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Pérez-Burgos M, Herfurth M, Kaczmarczyk A, Harms A, Huber K, Jenal U, Glatter T, Søgaard-Andersen L. A deterministic, c-di-GMP-dependent program ensures the generation of phenotypically similar, symmetric daughter cells during cytokinesis. Nat Commun 2024; 15:6014. [PMID: 39019889 PMCID: PMC11255338 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50444-4] [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: 02/18/2024] [Accepted: 07/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Phenotypic heterogeneity in bacteria can result from stochastic processes or deterministic programs. The deterministic programs often involve the versatile second messenger c-di-GMP, and give rise to daughter cells with different c-di-GMP levels by deploying c-di-GMP metabolizing enzymes asymmetrically during cell division. By contrast, less is known about how phenotypic heterogeneity is kept to a minimum. Here, we identify a deterministic c-di-GMP-dependent program that is hardwired into the cell cycle of Myxococcus xanthus to minimize phenotypic heterogeneity and guarantee the formation of phenotypically similar daughter cells during division. Cells lacking the diguanylate cyclase DmxA have an aberrant motility behaviour. DmxA is recruited to the cell division site and its activity is switched on during cytokinesis, resulting in a transient increase in the c-di-GMP concentration. During cytokinesis, this c-di-GMP burst ensures the symmetric incorporation and allocation of structural motility proteins and motility regulators at the new cell poles of the two daughters, thereby generating phenotypically similar daughters with correct motility behaviours. Thus, our findings suggest a general c-di-GMP-dependent mechanism for minimizing phenotypic heterogeneity, and demonstrate that bacteria can ensure the formation of dissimilar or similar daughter cells by deploying c-di-GMP metabolizing enzymes to distinct subcellular locations.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Pérez-Burgos
- Department of Ecophysiology, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Marco Herfurth
- Department of Ecophysiology, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | | | - Andrea Harms
- Department of Ecophysiology, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Katrin Huber
- Department of Ecophysiology, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Urs Jenal
- Biozentrum, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Timo Glatter
- Core Facility for Mass Spectrometry & Proteomics, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Lotte Søgaard-Andersen
- Department of Ecophysiology, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany.
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Herfurth M, Pérez-Burgos M, Søgaard-Andersen L. The mechanism for polar localization of the type IVa pilus machine in Myxococcus xanthus. mBio 2023; 14:e0159323. [PMID: 37754549 PMCID: PMC10653833 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01593-23] [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: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Type IVa pili (T4aP) are widespread bacterial cell surface structures with important functions in motility, surface adhesion, biofilm formation, and virulence. Different bacteria have adapted different piliation patterns. To address how these patterns are established, we focused on the bipolar localization of the T4aP machine in the model organism Myxococcus xanthus by studying the localization of the PilQ secretin, the first component of this machine that assembles at the poles. Based on experiments using a combination of fluorescence microscopy, biochemistry, and computational structural analysis, we propose that PilQ, and specifically its AMIN domains, binds septal and polar peptidoglycan, thereby enabling polar Tgl localization, which then stimulates PilQ multimerization in the outer membrane. We also propose that the presence and absence of AMIN domains in T4aP secretins contribute to the different piliation patterns across bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Herfurth
- Department of Ecophysiology, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - María Pérez-Burgos
- Department of Ecophysiology, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Lotte Søgaard-Andersen
- Department of Ecophysiology, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
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Ramm B, Schumacher D, Harms A, Heermann T, Klos P, Müller F, Schwille P, Søgaard-Andersen L. Biomolecular condensate drives polymerization and bundling of the bacterial tubulin FtsZ to regulate cell division. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3825. [PMID: 37380708 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39513-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Cell division is spatiotemporally precisely regulated, but the underlying mechanisms are incompletely understood. In the social bacterium Myxococcus xanthus, the PomX/PomY/PomZ proteins form a single megadalton-sized complex that directly positions and stimulates cytokinetic ring formation by the tubulin homolog FtsZ. Here, we study the structure and mechanism of this complex in vitro and in vivo. We demonstrate that PomY forms liquid-like biomolecular condensates by phase separation, while PomX self-assembles into filaments generating a single large cellular structure. The PomX structure enriches PomY, thereby guaranteeing the formation of precisely one PomY condensate per cell through surface-assisted condensation. In vitro, PomY condensates selectively enrich FtsZ and nucleate GTP-dependent FtsZ polymerization and bundle FtsZ filaments, suggesting a cell division site positioning mechanism in which the single PomY condensate enriches FtsZ to guide FtsZ-ring formation and division. This mechanism shares features with microtubule nucleation by biomolecular condensates in eukaryotes, supporting this mechanism's ancient origin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatrice Ramm
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biophysics, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152, Martinsried, Germany.
