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Rodríguez Del Río Á, Giner-Lamia J, Cantalapiedra CP, Botas J, Deng Z, Hernández-Plaza A, Munar-Palmer M, Santamaría-Hernando S, Rodríguez-Herva JJ, Ruscheweyh HJ, Paoli L, Schmidt TSB, Sunagawa S, Bork P, López-Solanilla E, Coelho LP, Huerta-Cepas J. Functional and evolutionary significance of unknown genes from uncultivated taxa. Nature 2024; 626:377-384. [PMID: 38109938 PMCID: PMC10849945 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06955-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023]
Abstract
Many of the Earth's microbes remain uncultured and understudied, limiting our understanding of the functional and evolutionary aspects of their genetic material, which remain largely overlooked in most metagenomic studies1. Here we analysed 149,842 environmental genomes from multiple habitats2-6 and compiled a curated catalogue of 404,085 functionally and evolutionarily significant novel (FESNov) gene families exclusive to uncultivated prokaryotic taxa. All FESNov families span multiple species, exhibit strong signals of purifying selection and qualify as new orthologous groups, thus nearly tripling the number of bacterial and archaeal gene families described to date. The FESNov catalogue is enriched in clade-specific traits, including 1,034 novel families that can distinguish entire uncultivated phyla, classes and orders, probably representing synapomorphies that facilitated their evolutionary divergence. Using genomic context analysis and structural alignments we predicted functional associations for 32.4% of FESNov families, including 4,349 high-confidence associations with important biological processes. These predictions provide a valuable hypothesis-driven framework that we used for experimental validatation of a new gene family involved in cell motility and a novel set of antimicrobial peptides. We also demonstrate that the relative abundance profiles of novel families can discriminate between environments and clinical conditions, leading to the discovery of potentially new biomarkers associated with colorectal cancer. We expect this work to enhance future metagenomics studies and expand our knowledge of the genetic repertory of uncultivated organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Álvaro Rodríguez Del Río
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) - Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Joaquín Giner-Lamia
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) - Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Biotecnología-Biología Vegetal, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica, Alimentaria y de Biosistemas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Bioquímica Vegetal y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Biología, Instituto de Bioquímica Vegetal y Fotosíntesis (IBVF), Universidad de Sevilla-CSIC, Seville, Spain
| | - Carlos P Cantalapiedra
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) - Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Jorge Botas
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) - Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Ziqi Deng
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) - Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Ana Hernández-Plaza
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) - Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Martí Munar-Palmer
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) - Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Saray Santamaría-Hernando
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) - Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - José J Rodríguez-Herva
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) - Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Biotecnología-Biología Vegetal, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica, Alimentaria y de Biosistemas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Hans-Joachim Ruscheweyh
- Department of Biology, Institute of Microbiology and Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Lucas Paoli
- Department of Biology, Institute of Microbiology and Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Thomas S B Schmidt
- Structural and Computational Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Shinichi Sunagawa
- Department of Biology, Institute of Microbiology and Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Peer Bork
- Structural and Computational Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany
- Max Delbrück Centre for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Bioinformatics, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Emilia López-Solanilla
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) - Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Biotecnología-Biología Vegetal, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica, Alimentaria y de Biosistemas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Luis Pedro Coelho
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- MOE Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Shanghai, China
- Centre for Microbiome Research, School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jaime Huerta-Cepas
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) - Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain.
