regulated in response to a number of stimuli and the growth phase something that has not to date been addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esraa Aldawood
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Clinical Laboratory Science, Collage of Applied Medical Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ian S. Roberts
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Ian S. Roberts,
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7
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Shen L, Zhang S, Chen G. Regulated strategies of cold-adapted microorganisms in response to cold: a review. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 28:68006-68024. [PMID: 34648167 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-16843-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
There are a large number of active cold-adapted microorganisms in the perennial cold environment. Due to their high-efficiency and energy-saving catalytic properties, cold-adapted microorganisms have become valuable natural resources with potential in various biological fields. In this study, a series of cold response strategies for microorganisms were summarized. This mainly involves the regulation of cell membrane fluidity, synthesis of cold adaptation proteins, regulators and metabolic changes, energy supply, and reactive oxygen species. Also, the potential of biocatalysts produced by cold-adapted microorganisms including cold-active enzymes, ice-binding proteins, polyhydroxyalkanoates, and surfactants was introduced, which provided a guidance for expanding its application values. Overall, new insights were obtained on response strategies of microorganisms to cold environments in this review. This will deepen the understanding of the cold tolerance mechanism of cold-adapted microorganisms, thus promoting the establishment and application of low-temperature biotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijun Shen
- College of Life Sciences, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China
- Key Laboratory of Straw Biology and Utilization, The Ministry of Education, Changchun, China
| | - Sitong Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China.
- Key Laboratory of Straw Biology and Utilization, The Ministry of Education, Changchun, China.
| | - Guang Chen
- College of Life Sciences, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China.
- Key Laboratory of Straw Biology and Utilization, The Ministry of Education, Changchun, China.
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8
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Ghobadpour E, Kolb M, Ejtehadi MR, Everaers R. Monte Carlo simulation of a lattice model for the dynamics of randomly branching double-folded ring polymers. Phys Rev E 2021; 104:014501. [PMID: 34412203 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.104.014501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Supercoiled DNA, crumpled interphase chromosomes, and topologically constrained ring polymers often adopt treelike, double-folded, randomly branching configurations. Here we study an elastic lattice model for tightly double-folded ring polymers, which allows for the spontaneous creation and deletion of side branches coupled to a diffusive mass transport, which is local both in space and on the connectivity graph of the tree. We use Monte Carlo simulations to study systems falling into three different universality classes: ideal double-folded rings without excluded volume interactions, self-avoiding double-folded rings, and double-folded rings in the melt state. The observed static properties are in good agreement with exact results, simulations, and predictions of Flory theory for randomly branching polymers. For example, in the melt state rings adopt compact configurations and exhibit territorial behavior. In particular, we show that the emergent dynamics is in excellent agreement with a recent scaling theory and illustrate the qualitative differences with the familiar reptation dynamics of linear chains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elham Ghobadpour
- Université Grenoble Alpes, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), TIMC, F-38000 Grenoble, France.,School of Nano Science, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), 19395-5531, Tehran, Iran
| | - Max Kolb
- Université de Lyon, École Normale Supérieure (ENS) de Lyon, CNRS, Laboratoire de Physique and Centre Blaise Pascal de l'ENS de Lyon, F-69342 Lyon, France
| | | | - Ralf Everaers
- Université de Lyon, École Normale Supérieure (ENS) de Lyon, CNRS, Laboratoire de Physique and Centre Blaise Pascal de l'ENS de Lyon, F-69342 Lyon, France
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9
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Abstract
Bacterial protein synthesis rates have evolved to maintain preferred stoichiometries at striking precision, from the components of protein complexes to constituents of entire pathways. Setting relative protein production rates to be well within a factor of two requires concerted tuning of transcription, RNA turnover, and translation, allowing many potential regulatory strategies to achieve the preferred output. The last decade has seen a greatly expanded capacity for precise interrogation of each step of the central dogma genome-wide. Here, we summarize how these technologies have shaped the current understanding of diverse bacterial regulatory architectures underpinning stoichiometric protein synthesis. We focus on the emerging expanded view of bacterial operons, which encode diverse primary and secondary mRNA structures for tuning protein stoichiometry. Emphasis is placed on how quantitative tuning is achieved. We discuss the challenges and open questions in the application of quantitative, genome-wide methodologies to the problem of precise protein production. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Microbiology, Volume 75 is October 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- James C Taggart
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA; ,
| | - Jean-Benoît Lalanne
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA; , .,Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.,Current affiliation: Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA;
| | - Gene-Wei Li
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA; ,
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10
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Whelan MVX, Ardill L, Koide K, Nakajima C, Suzuki Y, Simpson JC, Ó Cróinín T. Acquisition of fluoroquinolone resistance leads to increased biofilm formation and pathogenicity in Campylobacter jejuni. Sci Rep 2019; 9:18216. [PMID: 31796849 PMCID: PMC6890674 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-54620-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2019] [Accepted: 10/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The World Health Organization has listed C. jejuni as one of 12 microorganisms on a global priority list for antibiotic resistance due to a rapid increase in strains resistant to fluoroquinolone antibiotics. This fluoroquinolone resistance is conferred through a single point mutation in the QRDR region within the gyrA gene known to be involved in DNA supercoiling. We have previously revealed that changes in DNA supercoilikng play a major role in the regulation of virulence in C. jejuni with relaxation of DNA supercoiling associated with increased attachment to and invasion of human epithelial cells. The aim of this study was to investigate whether fluoroquinolone resistant strains of C. jejuni displayed altered supercoiling associated phenotypes. A panel of fluoroquinolone resistant mutants were derived and shown to have a greater ability to form viable biofilms under aerobic conditions, invade epithelial cells and promote virulence in the Galleria mellonella model of infection. We thus report for the first time that fluoroquinolone resistance in C. jejuni is associated with an increase in virulence and the ability to form viable biofilms in oxygen rich environments. These altered phenotypes likely play a critical role in the continued increase in fluoroquinolone resistance observed for this important pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew V X Whelan
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Laura Ardill
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Kentaro Koide
- Division of Bioresources, Hokkaido University Research Center for Zoonosis Control, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Chie Nakajima
- Division of Bioresources, Hokkaido University Research Center for Zoonosis Control, Sapporo, Japan
- The Global Station for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University Global Institution for Collaborative Research and Education, Kita 20 Nishi 10, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Yasuhiko Suzuki
- Division of Bioresources, Hokkaido University Research Center for Zoonosis Control, Sapporo, Japan
- The Global Station for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University Global Institution for Collaborative Research and Education, Kita 20 Nishi 10, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Jeremy C Simpson
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
| | - Tadhg Ó Cróinín
- School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
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11
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Defez R, Valenti A, Andreozzi A, Romano S, Ciaramella M, Pesaresi P, Forlani S, Bianco C. New Insights into Structural and Functional Roles of Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA): Changes in DNA Topology and Gene Expression in Bacteria. Biomolecules 2019; 9:biom9100522. [PMID: 31547634 PMCID: PMC6843775 DOI: 10.3390/biom9100522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2019] [Revised: 09/18/2019] [Accepted: 09/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
: Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) is a major plant hormone that affects many cellular processes in plants, bacteria, yeast, and human cells through still unknown mechanisms. In this study, we demonstrated that the IAA-treatment of two unrelated bacteria, the Ensifer meliloti 1021 and Escherichia coli, harboring two different host range plasmids, influences the supercoiled state of the two plasmid DNAs in vivo. Results obtained from in vitro assays show that IAA interacts with DNA, leading to DNA conformational changes commonly induced by intercalating agents. We provide evidence that IAA inhibits the activity of the type IA topoisomerase, which regulates the DNA topological state in bacteria, through the relaxation of the negative supercoiled DNA. In addition, we demonstrate that the treatment of E. meliloti cells with IAA induces the expression of some genes, including the ones related to nitrogen fixation. In contrast, these genes were significantly repressed by the treatment with novobiocin, which reduces the DNA supercoiling in bacterial cells. Taking into account the overall results reported, we hypothesize that the IAA action and the DNA structure/function might be correlated and involved in the regulation of gene expression. This work points out that checking whether IAA influences the DNA topology under physiological conditions could be a useful strategy to clarify the mechanism of action of this hormone, not only in plants but also in other unrelated organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Defez
- Istituto di Bioscienze e BioRisorse, via P. Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy.