- Department of Physics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA.
| | - Dominik Schumacher
- Department of Ecophysiology, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch Str. 10, 35043, Marburg, Germany.
| | - Andrea Harms
- Department of Ecophysiology, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch Str. 10, 35043, Marburg, Germany
| | - Tamara Heermann
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biophysics, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Philipp Klos
- Department of Ecophysiology, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch Str. 10, 35043, Marburg, Germany
| | - Franziska Müller
- Department of Ecophysiology, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch Str. 10, 35043, Marburg, Germany
| | - Petra Schwille
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biophysics, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152, Martinsried, Germany.
| | - Lotte Søgaard-Andersen
- Department of Ecophysiology, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch Str. 10, 35043, Marburg, Germany.
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Riedl RA, Burnett CML, Pearson NA, Reho JJ, Mokadem M, Edwards RA, Kindel TL, Kirby JR, Grobe JL. Gut Microbiota Represent a Major Thermogenic Biomass. FUNCTION (OXFORD, ENGLAND) 2021; 2:zqab019. [PMID: 33939772 PMCID: PMC8055641 DOI: 10.1093/function/zqab019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Revised: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Evidence supports various roles for microbial metabolites in the control of multiple aspects of host energy flux including feeding behaviors, digestive efficiency, and energy expenditure, but few studies have quantified the energy utilization of the biomass of the gut microbiota itself. Because gut microbiota exist in an anoxic environment, energy flux is expected to be anaerobic; unfortunately, commonly utilized O2/CO2 respirometry-based approaches are unable to detect anaerobic energy flux. To quantify the contribution of the gut microbial biomass to whole-animal energy flux, we examined the effect of surgical reduction of gut biomass in C57BL/6J mice via cecectomy and assessed energy expenditure using methods sensitive to anaerobic flux, including bomb and direct calorimetry. First, we determined that cecectomy caused an acceleration of weight gain over several months due to a reduction in combined total host plus microbial energy expenditure, as reflected by an increase in energy efficiency (ie, weight gained per calorie absorbed). Second, we determined that under general anesthesia, cecectomy caused immediate changes in heat dissipation that were significantly modified by short-term pretreatment with dietary or pharmaceutical interventions known to modify the microbiome, and confirmed that these effects were undetectable by respirometry. We conclude that while the cecum only contributes approximately 1% of body mass in the mouse, this organ contributes roughly 8% of total resting energy expenditure, that this contribution is predominantly anaerobic, and that the composition and abundance of the cecal microbial contents can significantly alter its contribution to energy flux.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth A Riedl
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Colin M L Burnett
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Nicole A Pearson
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology/Proteomics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - John J Reho
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA,Comprehensive Rodent Metabolic Phenotyping Core, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Mohamad Mokadem
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Robert A Edwards
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Tammy L Kindel
- Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA,Cardiovascular Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - John R Kirby
- Cardiovascular Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA,Genomic Sciences and Precision Medicine Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA,Center for Microbiome Research, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA,Address correspondence to J.L.G. (e-mail: ), J.R.K. (e-mail: )
| | - Justin L Grobe
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA,Comprehensive Rodent Metabolic Phenotyping Core, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA,Cardiovascular Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA,Neuroscience Research Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA,Address correspondence to J.L.G. (e-mail: ), J.R.K. (e-mail: )