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Santamaría-Hernando S, Rodríguez-Herva JJ, Martínez-García PM, Río-Álvarez I, González-Melendi P, Zamorano J, Tapia C, Rodríguez-Palenzuela P, López-Solanilla E. Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato exploits light signals to optimize virulence and colonization of leaves. Environ Microbiol 2018; 20:4261-4280. [PMID: 30058114 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.14331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2018] [Revised: 06/13/2018] [Accepted: 06/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Light is pervasive in the leaf environment, creating opportunities for both plants and pathogens to cue into light as a signal to regulate plant-microbe interactions. Light enhances plant defences and regulates opening of stomata, an entry point for foliar bacterial pathogens such as Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (PsPto). The effect of light perception on gene expression and virulence was investigated in PsPto. Light induced genetic reprogramming in PsPto that entailed significant changes in stress tolerance and virulence. Blue light-mediated up-regulation of type three secretion system genes and red light-mediated down-regulation of coronatine biosynthesis genes. Cells exposed to white light, blue light or darkness before inoculation were more virulent when inoculated at dawn than dusk probably due to an enhanced entry through open stomata. Exposure to red light repressed coronatine biosynthesis genes which could lead to a reduced stomatal re-opening and PsPto entry. Photoreceptor were required for the greater virulence of light-treated and dark-treated PsPto inoculated at dawn as compared to dusk, indicating that these proteins sense the absence of light and contribute to priming of virulence in the dark. These results support a model in which PsPto exploits light changes to maximize survival, entry and virulence on plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saray Santamaría-Hernando
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM)-Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA) Campus Montegancedo UPM, Pozuelo de Alarcón, 28223, Madrid, Spain
| | - José J Rodríguez-Herva
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM)-Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA) Campus Montegancedo UPM, Pozuelo de Alarcón, 28223, Madrid, Spain.,Departamento de Biotecnología-Biología Vegetal, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica, Alimentaria y de Biosistemas, UPM, Madrid, Spain
| | - Pedro M Martínez-García
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM)-Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA) Campus Montegancedo UPM, Pozuelo de Alarcón, 28223, Madrid, Spain
| | - Isabel Río-Álvarez
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM)-Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA) Campus Montegancedo UPM, Pozuelo de Alarcón, 28223, Madrid, Spain
| | - Pablo González-Melendi
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM)-Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA) Campus Montegancedo UPM, Pozuelo de Alarcón, 28223, Madrid, Spain.,Departamento de Biotecnología-Biología Vegetal, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica, Alimentaria y de Biosistemas, UPM, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jaime Zamorano
- Departamento de Astrofísica y CC. de la Atmósfera, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain
| | - Carlos Tapia
- Departamento de Astrofísica y CC. de la Atmósfera, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain
| | - Pablo Rodríguez-Palenzuela
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM)-Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA) Campus Montegancedo UPM, Pozuelo de Alarcón, 28223, Madrid, Spain.,Departamento de Biotecnología-Biología Vegetal, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica, Alimentaria y de Biosistemas, UPM, Madrid, Spain
| | - Emilia López-Solanilla
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM)-Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA) Campus Montegancedo UPM, Pozuelo de Alarcón, 28223, Madrid, Spain.,Departamento de Biotecnología-Biología Vegetal, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica, Alimentaria y de Biosistemas, UPM, Madrid, Spain