| | - Anna Valenti
- Istituto di Bioscienze e BioRisorse, via P. Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy.
| | - Anna Andreozzi
- Istituto di Bioscienze e BioRisorse, via P. Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy.
| | - Silvia Romano
- Istituto di Bioscienze e BioRisorse, via P. Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy.
| | - Maria Ciaramella
- Istituto di Bioscienze e BioRisorse, via P. Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy.
| | - Paolo Pesaresi
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy.
| | - Sara Forlani
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy.
| | - Carmen Bianco
- Istituto di Bioscienze e BioRisorse, via P. Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy.
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12
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NapA (Rv0430), a Novel Nucleoid-Associated Protein that Regulates a Virulence Operon in Mycobacterium tuberculosis in a Supercoiling-Dependent Manner. J Mol Biol 2019; 431:1576-1591. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2019.02.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2018] [Revised: 02/23/2019] [Accepted: 02/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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13
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Scholz SA, Diao R, Wolfe MB, Fivenson EM, Lin XN, Freddolino PL. High-Resolution Mapping of the Escherichia coli Chromosome Reveals Positions of High and Low Transcription. Cell Syst 2019; 8:212-225.e9. [PMID: 30904377 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2019.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2018] [Revised: 11/19/2018] [Accepted: 02/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies on targeted gene integrations in bacteria have demonstrated that chromosomal location can substantially affect a gene's expression level. However, these studies have only provided information on a small number of sites. To measure position effects on transcriptional propensity at high resolution across the genome, we built and analyzed a library of over 144,000 genome-integrated, standardized reporters in a single mixed population of Escherichia coli. We observed more than 20-fold variations in transcriptional propensity across the genome when the length of the chromosome was binned into broad 4 kbp regions; greater variability was observed over smaller regions. Our data reveal peaks of high transcriptional propensity centered on ribosomal RNA operons and core metabolic genes, while prophages and mobile genetic elements were enriched in less transcribable regions. In total, our work supports the hypothesis that E. coli has evolved gene-independent mechanisms for regulating expression from specific regions of its genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott A Scholz
- Cellular and Molecular Biology Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48103, USA
| | - Rucheng Diao
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48103, USA
| | - Michael B Wolfe
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48103, USA; Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48103, USA
| | - Elayne M Fivenson
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48103, USA
| | - Xiaoxia Nina Lin
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48103, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48103, USA.
| | - Peter L Freddolino
- Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48103, USA; Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48103, USA.
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14
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Oliveira SMD, Goncalves NSM, Kandavalli VK, Martins L, Neeli-Venkata R, Reyelt J, Fonseca JM, Lloyd-Price J, Kranz H, Ribeiro AS. Chromosome and plasmid-borne P LacO3O1 promoters differ in sensitivity to critically low temperatures. Sci Rep 2019; 9:4486. [PMID: 30872616 PMCID: PMC6418193 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-39618-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2018] [Accepted: 01/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Temperature shifts trigger genome-wide changes in Escherichia coli's gene expression. We studied if chromosome integration impacts on a gene's sensitivity to these shifts, by comparing the single-RNA production kinetics of a PLacO3O1 promoter, when chromosomally-integrated and when single-copy plasmid-borne. At suboptimal temperatures their induction range, fold change, and response to decreasing temperatures are similar. At critically low temperatures, the chromosome-integrated promoter becomes weaker and noisier. Dissection of its initiation kinetics reveals longer lasting states preceding open complex formation, suggesting enhanced supercoiling buildup. Measurements with Gyrase and Topoisomerase I inhibitors suggest hindrance to escape supercoiling buildup at low temperatures. Consistently, similar phenomena occur in energy-depleted cells by DNP at 30 °C. Transient, critically-low temperatures have no long-term consequences, as raising temperature quickly restores transcription rates. We conclude that the chromosomally-integrated PLacO3O1 has higher sensitivity to low temperatures, due to longer-lasting super-coiled states. A lesser active, chromosome-integrated native lac is shown to be insensitive to Gyrase overexpression, even at critically low temperatures, indicating that the rate of escaping positive supercoiling buildup is temperature and transcription rate dependent. A genome-wide analysis supports this, since cold-shock genes exhibit atypical supercoiling-sensitivities. This phenomenon might partially explain the temperature-sensitivity of some transcriptional programs of E. coli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel M D Oliveira
- Laboratory of Biosystem Dynamics and Multi-Scaled Biodata Analysis and Modelling Research Community, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Korkeakoulunkatu 7, 33720, Tampere, Finland
| | - Nadia S M Goncalves
- Laboratory of Biosystem Dynamics and Multi-Scaled Biodata Analysis and Modelling Research Community, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Korkeakoulunkatu 7, 33720, Tampere, Finland
| | - Vinodh K Kandavalli
- Laboratory of Biosystem Dynamics and Multi-Scaled Biodata Analysis and Modelling Research Community, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Korkeakoulunkatu 7, 33720, Tampere, Finland
| | - Leonardo Martins
- Laboratory of Biosystem Dynamics and Multi-Scaled Biodata Analysis and Modelling Research Community, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Korkeakoulunkatu 7, 33720, Tampere, Finland
- CA3 CTS/UNINOVA. Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Quinta da Torre, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal
| | - Ramakanth Neeli-Venkata
- Laboratory of Biosystem Dynamics and Multi-Scaled Biodata Analysis and Modelling Research Community, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Korkeakoulunkatu 7, 33720, Tampere, Finland
| | - Jan Reyelt
- Gene Bridges, Im Neuenheimer Feld 584, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jose M Fonseca
- CA3 CTS/UNINOVA. Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Quinta da Torre, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal
| | - Jason Lloyd-Price
- Biostatistics Department, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
| | - Harald Kranz
- Gene Bridges, Im Neuenheimer Feld 584, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Andre S Ribeiro
- Laboratory of Biosystem Dynamics and Multi-Scaled Biodata Analysis and Modelling Research Community, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Korkeakoulunkatu 7, 33720, Tampere, Finland.
- CA3 CTS/UNINOVA. Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Quinta da Torre, 2829-516, Caparica, Portugal.
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15
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Regulatory Effect of DNA Topoisomerase I on T3SS Activity, Antibiotic Susceptibility and Quorum- Sensing-Independent Pyocyanin Synthesis in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20051116. [PMID: 30841529 PMCID: PMC6429228 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20051116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2019] [Revised: 02/22/2019] [Accepted: 02/28/2019] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Topoisomerases are required for alleviating supercoiling of DNA during transcription and replication. Recent evidence suggests that supercoiling of bacterial DNA can affect bacterial pathogenicity. To understand the potential regulatory role of a topoisomerase I (TopA) in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, we investigated a previously isolated topA mutation using genetic approaches. We here report the effects of the altered topoisomerase in P. aeruginosa on type III secretion system, antibiotic susceptibility, biofilm initiation, and pyocyanin production. We found that topA was essential in P. aeruginosa, but a transposon mutant lacking the 13 amino acid residues at the C-terminal of the TopA and a mutant, named topA-RM, in which topA was split into three fragments were viable. The reduced T3SS expression in topA-RM seemed to be directly related to TopA functionality, but not to DNA supercoiling. The drastically increased pyocyanin production in the mutant was a result of up-regulation of the pyocyanin related genes, and the regulation was mediated through the transcriptional regulator PrtN, which is known to regulate bacteriocin. The well-established regulatory pathway, quorum sensing, was unexpectedly not involved in the increased pyocyanin synthesis. Our results demonstrated the unique roles of TopA in T3SS activity, antibiotic susceptibility, initial biofilm formation, and secondary metabolite production, and revealed previously unknown regulatory pathways.
