1
|
Salinas P, Bibak S, Cantos R, Tremiño L, Jerez C, Mata-Balaguer T, Contreras A. Studies on the PII-PipX-NtcA Regulatory Axis of Cyanobacteria Provide Novel Insights into the Advantages and Limitations of Two-Hybrid Systems for Protein Interactions. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:5429. [PMID: 38791467 PMCID: PMC11121479 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25105429] [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: 04/05/2024] [Revised: 05/11/2024] [Accepted: 05/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Yeast two-hybrid approaches, which are based on fusion proteins that must co-localise to the nucleus to reconstitute the transcriptional activity of GAL4, have greatly contributed to our understanding of the nitrogen interaction network of cyanobacteria, the main hubs of which are the trimeric PII and the monomeric PipX regulators. The bacterial two-hybrid system, based on the reconstitution in the E. coli cytoplasm of the adenylate cyclase of Bordetella pertussis, should provide a relatively faster and presumably more physiological assay for cyanobacterial proteins than the yeast system. Here, we used the bacterial two-hybrid system to gain additional insights into the cyanobacterial PipX interaction network while simultaneously assessing the advantages and limitations of the two most popular two-hybrid systems. A comprehensive mutational analysis of PipX and bacterial two-hybrid assays were performed to compare the outcomes between yeast and bacterial systems. We detected interactions that were previously recorded in the yeast two-hybrid system as negative, as well as a "false positive", the self-interaction of PipX, which is rather an indirect interaction that is dependent on PII homologues from the E. coli host, a result confirmed by Western blot analysis with relevant PipX variants. This is, to our knowledge, the first report of the molecular basis of a false positive in the bacterial two-hybrid system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Asunción Contreras
- Departamento. de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Universidad de Alicante, 03690 San Vicente del Raspeig, Spain; (P.S.); (S.B.); (R.C.); (L.T.); (C.J.); (T.M.-B.)
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Bolay P, Dodge N, Janssen K, Jensen PE, Lindberg P. Tailoring regulatory components for metabolic engineering in cyanobacteria. PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM 2024; 176:e14316. [PMID: 38686633 DOI: 10.1111/ppl.14316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
The looming climate crisis has prompted an ever-growing interest in cyanobacteria due to their potential as sustainable production platforms for the synthesis of energy carriers and value-added chemicals from CO2 and sunlight. Nonetheless, cyanobacteria are yet to compete with heterotrophic systems in terms of space-time yields and consequently production costs. One major drawback leading to the low production performance observed in cyanobacteria is the limited ability to utilize the full capacity of the photosynthetic apparatus and its associated systems, i.e. CO2 fixation and the directly connected metabolism. In this review, novel insights into various levels of metabolic regulation of cyanobacteria are discussed, including the potential of targeting these regulatory mechanisms to create a chassis with a phenotype favorable for photoautotrophic production. Compared to conventional metabolic engineering approaches, minor perturbations of regulatory mechanisms can have wide-ranging effects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paul Bolay
- Microbial Chemistry, Department of Chemistry - Ångström, Uppsala University, Uppsala, SE, Sweden
| | - Nadia Dodge
- Plant Based Foods and Biochemistry, Food Analytics and Biotechnology, Department of Food Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kim Janssen
- Microbial Chemistry, Department of Chemistry - Ångström, Uppsala University, Uppsala, SE, Sweden
| | - Poul Erik Jensen
- Plant Based Foods and Biochemistry, Food Analytics and Biotechnology, Department of Food Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Pia Lindberg
- Microbial Chemistry, Department of Chemistry - Ångström, Uppsala University, Uppsala, SE, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Jerez C, Llop A, Salinas P, Bibak S, Forchhammer K, Contreras A. Analysing the Cyanobacterial PipX Interaction Network Using NanoBiT Complementation in Synechococcus elongatus PCC7942. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:4702. [PMID: 38731921 PMCID: PMC11083307 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25094702] [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: 03/22/2024] [Revised: 04/17/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
The conserved cyanobacterial protein PipX is part of a complex interaction network with regulators involved in essential processes that include metabolic homeostasis and ribosome assembly. Because PipX interactions depend on the relative levels of their different partners and of the effector molecules binding to them, in vivo studies are required to understand the physiological significance and contribution of environmental factors to the regulation of PipX complexes. Here, we have used the NanoBiT complementation system to analyse the regulation of complex formation in Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 between PipX and each of its two best-characterized partners, PII and NtcA. Our results confirm previous in vitro analyses on the regulation of PipX-PII and PipX-NtcA complexes by 2-oxoglutarate and on the regulation of PipX-PII by the ATP/ADP ratio, showing the disruption of PipX-NtcA complexes due to increased levels of ADP-bound PII in Synechococcus elongatus. The demonstration of a positive role of PII on PipX-NtcA complexes during their initial response to nitrogen starvation or the impact of a PipX point mutation on the activity of PipX-PII and PipX-NtcA reporters are further indications of the sensitivity of the system. This study reveals additional regulatory complexities in the PipX interaction network, opening a path for future research on cyanobacteria.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Jerez
- Departamento de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Universidad de Alicante, 03690 San Vicente del Raspeig, Spain; (C.J.); (A.L.); (P.S.); (S.B.)
