scholarly journals Inhibitor of intramembrane protease RseP blocks the σE response causing lethal accumulation of unfolded outer membrane proteins

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (28) ◽  
pp. E6614-E6621 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Konovalova ◽  
Marcin Grabowicz ◽  
Carl J. Balibar ◽  
Juliana C. Malinverni ◽  
Ronald E. Painter ◽  
...  

The outer membrane (OM) of Gram-negative bacteria forms a robust permeability barrier that blocks entry of toxins and antibiotics. Most OM proteins (OMPs) assume a β-barrel fold, and some form aqueous channels for nutrient uptake and efflux of intracellular toxins. The Bam machine catalyzes rapid folding and assembly of OMPs. Fidelity of OMP biogenesis is monitored by the σE stress response. When OMP folding defects arise, the proteases DegS and RseP act sequentially to liberate σE into the cytosol, enabling it to activate transcription of the stress regulon. Here, we identify batimastat as a selective inhibitor of RseP that causes a lethal decrease in σE activity in Escherichia coli, and we further identify RseP mutants that are insensitive to inhibition and confer resistance. Remarkably, batimastat treatment allows the capture of elusive intermediates in the OMP biogenesis pathway and offers opportunities to better understand the underlying basis for σE essentiality.

2016 ◽  
Vol 198 (14) ◽  
pp. 1984-1992 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tara F. Mahoney ◽  
Dante P. Ricci ◽  
Thomas J. Silhavy

ABSTRACTThe biogenesis of the outer membrane (OM) ofEscherichia coliis a conserved and vital process. The assembly of integral β-barrel outer membrane proteins (OMPs), which represent a major component of the OM, depends on periplasmic chaperones and the heteropentameric β-barrel assembly machine (Bam complex) in the OM. However, not all OMPs are affected by null mutations in the same chaperones or nonessential Bam complex members, suggesting there are categories of substrates with divergent requirements for efficient assembly. We have previously demonstrated two classes of substrates, one comprising large, low-abundance, and difficult-to-assemble substrates that are heavily dependent on SurA and also Skp and FkpA, and the other comprising relatively simple and abundant substrates that are not as dependent on SurA but are strongly dependent on BamB for assembly. Here, we describe novel mutations inbamDthat lower levels of BamD 10-fold and >25-fold without altering the sequence of the mature protein. We utilized these mutations, as well as a previously characterized mutation that lowers wild-type BamA levels, to reveal a third class of substrates. These mutations preferentially cause a marked decrease in the levels of multimeric proteins. This susceptibility of multimers to lowered quantities of Bam machines in the cell may indicate that multiple Bam complexes are needed to efficiently assemble multimeric proteins into the OM.IMPORTANCEThe outer membrane (OM) of Gram-negative bacteria, such asEscherichia coli, serves as a selective permeability barrier that prevents the uptake of toxic molecules and antibiotics. Integral β-barrel proteins (OMPs) are assembled by the β-barrel assembly machine (Bam), components of which are conserved in mitochondria, chloroplasts, and all Gram-negative bacteria, including many clinically relevant pathogenic species. Bam is essential for OM biogenesis and accommodates a diverse array of client proteins; however, a mechanistic model that accounts for the selectivity and broad substrate range of Bam is lacking. Here, we show that the assembly of multimeric OMPs is more strongly affected than that of monomeric OMPs when essential Bam complex components are limiting, suggesting that multiple Bam complexes are needed to assemble multimeric proteins.


2015 ◽  
Vol 291 (4) ◽  
pp. 1921-1932 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Urfer ◽  
Jasmina Bogdanovic ◽  
Fabio Lo Monte ◽  
Kerstin Moehle ◽  
Katja Zerbe ◽  
...  