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Santander RD, Monte-Serrano M, Rodríguez-Herva JJ, López-Solanilla E, Rodríguez-Palenzuela P, Biosca EG. Exploring new roles for the rpoS gene in the survival and virulence of the fire blight pathogen Erwinia amylovora. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2014; 90:895-907. [PMID: 25331301 DOI: 10.1111/1574-6941.12444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2014] [Revised: 10/13/2014] [Accepted: 10/18/2014] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Erwinia amylovora causes fire blight in economically important plants of the family Rosaceae. This bacterial pathogen spends part of its life cycle coping with starvation and other fluctuating environmental conditions. In many Gram-negative bacteria, starvation and other stress responses are regulated by the sigma factor RpoS. We obtained an E. amylovora rpoS mutant to explore the role of this gene in starvation responses and its potential implication in other processes not yet studied in this pathogen. Results showed that E. amylovora needs rpoS to develop normal starvation survival and viable but nonculturable (VBNC) responses. Furthermore, this gene contributed to stationary phase cross-protection against oxidative, osmotic, and acid stresses and was essential for cross-protection against heat shock, but nonessential against acid shock. RpoS also mediated regulation of motility, exopolysaccharide synthesis, and virulence in immature loquats, but not in pear plantlets, and contributed to E. amylovora survival in nonhost tissues during incompatible interactions. Our results reveal some unique roles for the rpoS gene in E. amylovora and provide new knowledge on the regulation of different processes related to its ecology, including survival in different environments and virulence in immature fruits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo D Santander
- Departmento de Microbiología y Ecología, Universitat de València, Burjassot, Valencia, Spain; Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid-Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria, Parque Científico y Tecnológico de la UPM, Madrid, Spain
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Putker F, Tommassen-van Boxtel R, Stork M, Rodríguez-Herva JJ, Koster M, Tommassen J. The type II secretion system (Xcp) ofPseudomonas putidais active and involved in the secretion of phosphatases. Environ Microbiol 2013; 15:2658-71. [DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.12115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2012] [Revised: 02/12/2013] [Accepted: 02/20/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Florian Putker
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Institute of Biomembranes; Utrecht University; 3584 CH; Utrecht; The Netherlands
| | - Ria Tommassen-van Boxtel
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Institute of Biomembranes; Utrecht University; 3584 CH; Utrecht; The Netherlands
| | - Michiel Stork
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Institute of Biomembranes; Utrecht University; 3584 CH; Utrecht; The Netherlands
| | - José J. Rodríguez-Herva
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Institute of Biomembranes; Utrecht University; 3584 CH; Utrecht; The Netherlands
| | - Margot Koster
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Institute of Biomembranes; Utrecht University; 3584 CH; Utrecht; The Netherlands
| | - Jan Tommassen
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Institute of Biomembranes; Utrecht University; 3584 CH; Utrecht; The Netherlands
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Rodríguez-Herva JJ, González-Melendi P, Cuartas-Lanza R, Antúnez-Lamas M, Río-Alvarez I, Li Z, López-Torrejón G, Díaz I, Del Pozo JC, Chakravarthy S, Collmer A, Rodríguez-Palenzuela P, López-Solanilla E. A bacterial cysteine protease effector protein interferes with photosynthesis to suppress plant innate immune responses. Cell Microbiol 2012; 14:669-81. [PMID: 22233353 DOI: 10.1111/j.1462-5822.2012.01749.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato DC3000 suppresses plant innate immunity with effector proteins injected by a type III secretion system (T3SS). The cysteine protease effector HopN1, which reduces the ability of DC3000 to elicit programmed cell death in non-host tobacco, was found to also suppress the production of defence-associated reactive oxygen species (ROS) and callose when delivered by Pseudomonas fluorescens heterologously expressing a P. syringae T3SS. Purified His(6) -tagged HopN1 was used to identify tomato PsbQ, a member of the oxygen evolving complex of photosystem II (PSII), as an interacting protein. HopN1 localized to chloroplasts and both degraded PsbQ and inhibited PSII activity in chloroplast preparations, whereas a HopN1(D299A) non-catalytic mutant lost these abilities. Gene silencing of NtPsbQ in tobacco compromised ROS production and programmed cell death by DC3000. Our data reveal PsbQ as a contributor to plant immunity responses and a target for pathogen suppression.
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Affiliation(s)
- José J Rodríguez-Herva
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP). Universidad Politécnica de Madrid-Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria., Parque Científico y Tecnológico de la UPM. Campus de Montegancedo. 28223 Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain
