scholarly journals Identification of a novel type of glucose dehydrogenase involved in the mineral weathering ability of Collimonas pratensis strain PMB3(1)

Author(s):  
L Picard ◽  
M-P Turpault ◽  
P M Oger ◽  
S Uroz

Abstract The exact molecular mechanisms as well as the genes involved in the mineral weathering (MW) process by bacteria remain poorly characterized. To date, a single type of glucose dehydrogenase (GDH) depending on a particular co-factor named pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) is known. These enzymes allow the production of gluconic acid through the oxidation of glucose. However, it remains to be determined how bacteria missing PQQ-dependent GDH and/or the related pqq biogenesis genes weather minerals. In this study, we considered the very effective mineral weathering bacterial strain PMB3(1) of Collimonas pratensis. Genome analysis revealed that it does not possess the PQQ based system. The use of random mutagenesis, gene complementation and functional assays allowed us to identify mutants impacted in their ability to weather mineral. Among them, three mutants were strongly altered on their acidification and biotite weathering abilities (58 to 75% of reduction compared to WT) and did not produce gluconic acid. The characterization of the genomic regions allowed noticeably to the identification of a Glucose/Methanol/Choline oxidoreductase. This region appeared very conserved among collimonads and related genera. This study represents the first demonstration of the implication of a PQQ-independent GDH in the mineral weathering process and explains how Collimonas weather minerals.

Author(s):  
Yuan-Li Wang ◽  
Wen Dong ◽  
Kai-Xiang Xiang ◽  
Qi Wang ◽  
Lin-Yan He ◽  
...  

Silicate mineral weathering (dissolution) plays important roles in soil formation and global biogeochemical cycling. In this study, a combination of genomics, transcriptomics, and genetics was used to identify the molecular basis of mineral weathering activity and acid tolerance in Pseudomonas azotoformans F77. Biotite was chosen as a silicate mineral to investigate mineral weathering. The genome of strain F77 was sequenced, and the genes significantly upregulated when grown in the presence of biotite included mineral weathering-related genes associated with gluconic acid metabolism, flagellar assembly, and pilus biosynthesis and acid tolerance-related genes associated with neutralizing component production, reducing power, and proton efflux. Then, the biotite-weathering behaviors of strain F77 and its mutants that were created by deleting the tkt , tal , gntP , potF , nuoF , and gdtO genes, which are involved in gluconic acid metabolism and acid tolerance, respectively, were determined. The Fe and Al concentrations in the strain F77-inoculated medium increased 2.2- to 13.7-fold compared to the controls. The cell numbers of strain F77 increased over time, while the pH values in the medium ranged from 3.75 to 3.90 between 20 and 36 h of incubation. The release of Al and Fe was significantly reduced in the mutants F77Δ tal , F77Δ gntP , F77Δ potF , and F77Δ nuoF . Bacterial growth was significantly reduced in the presence of biotite in the mutants F77Δ potF and F77Δ nuoF . Our results demonstrated the acid tolerance of strain F77 and suggested that multiple genes and metabolic pathways in strain F77 are involved in biotite weathering and acid tolerance during the mineral weathering process. IMPORTANCE Acid production and tolerance play important roles in effective and persistent mineral weathering in bacteria, although the molecular mechanisms governing acid production and acid tolerance in bacteria have not been fully elucidated. In this study, the molecular mechanisms underlying biotite (as a silicate mineral) weathering (dissolution) and acid tolerance of P. azotoformans F77 were characterized using genomics, transcriptomics, and genetics analyses. Our results showed that the genes and metabolic pathways for gluconic acid metabolism, flagellar assembly, and pilus biosynthesis may play important roles in mineral weathering by strain F77. Notably, the genes associated with neutralizing component production, reducing power, and proton efflux may be related to acid tolerance in strain F77. The expression of these acid production- and acid tolerance-related genes was observed to be increased by biotite in strain F77. Our findings may help to elucidate the molecular mechanisms governing mineral weathering and, especially, acid tolerance in mineral-weathering bacteria.


It has been shown (Harrison, 1931) that an enzyme, glucose dehydrogenase, which brings about the oxidation of glucose, can be extracted from the liver of various animals. The product of this oxidation of glucose has been shown to be d -gluconic acid (Harrison, 1932). It seemed likely that during this conversion of glucose to gluconic acid, the ring structure of glucose would be broken, with the intermediate formation of the open chain form of glucose containing a free aldehyde group. This free aldehyde group of glucose might then be capable of oxidation by another enzyme, the Schardinger enzyme, which appears to bring about the oxidation of any soluble aldehyde. The Schardinger enzyme is widely distributed in the body tissues, and it seemed possible that it might collaborate in this way with glucose dehydrogenase in the oxidation of glucose in the body. On carrying out an experiment to test this, however, it was surprising to find that the addition of the Schardinger enzyme to glucose and glucose dehydrogenase, so far from accelerating the oxidation, brought about a complete, or almost complete, inhibition of the oxidation of glucose by the dehydrogenase. Further experiments described below showed that the inhibition was due to the Schardinger enzyme itself and not to some impurity in the enzyme preparation. It was decided to investigate the inhibition further, for it is well known that the Schardinger (or xanthine) oxidase induces the oxidation of only aldehydes and certain purines. If it could be shown that the inhibition was due to an oxidative destruction of the glucose dehydrogenase by the Schardinger enzyme, it might well throw light on the chemical structure of the dehydrogenase enzyme.


