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Löckener I, Behrmann LV, Reuter J, Schiefer A, Klöckner A, Krannich S, Otten C, Mölleken K, Ichikawa S, Hoerauf A, Schneider T, Pfarr KM, Henrichfreise B. The MraY Inhibitor Muraymycin D2 and Its Derivatives Induce Enlarged Cells in Obligate Intracellular Chlamydia and Wolbachia and Break the Persistence Phenotype in Chlamydia. Antibiotics (Basel) 2024; 13:421. [PMID: 38786149 PMCID: PMC11117252 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics13050421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2024] [Revised: 04/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Chlamydial infections and diseases caused by filarial nematodes are global health concerns. However, treatment presents challenges due to treatment failures potentially caused by persisting Chlamydia and long regimens against filarial infections accompanied by low compliance. A new treatment strategy could be the targeting of the reduced peptidoglycan structures involved in cell division in the obligate intracellular bacteria Chlamydia and Wolbachia, the latter being obligate endosymbionts supporting filarial development, growth, and survival. Here, cell culture experiments with C. trachomatis and Wolbachia showed that the nucleoside antibiotics muraymycin and carbacaprazamycin interfere with bacterial cell division and induce enlarged, aberrant cells resembling the penicillin-induced persistence phenotype in Chlamydia. Enzymatic inhibition experiments with purified C. pneumoniae MraY revealed that muraymycin derivatives abolish the synthesis of the peptidoglycan precursor lipid I. Comparative in silico analyses of chlamydial and wolbachial MraY with the corresponding well-characterized enzyme in Aquifex aeolicus revealed a high degree of conservation, providing evidence for a similar mode of inhibition. Muraymycin D2 treatment eradicated persisting non-dividing C. trachomatis cells from an established penicillin-induced persistent infection. This finding indicates that nucleoside antibiotics may have additional properties that can break bacterial persistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris Löckener
- Institute for Pharmaceutical Microbiology (IPM), University of Bonn, University Hospital Bonn, Meckenheimer Allee 168, 53115 Bonn, Germany (C.O.); (B.H.)
| | - Lara Vanessa Behrmann
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP), University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany; (L.V.B.)
| | - Jula Reuter
- Institute for Pharmaceutical Microbiology (IPM), University of Bonn, University Hospital Bonn, Meckenheimer Allee 168, 53115 Bonn, Germany (C.O.); (B.H.)
| | - Andrea Schiefer
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP), University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany; (L.V.B.)
| | - Anna Klöckner
- Institute for Pharmaceutical Microbiology (IPM), University of Bonn, University Hospital Bonn, Meckenheimer Allee 168, 53115 Bonn, Germany (C.O.); (B.H.)
| | - Sebastian Krannich
- Institute for Pharmaceutical Microbiology (IPM), University of Bonn, University Hospital Bonn, Meckenheimer Allee 168, 53115 Bonn, Germany (C.O.); (B.H.)
| | - Christian Otten
- Institute for Pharmaceutical Microbiology (IPM), University of Bonn, University Hospital Bonn, Meckenheimer Allee 168, 53115 Bonn, Germany (C.O.); (B.H.)
| | - Katja Mölleken
- Institute for Functional Microbial Genomics, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany;
| | - Satoshi Ichikawa
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, Kita-12, Nishi-6, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan
| | - Achim Hoerauf
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP), University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany; (L.V.B.)
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Bonn-Cologne, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Tanja Schneider
- Institute for Pharmaceutical Microbiology (IPM), University of Bonn, University Hospital Bonn, Meckenheimer Allee 168, 53115 Bonn, Germany (C.O.); (B.H.)
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Bonn-Cologne, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Kenneth M. Pfarr
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP), University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany; (L.V.B.)
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Bonn-Cologne, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Beate Henrichfreise
- Institute for Pharmaceutical Microbiology (IPM), University of Bonn, University Hospital Bonn, Meckenheimer Allee 168, 53115 Bonn, Germany (C.O.); (B.H.)