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Herrera MC, Duque E, Rodríguez-Herva JJ, Fernández-Escamilla AM, Ramos JL. Identification and characterization of the PhhR regulon in Pseudomonas putida. Environ Microbiol 2009; 12:1427-38. [PMID: 20050871 DOI: 10.1111/j.1462-2920.2009.02124.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Pseudomonas putida is a soil microorganism that utilizes aromatic amino acids present in root exudates as a nitrogen source. We have previously shown that the PhhR transcriptional regulator induces phhAB genes encoding a phenylalanine hydroxylase. In this study we show, using microarray assays and promoter fusions, that PhhR is a global regulator responsible for the activation of genes essential for phenylalanine degradation, phenylalanine homeostasis and other genes of unknown function. Recently, it has been shown that phenylalanine catabolism occurs through more than one pathway. One of these possible pathways involves the metabolism of phenylalanine via tyrosine, p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate, and homogentisate. We identified two genes within this pathway that encode an acyl-CoA transferase involved in the metabolism of acetoacetate. All genes in this pathway were induced in response to phenylalanine in a PhhR-proficient background. The second potential degradative pathway involves the degradation of phenylalanine to produce phenylpyruvate, which seems to be degraded via phenylacetyl-CoA. A number of mutants in the paa genes encoding phenylacetyl-CoA degradation enzymes fail to grow on phenylpyruvate or phenylacetate, further supporting the existence of this second pathway. We found that the PhhR regulon also includes genes involved in the biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids that are repressed in the presence of phenylalanine, suggesting the possibility of feedback at the transcriptional level. In addition, we found that PhhR modulates the level of expression of the broad-substrate-specificity MexEF/OprN efflux pump. Expression from this pump is under the control of mexT gene product because phenylalanine-dependent transcription from the mexE promoter does not occur in a mexT mutant background. These results place PhhR as an important regulator in the control of bacterial responses to aromatic amino acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Carmen Herrera
- Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Department of Environmental Protection, E-18008 Granada, Spain
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Matilla MA, Espinosa-Urgel M, Rodríguez-Herva JJ, Ramos JL, Ramos-González MI. Genomic analysis reveals the major driving forces of bacterial life in the rhizosphere. Genome Biol 2008; 8:R179. [PMID: 17784941 PMCID: PMC2375017 DOI: 10.1186/gb-2007-8-9-r179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 168] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2007] [Revised: 07/09/2007] [Accepted: 09/04/2007] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
A global analysis of Pseudomonas putida gene expression performed during the interaction with maize roots revealed how a bacterial population adjusts its genetic program to the specific conditions of this lifestyle. Background Mutualistic interactions less well known than those between rhizobia and legumes are commonly found between plants and bacteria, frequently pseudomonads, which colonize roots and adjacent soil areas (the rhizosphere). Results A global analysis of Pseudomonas putida genes expressed during their interaction with maize roots revealed how a bacterial population adjusts its genetic program to this lifestyle. Differentially expressed genes were identified by comparing rhizosphere-colonizing populations with three distinct controls covering a variety of nutrients, growth phases and life styles (planktonic and sessile). Ninety rhizosphere up-regulated (rup) genes, which were induced relative to all three controls, were identified, whereas there was no repressed gene in common between the experiments. Genes involved in amino acid uptake and metabolism of aromatic compounds were preferentially expressed in the rhizosphere, which reflects the availability of particular nutrients in root exudates. The induction of efflux pumps and enzymes for glutathione metabolism indicates that adaptation to adverse conditions and stress (oxidative) response are crucial for bacterial life in this environment. The finding of a GGDEF/EAL domain response regulator among the induced genes suggests a role for the turnover of the secondary messenger c-diGMP in root colonization. Several mutants in rup genes showed reduced fitness in competitive root colonization. Conclusion Our results show the importance of two selective forces of different nature to colonize the rhizosphere: stress adaptation and availability of particular nutrients. We also identify new traits conferring bacterial survival in this niche and open a way to the characterization of specific signalling and regulatory processes governing the plant-Pseudomonas association.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel A Matilla
- Department of Environmental Protection, Estación Experimental de Zaidín, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Profesor Albareda 1, Granada 18008, Spain
| | - Manuel Espinosa-Urgel