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16
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Chatterjee R, Shreenivas MM, Sunil R, Chakravortty D. Enteropathogens: Tuning Their Gene Expression for Hassle-Free Survival. Front Microbiol 2019; 9:3303. [PMID: 30687282 PMCID: PMC6338047 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.03303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2018] [Accepted: 12/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Enteropathogenic bacteria have been the cause of the majority of foodborne illnesses. Much of the research has been focused on elucidating the mechanisms by which these pathogens evade the host immune system. One of the ways in which they achieve the successful establishment of a niche in the gut microenvironment and survive is by a chain of elegantly regulated gene expression patterns. Studies have shown that this process is very elaborate and is also regulated by several factors. Pathogens like, enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC), Salmonella Typhimurium, Shigellaflexneri, Yersinia sp. have been seen to employ various regulated gene expression strategies. These include toxin-antitoxin systems, quorum sensing systems, expression controlled by nucleoid-associated proteins (NAPs), several regulons and operons specific to these pathogens. In the following review, we have tried to discuss the common gene regulatory systems of enteropathogenic bacteria as well as pathogen-specific regulatory mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ritika Chatterjee
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India.,Division of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Meghanashree M Shreenivas
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India.,Division of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India.,Undergraduate Studies, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Rohith Sunil
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India.,Division of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India.,Undergraduate Studies, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Dipshikha Chakravortty
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India.,Division of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India.,Centre for Biosystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
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17
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Ricke SC, Dawoud TM, Kim SA, Park SH, Kwon YM. Salmonella Cold Stress Response: Mechanisms and Occurrence in Foods. ADVANCES IN APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY 2018; 104:1-38. [PMID: 30143250 DOI: 10.1016/bs.aambs.2018.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Since bacteria in foods often encounter various cold environments during food processing, such as chilling, cold chain distribution, and cold storage, lower temperatures can become a major stress environment for foodborne pathogens. Bacterial responses in stressful environments have been considered in the past, but now the importance of stress responses at the molecular level is becoming recognized. Documenting how bacterial changes occur at the molecular level may help to achieve the in-depth understanding of stress responses, to predict microbial fate when they encounter cold temperatures, and to design and develop more effective strategies to control pathogens in food for ensuring food safety. Microorganisms differ in responding to a sudden downshift in temperature and this, in turn, impacts their metabolic processes and can cause various structural modifications. In this review, the fundamental aspects of bacterial cold stress responses focused on cell membrane modification, DNA supercoiling modification, transcriptional and translational responses, cold-induced protein synthesis including CspA, CsdA, NusA, DnaA, RecA, RbfA, PNPase, KsgA, SrmB, trigger factors, and initiation factors are discussed. In this context, specific Salmonella responses to cold temperature including growth, injury, and survival and their physiological and genetic responses to cold environments with a focus on cross-protection, different gene expression levels, and virulence factors will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven C Ricke
- Cell and Molecular Biology Program, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, United States; Center for Food Safety, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, United States; Department of Food Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, United States.
| | - Turki M Dawoud
- Cell and Molecular Biology Program, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, United States; Center for Food Safety, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, United States; Department of Poultry Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, United States
| | - Sun Ae Kim
- Center for Food Safety, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, United States; Department of Food Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, United States; Department of Poultry Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, United States
| | - Si Hong Park
- Cell and Molecular Biology Program, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, United States; Center for Food Safety, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, United States; Department of Food Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, United States
| | - Young Min Kwon
- Cell and Molecular Biology Program, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, United States; Center for Food Safety, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, United States; Department of Poultry Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, United States
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18
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Chromosomal organization of transcription: in a nutshell. Curr Genet 2017; 64:555-565. [PMID: 29184972 DOI: 10.1007/s00294-017-0785-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2017] [Revised: 11/20/2017] [Accepted: 11/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Early studies of transcriptional regulation focused on individual gene promoters defined specific transcription factors as central agents of genetic control. However, recent genome-wide data propelled a different view by linking spatially organized gene expression patterns to chromosomal dynamics. Therefore, the major problem in contemporary molecular genetics concerned with transcriptional gene regulation is to establish a unifying model that reconciles these two views. This problem, situated at the interface of polymer physics and network theory, requires development of an integrative methodology. In this review, we discuss recent achievements in classical model organism E. coli and provide some novel insights gained from studies of a bacterial plant pathogen, D. dadantii. We consider DNA topology and the basal transcription machinery as key actors of regulation, in which activation of functionally relevant genes is coupled to and coordinated with the establishment of extended chromosomal domains of coherent transcription. We argue that the spatial organization of genome plays a fundamental role in its own regulation.
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19
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Genome-Wide Transcriptional Response to Varying RpoS Levels in Escherichia coli K-12. J Bacteriol 2017; 199:JB.00755-16. [PMID: 28115545 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00755-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2016] [Accepted: 01/12/2017] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The alternative sigma factor RpoS is a central regulator of many stress responses in Escherichia coli The level of functional RpoS differs depending on the stress. The effect of these differing concentrations of RpoS on global transcriptional responses remains unclear. We investigated the effect of RpoS concentration on the transcriptome during stationary phase in rich media. We found that 23% of genes in the E. coli genome are regulated by RpoS, and we identified many RpoS-transcribed genes and promoters. We observed three distinct classes of response to RpoS by genes in the regulon: genes whose expression changes linearly with increasing RpoS level, genes whose expression changes dramatically with the production of only a little RpoS ("sensitive" genes), and genes whose expression changes very little with the production of a little RpoS ("insensitive"). We show that sequences outside the core promoter region determine whether an RpoS-regulated gene is sensitive or insensitive. Moreover, we show that sensitive and insensitive genes are enriched for specific functional classes and that the sensitivity of a gene to RpoS corresponds to the timing of induction as cells enter stationary phase. Thus, promoter sensitivity to RpoS is a mechanism to coordinate specific cellular processes with growth phase and may also contribute to the diversity of stress responses directed by RpoS.IMPORTANCE The sigma factor RpoS is a global regulator that controls the response to many stresses in Escherichia coli Different stresses result in different levels of RpoS production, but the consequences of this variation are unknown. We describe how changing the level of RpoS does not influence all RpoS-regulated genes equally. The cause of this variation is likely the action of transcription factors that bind the promoters of the genes. We show that the sensitivity of a gene to RpoS levels explains the timing of expression as cells enter stationary phase and that genes with different RpoS sensitivities are enriched for specific functional groups. Thus, promoter sensitivity to RpoS is a mechanism that coordinates specific cellular processes in response to stresses.