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Tian S, Zhao G, Lv G, Wu C, Su R, Wang F, Wang Z, Liu Y, Chen N, Li Y. Efficient Fermentative Production of d-Alanine and Other d-Amino Acids by Metabolically Engineered Corynebacterium glutamicum. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2024; 72:8039-8051. [PMID: 38545740 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.4c00914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
d-Amino acids (d-AAs) have wide applications in industries such as pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetics due to their unique properties. Currently, the production of d-AAs has relied on chemical synthesis or enzyme catalysts, and it is challenging to produce d-AAs via direct fermentation from glucose. We observed that Corynebacterium glutamicum exhibits a remarkable tolerance to high concentrations of d-Ala, a crucial characteristic for establishing a successful fermentation process. By optimizing meso-diaminopilmelate dehydrogenases in different C. glutamicum strains and successively deleting l-Ala biosynthetic pathways, we developed an efficient d-Ala fermentation system. The d-Ala titer was enhanced through systems metabolic engineering, which involved strengthening glucose assimilation and pyruvate supply, reducing the formation of organic acid byproducts, and attenuating the TCA cycle. During fermentation in a 5-L bioreactor, a significant accumulation of l-Ala was observed in the broth, which was subsequently diminished by introducing an l-amino acid deaminase. Ultimately, the engineered strain DA-11 produced 85 g/L d-Ala with a yield of 0.30 g/g glucose, accompanied by an optical purity exceeding 99%. The fermentation platform has the potential to be extended for the synthesis of other d-AAs, as demonstrated by the production of d-Val and d-Glu.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siyu Tian
- College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, No. 29, 13th Avenue, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Guihong Zhao
- College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, No. 29, 13th Avenue, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Gengcheng Lv
- College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, No. 29, 13th Avenue, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Chen Wu
- College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, No. 29, 13th Avenue, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Rui Su
- College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, No. 29, 13th Avenue, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Feiao Wang
- College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, No. 29, 13th Avenue, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Zeting Wang
- College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, No. 29, 13th Avenue, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Yuexiang Liu
- College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, No. 29, 13th Avenue, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Ning Chen
- College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, No. 29, 13th Avenue, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, No. 29, 13th Avenue, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Yanjun Li
- College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, No. 29, 13th Avenue, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, No. 29, 13th Avenue, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China
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Peñalver M, Paradela A, Palacios-Cuéllar C, Pucciarelli MG, García-Del Portillo F. Experimental evidence of d-glutamate racemase activity in the uncultivated bacterium Candidatus Saccharimonas aalborgensis. Environ Microbiol 2024; 26:e16621. [PMID: 38558504 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
The Candidate Phyla Radiation (CPR) encompasses widespread uncultivated bacteria with reduced genomes and limited metabolic capacities. Most CPR bacteria lack the minimal set of enzymes required for peptidoglycan (PG) synthesis, leaving it unclear how these bacteria produce this essential envelope component. In this study, we analysed the distribution of d-amino acid racemases that produce the universal PG components d-glutamate (d-Glu) or d-alanine (d-Ala). We also examined moonlighting enzymes that synthesize d-Glu or d-Ala. Unlike other phyla in the domain Bacteria, CPR bacteria do not exhibit these moonlighting activities and have, at most, one gene encoding either a Glu or Ala racemase. One of these 'orphan' racemases is a predicted Glu racemase (MurICPR) from the CPR bacterium Candidatus Saccharimonas aalborgenesis. The expression of MurICPR restores the growth of a Salmonella d-Glu auxotroph lacking its endogenous racemase and results in the substitution of l-Ala by serine as the first residue in a fraction of the PG stem peptides. In vitro, MurICPR exclusively racemizes Glu as a substrate. Therefore, Ca. Saccharimonas aalborgensis may couple Glu racemization to serine and d-Glu incorporation into the stem peptide. Our findings provide the first insights into the synthesis of PG by an uncultivated environmental bacterium and illustrate how to experimentally test enzymatic activities from CPR bacteria related to PG metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcos Peñalver
- Laboratory of Intracellular Bacterial Pathogens, National Centre for Biotechnology (CNB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
- Department of Molecular Biology, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Biologia Molecular Severo Ochoa (CBM), CSIC-UAM, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alberto Paradela
- Proteomics Facility, National Centre for Biotechnology (CNB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - César Palacios-Cuéllar
- Laboratory of Intracellular Bacterial Pathogens, National Centre for Biotechnology (CNB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - M Graciela Pucciarelli
- Laboratory of Intracellular Bacterial Pathogens, National Centre for Biotechnology (CNB-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
- Department of Molecular Biology, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Biologia Molecular Severo Ochoa (CBM), CSIC-UAM, Madrid, Spain
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Reuter J, Otten C, Jacquier N, Lee J, Mengin-Lecreulx D, Löckener I, Kluj R, Mayer C, Corona F, Dannenberg J, Aeby S, Bühl H, Greub G, Vollmer W, Ouellette SP, Schneider T, Henrichfreise B. An NlpC/P60 protein catalyzes a key step in peptidoglycan recycling at the intersection of energy recovery, cell division and immune evasion in the intracellular pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011047. [PMID: 36730465 PMCID: PMC9928106 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The obligate intracellular Chlamydiaceae do not need to resist osmotic challenges and thus lost their cell wall in the course of evolution. Nevertheless, these pathogens maintain a rudimentary peptidoglycan machinery for cell division. They build a transient peptidoglycan ring, which is remodeled during the process of cell division and degraded afterwards. Uncontrolled degradation of peptidoglycan poses risks to the chlamydial cell, as essential building blocks might get lost or trigger host immune response upon release into the host cell. Here, we provide evidence that a primordial enzyme class prevents energy intensive de novo synthesis and uncontrolled release of immunogenic peptidoglycan subunits in Chlamydia trachomatis. Our data indicate that the homolog of a Bacillus NlpC/P60 protein is widely conserved among Chlamydiales. We show that the enzyme is tailored to hydrolyze peptidoglycan-derived peptides, does not interfere with peptidoglycan precursor biosynthesis, and is targeted by cysteine protease inhibitors in vitro and in cell culture. The peptidase plays a key role in the underexplored process of chlamydial peptidoglycan recycling. Our study suggests that chlamydiae orchestrate a closed-loop system of peptidoglycan ring biosynthesis, remodeling, and recycling to support cell division and maintain long-term residence inside the host. Operating at the intersection of energy recovery, cell division and immune evasion, the peptidoglycan recycling NlpC/P60 peptidase could be a promising target for the development of drugs that combine features of classical antibiotics and anti-virulence drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jula Reuter