- Department of Environmental Protection, Estación Experimental de Zaidín, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Profesor Albareda 1, Granada 18008, Spain
| | - José J Rodríguez-Herva
- Department of Environmental Protection, Estación Experimental de Zaidín, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Profesor Albareda 1, Granada 18008, Spain
| | - Juan L Ramos
- Department of Environmental Protection, Estación Experimental de Zaidín, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Profesor Albareda 1, Granada 18008, Spain
| | - María Isabel Ramos-González
- Department of Environmental Protection, Estación Experimental de Zaidín, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Profesor Albareda 1, Granada 18008, Spain
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Rodríguez-Herva JJ, García V, Hurtado A, Segura A, Ramos JL. The ttgGHI solvent efflux pump operon of Pseudomonas putida DOT-T1E is located on a large self-transmissible plasmid. Environ Microbiol 2007; 9:1550-61. [PMID: 17504492 DOI: 10.1111/j.1462-2920.2007.01276.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Pseudomonas putida DOT-T1E is a solvent-tolerant strain able to grow in the presence of > 1% (v/v) toluene in the culture medium. A set of multidrug efflux pumps have been found to play a major role in the tolerance of this bacterium to organic solvents (Rojas et al., J Bacteriol 183: 3967-3973). In the course of studies of the mechanisms underlying solvent tolerance in DOT-T1E, we isolated a spontaneous solvent-sensitive mutant derivative which had lost the genes encoding the TtgGHI efflux pump, the most important extrusion element in quantitative terms. Genomic comparisons between the mutant and its parental strain by microarray analysis revealed that in addition to the ttgVW-ttgGHI gene cluster, another group of genes, highly similar to those found in the Tn4653A and ISPpu12 transposable elements of the TOL plasmid pWW0 from P. putida mt-2, were also absent from this strain. Further analysis demonstrated that strain DOT-T1E harboured a large plasmid (named pGRT1) that was lost from the solvent-sensitive mutant. Mapping analysis revealed that the ttgVW-ttgGHI genes and the Tn4653A-like transposon are borne by the pGRT1 plasmid. Plasmid pGRT1 is highly stable and its frequency of loss is below 10(-8) per cell per generation under a variety of growth conditions, including nutritional and physical stresses. The pGRT1 plasmid is self-transmissible, and its acquisition by the toluene-sensitive P. putida KT2440 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 increased the recipient's tolerance to toluene up to levels similar to those exhibited by P. putida DOT-T1E. We discuss the importance and potential benefits of this plasmid for the development of bacteria with enhanced solvent tolerance, and its potential impact for bioremediation and whole-cell biotransformations.
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Affiliation(s)
- José J Rodríguez-Herva
- Department of Environmental Protection, Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, E-18008 Granada, Spain
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del Castillo T, Ramos JL, Rodríguez-Herva JJ, Fuhrer T, Sauer U, Duque E. Convergent peripheral pathways catalyze initial glucose catabolism in Pseudomonas putida: genomic and flux analysis. J Bacteriol 2007; 189:5142-52. [PMID: 17483213 PMCID: PMC1951859 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00203-07] [Citation(s) in RCA: 181] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, we show that glucose catabolism in Pseudomonas putida occurs through the simultaneous operation of three pathways that converge at the level of 6-phosphogluconate, which is metabolized by the Edd and Eda Entner/Doudoroff enzymes to central metabolites. When glucose enters the periplasmic space through specific OprB porins, it can either be internalized into the cytoplasm or be oxidized to gluconate. Glucose is transported to the cytoplasm in a process mediated by an ABC uptake system encoded by open reading frames PP1015 to PP1018 and is then phosphorylated by glucokinase (encoded by the glk gene) and converted by glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (encoded by the zwf genes) to 6-phosphogluconate. Gluconate in the periplasm can be transported into the cytoplasm and subsequently phosphorylated by gluconokinase to 6-phosphogluconate or oxidized to 2-ketogluconate, which is transported to the cytoplasm, and subsequently phosphorylated and reduced to 6-phosphogluconate. In the wild-type strain, glucose was consumed at a rate of around 6 mmol g(-1) h(-1), which allowed a growth rate of 0.58 h(-1) and a biomass yield of 0.44 g/g carbon used. Flux analysis of (13)C-labeled glucose revealed that, in the Krebs cycle, most of the oxalacetate fraction was produced by the pyruvate shunt rather than by the direct oxidation of malate by malate dehydrogenase. Enzymatic and microarray assays revealed that the enzymes, regulators, and transport systems of the