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Biology, University Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany;
| | - Antonio Llop
- Departamento de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Universidad de Alicante, 03690 San Vicente del Raspeig, Spain; (C.J.); (A.L.); (P.S.); (S.B.)
| | - Paloma Salinas
- Departamento de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Universidad de Alicante, 03690 San Vicente del Raspeig, Spain; (C.J.); (A.L.); (P.S.); (S.B.)
| | - Sirine Bibak
- Departamento de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Universidad de Alicante, 03690 San Vicente del Raspeig, Spain; (C.J.); (A.L.); (P.S.); (S.B.)
| | - Karl Forchhammer
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Biology, University Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany;
| | - Asunción Contreras
- Departamento de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Universidad de Alicante, 03690 San Vicente del Raspeig, Spain; (C.J.); (A.L.); (P.S.); (S.B.)
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Llop A, Tremiño L, Cantos R, Contreras A. The Signal Transduction Protein PII Controls the Levels of the Cyanobacterial Protein PipX. Microorganisms 2023; 11:2379. [PMID: 37894037 PMCID: PMC10609283 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11102379] [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: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacteria, microorganisms performing oxygenic photosynthesis, must adapt their metabolic processes to environmental challenges such as day and night changes. PipX, a unique regulatory protein from cyanobacteria, provides a mechanistic link between the signalling protein PII, a widely conserved (in bacteria and plants) transducer of carbon/nitrogen/energy richness, and the transcriptional regulator NtcA, which controls a large regulon involved in nitrogen assimilation. PipX is also involved in translational regulation through interaction with the ribosome-assembly GTPase EngA. However, increases in the PipX/PII ratio are toxic, presumably due to the abnormally increased binding of PipX to other partner(s). Here, we present mutational and structural analyses of reported PipX-PII and PipX-NtcA complexes, leading to the identification of single amino acid changes that decrease or abolish PipX toxicity. Notably, 4 out of 11 mutations decreasing toxicity did not decrease PipX levels, suggesting that the targeted residues (F12, D23, L36, and R54) provide toxicity determinants. In addition, one of those four mutations (D23A) argued against the over-activation of NtcA as the cause of PipX toxicity. Most mutations at residues contacting PII decreased PipX levels, indicating that PipX stability would depend on its ability to bind to PII, a conclusion supported by the light-induced decrease of PipX levels in Synechococcus elongatus PCC7942 (hereafter S. elongatus).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Asunción Contreras
- Departamento de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Universidad de Alicante, 03690 San Vicente del Raspeig, Spain; (A.L.); (L.T.); (R.C.)