- Institute for Pharmaceutical Microbiology, University Hospital Bonn, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Christian Otten
- Institute for Pharmaceutical Microbiology, University Hospital Bonn, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Nicolas Jacquier
- Institute of Microbiology, University Hospital Center and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Junghoon Lee
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Dominique Mengin-Lecreulx
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Iris Löckener
- Institute for Pharmaceutical Microbiology, University Hospital Bonn, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Robert Kluj
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Organismic Interactions/Glycobiology, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Christoph Mayer
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Organismic Interactions/Glycobiology, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Federico Corona
- Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology, Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Julia Dannenberg
- Institute for Pharmaceutical Microbiology, University Hospital Bonn, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Sébastien Aeby
- Institute of Microbiology, University Hospital Center and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Henrike Bühl
- Institute for Pharmaceutical Microbiology, University Hospital Bonn, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Gilbert Greub
- Institute of Microbiology, University Hospital Center and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Waldemar Vollmer
- Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology, Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Scot P. Ouellette
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Tanja Schneider
- Institute for Pharmaceutical Microbiology, University Hospital Bonn, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Beate Henrichfreise
- Institute for Pharmaceutical Microbiology, University Hospital Bonn, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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Panda S, Swain SK, Sahu BP, Sarangi R. Gene expression and involvement of signaling pathways during host-pathogen interplay in Orientia tsutsugamushi infection. 3 Biotech 2022; 12:180. [PMID: 35860421 PMCID: PMC9295102 DOI: 10.1007/s13205-022-03239-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Scrub typhus is a neglected tropical disease that affects one-third of the world’s population. The disease is caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi (OT), an obligate intracellular Gram-negative bacterium. OT efficiently escapes from the endosomal pathway after entering the host cell and replicates inside cytosol. OT infection promotes cellular autophagy, the autonomous defense mechanism unlike other bacteria. This study has discussed the bacterial invasion process through the extracellular matrix and the immune response activated by the bacterium within the hosts. Furthermore, we have emphasized the importance of extracellular matrix and their cross-talk with the immune cells, such as, macrophages, neutrophils, and dendritic cells followed by their inflammatory response. We have also put an insight into the host factors associated with signaling pathways during scrub typhus disease with a special focus on the OT-induced stress response, autophagy, apoptosis, and innate immunity. Multiple cytokines and chemokines play a significant role in activating different immune-related signaling pathways. Due to the presence of high antigenic diversity among strains, the signaling pathways during the host–pathogen interplay of OT with its host is very complicated. Thus, it hinders to mitigate the severity of the pandemic occurred by the respective pathogen. Our investigation will provide a useful guide to better understand the virulence and physiology of this intracellular pathogen which will lead towards a better therapeutic diagnosis and vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Subhasmita Panda
- Department of Pediatrics, IMS and SUM Hospital, Siksha 'O' Anusandhan Deemed to be University, K8, Kalinga Nagar, Bhubaneswar, Odisha 751003 India
| | - Subrat Kumar Swain
- Centre for Genomics and Biomedical Informatics, IMS and SUM Hospital, Siksha 'O' Anusandhan Deemed to be University, K8, Kalinga Nagar, Bhubaneswar, Odisha 751003 India
| | - Basanta Pravas Sahu
- Discipline of Biosciences and Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Simrol, Indore 453552 India
| | - Rachita Sarangi
- Department of Pediatrics, IMS and SUM Hospital, Siksha 'O' Anusandhan Deemed to be University, K8, Kalinga Nagar, Bhubaneswar, Odisha 751003 India
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Dowson AJ, Lloyd AJ, Cuming AC, Roper DI, Frigerio L, Dowson CG. Plant peptidoglycan precursor biosynthesis: Conservation between moss chloroplasts and Gram-negative bacteria. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 190:165-179. [PMID: 35471580 PMCID: PMC9434261 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiac176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Accumulating evidence suggests that peptidoglycan, consistent with a bacterial cell wall, is synthesized around the chloroplasts of many photosynthetic eukaryotes, from glaucophyte algae to early-diverging land plants including pteridophyte ferns, but the biosynthetic pathway has not been demonstrated. Here, we employed mass spectrometry and enzymology in a two-fold approach to characterize the synthesis of peptidoglycan in chloroplasts of the moss Physcomitrium (Physcomitrella) patens. To drive the accumulation of peptidoglycan pathway intermediates, P. patens was cultured with the antibiotics fosfomycin, D-cycloserine, and carbenicillin, which inhibit key peptidoglycan pathway proteins in bacteria. Mass spectrometry of the trichloroacetic acid-extracted moss metabolome revealed elevated levels of five of the predicted intermediates from uridine diphosphate N-acetylglucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc) through the uridine diphosphate N-acetylmuramic acid (UDP-MurNAc)-D,L-diaminopimelate (DAP)-pentapeptide. Most Gram-negative bacteria, including cyanobacteria, incorporate meso-diaminopimelic acid (D,L-DAP) into the third residue of the stem peptide of peptidoglycan, as opposed to L-lysine, typical of most Gram-positive bacteria. To establish the specificity of D,L-DAP incorporation into the P. patens precursors, we analyzed the recombinant protein UDP-N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanyl-D-glutamate-2,6-diaminopimelate ligase (MurE) from both P. patens and the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. (Nostoc sp. strain PCC 7120). Both ligases incorporated D,L-DAP in almost complete preference to L-Lys, consistent with the mass spectrophotometric data, with catalytic efficiencies similar to previously documented Gram-negative bacterial MurE ligases. We discuss how these data accord with the conservation of active site residues common to DL-DAP-incorporating bacterial MurE ligases and of the probability of a horizontal gene transfer event within the plant peptidoglycan pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda J Dowson
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Adrian J Lloyd