Increasing antibacterial resistance presents a major challenge in antibiotic discovery. One attractive target in Gram-negative bacteria is the unique asymmetric outer membrane (OM), which acts as a permeability barrier that protects the cell from external stresses, such as the presence of antibiotics. We describe a novel β-hairpin macrocyclic peptide JB-95 with potent antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli. This peptide exhibits no cellular lytic activity, but electron microscopy and fluorescence studies reveal an ability to selectively disrupt the OM but not the inner membrane of E. coli. The selective targeting of the OM probably occurs through interactions of JB-95 with selected β-barrel OM proteins, including BamA and LptD as shown by photolabeling experiments. Membrane proteomic studies reveal rapid depletion of many β-barrel OM proteins from JB-95-treated E. coli, consistent with induction of a membrane stress response and/or direct inhibition of the Bam folding machine. The results suggest that lethal disruption of the OM by JB-95 occurs through a novel mechanism of action at key interaction sites within clusters of β-barrel proteins in the OM. These findings open new avenues for developing antibiotics that specifically target β-barrel proteins and the integrity of the Gram-negative OM.


mBio ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerrie L. May ◽  
Kelly M. Lehman ◽  
Angela M. Mitchell ◽  
Marcin Grabowicz

ABSTRACTGram-negative bacteria produce lipid-anchored lipoproteins that are trafficked to their outer membrane (OM). These lipoproteins are essential components in each of the molecular machines that build the OM, including the Bam machine that assembles β-barrel proteins and the Lpt pathway that transports lipopolysaccharide. Stress responses are known to monitor Bam and Lpt function, yet no stress system has been found that oversees the fundamental process of lipoprotein trafficking. We used genetic and chemical biology approaches to induce several different lipoprotein trafficking stresses inEscherichia coli. Our results identified the Cpx two-component system as a stress response for monitoring trafficking. Cpx is activated by trafficking defects and is required to protect the cell against the consequence of the resulting stress. The OM-targeted lipoprotein NlpE acts as a sensor that allows Cpx to gauge trafficking efficiency. We reveal that NlpE signals to Cpx while it is transiting the inner membrane (IM)en routeto the OM and that only a small highly conserved N-terminal domain is required for signaling. We propose that defective trafficking causes NlpE to accumulate in the IM, activating Cpx to mount a transcriptional response that protects cells. Furthermore, we reconcile this new role of NlpE in signaling trafficking defects with its previously proposed role in sensing copper (Cu) stress by demonstrating that Cu impairs acylation of lipoproteins and, consequently, their trafficking to the OM.IMPORTANCEThe outer membrane built by Gram-negative bacteria such asEscherichia coliforms a barrier that prevents antibiotics from entering the cell, limiting clinical options at a time of prevalent antibiotic resistance. Stress responses ensure that barrier integrity is continuously maintained. We have identified the Cpx signal transduction system as a stress response that monitors the trafficking of lipid-anchored lipoproteins to the outer membrane. These lipoproteins are needed by every machine that builds the outer membrane. Cpx monitors just one lipoprotein, NlpE, to detect the efficiency of lipoprotein trafficking in the cell. NlpE and Cpx were previously shown to play a role in resistance to copper. We show that copper blocks lipoprotein trafficking, reconciling old and new observations. Copper is an important element in innate immunity against pathogens, and our findings suggest that NlpE and Cpx helpE. colisurvive the assault of copper on a key outer membrane assembly pathway.


2011 ◽  
Vol 55 (5) ◽  
pp. 2206-2211 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Veiga-Crespo ◽  
E. Fusté ◽  
T. Vinuesa ◽  
M. Viñas ◽  
T. G. Villa

ABSTRACTAntibiotic-resistant bacteria are becoming one of the most important problems in health care because of the number of resistant strains and the paucity of new effective antimicrobials. Since antibiotic-resistant bacteria will continue to increase, it is necessary to look for new alternative strategies to fight against them. It is generally accepted that Gram-negative bacteria are intrinsically less susceptible than Gram-positive bacteria to antimicrobials. The main reason is that Gram-negative bacteria are surrounded by a permeability barrier known as the outer membrane (OM). Hydrophilic solutes most often cross the OM through water-filled channels formed by a particular family of proteins known as porins. This work explores the possibility of using exogenous porins to lower the required amounts of antibiotics (ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, cefotaxime, clindamycin, erythromycin, and tetracycline). Porins had a bactericidal effect onEscherichia colicultures, mainly in the logarithmic phase of growth, when combined with low antibiotic concentrations. The use of different antibiotic-porin mixtures showed a bactericidal effect greater than those of antibiotics and porins when used separately. It was possible to observe different behaviors according to the antibiotic type used.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Grimm ◽  
Handuo Shi ◽  
Wei Wang ◽  
Angela M. Mitchell ◽  
Ned S. Wingreen ◽  
...  