three peripheral glucose pathways were induced in response to glucose in the outer medium. We generated a series of isogenic mutants in one or more of the steps of all three pathways and found that, although all three functioned simultaneously, the glucokinase pathway and the 2-ketogluconate loop were quantitatively more important than the direct phosphorylation of gluconate. In physical terms, glucose catabolism genes were organized in a series of clusters scattered along the chromosome. Within each of the clusters, genes encoding porins, transporters, enzymes, and regulators formed operons, suggesting that genes in each cluster coevolved. The glk gene encoding glucokinase was located in an operon with the edd gene, whereas the zwf-1 gene, encoding glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, formed an operon with the eda gene. Therefore, the enzymes of the glucokinase pathway and those of the Entner-Doudoroff pathway are physically linked and induced simultaneously. It can therefore be concluded that the glucokinase pathway is a sine qua non condition for P. putida to grow with glucose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa del Castillo
- Department of Environmental Protection, Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, C/ Prof. Albareda, 1, E-18008 Granada, Spain
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Llamas MA, Rodríguez-Herva JJ, Hancock REW, Bitter W, Tommassen J, Ramos JL. Role of Pseudomonas putida tol-oprL gene products in uptake of solutes through the cytoplasmic membrane. J Bacteriol 2003; 185:4707-16. [PMID: 12896989 PMCID: PMC166457 DOI: 10.1128/jb.185.16.4707-4716.2003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Proteins of the Tol-Pal (Tol-OprL) system play a key role in the maintenance of outer membrane integrity and cell morphology in gram-negative bacteria. Here we describe an additional role for this system in the transport of various carbon sources across the cytoplasmic membrane. Growth of Pseudomonas putida tol-oprL mutant strains in minimal medium with glycerol, fructose, or arginine was impaired, and the growth rate with succinate, proline, or sucrose as the carbon source was lower than the growth rate of the parental strain. Assays with radiolabeled substrates revealed that the rates of uptake of these compounds by mutant cells were lower than the rates of uptake by the wild-type strain. The pattern and amount of outer membrane protein in the P. putida tol-oprL mutants were not changed, suggesting that the transport defect was not in the outer membrane. Consistently, the uptake of radiolabeled glucose and glycerol in spheroplasts was defective in the P. putida tol-oprL mutant strains, suggesting that there was a defect at the cytoplasmic membrane level. Generation of a proton motive force appeared to be unaffected in these mutants. To rule out the possibility that the uptake defect was due to a lack of specific transporter proteins, the PutP symporter was overproduced, but this overproduction did not enhance proline uptake in the tol-oprL mutants. These results suggest that the Tol-OprL system is necessary for appropriate functioning of certain uptake systems at the level of the cytoplasmic membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- María A Llamas
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology of Plants, Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 18008 Granada, Spain
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Abstract
Proteins of the Tol system play a key role in the maintenance of outer membrane integrity and cell morphology in gram-negative bacteria. In Pseudomonas putida, the seven genes, orf1, tolQ, tolR, tolA, tolB, oprL, and orf2, which encode the proteins of this complex, are clustered in a 5.8-kb region of chromosomal DNA. Analysis of polar mutations, reverse transcriptase PCR assays, and transcriptional fusion constructs with a promoterless lacZ gene revealed that the genes are arranged in two operons: orf1 tolQ tolR tolA tolB and oprL orf2. We were also able to find a transcript that was initiated at the orf1 promoter and covered the two operons in a single mRNA. On the basis of the OprL protein level, we surmised that this transcript contributed only about 10 to 15% of the total OprL protein. Primer extension analysis identified the oprL orf2 operon promoter within the tolB gene, and the -10 and -35 regions exhibited some similarity to those of sigma(70)-recognized promoters. The transcription start point of orf1 was located 91 bp upstream of the orf1 start codon, and the -10/-35 region also exhibited sigma(70) -10/-35 recognition sequences. The expression from both promoters in rich and minimal media was constitutive and was very little influenced by the growth phase or iron-deficient conditions. In addition, analyses of the beta-galactosidase activities of different translational fusion constructs revealed that translation of tolA and orf2 genes was dependent on the translation of their corresponding upstream genes (tolR and oprL, respectively).