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Andrew C Cuming
- Centre for Plant Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - David I Roper
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Lorenzo Frigerio
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
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Horizontal-Acquisition of a Promiscuous Peptidoglycan-Recycling Enzyme Enables Aphids To Influence Symbiont Cell Wall Metabolism. mBio 2021; 12:e0263621. [PMID: 34933456 PMCID: PMC8689515 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02636-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
During evolution, enzymes can undergo shifts in preferred substrates or in catalytic activities. An intriguing question is how enzyme function changes following horizontal gene transfer, especially for bacterial genes that have moved to animal genomes. Some insects have acquired genes that encode enzymes for the biosynthesis of bacterial cell wall components and that appear to function to support or control their obligate endosymbiotic bacteria. In aphids, the bacterial endosymbiont Buchnera aphidicola provides essential amino acids for aphid hosts but lacks most genes for remodeling of the bacterial cell wall. The aphid genome has acquired seven genes with putative functions in cell wall metabolism that are primarily expressed in the aphid cells harboring Buchnera. In analyses of aphid homogenates, we detected peptidoglycan (PGN) muropeptides indicative of the reactions of PGN hydrolases encoded by horizontally acquired aphid genes but not by Buchnera genes. We produced one such host enzyme, ApLdcA, and characterized its activity with both cell wall derived and synthetic PGN. Both ApLdcA and the homologous enzyme in Escherichia coli, which functions as an l,d-carboxypeptidase in the cytoplasmic PGN recycling pathway, exhibit turnover of PGN substrates containing stem pentapeptides and cross-linkages via l,d-endopeptidase activity, consistent with a potential role in cell wall remodeling. Our results suggest that ApLdcA derives its functions from the promiscuous activities of an ancestral LdcA enzyme, whose acquisition by the aphid genome may have enabled hosts to influence Buchnera cell wall metabolism as a means to control symbiont growth and division. IMPORTANCE Most enzymes are capable of performing biologically irrelevant side reactions. During evolution, promiscuous enzyme activities may acquire new biological roles, especially after horizontal gene transfer to new organisms. Pea aphids harbor obligate bacterial symbionts called Buchnera and encode horizontally acquired bacterial genes with putative roles in cell wall metabolism. Though Buchnera lacks cell wall endopeptidase genes, we found evidence of endopeptidase activity among peptidoglycan muropeptides purified from aphids. We characterized a multifunctional, aphid-encoded enzyme, ApLdcA, which displays l,d-endopeptidase activities considered promiscuous for the Escherichia coli homolog, for which these activities do not contribute to its native role in peptidoglycan recycling. These results exemplify the roles of enzyme promiscuity and horizontal gene transfer in enzyme evolution and demonstrate how aphids influence symbiont cell wall metabolism.
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Singh R, Slade JA, Brockett M, Mendez D, Liechti GW, Maurelli AT. Competing Substrates for the Bifunctional Diaminopimelic Acid Epimerase/Glutamate Racemase Modulate Peptidoglycan Synthesis in Chlamydia trachomatis. Infect Immun 2020; 89:IAI.00401-20. [PMID: 33106295 PMCID: PMC7927921 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00401-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The Chlamydia trachomatis genome encodes multiple bifunctional enzymes, such as DapF, which is capable of both diaminopimelic acid (DAP) epimerase and glutamate racemase activity. Our previous work demonstrated the bifunctional activity of chlamydial DapF in vitro and in a heterologous system (Escherichia coli). In the present study, we employed a substrate competition strategy to demonstrate DapF Ct function in vivo in C. trachomatis We reasoned that, because DapF Ct utilizes a shared substrate-binding site for both racemase and epimerase activities, only one activity can occur at a time. Therefore, an excess of one substrate relative to another must determine which activity is favored. We show that the addition of excess l-glutamate or meso-DAP (mDAP) to C. trachomatis resulted in 90% reduction in bacterial titers, compared to untreated controls. Excess l-glutamate reduced in vivo synthesis of mDAP by C. trachomatis to undetectable levels, thus confirming that excess racemase substrate led to inhibition of DapF Ct DAP epimerase activity. We previously showed that expression of dapFCt in a murI (racemase) ΔdapF (epimerase) double mutant of E. coli rescues the d-glutamate auxotrophic defect. Addition of excess mDAP inhibited growth of this strain, but overexpression of dapFCt allowed the mutant to overcome growth inhibition. These results confirm that DapF Ct is the primary target of these mDAP and l-glutamate treatments. Our findings demonstrate that suppression of either the glutamate racemase or epimerase activity of DapF compromises the growth of C. trachomatis Thus, a substrate competition strategy can be a useful tool for in vivo validation of an essential bifunctional enzyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raghuveer Singh
- Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
- Department of Environmental and Global Health, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Jessica A Slade
- Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
- Department of Environmental and Global Health, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Mary Brockett
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Daniel Mendez
- Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
- Department of Environmental and Global Health, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - George W Liechti
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Anthony T Maurelli
- Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
- Department of Environmental and Global Health, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
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García-Del Portillo F. Building peptidoglycan inside eukaryotic cells: A view from symbiotic and pathogenic bacteria. Mol Microbiol 2020; 113:613-626. [PMID: 32185832 PMCID: PMC7154730 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Revised: 12/08/2019] [Accepted: 01/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The peptidoglycan (PG), as the exoskeleton of most prokaryotes, maintains a defined shape and ensures cell integrity against the high internal turgor pressure. These important roles have attracted researchers to target PG metabolism in order to control bacterial infections. Most studies, however, have been performed in bacteria grown under laboratory conditions, leading to only a partial view on how the PG is synthetized in natural environments. As a case in point, PG metabolism and its regulation remain poorly understood in symbiotic and pathogenic bacteria living inside eukaryotic cells. This review focuses on the PG metabolism of intracellular bacteria, emphasizing the necessity of more in vivo studies involving the analysis of enzymes produced in the intracellular niche and the isolation of PG from bacteria residing within eukaryotic cells. The review also points to persistent infections caused by some intracellular bacterial pathogens and the extent at which the PG could contribute to establish such physiological state. Based on recent evidences, I speculate on the idea that certain structural features of the PG may facilitate attenuation of intracellular growth. Lastly, I discuss recent findings in endosymbionts supporting a cooperation between host and bacterial enzymes to assemble a mature PG.