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Schumacher D, Harms A, Bergeler S, Frey E, Søgaard-Andersen L. PomX, a ParA/MinD ATPase activating protein, is a triple regulator of cell division in Myxococcus xanthus. eLife 2021; 10:66160. [PMID: 33734087 PMCID: PMC7993993 DOI: 10.7554/elife.66160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell division site positioning is precisely regulated but the underlying mechanisms are incompletely understood. In the social bacterium Myxococcus xanthus, the ~15 MDa tripartite PomX/Y/Z complex associates with and translocates across the nucleoid in a PomZ ATPase-dependent manner to directly position and stimulate formation of the cytokinetic FtsZ-ring at midcell, and then undergoes fission during division. Here, we demonstrate that PomX consists of two functionally distinct domains and has three functions. The N-terminal domain stimulates ATPase activity of the ParA/MinD ATPase PomZ. The C-terminal domain interacts with PomY and forms polymers, which serve as a scaffold for PomX/Y/Z complex formation. Moreover, the PomX/PomZ interaction is important for fission of the PomX/Y/Z complex. These observations together with previous work support that the architecturally diverse ATPase activating proteins of ParA/MinD ATPases are highly modular and use the same mechanism to activate their cognate ATPase via a short positively charged N-terminal extension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominik Schumacher
- Department of Ecophysiology, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch, Marburg, Germany
| | - Andrea Harms
- Department of Ecophysiology, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch, Marburg, Germany
| | - Silke Bergeler
- Arnold Sommerfeld Center for Theoretical Physics and Center for NanoScience, Department of Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, München, Germany
| | - Erwin Frey
- Arnold Sommerfeld Center for Theoretical Physics and Center for NanoScience, Department of Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, München, Germany
| | - Lotte Søgaard-Andersen
- Department of Ecophysiology, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch, Marburg, Germany
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Characterization of the Exopolysaccharide Biosynthesis Pathway in Myxococcus xanthus. J Bacteriol 2020; 202:JB.00335-20. [PMID: 32778557 PMCID: PMC7484181 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00335-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The secreted polysaccharide referred to as exopolysaccharide (EPS) has important functions in the social life cycle of M. xanthus; however, little is known about how EPS is synthesized. Here, we characterized the EPS biosynthetic machinery and showed that it makes up a Wzx/Wzy-dependent pathway for polysaccharide biosynthesis. Mutants lacking a component of this pathway had reduced type IV pilus-dependent motility and a conditional defect in development. These analyses also suggest that EPS and/or the EPS biosynthetic machinery is important for type IV pilus formation. Myxococcus xanthus arranges into two morphologically distinct biofilms depending on its nutritional status, i.e., coordinately spreading colonies in the presence of nutrients and spore-filled fruiting bodies in the absence of nutrients. A secreted polysaccharide, referred to as exopolysaccharide (EPS), is a structural component of both biofilms and is also important for type IV pilus-dependent motility and fruiting body formation. Here, we characterize the biosynthetic machinery responsible for EPS biosynthesis using bioinformatics, genetics, heterologous expression, and biochemical experiments. We show that this machinery constitutes a Wzx/Wzy-dependent pathway dedicated to EPS biosynthesis. Our data support that EpsZ (MXAN_7415) is the polyisoprenyl-phosphate hexose-1-phosphate transferase responsible for the initiation of the repeat unit synthesis. Heterologous expression experiments support that EpsZ has galactose-1-P transferase activity. Moreover, MXAN_7416, renamed WzxEPS, and MXAN_7442, renamed WzyEPS, are the Wzx flippase and Wzy polymerase responsible for translocation and polymerization of the EPS repeat unit, respectively. In this pathway, EpsV (MXAN_7421) also is the polysaccharide copolymerase and EpsY (MXAN_7417) the outer membrane polysaccharide export (OPX) protein. Mutants with single in-frame deletions in the five corresponding genes had defects in type IV pilus-dependent motility and a conditional defect in fruiting body formation. Furthermore, all five mutants were deficient in type IV pilus formation, and genetic analyses suggest that EPS and/or the EPS biosynthetic machinery stimulates type IV pilus extension. Additionally, we identify a polysaccharide biosynthesis gene cluster, which together with an orphan gene encoding an OPX protein make up a complete Wzx/Wzy-dependent pathway for synthesis of an unknown polysaccharide. IMPORTANCE The secreted polysaccharide referred to as exopolysaccharide (EPS) has important functions in the social life cycle of M. xanthus; however, little is known about how EPS is synthesized. Here, we characterized the EPS biosynthetic machinery and showed that it makes up a Wzx/Wzy-dependent pathway for polysaccharide biosynthesis. Mutants lacking a component of this pathway had reduced type IV pilus-dependent motility and a conditional defect in development. These analyses also suggest that EPS and/or the EPS biosynthetic machinery is important for type IV pilus formation.
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