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Llop A, Bibak S, Cantos R, Salinas P, Contreras A. The ribosome assembly GTPase EngA is involved in redox signaling in cyanobacteria. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1242616. [PMID: 37637111 PMCID: PMC10448771 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1242616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Photosynthetic organisms must cope with environmental challenges, like those imposed by the succession of days and nights or by sudden changes in light intensities, that trigger global changes in gene expression and metabolism. The photosynthesis machinery is particularly susceptible to environmental changes and adaptation to them often involves redox-sensing proteins that are the targets of reactive oxygen species generated by photosynthesis activity. Here we show that EngA, an essential GTPase and ribosome-assembly protein involved in ribosome biogenesis in bacteria and chloroplasts, also plays a role in acclimatization to environmentally relevant stress in Synechococcus elongatus PCC7942 and that PipX, a promiscuous regulatory protein that binds to EngA, appears to fine-tune EngA activity. During growth in cold or high light conditions, the EngA levels rise, with a concomitant increase of the EngA/PipX ratio. However, a sudden increase in light intensity turns EngA into a growth inhibitor, a response involving residue Cys122 of EngA, which is part of the GD1-G4 motif NKCES of EngA proteins, with the cysteine conserved just in the cyanobacteria-chloroplast lineage. This work expands the repertoire of ribosome-related factors transmitting redox signals in photosynthetic organisms and provides additional insights into the complexity of the regulatory interactions mediated by EngA and PipX.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Asunción Contreras
- Departamento de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Moulin SL, Frail S, Doenier J, Braukmann T, Yeh E. The endosymbiont of Epithemia clementina is specialized for nitrogen fixation within a photosynthetic eukaryote. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.08.531752. [PMID: 37066385 PMCID: PMC10103950 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.08.531752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Epithemia spp. diatoms contain obligate, nitrogen-fixing endosymbionts, or "diazoplasts", derived from cyanobacteria. These algae are a rare example of photosynthetic eukaryotes that have successfully coupled oxygenic photosynthesis with oxygen-sensitive nitrogenase activity. Here, we report a newly-isolated species, E. clementina, as a model to investigate endosymbiotic acquisition of nitrogen fixation. To detect the metabolic changes associated with endosymbiotic specialization, we compared nitrogen fixation, associated carbon and nitrogen metabolism, and their regulatory pathways in the Epithemia diazoplast with its close, free-living cyanobacterial relative, Crocosphaera subtropica. Unlike C. subtropica, we show that nitrogenase activity in the diazoplast is concurrent with, and even dependent on, host photosynthesis and no longer associated with cyanobacterial glycogen storage suggesting carbohydrates are imported from the host diatom. Carbohydrate catabolism in the diazoplast indicates that the oxidative pentose pathway and oxidative phosphorylation, in concert, generates reducing equivalents and ATP and consumes oxygen to support nitrogenase activity. In contrast to expanded nitrogenase activity, the diazoplast has diminished ability to utilize alternative nitrogen sources. Upon ammonium repletion, negative feedback regulation of nitrogen fixation was conserved, however ammonia assimilation showed paradoxical responses in the diazoplast compared with C. subtropica. The altered nitrogen regulation likely favors nitrogen transfer to the host. Our results suggest that the diazoplast is specialized for endosymbiotic nitrogen fixation. Altogether, we establish a new model for studying endosymbiosis, perform the first functional characterization of this diazotroph endosymbiosis, and identify metabolic adaptations for endosymbiotic acquisition of a critical biological function.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Solène L.Y. Moulin
- Department of Pathology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Sarah Frail
- Department of Biochemistry, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Jon Doenier
- Department of Biochemistry, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Thomas Braukmann
- Department of Pathology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Ellen Yeh
