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Jensen D, Manzano AR, Rector M, Tomko EJ, Record MT, Galburt EA. High-throughput, fluorescent-aptamer-based measurements of steady-state transcription rates for Mycobacterium tuberculosis RNA polymerase. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.13.532464. [PMID: 36993414 PMCID: PMC10054983 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.13.532464] [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
The first step in gene expression is the transcription of DNA sequences into RNA. Regulation at the level of transcription leads to changes in steady-state concentrations of RNA transcripts, affecting the flux of downstream functions and ultimately cellular phenotypes. Changes in transcript levels are routinely followed in cellular contexts via genome-wide sequencing techniques. However, in vitro mechanistic studies of transcription have lagged with respect to throughput. Here, we describe the use of a real-time, fluorescent-aptamer-based method to quantitate steady-state transcription rates of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis RNA polymerase. We present clear controls to show that the assay specifically reports on promoter-dependent, full-length RNA transcription rates that are in good agreement with the kinetics determined by gel-resolved, α- 32 P NTP incorporation experiments. We illustrate how the time-dependent changes in fluorescence can be used to measure regulatory effects of nucleotide concentrations and identity, RNAP and DNA concentrations, transcription factors, and antibiotics. Our data showcase the ability to easily perform hundreds of parallel steady-state measurements across varying conditions with high precision and reproducibility to facilitate the study of the molecular mechanisms of bacterial transcription. Significance Statement RNA polymerase transcription mechanisms have largely been determined from in vitro kinetic and structural biology methods. In contrast to the limited throughput of these approaches, in vivo RNA sequencing provides genome-wide measurements but lacks the ability to dissect direct biochemical from indirect genetic mechanisms. Here, we present a method that bridges this gap, permitting high-throughput fluorescence-based measurements of in vitro steady-state transcription kinetics. We illustrate how an RNA-aptamer-based detection system can be used to generate quantitative information on direct mechanisms of transcriptional regulation and discuss the far-reaching implications for future applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Drake Jensen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, 63108, USA
| | - Ana Ruiz Manzano
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, 63108, USA
| | - Maxwell Rector
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Eric J. Tomko
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, 63108, USA
| | - M. Thomas Record
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Eric A. Galburt
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, 63108, USA
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Homologs of the Escherichia coli F Element Protein TraR, Including Phage Lambda Orf73, Directly Reprogram Host Transcription. mBio 2022; 13:e0095222. [PMID: 35583320 PMCID: PMC9239242 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00952-22] [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] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial cells and their associated plasmids and bacteriophages encode numerous small proteins of unknown function. One example, the 73-amino-acid protein TraR, is encoded by the transfer operon of the conjugative F plasmid of Escherichia coli. TraR is a distant homolog of DksA, a protein found in almost all proteobacterial species that is required for ppGpp to regulate transcription during the stringent response. TraR and DksA increase or decrease transcription initiation depending on the kinetic features of the promoter by binding directly to RNA polymerase without binding to DNA. Unlike DksA, whose full activity requires ppGpp as a cofactor, TraR is fully active by itself and unaffected by ppGpp. TraR belongs to a family of divergent proteins encoded by proteobacterial bacteriophages and other mobile elements. Here, we experimentally addressed whether other members of the TraR family function like the F element-encoded TraR. Purified TraR and all 5 homologs that were examined bound to RNA polymerase, functioned at lower concentrations than DksA, and complemented a dksA-null strain for growth on minimal medium. One of the homologs, λ Orf73, encoded by bacteriophage lambda, was examined in greater detail. λ Orf73 slowed host growth and increased phage burst size. Mutational analysis suggested that λ Orf73 and TraR have a similar mechanism for inhibiting rRNA and r-protein promoters. We suggest that TraR and its homologs regulate host transcription to divert cellular resources to phage propagation or conjugation without induction of ppGpp and a stringent response.