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Penicillin-binding proteins regulate multiple steps in the polarized cell division process of Chlamydia. Sci Rep 2020; 10:12588. [PMID: 32724139 PMCID: PMC7387471 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-69397-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Chlamydia trachomatis serovar L2 and Chlamydia muridarum, which do not express FtsZ, undergo polarized cell division. During division, peptidoglycan assembles at the pole of dividing Chlamydia trachomatis cells where daughter cell formation occurs, and peptidoglycan regulates at least two distinct steps in the polarized division of Chlamydia trachomatis and Chlamydia muridarum. Cells treated with inhibitors that prevent peptidoglycan synthesis or peptidoglycan crosslinking by penicillin-binding protein 2 (PBP2) are unable to initiate polarized division, while cells treated with inhibitors that prevent peptidoglycan crosslinking by penicillin-binding protein 3 (PBP3/FtsI) initiate polarized division, but the process arrests at an early stage of daughter cell growth. Consistent with their distinct roles in polarized division, peptidoglycan organization is different in cells treated with PBP2 and PBP3-specific inhibitors. Our analyses indicate that the sequential action of PBP2 and PBP3 drives changes in peptidoglycan organization that are essential for the polarized division of these obligate intracellular bacteria. Furthermore, the roles we have characterized for PBP2 and PBP3 in regulating specific steps in chlamydial cell division have not been described in other bacteria.
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11
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Chlamydia trachomatis Oligopeptide Transporter Performs Dual Functions of Oligopeptide Transport and Peptidoglycan Recycling. Infect Immun 2020; 88:IAI.00086-20. [PMID: 32094256 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00086-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Peptidoglycan, the sugar-amino acid polymer that composes the bacterial cell wall, requires a significant expenditure of energy to synthesize and is highly immunogenic. To minimize the loss of an energetically expensive metabolite and avoid host detection, bacteria often recycle their peptidoglycan, transporting its components back into the cytoplasm, where they can be used for subsequent rounds of new synthesis. The peptidoglycan-recycling substrate binding protein (SBP) MppA, which is responsible for recycling peptidoglycan fragments in Escherichia coli, has not been annotated for most intracellular pathogens. One such pathogen, Chlamydia trachomatis, has a limited capacity to synthesize amino acids de novo and therefore must obtain oligopeptides from its host cell for growth. Bioinformatics analysis suggests that the putative C. trachomatis oligopeptide transporter OppABCDF (OppABCDF Ct ) encodes multiple SBPs (OppA1 Ct , OppA2 Ct , and OppA3 Ct ). Intracellular pathogens often encode multiple SBPs, while only one, OppA, is encoded in the E. coli opp operon. We hypothesized that the putative OppABCDF transporter of C. trachomatis functions in both oligopeptide transport and peptidoglycan recycling. We coexpressed the putative SBP genes (oppA1Ct , oppA2Ct , oppA3Ct ) along with oppBCDFCt in an E. coli mutant lacking the Opp transporter and determined that all three chlamydial OppA subunits supported oligopeptide transport. We also demonstrated the in vivo functionality of the chlamydial Opp transporter in C. trachomatis Importantly, we found that one chlamydial SBP, OppA3 Ct , possessed dual substrate recognition properties and is capable of transporting peptidoglycan fragments (tri-diaminopimelic acid) in E. coli and in C. trachomatis These findings suggest that Chlamydia evolved an oligopeptide transporter to facilitate the acquisition of oligopeptides for growth while simultaneously reducing the accumulation of immunostimulatory peptidoglycan fragments in the host cell cytosol. The latter property reflects bacterial pathoadaptation that dampens the host innate immune response to Chlamydia infection.
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12
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Ballard A, Narduolo S, Ahmed HO, Keymer NI, Asaad N, Cosgrove DA, Buurma NJ, Leach AG. Racemisation in Chemistry and Biology. Chemistry 2020; 26:3661-3687. [PMID: 31709642 DOI: 10.1002/chem.201903917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The two enantiomers of a compound often have profoundly different biological properties and thus their liability to racemisation in aqueous solutions is an important piece of information. The authors reviewed the available data concerning the process of racemisation in vivo, in the presence of biological molecules (e.g., racemase enzymes, serum albumin, cofactors and derivatives) and under purely chemical but aqueous conditions (acid, base and other aqueous systems). Mechanistic studies are described critically in light of reported kinetic data. The types of experimental measurement that can be used to effectively determine rate constants of racemisation in various conditions are discussed and the data they provide is summarised. The proposed origins of enzymatic racemisation are presented and suggest ways to promote the process that are different from processes taking place in bulk water. Experimental and computational studies that provide understanding and quantitative predictions of racemisation risk are also presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Ballard
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, UK
| | - Stefania Narduolo
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, UK
| | - Hiwa O Ahmed
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, UK.,Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department, Hawler Medical University, Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
| | - Nathaniel I Keymer
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, UK
| | - Nabil Asaad
- AstraZeneca, Mereside, Alderley Park, Macclesfield, SK10 4TG, UK
| | | | - Niklaas J Buurma
- School of Chemistry, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, UK
| | - Andrew G Leach
- Division of Pharmacy and Optometry, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
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13
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Glasner ME, Truong DP, Morse BC. How enzyme promiscuity and horizontal gene transfer contribute to metabolic innovation. FEBS J 2020; 287:1323-1342. [PMID: 31858709 DOI: 10.1111/febs.15185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2019] [Revised: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 12/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Promiscuity is the coincidental ability of an enzyme to catalyze its native reaction and additional reactions that are not biological functions in the same active site. Promiscuity plays a central role in enzyme evolution and is thus a useful property for protein and metabolic engineering. This review examines enzyme evolution holistically, beginning with evaluating biochemical support for four enzyme evolution models. As expected, there is strong biochemical support for the subfunctionalization and innovation-amplification-divergence models, in which promiscuity is a central feature. In many cases, however, enzyme evolution is more complex than the models indicate, suggesting much is yet to be learned about selective pressures on enzyme function. A complete understanding of enzyme evolution must also explain the ability of metabolic networks to integrate new enzyme activities. Hidden within metabolic networks are underground metabolic pathways constructed from promiscuous activities. We discuss efforts to determine the diversity and pervasiveness of underground metabolism. Remarkably, several studies have discovered that some metabolic defects can be repaired via multiple underground routes. In prokaryotes, metabolic innovation is driven by connecting enzymes acquired by horizontal gene transfer (HGT) into the metabolic network. Thus, we end the review by discussing how the combination of promiscuity and HGT contribute to evolution of metabolism in prokaryotes. Future studies investigating the contribution of promiscuity to enzyme and metabolic evolution will need to integrate deeper probes into the influence of evolution on protein biophysics, enzymology, and metabolism with more complex and realistic evolutionary models. ENZYMES: lactate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.27), malate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.37), OSBS (EC 4.2.1.113), HisA (EC 5.3.1.16), TrpF, PriA (EC 5.3.1.24), R-mandelonitrile lyase (EC 4.1.2.10), Maleylacetate reductase (EC 1.3.1.32).
