scholarly journals Structure and dynamics of a mycobacterial type VII secretion system

Nature ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catalin M. Bunduc ◽  
Dirk Fahrenkamp ◽  
Jiri Wald ◽  
Roy Ummels ◽  
Wilbert Bitter ◽  
...  

AbstractMycobacterium tuberculosis is the cause of one of the most important infectious diseases in humans, which leads to 1.4 million deaths every year1. Specialized protein transport systems—known as type VII secretion systems (T7SSs)—are central to the virulence of this pathogen, and are also crucial for nutrient and metabolite transport across the mycobacterial cell envelope2,3. Here we present the structure of an intact T7SS inner-membrane complex of M. tuberculosis. We show how the 2.32-MDa ESX-5 assembly, which contains 165 transmembrane helices, is restructured and stabilized as a trimer of dimers by the MycP5 protease. A trimer of MycP5 caps a central periplasmic dome-like chamber that is formed by three EccB5 dimers, with the proteolytic sites of MycP5 facing towards the cavity. This chamber suggests a central secretion and processing conduit. Complexes without MycP5 show disruption of the EccB5 periplasmic assembly and increased flexibility, which highlights the importance of MycP5 for complex integrity. Beneath the EccB5–MycP5 chamber, dimers of the EccC5 ATPase assemble into three bundles of four transmembrane helices each, which together seal the potential central secretion channel. Individual cytoplasmic EccC5 domains adopt two distinctive conformations that probably reflect different secretion states. Our work suggests a previously undescribed mechanism of protein transport and provides a structural scaffold to aid in the development of drugs against this major human pathogen.

Author(s):  
Catalin M. Bunduc ◽  
Dirk Fahrenkamp ◽  
Jiri Wald ◽  
Roy Ummels ◽  
Wilbert Bitter ◽  
...  

AbstractMycobacterium tuberculosis causes one of the most important infectious diseases in humans, leading to 1.5 million deaths every year. Specialized protein transport systems, called type VII secretion systems (T7SSs), are central for its virulence, but also crucial for nutrient and metabolite transport across the mycobacterial cell envelope. Here we present the first structure of an intact T7SS inner membrane complex of M. tuberculosis. We show how the 2.32 MDa, 165 transmembrane helices-containing ESX-5 assembly is restructured and stabilized as a trimer of dimers by the MycP5 protease. A trimer of MycP5 caps a central periplasmic dome-like chamber formed by three EccB5 dimers, with the proteolytic sites facing towards the cavity. This chamber suggests a central secretion and processing conduit. Complexes without MycP5 show disruption of the EccB5 periplasmic assembly and increased flexibility, highlighting the importance of this component for complex integrity. Beneath the EccB5-MycP5 chamber, dimers of the EccC5 ATPase assemble into three four-transmembrane helix bundles, which together seal the potential central secretion channel. Individual cytoplasmic EccC5 domains adopt two distinctive conformations, likely reflecting different secretion states. Our work suggests a novel mechanism of protein transport and provides a structural scaffold to aid drug development against the major human pathogen.


Author(s):  
Kathrine S. H. Beckham ◽  
Christina Ritter ◽  
Grzegorz Chojnowski ◽  
Edukondalu Mullapudi ◽  
Mandy Rettel ◽  
...  

AbstractTo establish an infection, pathogenic mycobacteria use the Type VII secretion or ESX system to secrete virulence proteins across their cell envelope. The five ESX systems (ESX-1 to ESX-5) have evolved diverse functions in the cell, with the ESX-5 found almost exclusively in pathogens. Here we present a high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy structure of the hexameric ESX-5 Type VII secretion system. This 2.1 MDa membrane protein complex is built by a total of 30 subunits from six protomeric units, which are composed of the core components EccB5, EccC5, two copies of EccD5, and EccE5. The hexameric assembly of the overall ESX-5 complex is defined by specific inter-protomer interactions mediated by EccB5 and EccC5. The central transmembrane pore is formed by six pairs of EccC5 transmembrane helices that adopt a closed conformation in the absence of substrate in our structure. On the periplasmic face of the ESX-5 complex, we observe an extended arrangement of the six EccB5 subunits around a central cleft. Our structural findings provide molecular details of ESX-5 assembly and observations of the central secretion pore, which reveal insights into possible gating mechanisms used to regulate the transport of substrates.


2020 ◽  
Vol 432 (4) ◽  
pp. 1265-1278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent J.C. van Winden ◽  
Catalin M. Bunduc ◽  
Roy Ummels ◽  
Wilbert Bitter ◽  
Edith N.G. Houben

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (12) ◽  
pp. e1010121
Author(s):  
Brady L. Spencer ◽  
Uday Tak ◽  
Jéssica C. Mendonça ◽  
Prescilla E. Nagao ◽  
Michael Niederweis ◽  
...  