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20
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Del Peso Santos T, Shingler V. Inter-sigmulon communication through topological promoter coupling. Nucleic Acids Res 2016; 44:9638-9649. [PMID: 27422872 PMCID: PMC5175336 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkw639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2016] [Revised: 07/01/2016] [Accepted: 07/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Divergent transcription from within bacterial intergenic regions frequently involves promoters dependent on alternative σ-factors. This is the case for the non-overlapping σ70- and σ54-dependent promoters that control production of the substrate-responsive regulator and enzymes for (methyl)phenol catabolism. Here, using an array of in vivo and in vitro assays, we identify transcription-driven supercoiling arising from the σ54-promoter as the mechanism underlying inter-promoter communication that results in stimulation of the activity of the σ70-promoter. The non-overlapping 'back-to-back' configuration of a powerful σ54-promoter and weak σ70-promoter within this system offers a previously unknown means of inter-sigmulon communication that renders the σ70-promoter subservient to signals that elicit σ54-dependent transcription without it possessing a cognate binding site for the σ54-RNA polymerase holoenzyme. This mode of control has the potential to be a prevalent, but hitherto unappreciated, mechanism by which bacteria adjust promoter activity to gain appropriate transcriptional control.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Victoria Shingler
- Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Umeå SE 90187, Sweden
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21
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Dorman CJ, Dorman MJ. DNA supercoiling is a fundamental regulatory principle in the control of bacterial gene expression. Biophys Rev 2016; 8:89-100. [PMID: 28510216 DOI: 10.1007/s12551-016-0238-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2016] [Accepted: 06/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Although it has become routine to consider DNA in terms of its role as a carrier of genetic information, it is also an important contributor to the control of gene expression. This regulatory principle arises from its structural properties. DNA is maintained in an underwound state in most bacterial cells and this has important implications both for DNA storage in the nucleoid and for the expression of genetic information. Underwinding of the DNA through reduction in its linking number potentially imparts energy to the duplex that is available to drive DNA transactions, such as transcription, replication and recombination. The topological state of DNA also influences its affinity for some DNA binding proteins, especially in DNA sequences that have a high A + T base content. The underwinding of DNA by the ATP-dependent topoisomerase DNA gyrase creates a continuum between metabolic flux, DNA topology and gene expression that underpins the global response of the genome to changes in the intracellular and external environments. These connections describe a fundamental and generalised mechanism affecting global gene expression that underlies the specific control of transcription operating through conventional transcription factors. This mechanism also provides a basal level of control for genes acquired by horizontal DNA transfer, assisting microbial evolution, including the evolution of pathogenic bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles J Dorman
- Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland.
| | - Matthew J Dorman
- Department of Genetics, Smurfit Institute of Genetics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland.,Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
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22
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Sinetova MA, Los DA. New insights in cyanobacterial cold stress responses: Genes, sensors, and molecular triggers. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2016; 1860:2391-2403. [PMID: 27422804 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2016.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2016] [Revised: 06/16/2016] [Accepted: 07/09/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cold stress strongly induces the expression of ~100 genes in cyanobacteria. Some of these genes are necessary to protect cellular functions by adjustment of membranes, as well as transcriptional and translational machineries. About a half of cold-induced genes are not functionally characterized. A part of cold-induced genes is under control of a two-component regulatory system, consisting of histidine kinase Hik33 and response regulator Rre26. The mechanism(s) that control another part of cold-inducible genes are still unknown. SCOPE OF REVIEW The aim of this review is to summarise the latest findings in cyanobacterial cold-stress responses including transcriptomics, cold sensing, and molecular triggers. MAJOR CONCLUSIONS A feedback loop between the membrane fluidity and transcription of genes for fatty acid desaturases operates via the transmembrane red-light-activated cold sensor Hik33, which perceives cold-induced membrane rigidification as a change in its thickness. The cold-induced kinase activity of Hik33 is facilitated by interaction with a small protein, Ssl3451 - the third contributor to a canonical two-component regulatory system, which may explain the ability of some cyanobacterial histidine kinases to interact with different response regulators under different stress conditions. Other regulatory systems that control cold-stress responses operate via Ser/Thr protein kinase, SpkE, and via temperature-dependent changes in DNA supercoiling. Transcriptomic analysis shows that universal triggers of stress responses are reactive oxygen species and changes in redox status of plastoquinone pool. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE Deeper understanding of molecular mechanisms of temperature sensing and regulation of cold-stress responses in photosynthetic cells provide a background for generation of cold-resistant crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria A Sinetova
- Institute of Plant Physiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Botanicheskaya Street 35, 127276 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Dmitry A Los
- Institute of Plant Physiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Botanicheskaya Street 35, 127276 Moscow, Russian Federation.
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23
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DNA supercoiling is a fundamental regulatory principle in the control of bacterial gene expression. Biophys Rev 2016; 8:209-220. [PMID: 28510224 DOI: 10.1007/s12551-016-0205-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2016] [Accepted: 06/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Although it has become routine to consider DNA in terms of its role as a carrier of genetic information, it is also an important contributor to the control of gene expression. This regulatory principle arises from its structural properties. DNA is maintained in an underwound state in most bacterial cells and this has important implications both for DNA storage in the nucleoid and for the expression of genetic information. Underwinding of the DNA through reduction in its linking number potentially imparts energy to the duplex that is available to drive DNA transactions, such as transcription, replication and recombination. The topological state of DNA also influences its affinity for some DNA binding proteins, especially in DNA sequences that have a high A + T base content. The underwinding of DNA by the ATP-dependent topoisomerase DNA gyrase creates a continuum between metabolic flux, DNA topology and gene expression that underpins the global response of the genome to changes in the intracellular and external environments. These connections describe a fundamental and generalised mechanism affecting global gene expression that underlies the specific control of transcription operating through conventional transcription factors. This mechanism also provides a basal level of control for genes acquired by horizontal DNA transfer, assisting microbial evolution, including the evolution of pathogenic bacteria.