AbstractThe outer membrane (OM) of Gram-negative bacteria is a selective permeability barrier that allows uptake of nutrients while simultaneously protecting the cell from harmful compounds. The basic pathways and molecular machinery responsible for transporting lipopolysaccharides (LPS), lipoproteins, and β-barrel proteins to the OM have been identified, but very little is known about phospholipid (PL) transport. To identify genes capable of affecting PL transport, we screened for genetic interactions with mlaA*, a mutant in which anterograde PL transport causes the inner membrane (IM) to shrink and eventually rupture; characterization of mlaA*-mediated lysis suggested that PL transport can occur via a high-flux, diffusive flow mechanism. We found that YhdP, an IM protein involved in maintaining the OM permeability barrier, modulates the rate of PL transport during mlaA*-mediated lysis. Deletion of yhdP from mlaA* reduced the rate of IM transport to the OM by 50%, slowing shrinkage of the IM and delaying lysis. As a result, the weakened OM of ΔydhP cells was further compromised and ruptured before the IM during mlaA*-mediated death. These findings demonstrate the existence of a high-flux, diffusive pathway for PL flow in Escherichia coli that is modulated by YhdP.Significance StatementThe outer membrane (OM) of Gram-negative bacteria serves as a barrier that protects cells from harmful chemical compounds, including many antibiotics. Understanding how bacteria build this barrier is an important step in engineering strategies to circumvent it. A long-standing mystery in the field is how phospholipids (PLs) are transported from the inner membrane (IM) to the OM. We previously discovered that a mutation in the gene mlaA causes rapid flow of PLs to the OM, eventually resulting in IM rupture. Here, we found that deletion of the gene yhdP delayed cell death in the mlaA mutant by slowing flow of PLs to the OM. These findings reveal a high-flux, diffusive pathway for PL transport in Gram-negative bacteria modulated by YhdP.


2019 ◽  
Vol 201 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth M. Hart ◽  
Aileen O’Connell ◽  
Kimberly Tang ◽  
Joseph S. Wzorek ◽  
Marcin Grabowicz ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe Gram-negative outer membrane (OM) is a selectively permeable asymmetric bilayer that allows vital nutrients to diffuse into the cell but prevents toxins and hydrophobic molecules from entering. Functionally and structurally diverse β-barrel outer membrane proteins (OMPs) build and maintain the permeability barrier, making the assembly of OMPs crucial for cell viability. In this work, we characterize an assembly-defective mutant of the maltoporin LamB, LamBG439D. We show that the folding defect of LamBG439Dresults in an accumulation of unfolded substrate that is toxic to the cell when the periplasmic protease DegP is removed. Selection for suppressors of this toxicity identified the novel mutantdegSA323Eallele. The mutant DegSA323Eprotein contains an amino acid substitution at the PDZ/protease domain interface that results in a partially activated conformation of this protein. This activation increases basal levels of downstream σEstress response signaling. Furthermore, the enhanced σEactivity of DegSA323Esuppresses a number of other assembly-defective conditions without exhibiting the toxicity associated with high levels of σEactivity. We propose that the increased basal levels of σEsignaling primes the cell to respond to envelope stress before OMP assembly defects threaten cell viability. This finding addresses the importance of envelope stress responses in monitoring the OMP assembly process and underpins the critical balance between envelope defects and stress response activation.IMPORTANCEGram-negative bacteria, such asEscherichia coli, inhabit a natural environment that is prone to flux. In order to cope with shifting growth conditions and the changing availability of nutrients, cells must be capable of quickly responding to stress. Stress response pathways allow cells to rapidly shift gene expression profiles to ensure survival in this unpredictable environment. Here we describe a mutant that partially activates the σEstress response pathway. The elevated basal level of this stress response allows the cell to quickly respond to overwhelming stress to ensure cell survival.