- Department of Pathology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub – San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Llop A, Labella JI, Borisova M, Forchhammer K, Selim KA, Contreras A. Pleiotropic effects of PipX, PipY, or RelQ overexpression on growth, cell size, photosynthesis, and polyphosphate accumulation in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC7942. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1141775. [PMID: 37007489 PMCID: PMC10060972 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1141775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The cyanobacterial protein PipY belongs to the Pyridoxal-phosphate (PLP)-binding proteins (PLPBP/COG0325) family of pyridoxal-phosphate-binding proteins, which are represented in all three domains of life. These proteins share a high degree of sequence conservation, appear to have purely regulatory functions, and are involved in the homeostasis of vitamin B6 vitamers and amino/keto acids. Intriguingly, the genomic context of the pipY gene in cyanobacteria connects PipY with PipX, a protein involved in signaling the intracellular energy status and carbon-to-nitrogen balance. PipX regulates its cellular targets via protein–protein interactions. These targets include the PII signaling protein, the ribosome assembly GTPase EngA, and the transcriptional regulators NtcA and PlmA. PipX is thus involved in the transmission of multiple signals that are relevant for metabolic homeostasis and stress responses in cyanobacteria, but the exact function of PipY is still elusive. Preliminary data indicated that PipY might also be involved in signaling pathways related to the stringent stress response, a pathway that can be induced in the unicellular cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC7942 by overexpression of the (p)ppGpp synthase, RelQ. To get insights into the cellular functions of PipY, we performed a comparative study of PipX, PipY, or RelQ overexpression in S. elongatus PCC7942. Overexpression of PipY or RelQ caused similar phenotypic responses, such as growth arrest, loss of photosynthetic activity and viability, increased cell size, and accumulation of large polyphosphate granules. In contrast, PipX overexpression decreased cell length, indicating that PipX and PipY play antagonistic roles on cell elongation or cell division. Since ppGpp levels were not induced by overexpression of PipY or PipX, it is apparent that the production of polyphosphate in cyanobacteria does not require induction of the stringent response.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Llop
- Departamento de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
- Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Organismic Interactions Department, Cluster of Excellence 'Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections', University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jose I. Labella
- Departamento de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Marina Borisova
- Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Organismic Interactions Department, Cluster of Excellence 'Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections', University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Karl Forchhammer
- Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Organismic Interactions Department, Cluster of Excellence 'Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections', University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Khaled A. Selim
- Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Organismic Interactions Department, Cluster of Excellence 'Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections', University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Asunción Contreras
- Departamento de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
- *Correspondence: Asunción Contreras,
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
The Conserved Family of the Pyridoxal Phosphate-Binding Protein (PLPBP) and Its Cyanobacterial Paradigm PipY. Life (Basel) 2022; 12:life12101622. [PMID: 36295057 PMCID: PMC9605639 DOI: 10.3390/life12101622] [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: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 10/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The PLPBP family of pyridoxal phosphate-binding proteins has a high degree of sequence conservation and is represented in all three domains of life. PLPBP members, of which a few representatives have been studied in different contexts, are single-domain proteins with no known enzymatic activity that exhibit the fold type III of PLP-holoenzymes, consisting in an α/β barrel (TIM-barrel), where the PLP cofactor is solvent-exposed. Despite the constant presence of cofactor PLP (a key catalytic element in PLP enzymes), PLPBP family members appear to have purely regulatory functions affecting the homeostasis of vitamin B6 vitamers and amino/keto acids. Perturbation of these metabolites and pleiotropic phenotypes have been reported in bacteria and zebrafish after PLPBP gene inactivation as well as in patients with vitamin B6-dependent epilepsy that results from loss-of-function mutations at the PLPBP. Here, we review information gathered from diverse studies and biological systems, emphasizing the structural and functional conservation of the PLPBP members and discussing the informative nature of model systems and experimental approaches. In this context, the relatively high level of structural and functional characterization of PipY from Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 provides a unique opportunity to investigate the PLPBP roles in the context of a signaling pathway conserved in cyanobacteria.