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24
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Ahmed W, Menon S, Karthik PVDNB, Nagaraja V. Autoregulation of topoisomerase I expression by supercoiling sensitive transcription. Nucleic Acids Res 2015; 44:1541-52. [PMID: 26496944 PMCID: PMC4770202 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkv1088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2015] [Accepted: 10/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The opposing catalytic activities of topoisomerase I (TopoI/relaxase) and DNA gyrase (supercoiling enzyme) ensure homeostatic maintenance of bacterial chromosome supercoiling. Earlier studies in Escherichia coli suggested that the alteration in DNA supercoiling affects the DNA gyrase and TopoI expression. Although, the role of DNA elements around the promoters were proposed in regulation of gyrase, the molecular mechanism of supercoiling mediated control of TopoI expression is not yet understood. Here, we describe the regulation of TopoI expression from Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium smegmatis by a mechanism termed Supercoiling Sensitive Transcription (SST). In both the organisms, topoI promoter(s) exhibited reduced activity in response to chromosome relaxation suggesting that SST is intrinsic to topoI promoter(s). We elucidate the role of promoter architecture and high transcriptional activity of upstream genes in topoI regulation. Analysis of the promoter(s) revealed the presence of sub-optimal spacing between the -35 and -10 elements, rendering them supercoiling sensitive. Accordingly, upon chromosome relaxation, RNA polymerase occupancy was decreased on the topoI promoter region implicating the role of DNA topology in SST of topoI. We propose that negative supercoiling induced DNA twisting/writhing align the -35 and -10 elements to facilitate the optimal transcription of topoI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wareed Ahmed
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
| | - Shruti Menon
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
| | | | - Valakunja Nagaraja
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore, India
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25
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Ostrer L, Hamann BL, Khodursky A. Perturbed states of the bacterial chromosome: a thymineless death case study. Front Microbiol 2015; 6:363. [PMID: 25964781 PMCID: PMC4408854 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.00363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2015] [Accepted: 04/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatial patterns of transcriptional activity in the living genome of Escherichia coli represent one of the more peculiar aspects of the E. coli chromosome biology. Spatial transcriptional correlations can be observed throughout the chromosome, and their formation depends on the state of replication in the cell. The condition of thymine starvation leading to thymineless death (TLD) is at the "cross-roads" of replication and transcription. According to a current view, e.g., (Cagliero et al., 2014), one of the cellular objectives is to segregate the processes of transcription and replication in time and space. An ultimate segregation would take place when one process is inhibited and another is not, as it happens during thymine starvation, which results in numerous molecular and physiological abnormalities associated with TLD. One of such abnormalities is the loss of spatial correlations in the vicinity of the origin of replication. We review the transcriptional consequences of replication inhibition by thymine starvation in a context of the state of DNA template in the starved cells and opine about a possible significance of normal physiological coupling between the processes of replication and transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Arkady Khodursky
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, Biotechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
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26
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van der Valk RA, Vreede J, Crémazy F, Dame RT. Genomic Looping: A Key Principle of Chromatin Organization. J Mol Microbiol Biotechnol 2015; 24:344-59. [DOI: 10.1159/000368851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
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27
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Ahmed W, Menon S, Karthik PV, Nagaraja V. Reduction in DNA topoisomerase I level affects growth, phenotype and nucleoid architecture of Mycobacterium smegmatis. MICROBIOLOGY-SGM 2014; 161:341-353. [PMID: 25516959 DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.000014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The steady-state negative supercoiling of eubacterial genomes is maintained by the action of DNA topoisomerases. Topoisomerase distribution varies in different species of mycobacteria. While Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) contains a single type I (TopoI) and a single type II (Gyrase) enzyme, Mycobacterium smegmatis (Msm) and other members harbour additional relaxases. TopoI is essential for Mtb survival. However, the necessity of TopoI or other relaxases in Msm has not been investigated. To recognize the importance of TopoI for growth, physiology and gene expression of Msm, we have developed a conditional knock-down strain of TopoI in Msm. The TopoI-depleted strain exhibited extremely slow growth and drastic changes in phenotypic characteristics. The cessation of growth indicates the essential requirement of the enzyme for the organism in spite of having additional DNA relaxation enzymes in the cell. Notably, the imbalance in TopoI level led to the altered expression of topology modulatory proteins, resulting in a diffused nucleoid architecture. Proteomic and transcript analysis of the mutant indicated reduced expression of the genes involved in central metabolic pathways and core DNA transaction processes. RNA polymerase (RNAP) distribution on the transcription units was affected in the TopoI-depleted cells, suggesting global alteration in transcription. The study thus highlights the essential requirement of TopoI in the maintenance of cellular phenotype, growth characteristics and gene expression in mycobacteria. A decrease in TopoI level led to altered RNAP occupancy and impaired transcription elongation, causing severe downstream effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wareed Ahmed
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
| | - Shruti Menon
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
| | - Pullela V Karthik
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
| | - Valakunja Nagaraja
- Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore, India.,Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
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Benedetti F, Dorier J, Stasiak A. Effects of supercoiling on enhancer-promoter contacts. Nucleic Acids Res 2014; 42:10425-32. [PMID: 25123662 PMCID: PMC4176356 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gku759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Using Brownian dynamics simulations, we investigate here one of possible roles of supercoiling within topological domains constituting interphase chromosomes of higher eukaryotes. We analysed how supercoiling affects the interaction between enhancers and promoters that are located in the same or in neighbouring topological domains. We show here that enhancer–promoter affinity and supercoiling act synergistically in increasing the fraction of time during which enhancer and promoter stay in contact. This stabilizing effect of supercoiling only acts on enhancers and promoters located in the same topological domain. We propose that the primary role of recently observed supercoiling of topological domains in interphase chromosomes of higher eukaryotes is to assure that enhancers contact almost exclusively their cognate promoters located in the same topological domain and avoid contacts with very similar promoters but located in neighbouring topological domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabrizio Benedetti
- Center for Integrative Genomics, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, 1015-Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Julien Dorier
- Center for Integrative Genomics, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, 1015-Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Andrzej Stasiak
- Center for Integrative Genomics, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, 1015-Lausanne, Switzerland
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29
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Schröder W, Bernhardt J, Marincola G, Klein-Hitpass L, Herbig A, Krupp G, Nieselt K, Wolz C. Altering gene expression by aminocoumarins: the role of DNA supercoiling in Staphylococcus aureus. BMC Genomics 2014; 15:291. [PMID: 24734910 PMCID: PMC4023603 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-15-291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2013] [Accepted: 03/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background It has been shown previously that aminocoumarin antibiotics such as novobiocin lead to immediate downregulation of recA expression and thereby inhibit the SOS response, mutation frequency and recombination capacity in Staphylococcus aureus. Aminocoumarins function by inhibiting the ATPase activity of DNA gyrase subunit B with a severe impact on DNA supercoiling. Results Here, we have analysed the global impact of the DNA relaxing agent novobiocin on gene expression in S. aureus. Using a novobiocin-resistant mutant, it became evident that the change in recA expression is due to gyrase inhibition. Microarray analysis and northern blot hybridisation revealed that the expression levels of a distinct set of genes were increased (e.g., recF-gyrB-gyrA, the rib operon and the ure operon) or decreased (e.g., arlRS, recA, lukA, hlgC and fnbA) by novobiocin. The two-component ArlRS system was previously found to decrease the level of supercoiling in S. aureus. Thus, downregulation of arlRS might partially compensate for the relaxing effect of novobiocin. Global analysis and gene mapping of supercoiling-sensitive genes did not provide any indication that they are clustered in the genome. Promoter fusion assays confirmed that the responsiveness of a given gene is intrinsic to the promoter region but independent of the chromosomal location. Conclusions The results indicate that the molecular properties of a given promoter, rather than the chromosomal topology, dictate the responsiveness to changes in supercoiling in the pathogen Staphylococcus aureus.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Christiane Wolz
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, Elfriede-Aulhorn-Strasse 6, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
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Cameron ADS, Kröger C, Quinn HJ, Scally IK, Daly AJ, Kary SC, Dorman CJ. Transmission of an oxygen availability signal at the Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium fis promoter. PLoS One 2013; 8:e84382. [PMID: 24358360 PMCID: PMC3865300 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0084382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2013] [Accepted: 11/14/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The nucleoid-associated protein FIS is a global regulator of gene expression and chromosome structure in Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica. Despite the importance of FIS for infection and intracellular invasion, very little is known about the regulation of S. enterica fis expression. Under standard laboratory growth conditions, fis is highly expressed during rapid growth but is then silenced as growth slows. However, if cells are cultured in non-aerated conditions, fis expression is sustained during stationary phase. This led us to test whether the redox-sensing transcription factors ArcA and FNR regulate S. enterica fis. Deletion of FNR had no detectable effect, whereas deletion of ArcA had the unexpected effect of further elevating fis expression in stationary phase. ArcA required RpoS for induction of fis expression, suggesting that ArcA indirectly affects fis expression. Other putative regulators were found to play diverse roles: FIS acted directly as an auto-repressor (as expected), whereas CRP had little direct effect on fis expression. Deleting regions of the fis promoter led to the discovery of a novel anaerobically-induced transcription start site (Pfis-2) upstream of the primary transcription start site (Pfis-1). Promoter truncation also revealed that the shortest functional fis promoter was incapable of sustained expression. Moreover, fis expression was observed to correlate directly with DNA supercoiling in non-aerated conditions. Thus, the full-length S. enterica fis promoter region may act as a topological switch that is sensitive to stress-induced duplex destabilisation and up-regulates expression in non-aerated conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew D. S. Cameron
- Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, School of Genetics and Microbiology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Department of Biology, University of Regina, Regina, SK, Canada
| | - Carsten Kröger
- Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, School of Genetics and Microbiology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Heather J. Quinn
- Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, School of Genetics and Microbiology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Isobel K. Scally
- Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, School of Genetics and Microbiology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Anne J. Daly
- Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, School of Genetics and Microbiology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Stefani C. Kary
- Department of Biology, University of Regina, Regina, SK, Canada
| | - Charles J. Dorman
- Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, School of Genetics and Microbiology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- * E-mail:
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31
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Jin DJ, Cagliero C, Zhou YN. Role of RNA polymerase and transcription in the organization of the bacterial nucleoid. Chem Rev 2013; 113:8662-82. [PMID: 23941620 PMCID: PMC3830623 DOI: 10.1021/cr4001429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ding Jun Jin
- Transcription Control Section, Gene Regulation and Chromosome Biology Laboratory National Cancer Institute, NIH, P.O. Box B, Frederick, MD 21702
| | - Cedric Cagliero
- Transcription Control Section, Gene Regulation and Chromosome Biology Laboratory National Cancer Institute, NIH, P.O. Box B, Frederick, MD 21702
| | - Yan Ning Zhou
- Transcription Control Section, Gene Regulation and Chromosome Biology Laboratory National Cancer Institute, NIH, P.O. Box B, Frederick, MD 21702
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Kurth I, Georgescu RE, O'Donnell ME. A solution to release twisted DNA during chromosome replication by coupled DNA polymerases. Nature 2013; 496:119-22. [PMID: 23535600 PMCID: PMC3618558 DOI: 10.1038/nature11988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2012] [Accepted: 02/07/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Chromosomal replication machines contain coupled DNA polymerases that simultaneously replicate the leading and lagging strands1. However, coupled replication presents a largely unrecognized topological problem. Since DNA polymerase must travel a helical path during synthesis, the physical connection between leading and lagging strand polymerases causes the daughter strands to entwine, or produces extensive buildup of negative supercoils in the newly synthesized DNA2–4. How DNA polymerases maintain their connection during coupled replication despite these topological challenges is a mystery. Here, we examine the dynamics of the E. coli replisome, by ensemble and single-molecule methods that may solve this topological problem independent of topoisomerases. We find that the lagging strand polymerase frequently releases from an Okazaki fragment before completion, leaving single-strand gaps behind. Dissociation of the polymerase does not result in loss from the replisome due to its contact with the leading-strand polymerase. This behavior, referred to as “signal release”, had been thought to require a protein, possibly primase, to pry polymerase from incompletely extended DNA fragments5–7. However, we observe that signal release is independent of primase and does not appear to require a protein trigger at all. Instead, the lagging-strand polymerase is simply less processive in the context of a replisome. Interestingly, when the lagging-strand polymerase is supplied with primed DNA in trans, uncoupling it from the fork, high processivity is restored. Hence, we propose that coupled polymerases introduce topological changes, possibly by accumulation of superhelical tension in the newly synthesized DNA, that cause lower processivity and transient lagging-strand polymerase dissociation from DNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Kurth
- The Rockefeller University, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 1230 York Avenue, New York, New York 10065, USA
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33
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Brinza L, Calevro F, Charles H. Genomic analysis of the regulatory elements and links with intrinsic DNA structural properties in the shrunken genome of Buchnera. BMC Genomics 2013; 14:73. [PMID: 23375088 PMCID: PMC3571970 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-14-73] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2012] [Accepted: 01/23/2013] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Buchnera aphidicola is an obligate symbiotic bacterium, associated with most of the aphididae, whose genome has drastically shrunk during intracellular evolution. Gene regulation in Buchnera has been a matter of controversy in recent years as the combination of genomic information with the experimental results has been contradictory, refuting or arguing in favour of a functional and responsive transcription regulation in Buchnera. The goal of this study was to describe the gene transcription regulation capabilities of Buchnera based on the inventory of cis- and trans-regulators encoded in the genomes of five strains from different aphids (Acyrthosiphon pisum, Schizaphis graminum, Baizongia pistacea, Cinara cedri and Cinara tujafilina), as well as on the characterisation of some intrinsic structural properties of the DNA molecule in these bacteria. Results Interaction graph analysis shows that gene neighbourhoods are conserved between E. coli and Buchnera in structures called transcriptons, interactons and metabolons, indicating that selective pressures have acted on the evolution of transcriptional, protein-protein interaction and metabolic networks in Buchnera. The transcriptional regulatory network in Buchnera is composed of a few general DNA-topological regulators (Nucleoid Associated Proteins and topoisomerases), with the quasi-absence of any specific ones (except for multifunctional enzymes with a known gene expression regulatory role in Escherichia coli, such as AlaS, PepA and BolA, and the uncharacterized hypothetical regulators YchA and YrbA). The relative positioning of regulatory genes along the chromosome of Buchnera seems to have conserved its ancestral state, despite the genome erosion. Sigma-70 promoters with canonical thermodynamic sequence profiles were detected upstream of about 94% of the CDS of Buchnera in the different aphids. Based on Stress-Induced Duplex Destabilization (SIDD) measurements, unstable σ70 promoters were found specifically associated with the regulator and transporter genes. Conclusions This genomic analysis provides supporting evidence of a selection of functional regulatory structures and it has enabled us to propose hypotheses concerning possible links between these regulatory elements and the DNA-topology (i.e., supercoiling, curvature, flexibility and base-pair stability) in the regulation of gene expression in the shrunken genome of Buchnera.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lilia Brinza
- UMR203 BF2I, Biologie Fonctionnelle Insectes et Interactions, INSA-Lyon, INRA, Université de Lyon, Villeurbanne, France
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Abstract
Bacteria use a variety of mechanisms to direct RNA polymerase to specific promoters in order to activate transcription in response to growth signals or environmental cues. Activation can be due to factors that interact at specific promoters, thereby increasing transcription directed by these promoters. We examine the range of architectures found at activator-dependent promoters and outline the mechanisms by which input from different factors is integrated. Alternatively, activation can be due to factors that interact with RNA polymerase and change its preferences for target promoters. We summarize the different mechanistic options for activation that are focused directly on RNA polymerase.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Lee
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom.
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35
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Collier C, Machón C, Briggs GS, Smits WK, Soultanas P. Untwisting of the DNA helix stimulates the endonuclease activity of Bacillus subtilis Nth at AP sites. Nucleic Acids Res 2011; 40:739-50. [PMID: 21954439 PMCID: PMC3258159 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkr785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacterial nucleoid associated proteins play a variety of roles in genome maintenance and dynamics. Their involvement in genome packaging, DNA replication and transcription are well documented but it is still unclear whether they play any specific roles in genome repair. We discovered that untwisting of the DNA double helix by bacterial non-specific DNA binding proteins stimulates the activity of a repair endonuclease of the Nth/MutY family involved in abasic site removal during base excision repair. The essential Bacillus subtilis primosomal gene dnaD, coding for a protein with DNA-untwisting activity, is in the same operon with nth and the promoter activity of this operon is transiently stimulated by H(2)O(2). Consequently, dnaD mRNA levels persist high upon treatment with H(2)O(2) compared to the reduced mRNA levels of the other essential primosomal genes dnaB and dnaI, suggesting that DnaD may play an important role in DNA repair in addition to its essential role in replication initiation. Homologous Nth repair endonucleases are found in nearly all organisms, including humans. Our data have wider implications for DNA repair as they suggest that genome associated proteins that alter the superhelicity of the DNA indirectly facilitate base excision repair mediated by repair endonucleases of the Nth/MutY family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Collier
- Centre for Biomolecular Sciences, School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
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36
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Milstein JN, Meiners JC. On the role of DNA biomechanics in the regulation of gene expression. J R Soc Interface 2011; 8:1673-81. [PMID: 21865249 PMCID: PMC3203490 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2011.0371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA is traditionally seen as a linear sequence of instructions for cellular functions that are expressed through biochemical processes. Cellular DNA, however, is also organized as a complex hierarchical structure with a mosaic of mechanical features, and a growing body of evidence is now emerging to imply that these mechanical features are connected to genetic function. Mechanical tension, for instance, which must be felt by DNA within the heavily constrained and continually fluctuating cellular environment, can affect a number of regulatory processes implicating a role for biomechanics in gene expression complementary to that of biochemical regulation. In this article, we review evidence for such mechanical pathways of genetic regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- J N Milstein
- Departments of Physics and Biophysics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.