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret E Glasner
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Dat P Truong
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Benjamin C Morse
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
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14
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Bublitz DC, Chadwick GL, Magyar JS, Sandoz KM, Brooks DM, Mesnage S, Ladinsky MS, Garber AI, Bjorkman PJ, Orphan VJ, McCutcheon JP. Peptidoglycan Production by an Insect-Bacterial Mosaic. Cell 2019; 179:703-712.e7. [PMID: 31587897 PMCID: PMC6838666 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2019.08.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Revised: 08/06/2019] [Accepted: 08/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Peptidoglycan (PG) is a defining feature of bacteria, involved in cell division, shape, and integrity. We previously reported that several genes related to PG biosynthesis were horizontally transferred from bacteria to the nuclear genome of mealybugs. Mealybugs are notable for containing a nested bacteria-within-bacterium endosymbiotic structure in specialized insect cells, where one bacterium, Moranella, lives in the cytoplasm of another bacterium, Tremblaya. Here we show that horizontally transferred genes on the mealybug genome work together with genes retained on the Moranella genome to produce a PG layer exclusively at the Moranella cell periphery. Furthermore, we show that an insect protein encoded by a horizontally transferred gene of bacterial origin is transported into the Moranella cytoplasm. These results provide a striking parallel to the genetic and biochemical mosaicism found in organelles, and prove that multiple horizontally transferred genes can become integrated into a functional pathway distributed between animal and bacterial endosymbiont genomes. Mealybugs have two bacterial endosymbionts; one symbiont lives inside the other The mealybug genome has acquired some bacterial peptidoglycan (PG)-related genes This insect-symbiont mosaic pathway produces a PG layer at the innermost symbiont Endosymbionts and organelles have evolved similar levels of biochemical integration
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Affiliation(s)
- DeAnna C Bublitz
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Grayson L Chadwick
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - John S Magyar
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Kelsi M Sandoz
- Coxiella Pathogenesis Section, Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA
| | - Diane M Brooks
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Stéphane Mesnage
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Mark S Ladinsky
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Arkadiy I Garber
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Pamela J Bjorkman
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Victoria J Orphan
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - John P McCutcheon
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA.
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15
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Abstract
The evolutionary separated Gram-negative Chlamydiales show a biphasic life cycle and replicate exclusively within eukaryotic host cells. Members of the genus Chlamydia are responsible for many acute and chronic diseases in humans, and Chlamydia-related bacteria are emerging pathogens. We revisit past efforts to detect cell wall material in Chlamydia and Chlamydia-related bacteria in the context of recent breakthroughs in elucidating the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms of the chlamydial cell wall biosynthesis. In this review, we also discuss the role of cell wall biosynthesis in chlamydial FtsZ-independent cell division and immune modulation. In the past, penicillin susceptibility of an invisible wall was referred to as the "chlamydial anomaly." In light of new mechanistic insights, chlamydiae may now emerge as model systems to understand how a minimal and modified cell wall biosynthetic machine supports bacterial cell division and how cell wall-targeting beta-lactam antibiotics can also act bacteriostatically rather than bactericidal. On the heels of these discussions, we also delve into the effects of other cell wall antibiotics in individual chlamydial lineages.