2020 ◽  
Vol 86 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan-Li Wang ◽  
Li-Jing Sun ◽  
Chun-Mei Xian ◽  
Feng-Lian Kou ◽  
Ying Zhu ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT In this study, the mineral-weathering bacterium Pseudomonas azotoformans F77, which was isolated from the soil of a debris flow area, was evaluated for its weathering activity under direct contact with biotite or without contact. Then, biotite-weathering behaviors of strain F77, mutants that had been created by deleting the gcd and adh genes (which are involved in gluconic acid metabolism and pilus formation, respectively), and the double mutant F77ΔgcdΔadh were compared. The relative gene expression levels of F77 and its mutants F77Δgcd and F77Δadh were also analyzed in the presence of biotite. Direct contact with biotite increased Fe and Al release from the mineral in the presence of F77. All strains had similar abilities to release Fe and Al from the mineral except for F77Δgcd and F77Δadh. Mobilized Fe and Al concentrations were decreased by up to 72, 26, and 87% in the presence of F77Δgcd, F77Δadh, and F77ΔgcdΔadh, respectively, compared to levels observed in the presence of F77 during the mineral-weathering process. Gluconic acid production was decreased for F77Δgcd and F77ΔgcdΔadh, while decreased cell attachment on the mineral surface was observed for F77Δadh, compared to findings for F77. The F77 genes involved in pilus formation and gluconic acid metabolism showed increased expression levels in the presence of biotite. The results of this study showed important roles for the genes involved in gluconic acid metabolism and pilus formation in mineral weathering by F77 and demonstrated the distinctive effect of these genes on mineral weathering by F77. IMPORTANCE Bacteria play important roles in mineral weathering and soil formation, although the molecular mechanisms underlying the interactions between bacteria and silicate minerals are poorly understood. In this study, the interactions between biotite and the highly effective mineral-weathering bacterium P. azotoformans F77 were characterized. Our results showed that the genes involved in gluconic acid metabolism and pilus formation play important roles in mineral weathering by F77. The presence of biotite could promote the expression of these genes in F77, and a distinctive effect of these genes on mineral weathering by F77 was observed in this study. Our results provide new knowledge and promote better understanding regarding the interaction between silicate minerals and mineral-weathering bacteria, as well as the molecular mechanisms involved in these processes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qian-Hao Zhu ◽  
Warwick Stiller ◽  
Philippe Moncuquet ◽  
Stuart Gordon ◽  
Yuman Yuan ◽  
...  

Abstract Fiber mutants are unique and valuable resources for understanding the genetic and molecular mechanisms controlling initiation and development of cotton fibers that are extremely elongated single epidermal cells protruding from the seed coat of cottonseeds. In this study, we reported a new fuzzless-tufted cotton mutant (Gossypium hirsutum) and showed that fuzzless-tufted near-isogenic lines (NILs) had similar agronomic traits and a higher ginning efficiency compared to their recurrent parents with normal fuzzy seeds. Genetic analysis revealed that the mutant phenotype is determined by a single incomplete dominant locus, designated N5. The mutation was fine mapped to an approximately 250-kb interval containing 33 annotated genes using a combination of bulked segregant sequencing, SNP chip genotyping, and fine mapping. Comparative transcriptomic analysis using 0–6 days post-anthesis (dpa) ovules from NILs segregating for the phenotypes of fuzzless-tufted (mutant) and normal fuzzy cottonseeds (wild-type) uncovered candidate genes responsible for the mutant phenotype. It also revealed that the flanking region of the N5 locus is enriched with differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the mutant and wild-type. Several of those DEGs are members of the gene families with demonstrated roles in cell initiation and elongation, such as calcium-dependent protein kinase and expansin. The transcriptome landscape of the mutant was significantly reprogrammed in the 6 dpa ovules and, to a less extent, in the 0 dpa ovules, but not in the 2 and 4 dpa ovules. At both 0 and 6 dpa, the reprogrammed mutant transcriptome was mainly associated with cell wall modifications and transmembrane transportation, while transcription factor activity was significantly altered in the 6 dpa mutant ovules. These results imply a similar molecular basis for initiation of lint and fuzz fibers despite certain differences.