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Affiliation(s)
- María A Llamas
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology of Plants, Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 18008 Granada, Spain
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Junker F, Rodríguez-Herva JJ, Duque E, Ramos-González MI, Llamas M, Ramos JL. A WbpL mutant of Pseudomonas putida DOT-T1E strain, which lacks the O-antigenic side chain of lipopolysaccharides, is tolerant to organic solvent shocks. Extremophiles 2001; 5:93-9. [PMID: 11354460 DOI: 10.1007/s007920100176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) are major components of the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria and are considered a defense barrier. To determine if LPS play a role in resistance to solvents in the solvent-tolerant Pseudomonas putida DOT-T1E strain, we have generated mutants unable to synthesize the O-antigen side chain of LPS. The wbpL gene, encoding the enzyme that begins the synthesis of the O-antigen side chain of LPS of the solvent-tolerant strain, was cloned, sequenced, and knocked out in vitro with a cassette encoding kanamycin resistance, and a mutant called WbpL0 of the DOT-T1E strain was generated in vivo by site-directed mutagenesis. The WbpL mutant was compared with the wild-type strain with regard to tolerance to a number of toxic compounds, including chelating agents, organic acids, detergents, and aromatic hydrocarbons. It was found that the mutant was as tolerant as the wild-type strain to organic acids and aromatic hydrocarbons and more sensitive to ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and deoxycholate.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Junker
- Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Estación Experimental del Zaidin, Department of Plant Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology, Granada, Spain
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Llamas MA, Ramos JL, Rodríguez-Herva JJ. Mutations in each of the tol genes of Pseudomonas putida reveal that they are critical for maintenance of outer membrane stability. J Bacteriol 2000; 182:4764-72. [PMID: 10940016 PMCID: PMC111352 DOI: 10.1128/jb.182.17.4764-4772.2000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria functions as a permeability barrier that protects cells against a large number of antibacterial agents. OprL protein of Pseudomonas putida has been shown to be crucial to maintain the stability of this cell component (J. J. Rodríguez-Herva, M.-I. Ramos-González, and J. L. Ramos. J. Bacteriol. 178:1699-1706, 1996). In the present study we cloned and mutagenized the orf1, tolQ, tolR, tolA, and tolB genes from P. putida KT2440, which were located upstream of the oprL gene. Polar and nonpolar mutations of the P. putida tolQ, tolR, tolA, and tolB genes were generated in vitro by using the omega-Km(r) interposon, which carries two transcriptional stop signals, or a promoterless xylE cassette, lacking any transcriptional stop signal, respectively. The mutant constructs were used to inactivate, by reverse genetics procedures, the corresponding chromosomal copies of the genes. The phenotype of each mutant strain was analyzed and compared with those of the wild-type strain and the previously characterized P. putida oprL::xylE mutant. All mutant strains exhibited a similar phenotype: altered cell morphology, bleb formation at the cell surface, release of periplasmic and outer membrane proteins to the extracellular medium, increased sensitivity to a variety of compounds (i.e., EDTA, sodium dodecyl sulfate, deoxycholate, and some antibiotics), filament formation, and severely reduced cell motility. Altogether, these results demonstrate the importance of the Tol-OprL system for the maintenance of outer membrane integrity in P. putida and suggest a possible role of these proteins in assembling outer membrane components.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Llamas
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology of Plants, Estación Experimental del Zaidin, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, 18008 Granada, Spain
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Rodríguez-Herva JJ, Reniero D, Galli E, Ramos JL. Cell envelope mutants of Pseudomonas putida: physiological characterization and analysis of their ability to survive in soil. Environ Microbiol 1999; 1:479-88. [PMID: 11207769 DOI: 10.1046/j.1462-2920.1999.00058.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