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Lillian TD, Taranova M, Wereszczynski J, Andricioaei I, Perkins NC. A multiscale dynamic model of DNA supercoil relaxation by topoisomerase IB. Biophys J 2011; 100:2016-23. [PMID: 21504738 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2011.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2010] [Revised: 03/04/2011] [Accepted: 03/14/2011] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, we report what we believe to be the first multiscale simulation of the dynamic relaxation of DNA supercoils by human topoisomerase IB (topo IB). We leverage our previous molecular dynamics calculations of the free energy landscape describing the interaction between a short DNA fragment and topo IB. Herein, this landscape is used to prescribe boundary conditions for a computational, elastodynamic continuum rod model of a long length of supercoiled DNA. The rod model, which accounts for the nonlinear bending, twisting, and electrostatic interaction of the (negatively charged) DNA backbone, is extended to include the hydrodynamic drag induced by the surrounding physiological buffer. Simulations for a 200-bp-long DNA supercoil in complex with topo IB reveal a relaxation timescale of ∼0.1-1.0 μs. The relaxation follows a sequence of cascading reductions in the supercoil linking number (Lk), twist (Tw), and writhe (Wr) that follow companion cascading reductions in the supercoil elastic and electrostatic energies. The novel (to our knowledge) multiscale modeling method may enable simulations of the entire experimental setup that measures DNA supercoiling and relaxation via single molecule magnetic trapping.
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Affiliation(s)
- Todd D Lillian
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, USA
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38
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Zhang W, Baseman JB. Transcriptional regulation of MG_149, an osmoinducible lipoprotein gene from Mycoplasma genitalium. Mol Microbiol 2011; 81:327-39. [PMID: 21692875 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2011.07717.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Transcriptional regulation remains poorly understood in Mycoplasma genitalium, the smallest self-replicating cell and the causative agent of a spectrum of urogenital diseases. Previously, we reported that MG_149, a lipoprotein-encoding gene, was highly induced under physiological hyperosmolarity conditions. In this study we further analysed MG_149 transcription with a focus on the identification of promoter elements and regulatory mechanisms. We established MG_149 as a genuine osmoinducible gene that exhibited the highest transcript abundance compared with other lipoprotein genes. Using genetic approaches, we demonstrated that the -10 region of the MG_149 promoter was essential for osmoinduction. Moreover, we showed that MG_149 osmoinduction was regulated by DNA supercoiling, as the presence of novobiocin decreased MG_149 expression in a dose-dependent manner. Taken together, these results indicate that DNA supercoiling participates in controlling MG_149 expression during in vivo-like conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenbo Zhang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229-3900, USA
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Fernández-Sierra M, Delgado-Martí V, Colón-García JE, Quiñones E. A method to estimate the elastic energy stored in braided DNA molecules using hydrodynamic equations. Chem Phys 2011; 383:50-55. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chemphys.2011.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Amaral L, Fanning S, Pagès JM. Efflux pumps of gram-negative bacteria: genetic responses to stress and the modulation of their activity by pH, inhibitors, and phenothiazines. ADVANCES IN ENZYMOLOGY AND RELATED AREAS OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2011; 77:61-108. [PMID: 21692367 DOI: 10.1002/9780470920541.ch2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Leonard Amaral
- Unit of Mycobacteriology, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
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41
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Cameron ADS, Stoebel DM, Dorman CJ. DNA supercoiling is differentially regulated by environmental factors and FIS in Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica. Mol Microbiol 2011; 80:85-101. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2011.07560.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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42
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Cahoon LA, Stohl EA, Seifert HS. The Neisseria gonorrhoeae photolyase orthologue phrB is required for proper DNA supercoiling but does not function in photo-reactivation. Mol Microbiol 2010; 79:729-42. [PMID: 21255115 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2010.07481.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Gc) is an obligate human pathogen and the causative agent of the sexually transmitted infection, gonorrhoea. Despite the fact that the gonococcus is not normally exposed to UV irradiation or visible light, the bacterium expresses a phrB orthologue, which in other organisms encodes a DNA photolyase that repairs UV-induced pyrimidine dimers with energy provided by visible light. We show that a Gc phrB mutant is not more sensitive to UV irradiation, independent of visible light exposure, and that the Gc phrB cannot complement an Escherichia coli phrB mutant strain. The Gc phrB mutant had a reduced colony size that was not a result of a growth defect and the mutant cells exhibited an altered morphology. Although the phrB mutant exhibited increased sensitivity to oxidative killing; it showed increased survival on media containing nalidixic acid or rifampicin, but did not have an increased mutation rate to these antibiotics or spectinomycin and kasugamycin. The Gc phrB mutant showed increased negative DNA supercoiling, but while the protein bound double-stranded DNA, it did not express topoisomerase activity. We conclude that the Gc PhrB has a previously unrecognized role in maintaining DNA supercoiling that is important for normal cell physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laty A Cahoon
- Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of Microbiology-Immunology, 303 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL 60611, USA
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43
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Los DA, Zorina A, Sinetova M, Kryazhov S, Mironov K, Zinchenko VV. Stress sensors and signal transducers in cyanobacteria. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2010; 10:2386-415. [PMID: 22294932 PMCID: PMC3264485 DOI: 10.3390/s100302386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2010] [Revised: 02/15/2010] [Accepted: 03/03/2010] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
In living cells, the perception of environmental stress and the subsequent transduction of stress signals are primary events in the acclimation to changes in the environment. Some molecular sensors and transducers of environmental stress cannot be identified by traditional and conventional methods. Based on genomic information, a systematic approach has been applied to the solution of this problem in cyanobacteria, involving mutagenesis of potential sensors and signal transducers in combination with DNA microarray analyses for the genome-wide expression of genes. Forty-five genes for the histidine kinases (Hiks), 12 genes for serine-threonine protein kinases (Spks), 42 genes for response regulators (Rres), seven genes for RNA polymerase sigma factors, and nearly 70 genes for transcription factors have been successfully inactivated by targeted mutagenesis in the unicellular cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Screening of mutant libraries by genome-wide DNA microarray analysis under various stress and non-stress conditions has allowed identification of proteins that perceive and transduce signals of environmental stress. Here we summarize recent progress in the identification of sensory and regulatory systems, including Hiks, Rres, Spks, sigma factors, transcription factors, and the role of genomic DNA supercoiling in the regulation of the responses of cyanobacterial cells to various types of stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dmitry A. Los
- Laboratory of Intracellular Regulation, Institute of Plant Physiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Botanicheskaya street 35, 127276, Moscow, Russia; E-Mails: (A.Z.); (M.S.); (K.M.)
| | - Anna Zorina
- Laboratory of Intracellular Regulation, Institute of Plant Physiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Botanicheskaya street 35, 127276, Moscow, Russia; E-Mails: (A.Z.); (M.S.); (K.M.)
| | - Maria Sinetova
- Laboratory of Intracellular Regulation, Institute of Plant Physiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Botanicheskaya street 35, 127276, Moscow, Russia; E-Mails: (A.Z.); (M.S.); (K.M.)
| | - Sergey Kryazhov
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biology, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia; E-Mails: (S.K.); (V.V.Z.)
| | - Kirill Mironov
- Laboratory of Intracellular Regulation, Institute of Plant Physiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Botanicheskaya street 35, 127276, Moscow, Russia; E-Mails: (A.Z.); (M.S.); (K.M.)
| | - Vladislav V. Zinchenko
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biology, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia; E-Mails: (S.K.); (V.V.Z.)