mBio ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Niccolò Morè ◽  
Alessandra M. Martorana ◽  
Jacob Biboy ◽  
Christian Otten ◽  
Matthias Winkle ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTGram-negative bacteria have a tripartite cell envelope with the cytoplasmic membrane (CM), a stress-bearing peptidoglycan (PG) layer, and the asymmetric outer membrane (OM) containing lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the outer leaflet. Cells must tightly coordinate the growth of their complex envelope to maintain cellular integrity and OM permeability barrier function. The biogenesis of PG and LPS relies on specialized macromolecular complexes that span the entire envelope. In this work, we show thatEscherichia colicells are capable of avoiding lysis when the transport of LPS to the OM is compromised, by utilizing LD-transpeptidases (LDTs) to generate 3-3 cross-links in the PG. This PG remodeling program relies mainly on the activities of the stress response LDT, LdtD, together with the major PG synthase PBP1B, its cognate activator LpoB, and the carboxypeptidase PBP6a. Our data support a model according to which these proteins cooperate to strengthen the PG in response to defective OM synthesis.IMPORTANCEIn Gram-negative bacteria, the outer membrane protects the cell against many toxic molecules, and the peptidoglycan layer provides protection against osmotic challenges, allowing bacterial cells to survive in changing environments. Maintaining cell envelope integrity is therefore a question of life or death for a bacterial cell. Here we show thatEscherichia colicells activate the LD-transpeptidase LdtD to introduce 3-3 cross-links in the peptidoglycan layer when the integrity of the outer membrane is compromised, and this response is required to avoid cell lysis. This peptidoglycan remodeling program is a strategy to increase the overall robustness of the bacterial cell envelope in response to defects in the outer membrane.


eLife ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryoji Miyazaki ◽  
Tetsuro Watanabe ◽  
Kohei Yoshitani ◽  
Yoshinori Akiyama

The outer membrane (OM) of gram-negative bacteria functions as a selective permeability barrier. Escherichia coli periplasmic Zn-metallopeptidase BepA contributes to the maintenance of OM integrity through its involvement in the biogenesis and degradation of LptD, a β-barrel protein component of the lipopolysaccharide translocon. BepA either promotes the maturation of LptD when it is on the normal assembly pathway (on-pathway) or degrades it when its assembly is compromised (off-pathway). BepA performs these functions probably on the β‐barrel assembly machinery (BAM) complex. However, how BepA recognizes and directs an immature LptD to different pathways remains unclear. Here, we explored the interactions among BepA, LptD, and the BAM complex. We found that the interaction of the BepA edge-strand located adjacent to the active site with LptD was crucial not only for proteolysis but also, unexpectedly, for assembly promotion of LptD. Site-directed crosslinking analyses indicated that the unstructured N-terminal half of the β-barrel-forming domain of an immature LptD contacts with the BepA edge-strand. Furthermore, the C-terminal region of the β-barrel-forming domain of the BepA-bound LptD intermediate interacted with a 'seam' strand of BamA, suggesting that BepA recognized LptD assembling on the BAM complex. Our findings provide important insights into the functional mechanism of BepA.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (10) ◽  
pp. 5328
Author(s):  
Miao Ma ◽  
Margaux Lustig ◽  
Michèle Salem ◽  
Dominique Mengin-Lecreulx ◽  
Gilles Phan ◽  
...  

One of the major families of membrane proteins found in prokaryote genome corresponds to the transporters. Among them, the resistance-nodulation-cell division (RND) transporters are highly studied, as being responsible for one of the most problematic mechanisms used by bacteria to resist to antibiotics, i.e., the active efflux of drugs. In Gram-negative bacteria, these proteins are inserted in the inner membrane and form a tripartite assembly with an outer membrane factor and a periplasmic linker in order to cross the two membranes to expulse molecules outside of the cell. A lot of information has been collected to understand the functional mechanism of these pumps, especially with AcrAB-TolC from Escherichia coli, but one missing piece from all the suggested models is the role of peptidoglycan in the assembly. Here, by pull-down experiments with purified peptidoglycans, we precise the MexAB-OprM interaction with the peptidoglycan from Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, highlighting a role of the peptidoglycan in stabilizing the MexA-OprM complex and also differences between the two Gram-negative bacteria peptidoglycans.


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