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Travis BA, Schumacher MA. Diverse molecular mechanisms of transcription regulation by the bacterial alarmone ppGpp. Mol Microbiol 2021; 117:252-260. [PMID: 34894005 PMCID: PMC9304144 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2021] [Revised: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Bacteria must rapidly detect and respond to stressful environmental conditions. Guanosine tetraphosphate (ppGpp) is a universal stress signal that, in most bacteria, drives the reprograming of transcription at a global level. However, recent studies have revealed that the molecular mechanisms utilized by ppGpp to rewire bacterial transcriptomes are unexpectedly diverse. In Proteobacteria, ppGpp regulates the expression of hundreds of genes by directly binding to two sites on RNA polymerase (RNAP), one in combination with the transcription factor, DksA. Conversely, ppGpp indirectly regulates transcription in Firmicutes by controlling GTP levels. In this case, ppGpp inhibits enzymes that salvage and synthesize GTP, which indirectly represses transcription from rRNA and other promoters that use GTP for initiation. More recently, two different mechanisms of transcription regulation involving the direct binding of transcription factors by ppGpp have been described. First, in Francisella tularensis, ppGpp was shown to modulate the formation of a tripartite transcription factor complex that binds RNAP and activates virulence genes. Second, in Firmicutes, ppGpp allosterically regulates the transcription repressor, PurR, which controls purine biosynthesis genes. The diversity in bacterial ppGpp signaling revealed in these studies suggests the likelihood that additional paradigms in ppGpp-mediated transcription regulation await discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brady A Travis
- Department of Biochemistry, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Maria A Schumacher
- Department of Biochemistry, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
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The Context-Dependent Influence of Promoter Sequence Motifs on Transcription Initiation Kinetics and Regulation. J Bacteriol 2021; 203:JB.00512-20. [PMID: 33139481 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00512-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The fitness of an individual bacterial cell is highly dependent upon the temporal tuning of gene expression levels when subjected to different environmental cues. Kinetic regulation of transcription initiation is a key step in modulating the levels of transcribed genes to promote bacterial survival. The initiation phase encompasses the binding of RNA polymerase (RNAP) to promoter DNA and a series of coupled protein-DNA conformational changes prior to entry into processive elongation. The time required to complete the initiation phase can vary by orders of magnitude and is ultimately dictated by the DNA sequence of the promoter. In this review, we aim to provide the required background to understand how promoter sequence motifs may affect initiation kinetics during promoter recognition and binding, subsequent conformational changes which lead to DNA opening around the transcription start site, and promoter escape. By calculating the steady-state flux of RNA production as a function of these effects, we illustrate that the presence/absence of a consensus promoter motif cannot be used in isolation to make conclusions regarding promoter strength. Instead, the entire series of linked, sequence-dependent structural transitions must be considered holistically. Finally, we describe how individual transcription factors take advantage of the broad distribution of sequence-dependent basal kinetics to either increase or decrease RNA flux.
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Shin Y, Qayyum MZ, Pupov D, Esyunina D, Kulbachinskiy A, Murakami KS. Structural basis of ribosomal RNA transcription regulation. Nat Commun 2021; 12:528. [PMID: 33483500 PMCID: PMC7822876 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20776-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) is most highly expressed in rapidly growing bacteria and is drastically downregulated under stress conditions by the global transcriptional regulator DksA and the alarmone ppGpp. Here, we determined cryo-electron microscopy structures of the Escherichia coli RNA polymerase (RNAP) σ70 holoenzyme during rRNA promoter recognition with and without DksA/ppGpp. RNAP contacts the UP element using dimerized α subunit carboxyl-terminal domains and scrunches the template DNA with the σ finger and β' lid to select the transcription start site favorable for rapid promoter escape. Promoter binding induces conformational change of σ domain 2 that opens a gate for DNA loading and ejects σ1.1 from the RNAP cleft to facilitate open complex formation. DksA/ppGpp binding also opens the DNA loading gate, which is not coupled to σ1.1 ejection and impedes open complex formation. These results provide a molecular basis for the exceptionally active rRNA transcription and its vulnerability to DksA/ppGpp.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yeonoh Shin
- grid.29857.310000 0001 2097 4281Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 USA
| | - M. Zuhaib Qayyum
- grid.29857.310000 0001 2097 4281Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 USA
| | - Danil Pupov
- grid.4886.20000 0001 2192 9124Institute of Molecular Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 123182 Russia
| | - Daria Esyunina
- grid.4886.20000 0001 2192 9124Institute of Molecular Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 123182 Russia
| | - Andrey Kulbachinskiy
- grid.4886.20000 0001 2192 9124Institute of Molecular Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 123182 Russia
| | - Katsuhiko S. Murakami
- grid.29857.310000 0001 2097 4281Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 USA
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Dynamics of RNA polymerase II and elongation factor Spt4/5 recruitment during activator-dependent transcription. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:32348-32357. [PMID: 33293419 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2011224117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
In eukaryotes, RNA polymerase II (RNApII) transcribes messenger RNA from template DNA. Decades of experiments have identified the proteins needed for transcription activation, initiation complex assembly, and productive elongation. However, the dynamics of recruitment of these proteins to transcription complexes, and of the transitions between these steps, are poorly understood. We used multiwavelength single-molecule fluorescence microscopy to directly image and quantitate these dynamics in a budding yeast nuclear extract that reconstitutes activator-dependent transcription in vitro. A strong activator (Gal4-VP16) greatly stimulated reversible binding of individual RNApII molecules to template DNA. Binding of labeled elongation factor Spt4/5 to DNA typically followed RNApII binding, was NTP dependent, and was correlated with association of mRNA binding protein Hek2, demonstrating specificity of Spt4/5 binding to elongation complexes. Quantitative kinetic modeling shows that only a fraction of RNApII binding events are productive and implies a rate-limiting step, probably associated with recruitment of general transcription factors, needed to assemble a transcription-competent preinitiation complex at the promoter. Spt4/5 association with transcription complexes was slowly reversible, with DNA-bound RNApII molecules sometimes binding and releasing Spt4/5 multiple times. The average Spt4/5 residence time was of similar magnitude to the time required to transcribe an average length yeast gene. These dynamics suggest that a single Spt4/5 molecule remains associated during a typical transcription event, yet can dissociate from RNApII to allow disassembly of abnormally long-lived (i.e., stalled) elongation complexes.