Collapse
|
9
|
Jerez C, Salinas P, Llop A, Cantos R, Espinosa J, Labella JI, Contreras A. Regulatory Connections Between the Cyanobacterial Factor PipX and the Ribosome Assembly GTPase EngA. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:781760. [PMID: 34956147 PMCID: PMC8696166 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.781760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacteria, phototrophic organisms performing oxygenic photosynthesis, must adapt their metabolic processes to important environmental challenges, like those imposed by the succession of days and nights. Not surprisingly, certain regulatory proteins are found exclusively in this phylum. One of these unique proteins, PipX, provides a mechanistic link between signals of carbon/nitrogen and of energy, transduced by the signaling protein PII, and the control of gene expression by the global nitrogen regulator NtcA. PII, required for cell survival unless PipX is inactivated or downregulated, functions by protein-protein interactions with transcriptional regulators, transporters, and enzymes. PipX also functions by protein-protein interactions, and previous studies suggested the existence of additional interacting partners or included it into a relatively robust six-node synteny network with proteins apparently unrelated to the nitrogen regulation system. To investigate additional functions of PipX while providing a proof of concept for the recently developed cyanobacterial linkage network, here we analyzed the physical and regulatory interactions between PipX and an intriguing component of the PipX synteny network, the essential ribosome assembly GTPase EngA. The results provide additional insights into the functions of cyanobacterial EngA and of PipX, showing that PipX interacts with the GD1 domain of EngA in a guanosine diphosphate-dependent manner and interferes with EngA functions in Synechococcus elongatus at a low temperature, an environmentally relevant context. Therefore, this work expands the PipX interaction network and establishes a possible connection between nitrogen regulation and the translation machinery. We discuss a regulatory model integrating previous information on PII-PipX with the results presented in this work.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Jerez
- Departamento de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Paloma Salinas
- Departamento de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Antonio Llop
- Departamento de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Raquel Cantos
- Departamento de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Javier Espinosa
- Departamento de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Jose I Labella
- Departamento de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Asunción Contreras
- Departamento de Fisiología, Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Sakamoto T, Takatani N, Sonoike K, Jimbo H, Nishiyama Y, Omata T. Dissection of the Mechanisms of Growth Inhibition Resulting from Loss of the PII Protein in the Cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942. PLANT & CELL PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 62:721-731. [PMID: 33650637 PMCID: PMC8474142 DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pcab030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
In cyanobacteria, the PII protein (the glnB gene product) regulates a number of proteins involved in nitrogen assimilation including PipX, the coactivator of the global nitrogen regulator protein NtcA. In Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942, construction of a PII-less mutant retaining the wild-type pipX gene is difficult because of the toxicity of uncontrolled action of PipX and the other defect(s) resulting from the loss of PIIper se, but the nature of the PipX toxicity and the PipX-independent defect(s) remains unclear. Characterization of a PipX-less glnB mutant (PD4) in this study showed that the loss of PII increases the sensitivity of PSII to ammonium. Ammonium was shown to stimulate the formation of reactive oxygen species in the mutant cells. The ammonium-sensitive growth phenotype of PD4 was rescued by the addition of an antioxidant α-tocopherol, confirming that photo-oxidative damage was the major cause of the growth defect. A targeted PII mutant retaining wild-type pipX was successfully constructed from the wild-type S. elongatus strain (SPc) in the presence of α-tocopherol. The resulting mutant (PD1X) showed an unusual chlorophyll fluorescence profile, indicating extremely slow reduction and re-oxidation of QA, which was not observed in mutants defective in both glnB and pipX. These results showed that the aberrant action of uncontrolled PipX resulted in an impairment of the electron transport reactions in both the reducing and oxidizing sides of QA.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Takayuki Sakamoto
- Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, 464-8601 Japan
| | - Nobuyuki Takatani
- Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, 464-8601 Japan
| | - Kintake Sonoike
- Faculty of Education and Integrated Arts and Sciences, Waseda University, Tokyo, 162-8480 Japan
| | - Haruhiko Jimbo
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, Saitama, 338-8570 Japan
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo,Tokyo 153-8902Japan
| | - Yoshitaka Nishiyama
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Saitama University, Saitama, 338-8570 Japan
| | - Tatsuo Omata
- * Corresponding author: E-mail, ; Fax, +81-52-789-4107