Genetics ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 161 (4) ◽  
pp. 1661-1672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Pedrosa ◽  
Niels Sandal ◽  
Jens Stougaard ◽  
Dieter Schweizer ◽  
Andreas Bachmair

AbstractLotus japonicus is a model plant for the legume family. To facilitate map-based cloning approaches and genome analysis, we performed an extensive characterization of the chromosome complement of the species. A detailed karyotype of L. japonicus Gifu was built and plasmid and BAC clones, corresponding to genetically mapped markers (see the accompanying article by Sandal  et al. 2002, this issue), were used for FISH to correlate genetic and chromosomal maps. Hybridization of DNA clones from 32 different genomic regions enabled the assignment of linkage groups to chromosomes, the comparison between genetic and physical distances throughout the genome, and the partial characterization of different repetitive sequences, including telomeric and centromeric repeats. Additional analysis of L. filicaulis and its F1 hybrid with L. japonicus demonstrated the occurrence of inversions between these closely related species, suggesting that these chromosome rearrangements are early events in speciation of this group.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (14) ◽  
pp. 7390
Author(s):  
Nicole Wesch ◽  
Frank Löhr ◽  
Natalia Rogova ◽  
Volker Dötsch ◽  
Vladimir V. Rogov

Ubiquitin fold modifier 1 (UFM1) is a member of the ubiquitin-like protein family. UFM1 undergoes a cascade of enzymatic reactions including activation by UBA5 (E1), transfer to UFC1 (E2) and selective conjugation to a number of target proteins via UFL1 (E3) enzymes. Despite the importance of ufmylation in a variety of cellular processes and its role in the pathogenicity of many human diseases, the molecular mechanisms of the ufmylation cascade remains unclear. In this study we focused on the biophysical and biochemical characterization of the interaction between UBA5 and UFC1. We explored the hypothesis that the unstructured C-terminal region of UBA5 serves as a regulatory region, controlling cellular localization of the elements of the ufmylation cascade and effective interaction between them. We found that the last 20 residues in UBA5 are pivotal for binding to UFC1 and can accelerate the transfer of UFM1 to UFC1. We solved the structure of a complex of UFC1 and a peptide spanning the last 20 residues of UBA5 by NMR spectroscopy. This structure in combination with additional NMR titration and isothermal titration calorimetry experiments revealed the mechanism of interaction and confirmed the importance of the C-terminal unstructured region in UBA5 for the ufmylation cascade.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Betty Ha ◽  
Kevin P. Larsen ◽  
Jingji Zhang ◽  
Ziao Fu ◽  
Elizabeth Montabana ◽  
...  

AbstractReverse transcription of the HIV-1 viral RNA genome (vRNA) is an integral step in virus replication. Upon viral entry, HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) initiates from a host tRNALys3 primer bound to the vRNA genome and is the target of key antivirals, such as non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs). Initiation proceeds slowly with discrete pausing events along the vRNA template. Despite prior medium-resolution structural characterization of reverse transcriptase initiation complexes (RTICs), higher-resolution structures of the RTIC are needed to understand the molecular mechanisms that underlie initiation. Here we report cryo-EM structures of the core RTIC, RTIC–nevirapine, and RTIC–efavirenz complexes at 2.8, 3.1, and 2.9 Å, respectively. In combination with biochemical studies, these data suggest a basis for rapid dissociation kinetics of RT from the vRNA–tRNALys3 initiation complex and reveal a specific structural mechanism of nucleic acid conformational stabilization during initiation. Finally, our results show that NNRTIs inhibit the RTIC and exacerbate discrete pausing during early reverse transcription.


Blood ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas robert leon Klei ◽  
Jill Jasmine Dalimot ◽  
Benjamin Nota ◽  
Martijn Veldthuis ◽  
Erik Mul ◽  
...  

Red pulp macrophages of the spleen mediate turnover of billions of senescent erythrocytes per day. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in sequestration of senescent erythrocytes, their recognition and their subsequent degradation by red pulp macrophages remain unclear. In this study we provide evidence that the splenic environment is of substantial importance in facilitating erythrocyte turnover through induction of hemolysis. Upon isolating human spleen red pulp macrophages we noted a substantial lack of macrophages that were in the process of phagocytosing intact erythrocytes. Detailed characterization of erythrocyte and macrophage subpopulations from human spleen tissue led to the identification of erythrocytes that are devoid of hemoglobin, so-called erythrocyte ghosts. By in vivo imaging and transfusion experiments we further confirmed that senescent erythrocytes that are retained in the spleen are subject to hemolysis. Additionally, we show that erythrocyte adhesion molecules, which are specifically activated on aged erythrocytes, cause senescent erythrocytes to interact with extracellular matrix proteins that are exposed within the splenic architecture. Such adhesion molecule-driven retention of senescent erythrocytes, under low shear conditions, was found to result in steady shrinkage of the cell and ultimately resulted in hemolysis. In contrast to intact senescent erythrocytes, the remnant erythrocyte ghost shells were prone to recognition and breakdown by red pulp macrophages. These data identify hemolysis as a key event in the turnover of senescent erythrocytes, which alters our current understanding of how erythrocyte degradation is regulated.


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