Type VII secretion systems (T7SS) have been identified in Actinobacteria and Firmicutes and have been shown to secrete effector proteins with functions in virulence, host toxicity, and/or interbacterial killing in a few genera. Bioinformatic analysis indicates that isolates of Group B Streptococcus (GBS) encode at least four distinct subtypes of T7SS machinery, three of which encode adjacent putative T7SS effectors with WXG and LXG motifs. However, the function of T7SS in GBS pathogenesis is unknown. Here we assessed the role of the most abundant GBS T7SS subtype during GBS pathogenesis. In a murine model of hematogenous meningitis, mice infected with GBS lacking a functional T7SS or lacking the secreted WXG100 effector EsxA exhibited less mortality, lower bacterial burdens in tissues, and decreased inflammation in the brain compared to mice infected with the parental GBS strain. We further showed that this T7SS induces cytotoxicity in brain endothelium and that EsxA contributes to these cytotoxicity phenotypes in a WXG motif-dependent manner. Finally, we determined that EsxA is a pore-forming protein, thus demonstrating the first role for a non-mycobacterial EsxA homolog in pore formation. This work reveals the importance of a T7SS in host–GBS interactions and has implications for T7SS effector function in other Gram-positive bacteria.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pratick Khara ◽  
Peter J. Christie ◽  
Bo Hu

Bacterial conjugation systems are members of the type IV secretion system (T4SS) superfamily. T4SSs can be classified as ‘minimized’ or ‘expanded’ based on whether assembly requires only a core set of signature subunits or additional system-specific components. The prototypical ‘minimized’ systems mediating Agrobacterium tumefaciens T-DNA transfer and conjugative transfer of plasmids pKM101 and R388 are built from 12 subunits generically named VirB1-VirB11 and VirD4. In this study, we visualized the pKM101-encoded T4SS in the native context of the bacterial cell envelope by in situ cryoelectron tomography (CryoET). The T4SSpKM101 is composed of an outer membrane core complex (OMCC) connected by a thin stalk to an inner membrane complex (IMC). The OMCCexhibits 14-fold symmetry and resembles that of the T4SSR388, a large substructure of which was previously purified and analyzed by negative-stain electron microscopy (nsEM). The IMC of the in situ T4SSpKM101 machine is highly symmetrical and exhibits 6-fold symmetry, dominated by a hexameric collar in the periplasm and a cytoplasmic complex composed of a hexamer of dimers of the VirB4-like TraB ATPase. The IMCclosely resembles equivalent regions of three ‘expanded’ T4SSs previously visualized by in situ CryoET, but strikingly differs from the IMC of the purified T4SSR388 whose cytoplasmic complex instead presents as two side-by-side VirB4 hexamers.  Together, our findings support a unified architectural model for all T4SSs assembled in vivo regardless of their classification as ‘minimized’ or ‘expanded’: the signature VirB4-like ATPases invariably are arranged as central hexamers of dimers at the entrances to the T4SS channels.


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. e1009182
Author(s):  
John Culver Taylor ◽  
Xinsheng Gao ◽  
Juan Xu ◽  
Michael Holder ◽  
Joseph Petrosino ◽  
...  

Streptococcus gallolyticus subspecies gallolyticus (Sgg) has a strong clinical association with colorectal cancer (CRC) and actively promotes the development of colon tumors. However, the molecular determinants involved in Sgg pathogenicity in the gut are unknown. Bacterial type VII secretion systems (T7SS) mediate pathogen interactions with their host and are important for virulence in pathogenic mycobacteria and Staphylococcus aureus. Through genome analysis, we identified a locus in Sgg strain TX20005 that encodes a putative type VII secretion system (designated as SggT7SST05). We showed that core genes within the SggT7SST05 locus are expressed in vitro and in the colon of mice. Western blot analysis showed that SggEsxA, a protein predicted to be a T7SS secretion substrate, is detected in the bacterial culture supernatant, indicating that this SggT7SST05 is functional. Deletion of SggT7SST05 (TX20005Δesx) resulted in impaired bacterial adherence to HT29 cells and abolished the ability of Sgg to stimulate HT29 cell proliferation. Analysis of bacterial culture supernatants suggest that SggT7SST05-secreted factors are responsible for the pro-proliferative activity of Sgg, whereas Sgg adherence to host cells requires both SggT7SST05-secreted and bacterial surface-associated factors. In a murine gut colonization model, TX20005Δesx showed significantly reduced colonization compared to the parent strain. Furthermore, in a mouse model of CRC, mice exposed to TX20005 had a significantly higher tumor burden compared to saline-treated mice, whereas those exposed to TX20005Δesx did not. Examination of the Sgg load in the colon in the CRC model suggests that SggT7SST05-mediated activities are directly involved in the promotion of colon tumors. Taken together, these results reveal SggT7SST05 as a previously unrecognized pathogenicity determinant for Sgg colonization of the colon and promotion of colon tumors.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasia A. Chernyatina ◽  
Harry H. Low