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16
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Synthesis and characterization of cross linked enzyme aggregates of serine hydroxyl methyltransferase from Idiomerina leihiensis. Int J Biol Macromol 2018; 117:683-690. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2018.04.106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2017] [Revised: 11/12/2017] [Accepted: 04/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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17
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Liechti G, Singh R, Rossi PL, Gray MD, Adams NE, Maurelli AT. Chlamydia trachomatis dapF Encodes a Bifunctional Enzyme Capable of Both d-Glutamate Racemase and Diaminopimelate Epimerase Activities. mBio 2018; 9:e00204-18. [PMID: 29615498 PMCID: PMC5885031 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00204-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2018] [Accepted: 02/16/2018] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Peptidoglycan is a sugar/amino acid polymer unique to bacteria and essential for division and cell shape maintenance. The d-amino acids that make up its cross-linked stem peptides are not abundant in nature and must be synthesized by bacteria de novo d-Glutamate is present at the second position of the pentapeptide stem and is strictly conserved in all bacterial species. In Gram-negative bacteria, d-glutamate is generated via the racemization of l-glutamate by glutamate racemase (MurI). Chlamydia trachomatis is the leading cause of infectious blindness and sexually transmitted bacterial infections worldwide. While its genome encodes a majority of the enzymes involved in peptidoglycan synthesis, no murI homologue has ever been annotated. Recent studies have revealed the presence of peptidoglycan in C. trachomatis and confirmed that its pentapeptide includes d-glutamate. In this study, we show that C. trachomatis synthesizes d-glutamate by utilizing a novel, bifunctional homologue of diaminopimelate epimerase (DapF). DapF catalyzes the final step in the synthesis of meso-diaminopimelate, another amino acid unique to peptidoglycan. Genetic complementation of an Escherichia coli murI mutant demonstrated that Chlamydia DapF can generate d-glutamate. Biochemical analysis showed robust activity, but unlike canonical glutamate racemases, activity was dependent on the cofactor pyridoxal phosphate. Genetic complementation, enzymatic characterization, and bioinformatic analyses indicate that chlamydial DapF shares characteristics with other promiscuous/primordial enzymes, presenting a potential mechanism for d-glutamate synthesis not only in Chlamydia but also numerous other genera within the Planctomycetes-Verrucomicrobiae-Chlamydiae superphylum that lack recognized glutamate racemases.IMPORTANCE Here we describe one of the last remaining "missing" steps in peptidoglycan synthesis in pathogenic Chlamydia species, the synthesis of d-glutamate. We have determined that the diaminopimelate epimerase (DapF) encoded by Chlamydia trachomatis is capable of carrying out both the epimerization of DAP and the pyridoxal phosphate-dependent racemization of glutamate. Enzyme promiscuity is thought to be the hallmark of early microbial life on this planet, and there is currently an active debate as to whether "moonlighting enzymes" represent primordial evolutionary relics or are a product of more recent reductionist evolutionary pressures. Given the large number of Chlamydia species (as well as members of the Planctomycetes-Verrucomicrobiae-Chlamydiae superphylum) that possess DapF but lack homologues of MurI, it is likely that DapF is a primordial isomerase that functions as both racemase and epimerase in these organisms, suggesting that specialized d-glutamate racemase enzymes never evolved in these microbes.
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Affiliation(s)
- George Liechti
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Raghuveer Singh
- Emerging Pathogens Institute and Department of Environmental and Global Health, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Patricia L Rossi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Miranda D Gray
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Nancy E Adams
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Anthony T Maurelli
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
- Emerging Pathogens Institute and Department of Environmental and Global Health, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
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18
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Otten C, Brilli M, Vollmer W, Viollier PH, Salje J. Peptidoglycan in obligate intracellular bacteria. Mol Microbiol 2018; 107:142-163. [PMID: 29178391 PMCID: PMC5814848 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/11/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Peptidoglycan is the predominant stress-bearing structure in the cell envelope of most bacteria, and also a potent stimulator of the eukaryotic immune system. Obligate intracellular bacteria replicate exclusively within the interior of living cells, an osmotically protected niche. Under these conditions peptidoglycan is not necessarily needed to maintain the integrity of the bacterial cell. Moreover, the presence of peptidoglycan puts bacteria at risk of detection and destruction by host peptidoglycan recognition factors and downstream effectors. This has resulted in a selective pressure and opportunity to reduce the levels of peptidoglycan. In this review we have analysed the occurrence of genes involved in peptidoglycan metabolism across the major obligate intracellular bacterial species. From this comparative analysis, we have identified a group of predicted 'peptidoglycan-intermediate' organisms that includes the Chlamydiae, Orientia tsutsugamushi, Wolbachia and Anaplasma marginale. This grouping is likely to reflect biological differences in their infection cycle compared with peptidoglycan-negative obligate intracellular bacteria such as Ehrlichia and Anaplasma phagocytophilum, as well as obligate intracellular bacteria with classical peptidoglycan such as Coxiella, Buchnera and members of the Rickettsia genus. The signature gene set of the peptidoglycan-intermediate group reveals insights into minimal enzymatic requirements for building a peptidoglycan-like sacculus and/or division septum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Otten
- The Centre for Bacterial Cell BiologyInstitute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Newcastle UniversityNewcastle upon TyneNE2 4AXUK
| | - Matteo Brilli
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE)University of Padova. Agripolis ‐ V.le dell'Università, 16 | 35020 Legnaro PadovaItaly
- Present address:
Department of BiosciencesUniversity of Milan, via Celoria 26(MI)Italy
| | - Waldemar Vollmer
- The Centre for Bacterial Cell BiologyInstitute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Newcastle UniversityNewcastle upon TyneNE2 4AXUK
| | - Patrick H. Viollier
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular MedicineInstitute of Genetics & Genomics in Geneva (iGE3), University of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland
| | - Jeanne Salje
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global HealthUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
- Mahidol‐Oxford Tropical Medicine Research UnitMahidol UniversityBangkokThailand
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19