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Riediger M, Spät P, Bilger R, Voigt K, Maček B, Hess WR. Analysis of a photosynthetic cyanobacterium rich in internal membrane systems via gradient profiling by sequencing (Grad-seq). THE PLANT CELL 2021; 33:248-269. [PMID: 33793824 PMCID: PMC8136920 DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koaa017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Although regulatory small RNAs have been reported in photosynthetic cyanobacteria, the lack of clear RNA chaperones involved in their regulation poses a conundrum. Here, we analyzed the full complement of cellular RNAs and proteins using gradient profiling by sequencing (Grad-seq) in Synechocystis 6803. Complexes with overlapping subunits such as the CpcG1-type versus the CpcL-type phycobilisomes or the PsaK1 versus PsaK2 photosystem I pre(complexes) could be distinguished, supporting the high quality of this approach. Clustering of the in-gradient distribution profiles followed by several additional criteria yielded a short list of potential RNA chaperones that include an YlxR homolog and a cyanobacterial homolog of the KhpA/B complex. The data suggest previously undetected complexes between accessory proteins and CRISPR-Cas systems, such as a Csx1-Csm6 ribonucleolytic defense complex. Moreover, the exclusive association of either RpoZ or 6S RNA with the core RNA polymerase complex and the existence of a reservoir of inactive sigma-antisigma complexes is suggested. The Synechocystis Grad-seq resource is available online at https://sunshine.biologie.uni-freiburg.de/GradSeqExplorer/ providing a comprehensive resource for the functional assignment of RNA-protein complexes and multisubunit protein complexes in a photosynthetic organism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Riediger
- Genetics and Experimental Bioinformatics, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestr. 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Philipp Spät
- Department of Quantitative Proteomics, Interfaculty Institute for Cell Biology, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 15, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Raphael Bilger
- Genetics and Experimental Bioinformatics, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestr. 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Karsten Voigt
- IT Administration, Institute of Biology 3, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestr. 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Boris Maček
- Department of Quantitative Proteomics, Interfaculty Institute for Cell Biology, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 15, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Wolfgang R Hess
- Genetics and Experimental Bioinformatics, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestr. 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Cellular and Molecular Strategies in Cyanobacterial Survival-"In Memory of Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Lockau". Life (Basel) 2021; 11:life11020132. [PMID: 33572088 PMCID: PMC7915015 DOI: 10.3390/life11020132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
|
13
|
Brandenburg F, Klähn S. Small but Smart: On the Diverse Role of Small Proteins in the Regulation of Cyanobacterial Metabolism. Life (Basel) 2020; 10:E322. [PMID: 33271798 PMCID: PMC7760959 DOI: 10.3390/life10120322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 11/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the past few decades, bioengineered cyanobacteria have become a major focus of research for the production of energy carriers and high value chemical compounds. Besides improvements in cultivation routines and reactor technology, the integral understanding of the regulation of metabolic fluxes is the key to designing production strains that are able to compete with established industrial processes. In cyanobacteria, many enzymes and metabolic pathways are regulated differently compared to other bacteria. For instance, while glutamine synthetase in proteobacteria is mainly regulated by covalent enzyme modifications, the same enzyme in cyanobacteria is controlled by the interaction with unique small proteins. Other prominent examples, such as the small protein CP12 which controls the Calvin-Benson cycle, indicate that the regulation of enzymes and/or pathways via the attachment of small proteins might be a widespread mechanism in cyanobacteria. Accordingly, this review highlights the diverse role of small proteins in the control of cyanobacterial metabolism, focusing on well-studied examples as well as those most recently described. Moreover, it will discuss their potential to implement metabolic engineering strategies in order to make cyanobacteria more definable for biotechnological applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Stephan Klähn
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ, 04318 Leipzig, Germany;
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Rachedi R, Foglino M, Latifi A. Stress Signaling in Cyanobacteria: A Mechanistic Overview. Life (Basel) 2020; 10:life10120312. [PMID: 33256109 PMCID: PMC7760821 DOI: 10.3390/life10120312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2020] [Revised: 11/22/2020] [Accepted: 11/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacteria are highly diverse, widely distributed photosynthetic bacteria inhabiting various environments ranging from deserts to the cryosphere. Throughout this range of niches, they have to cope with various stresses and kinds of deprivation which threaten their growth and viability. In order to adapt to these stresses and survive, they have developed several global adaptive responses which modulate the patterns of gene expression and the cellular functions at work. Sigma factors, two-component systems, transcriptional regulators and small regulatory RNAs acting either separately or collectively, for example, induce appropriate cyanobacterial stress responses. The aim of this review is to summarize our current knowledge about the diversity of the sensors and regulators involved in the perception and transduction of light, oxidative and thermal stresses, and nutrient starvation responses. The studies discussed here point to the fact that various stresses affecting the photosynthetic capacity are transduced by common mechanisms.
Collapse
|