AbstractBacterial type II secretion systems (T2SSs) translocate virulence factors, toxins and enzymes across the cell outer membrane. Here we use negative stain and cryo-electron microscopy to reveal the core architecture of an assembled T2SS from the pathogen Klebsiella pneumoniae. We show that 7 proteins form a ~2.4 MDa complex that spans the cell envelope. The outer membrane complex includes the secretin PulD, with all domains modelled, and the pilotin PulS. The inner membrane assembly platform components PulC, PulE, PulL, PulM and PulN have a relative stoichiometric ratio of 2:1:1:1:1. The PulE ATPase, PulL and PulM combine to form a flexible hexameric hub. Symmetry mismatch between the outer membrane complex and assembly platform is overcome by PulC linkers spanning the periplasm, with PulC HR domains binding independently at the secretin base. Our results show that the T2SS has a highly dynamic modular architecture, with implication for pseudo-pilus assembly and substrate loading.


2016 ◽  
Vol 84 (8) ◽  
pp. 2255-2263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emir Tinaztepe ◽  
Jun-Rong Wei ◽  
Jenelle Raynowska ◽  
Cynthia Portal-Celhay ◽  
Victor Thompson ◽  
...  

More people die every year fromMycobacterium tuberculosisinfection than from infection by any other bacterial pathogen. Type VII secretion systems (T7SS) are used by both environmental and pathogenic mycobacteria to secrete proteins across their complex cell envelope. In the nonpathogenMycobacterium smegmatis, the ESX-1 T7SS plays a role in conjugation, and the ESX-3 T7SS is involved in metal homeostasis. InM. tuberculosis, these secretion systems have taken on roles in virulence, and they also are targets of the host immune response. ESX-3 secretes a heterodimer composed of EsxG (TB9.8) and EsxH (TB10.4), which impairs phagosome maturation in macrophages and is essential for virulence in mice. Given the importance of EsxG and EsxH during infection, we examined their regulation. WithM. tuberculosis, the secretion of EsxG and EsxH was regulated in response to iron and zinc, in accordance with the previously described transcriptional response of theesx-3locus to these metals. While iron regulated theesx-3expression in bothM. tuberculosisandM. smegmatis, there is a significant difference in the dynamics of this regulation. InM. smegmatis, theesx-3locus behaved like other iron-regulated genes such asmbtB. InM. tuberculosis, both iron and zinc modestly repressedesx-3expression. Diminished secretion of EsxG and EsxH in response to these metals altered the interaction ofM. tuberculosiswith macrophages, leading to impaired intracellularM. tuberculosissurvival. Our findings detail the regulatory differences ofesx-3inM. tuberculosisandM. smegmatisand demonstrate the importance of metal-dependent regulation of ESX-3 for virulence inM. tuberculosis.


2008 ◽  
Vol 190 (6) ◽  
pp. 2161-2171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Kutter ◽  
Renate Buhrdorf ◽  
Jürgen Haas ◽  
Wulf Schneider-Brachert ◽  
Rainer Haas ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Type IV secretion systems are possibly the most versatile protein transport systems in gram-negative bacteria, with substrates ranging from small proteins to large nucleoprotein complexes. In many cases, such as the cag pathogenicity island of Helicobacter pylori, genes encoding components of a type IV secretion system have been identified due to their sequence similarities to prototypical systems such as the VirB system of Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The Cag type IV secretion system contains at least 14 essential apparatus components and several substrate translocation and auxiliary factors, but the functions of most components cannot be inferred from their sequences due to the lack of similarities. In this study, we have performed a comprehensive sequence analysis of all essential or auxiliary Cag components, and we have used antisera raised against a subset of components to determine their subcellular localization. The results suggest that the Cag system contains functional analogues to all VirB components except VirB5. Moreover, we have characterized mutual stabilization effects and performed a comprehensive yeast two-hybrid screening for potential protein-protein interactions. Immunoprecipitation studies resulted in identification of a secretion apparatus subassembly at the outer membrane. Combining these data, we provide a first low-resolution model of the Cag type IV secretion apparatus.


Author(s):  
Sadhana Roy ◽  
Debika Ghatak ◽  
Payel Das ◽  
Somdeb BoseDasgupta

AbstractMycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of Tuberculosis has plagued humankind for ages and has surfaced stronger than ever with the advent of drug resistance. Mycobacteria are adept at evading the host immune system and establishing infection by engaging host factors and secreting several virulence factors. Hence these secretion systems play a key role in mycobacterial pathogenesis. The type VII secretion system or ESX (early secretory antigenic target (ESAT6) secretion) system is one such crucial system that comprises five different pathways having distinct roles in mycobacterial proliferation, pathogenesis, cytosolic escape within macrophages, regulation of macrophage apoptosis, metal ion homeostasis, etc. ESX 1–5 systems are implicated in the secretion of a plethora of proteins, of which only a few are functionally characterized. Here we summarize the current knowledge of ESX secretion systems of mycobacteria with a special focus on ESX-1 and ESX-5 systems that subvert macrophage defenses and help mycobacteria to establish their niche within the macrophage.


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