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Atwal S, Giengkam S, Chaemchuen S, Dorling J, Kosaisawe N, VanNieuwenhze M, Sampattavanich S, Schumann P, Salje J. Evidence for a peptidoglycan-like structure in Orientia tsutsugamushi. Mol Microbiol 2017; 105:440-452. [PMID: 28513097 PMCID: PMC5523937 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/14/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Bacterial cell walls are composed of the large cross-linked macromolecule peptidoglycan, which maintains cell shape and is responsible for resisting osmotic stresses. This is a highly conserved structure and the target of numerous antibiotics. Obligate intracellular bacteria are an unusual group of organisms that have evolved to replicate exclusively within the cytoplasm or vacuole of a eukaryotic cell. They tend to have reduced amounts of peptidoglycan, likely due to the fact that their growth and division takes place within an osmotically protected environment, and also due to a drive to reduce activation of the host immune response. Of the two major groups of obligate intracellular bacteria, the cell wall has been much more extensively studied in the Chlamydiales than the Rickettsiales. Here, we present the first detailed analysis of the cell envelope of an important but neglected member of the Rickettsiales, Orientia tsutsugamushi. This bacterium was previously reported to completely lack peptidoglycan, but here we present evidence supporting the existence of a peptidoglycan-like structure in Orientia, as well as an outer membrane containing a network of cross-linked proteins, which together confer cell envelope stability. We find striking similarities to the unrelated Chlamydiales, suggesting convergent adaptation to an obligate intracellular lifestyle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharanjeet Atwal
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok Thailand
| | - Suparat Giengkam
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok Thailand
| | - Suwittra Chaemchuen
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok Thailand
| | - Jack Dorling
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Nont Kosaisawe
- Siriraj Laboratory for Systems Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | - Somponnat Sampattavanich
- Siriraj Laboratory for Systems Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Peter Schumann
- Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Jeanne Salje
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok Thailand
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20
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Simkania negevensis, an Example of the Diversity of the Antimicrobial Susceptibility Pattern among Chlamydiales. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2017; 61:AAC.00638-17. [PMID: 28559259 PMCID: PMC5527614 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00638-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2017] [Accepted: 05/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
In past years, several Chlamydia-related bacteria have been discovered, including Simkania negevensis, the founding member of the Simkaniaceae family. We evaluated the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of this emerging intracellular bacterium and highlighted significant differences, compared with related Chlamydiales members. S. negevensis was susceptible to macrolides, clindamycin, cyclines, rifampin, and quinolones. Importantly, unlike other Chlamydiales members, treatment with β-lactams and vancomycin did not induce the formation of aberrant bodies, leading to a completely resistant phenotype.
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21
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed Afzal Azam
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, JSS College of Pharmacy, Udhagamandalam, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Unni Jayaram
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, JSS College of Pharmacy, Udhagamandalam, Tamil Nadu, India
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22
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Borel N, Pospischil A, Hudson AP, Rupp J, Schoborg RV. The role of viable but non-infectious developmental forms in chlamydial biology. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2014; 4:97. [PMID: 25105096 PMCID: PMC4109588 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2014.00097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2014] [Accepted: 07/04/2014] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Borel
- Department of Pathobiology, Institute of Veterinary Pathology, University of Zurich Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Pospischil
- Department of Pathobiology, Institute of Veterinary Pathology, University of Zurich Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alan P Hudson
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Wayne State University School of Medicine Michigan, MI, USA
| | - Jan Rupp
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein/Campus Lübeck Lübeck, Germany
| | - Robert V Schoborg
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University Johnson City, TN, USA
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23
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Klöckner A, Otten C, Derouaux A, Vollmer W, Bühl H, De Benedetti S, Münch D, Josten M, Mölleken K, Sahl HG, Henrichfreise B. AmiA is a penicillin target enzyme with dual activity in the intracellular pathogen Chlamydia pneumoniae. Nat Commun 2014; 5:4201. [PMID: 24953137 PMCID: PMC4083426 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms5201] [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] [Received: 12/19/2013] [Accepted: 05/22/2014] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Intracellular Chlamydiaceae do not need to resist osmotic challenges and a functional cell wall was not detected in these pathogens. Nevertheless, a recent study revealed evidence for circular peptidoglycan-like structures in Chlamydiaceae and penicillin inhibits cytokinesis, a phenomenon known as the chlamydial anomaly. Here, by characterizing a cell wall precursor-processing enzyme, we provide insights into the mechanisms underlying this mystery. We show that AmiA from Chlamydia pneumoniae separates daughter cells in an Escherichia coli amidase mutant. Contrary to homologues from free-living bacteria, chlamydial AmiA uses lipid II as a substrate and has dual activity, acting as an amidase and a carboxypeptidase. The latter function is penicillin sensitive and assigned to a penicillin-binding protein motif. Consistent with the lack of a regulatory domain in AmiA, chlamydial CPn0902, annotated as NlpD, is a carboxypeptidase, rather than an amidase activator, which is the case for E. coli NlpD. Functional conservation of AmiA implicates a role in cytokinesis and host response modulation. Penicillin inhibits growth of chlamydial pathogens despite their lack of a conventional peptidoglycan cell wall. Here the authors report that the chlamydial amidase, AmiA, which can rescue cell division defects of an E. coli amiA mutant, has dual activity as a penicillin sensitive, lipid II-targetting carboxypeptidase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Klöckner
- 1] Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP), Pharmaceutical Microbiology, University of Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany [2]
| | - Christian Otten
- 1] Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP), Pharmaceutical Microbiology, University of Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany [2]
| | - Adeline Derouaux
- 1] The Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology, Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4AX, UK [2]
| | - Waldemar Vollmer
- The Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology, Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4AX, UK
| | - Henrike Bühl
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP), Pharmaceutical Microbiology, University of Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Stefania De Benedetti
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP), Pharmaceutical Microbiology, University of Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Daniela Münch
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP), Pharmaceutical Microbiology, University of Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Michaele Josten
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP), Pharmaceutical Microbiology, University of Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Katja Mölleken
- Institute of Functional Microbial Genomics, University of Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Hans-Georg Sahl
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP), Pharmaceutical Microbiology, University of Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Beate Henrichfreise
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology (IMMIP), Pharmaceutical Microbiology, University of Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany
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