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Abstract
Emerging models of the bacterial nucleoid show that nucleoid-associated proteins (NAPs) and transcription contribute in combination to the dynamic nature of nucleoid structure. NAPs and other DNA-binding proteins that display gene-silencing and anti-silencing activities are emerging as key antagonistic regulators of nucleoid structure. Furthermore, it is becoming clear that the boundary between NAPs and conventional transcriptional regulators is quite blurred and that NAPs facilitate the evolution of novel gene regulatory circuits. Here, NAP biology is considered from the standpoints of both gene regulation and nucleoid structure.
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Rogers MT, Zimmerman R, Scott ME. Histone-like nucleoid-structuring protein represses transcription of the ehx operon carried by locus of enterocyte effacement-negative Shiga toxin-expressing Escherichia coli. Microb Pathog 2009; 47:202-11. [PMID: 19647061 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2009.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2009] [Revised: 07/21/2009] [Accepted: 07/27/2009] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are a significant cause of zoonotic foodborne diarrheal disease in industrialized nations. In addition to Shiga toxin most STEC produce the enterohemolysin (EhxA) toxin. The EhxA toxin is encoded by the ehxCABD operon located on the large plasmid carried by STEC, yet its role in pathogenesis is unknown. A histone-like nucleoid-structuring protein (H-NS) null mutant of STEC O91:H21 strain B2F1 displayed a hyper-hemolytic phenotype, was defective in binding to human colonic epithelial cells, and was non-motile. We concluded that H-NS modulated expression of several genes in B2F1 including the ehx operon. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays indicate that H-NS binds to an 88bp region of DNA upstream of the ehxC start codon. To determine if the same region of DNA was sensitive to repression by H-NS, a transcriptional fusion was constructed between the putative promoter region of ehx and a promoterless lacZ gene. The beta-galactosidase activity detected was low in E. coli that produced H-NS but was significantly higher in the H-NS null background. Taken together, the data indicates that in STEC the 88bp region upstream of the ehx operon contains a cis-acting element to which H-NS binds and negatively regulates expression of enterohemolysin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miles T Rogers
- Department of Biological Sciences, Western Michigan University, 1903W. Michigan Ave., Kalamazoo, MI 49071, USA
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Dorman CJ, Kane KA. DNA bridging and antibridging: a role for bacterial nucleoid-associated proteins in regulating the expression of laterally acquired genes. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2009; 33:587-92. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6976.2008.00155.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
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Dorman CJ. Global regulators and environmental adaptation in Gram-negative pathogens. Clin Microbiol Infect 2009; 15 Suppl 1:47-50. [PMID: 19220355 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-0691.2008.02684.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
A powerful combination of single-gene studies and whole genome approaches has provided a wealth of information about the regulatory circuits used by bacteria to adapt to the environmental changes that are encountered during infection. The facultative intracellular pathogen Salmonella enterica will be used to illustrate how global regulators such as the nucleoid-associated proteins Fis and H-NS collaborate with fluctuations in the superhelicity of the DNA template to modify the gene expression profile of the bacterial cell outside and inside the host.
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Affiliation(s)
- C J Dorman
- Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, UK.
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Forterre P, Gadelle D. Phylogenomics of DNA topoisomerases: their origin and putative roles in the emergence of modern organisms. Nucleic Acids Res 2009; 37:679-92. [PMID: 19208647 PMCID: PMC2647321 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkp032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Topoisomerases are essential enzymes that solve topological problems arising from the double-helical structure of DNA. As a consequence, one should have naively expected to find homologous topoisomerases in all cellular organisms, dating back to their last common ancestor. However, as observed for other enzymes working with DNA, this is not the case. Phylogenomics analyses indicate that different sets of topoisomerases were present in the most recent common ancestors of each of the three cellular domains of life (some of them being common to two or three domains), whereas other topoisomerases families or subfamilies were acquired in a particular domain, or even a particular lineage, by horizontal gene transfers. Interestingly, two groups of viruses encode topoisomerases that are only distantly related to their cellular counterparts. To explain these observations, we suggest that topoisomerases originated in an ancestral virosphere, and that various subfamilies were later on transferred independently to different ancient cellular lineages. We also proposed that topoisomerases have played a critical role in the origin of modern genomes and in the emergence of the three cellular domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Forterre
- Institut de Génétique et Microbiologie, Univ Paris-Sud, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France
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Abstract
The Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli and its close relative Salmonella enterica have made important contributions historically to our understanding of how bacteria control DNA supercoiling and of how supercoiling influences gene expression and vice versa. Now they are contributing again by providing examples where changes in DNA supercoiling affect the expression of virulence traits that are important for infectious disease. Available examples encompass both the earliest stages of pathogen–host interactions and the more intimate relationships in which the bacteria invade and proliferate within host cells. A key insight concerns the link between the physiological state of the bacterium and the activity of DNA gyrase, with downstream effects on the expression of genes with promoters that sense changes in DNA supercoiling. Thus the expression of virulence traits by a pathogen can be interpreted partly as a response to its own changing physiology. Knowledge of the molecular connections between physiology, DNA topology and gene expression offers new opportunities to fight infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles J Dorman
- Department of Microbiology, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, School of Genetics and Microbiology, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland.
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Abstract
The intracellular pathogen Chlamydia has an unusual developmental cycle marked by temporal expression patterns whose mechanisms of regulation are largely unknown. To examine if DNA topology can regulate chlamydial gene expression, we tested the in vitro activity of five chlamydial promoters at different superhelical densities. We demonstrated for the first time that individual chlamydial promoters show a differential response to changes in DNA supercoiling that correlates with the temporal expression pattern. The promoters for two midcycle genes, ompA and pgk, were responsive to alterations in supercoiling, and promoter activity could be regulated more than eightfold. In contrast, the promoters for three late transcripts, omcAB, hctA, and ltuB, were relatively insensitive to supercoiling, with promoter activity varying by no more than 2.2-fold over a range of superhelicities. To obtain a measure of how DNA supercoiling levels vary during the chlamydial developmental cycle, we recovered the cryptic chlamydial plasmid at different times after infection and assayed its superhelical density. The chlamydial plasmid was most negatively supercoiled at midcycle, with an approximate superhelical density of -0.07. At early and late times, the plasmid was more relaxed, with an approximate superhelicity of -0.03. Thus, we found a correlation between the responsiveness to supercoiling shown by the two midcycle promoters and the increased level of negative supercoiling during mid time points in the developmental cycle. Our results support a model in which the response of individual promoters to alterations in DNA supercoiling can provide a mechanism for global patterns of temporal gene expression in Chlamydia.
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