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Chen J, Gopalkrishnan S, Chiu C, Chen AY, Campbell EA, Gourse RL, Ross W, Darst SA. E. coli TraR allosterically regulates transcription initiation by altering RNA polymerase conformation. eLife 2019; 8:e49375. [PMID: 31841111 PMCID: PMC6970531 DOI: 10.7554/elife.49375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2019] [Accepted: 12/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
TraR and its homolog DksA are bacterial proteins that regulate transcription initiation by binding directly to RNA polymerase (RNAP) rather than to promoter DNA. Effects of TraR mimic the combined effects of DksA and its cofactor ppGpp, but the structural basis for regulation by these factors remains unclear. Here, we use cryo-electron microscopy to determine structures of Escherichia coli RNAP, with or without TraR, and of an RNAP-promoter complex. TraR binding induced RNAP conformational changes not seen in previous crystallographic analyses, and a quantitative analysis revealed TraR-induced changes in RNAP conformational heterogeneity. These changes involve mobile regions of RNAP affecting promoter DNA interactions, including the βlobe, the clamp, the bridge helix, and several lineage-specific insertions. Using mutational approaches, we show that these structural changes, as well as effects on σ70 region 1.1, are critical for transcription activation or inhibition, depending on the kinetic features of regulated promoters.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Chen
- The Rockefeller UniversityNew YorkUnited States
| | | | | | - Albert Y Chen
- Department of BacteriologyUniversity of Wisconsin-MadisonMadisonUnited States
| | | | - Richard L Gourse
- Department of BacteriologyUniversity of Wisconsin-MadisonMadisonUnited States
| | - Wilma Ross
- Department of BacteriologyUniversity of Wisconsin-MadisonMadisonUnited States
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Stumper SK, Ravi H, Friedman LJ, Mooney RA, Corrêa IR, Gershenson A, Landick R, Gelles J. Delayed inhibition mechanism for secondary channel factor regulation of ribosomal RNA transcription. eLife 2019; 8:40576. [PMID: 30720429 PMCID: PMC7028371 DOI: 10.7554/elife.40576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2018] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA polymerases (RNAPs) contain a conserved ‘secondary channel’ which binds regulatory factors that modulate transcription initiation. In Escherichia coli, the secondary channel factors (SCFs) GreB and DksA both repress ribosomal RNA (rRNA) transcription, but SCF loading and repression mechanisms are unclear. We observed in vitro fluorescently labeled GreB molecules binding to single RNAPs and initiation of individual transcripts from an rRNA promoter. GreB arrived and departed from promoters only in complex with RNAP. GreB did not alter initial RNAP-promoter binding but instead blocked a step after conformational rearrangement of the initial RNAP-promoter complex. Strikingly, GreB-RNAP complexes never initiated at an rRNA promoter; only RNAP molecules arriving at the promoter without bound GreB produced transcript. The data reveal that a model SCF functions by a ‘delayed inhibition’ mechanism and suggest that rRNA promoters are inhibited by GreB/DksA because their short-lived RNAP complexes do not allow sufficient time for SCFs to dissociate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah K Stumper
- Department of Biochemistry, Brandeis University, Waltham, United States
| | - Harini Ravi
- Department of Biochemistry, Brandeis University, Waltham, United States
| | - Larry J Friedman
- Department of Biochemistry, Brandeis University, Waltham, United States
| | - Rachel Anne Mooney
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, United States
| | | | - Anne Gershenson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, United States
| | - Robert Landick
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, United States.,Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, United States
| | - Jeff Gelles
- Department of Biochemistry, Brandeis University, Waltham, United States
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