To generate mutants with altered lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of the wild-type Pseudomonas putida KT2442, we used the mini-Tn5luxAB-Km transposon. A mutant was found among luminescent colonies and selected as a negative clone in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with monoclonal antibody (mAb) 7.3B, which recognizes the O-antigen of P. putida LPS. The DNA region of the LPS mutant interrupted by the minitransposon insertion was cloned and sequenced. Comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence with protein sequence databases showed similarity to the O-antigen polymerase (Wzy) of Salmonella enterica (muenchen). The wild-type gene was rescued by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), cloned into a broad-host-range plasmid and used to carry out complementation assays. The cloned gene was able to restore the wild-type phenotype of the P. putida wzy mutant. We constructed an isogenic mutant of the luminescent wzy mutant to which an oprL mutation was transferred by homologous recombination with an oprL::xylE cassette. The wzy mutants of P. putida were more sensitive to SDS, deoxycholate and EDTA than the corresponding parental strains. We analysed the ability of wzy, oprL and wzy oprL mutants of P. putida to colonize soil. In comparison with the wild-type strain, the ability of single mutants to colonize soil decreased; this characteristic was more evident for the double mutant, especially at high temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- J J Rodríguez-Herva
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology of Plants, Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Granada, Spain
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Abstract
The development of tolerance in Pseudomonas putida DOT-T1 to toluene and related highly toxic compounds involves short- and long-term responses. The short-term response is based on an increase in the rigidity of the cell membrane by rapid transformation of the fatty acid cis-9,10-methylene hexadecanoic acid (C17:cyclopropane) to unsaturated 9-cis-hexadecenoic acid (C16:1,9 cis) and subsequent transformation to the trans isomer. The long-term response involves in addition to the changes in fatty acids, alterations in the level of the phospholipid polar head groups: cardiolipin increases and phosphatidylethanolamine decreases. The two alterations lead to increased cell membrane rigidity and should be regarded as physical mechanisms that prevent solvent penetrance. Biochemical mechanisms that decrease the concentration of toluene in the cell membrane also take place and involve: (i) a solvent exclusion system and (ii) metabolic removal of toluene via oxidation. Mutants unable to carry out cis --> trans isomerization of unsaturated lipids, that exhibit altered cell envelopes because of the lack of the OprL protein, or that are unable to exclude toluene from cell membranes are hypersensitive to toluene.
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Affiliation(s)
- J L Ramos
- Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Granada, 18012 Granada, Spain
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Abstract
A Pseudomonas putida oprL null mutant was generated with reverse genetics by using an in vitro-truncated oprL::xylE construct and in vivo allelic exchange. The nature of the mutation introduced in P. putida was confirmed by Southern blotting. Western blots (immunoblots) of peptidoglycan-associated proteins revealed that the OprL protein was not made in the mutant strain, whereas it was detectable as a 19-kDa band in protein preparations of the wild-type strain. The P. putida oprL, mutant exhibited altered cell morphology as revealed by electron microscopy and was more sensitive to sodium dodecyl sulfate, deoxycholate, and EDTA than the wild-type strain. The oprL gene was conserved in a wide variety of the Pseudomonas strains belonging to rRNA group I, which suggests that this gene is important for the maintenance of the cell envelope and cell morphology in this group of microorganisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- J J Rodríguez-Herva
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology of Plants, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientifícas--Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Granada, Spain
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Rodríguez-Herva JJ, Ramos-Gonzalez MI, Ramos JL. The Pseudomonas putida peptidoglycan-associated outer membrane lipoprotein is involved in maintenance of the integrity of the cell cell envelope. J Bacteriol 1996; 178:1699-706. [PMID: 8626299 PMCID: PMC177856 DOI: 10.1128/jb.178.6.1699-1706.1996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Pseudomonas putida 14G-3, a derivative of the natural soil inhabitant P. putida KT2440, exhibited a chromosomal insertion of a mini-Tn5/'phoA transposon that resulted in reduced ability to colonize soil. In vitro characterization of P. putida 14G-3 revealed that it exhibited an altered cell morphology and envelope, as revealed by electron microscopy. The derived strain was sensitive to sodium dodecyl sulfate, deoxycholate, and EDTA, produced clumps when it reached high cell densities in the late logarithmic growth phase, and did not grow on low-osmolarity medium. The P. putida DNA surrounding the mini-Tn5/'phoA insertion was cloned and used as a probe to rescue the wild-type gene, which was sequenced. Comparison of the deduced peptide sequence with sequences in the Swiss-Prot database allowed the knocked-out gene to be identified as that encoding the peptidoglycan-associated lipoprotein (Pal or OprL) of P. putida. The protein was identified in coupled transcription and translation assays in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- J J Rodríguez-Herva
- Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology of Plants, Granada, Spain
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