scholarly journals A counter-enzyme complex regulates glutamate metabolism in Bacillus subtilis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vijay Jayaraman ◽  
D. John Lee ◽  
Nadav Elad ◽  
Shay Vimer ◽  
Michal Sharon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Glutamate Synthase ◽  
Enzyme Complex ◽  
Primary Role ◽  
Biofilm Growth ◽  
Rich Media ◽  
Sequential Reactions

Multi-enzyme assemblies composed of metabolic enzymes catalyzing sequential reactions are being increasingly studied. Here, we report the discovery of a 1.6 megadalton multi-enzyme complex from Bacillus subtilis composed of two enzymes catalyzing opposite rather than sequential reactions (counter-enzymes): glutamate synthase (GltAB), and glutamate dehydrogenase (GudB), that make and break glutamate, respectively. In vivo and in vitro studies show that the primary role of complex formation is to inhibit GudBs activity as this enzyme is constitutively expressed including in glutamate-limiting conditions. Using cryo-electron microscopy, we elucidated the structure of the complex and the basis of GudBs inhibition. Finally, we show that this complex that exhibits unusual oscillatory progress curves is a necessity for planktonic growth in glutamate-limiting conditions, but is also essential for biofilm growth in glutamate-rich media, suggesting a regulatory role at fluctuating glutamate concentrations.

scholarly journals In Vivo Effect of Mutations at the PRPP Binding Site of the Bacillus subtilis Purine Repressor

2003 ◽  
Vol 185 (22) ◽  
pp. 6728-6731 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pekka Rappu ◽  
Terhi Pullinen ◽  
Pekka Mäntsälä
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Binding Site ◽  
Binding Motif

ABSTRACT The Bacillus subtilis PurR mediates adenine repression and guanosine induction of purA. PRPP inhibits binding of PurR to DNA in vitro. Mutations in the PRPP binding motif of PurR caused strong repression regardless of purine exclusions or additions, establishing the role of PRPP as regulator of PurR.

scholarly journals Influenza virus-specific CD4+ T helper type 2 T lymphocytes do not promote recovery from experimental virus infection.

1994 ◽  
Vol 180 (4) ◽  
pp. 1273-1282 ◽  
Author(s):  
M B Graham ◽  
V L Braciale ◽  
T J Braciale
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
T Cells ◽  
T Lymphocytes ◽  
Cd4 T Cells ◽  
Primary Role ◽  
T Helper ◽  
Helper Type

T lymphocytes play a primary role in recovery from viral infections and in antiviral immunity. Although viral-specific CD8+ and CD4+ T cells have been shown to be able to lyse virally infected targets in vitro and promote recovery from lethal infection in vivo, the role of CD4+ T lymphocytes and their mechanism(s) of action in viral immunity are not well understood. The ability to further dissect the role that CD4+ T cells play in the immune response to a number of pathogens has been greatly enhanced by evidence for more extensive heterogeneity among the CD4+ T lymphocytes. To further examine the role of CD4+ T cells in the immune response to influenza infection, we have generated influenza virus-specific CD4+ T cell clones from influenza-primed BALB/c mice with differential cytokine secretion profiles that are defined as T helper type 1 (Th1) clones by the production of interleukin 2 (IL-2) and interferon gamma (IFN-gamma), or as Th2 clones by the production of IL-4, IL-5, and IL-10. Our studies have revealed that Th1 clones are cytolytic in vitro and protective against lethal challenge with virus in vivo, whereas Th2 clones are noncytolytic and not protective. Upon further evaluation of these clonal populations we have shown that not only are the Th2 clones nonprotective, but that pulmonary pathology is exacerbated as compared with control mice as evidenced by delayed viral clearance and massive pulmonary eosinophilia. These data suggest that virus-specific CD4+ T cells of the Th2 subset may not play a primary role in virus clearance and recovery and may lead to immune mediated potentiation of injury.

scholarly journals The role of malate in the synthesis of glutamate in Pisum arvense roots

2014 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 611-619
Author(s):  
Genowefa Kubik-Dorosz
Keyword(s):  
Glutamic Acid ◽  
Malic Acid ◽  
Glutamate Synthase ◽  
Acid Synthesis ◽  
Incubation Mixture ◽  
Pyridine Nucleotides ◽  
Pisum Arvense

The in vivo and in vitro activities of NADH-dependent glutamate synthase in excised <em>Pisum arvense</em> roots increased several-fold under the influence of malate while pyruvate oxaloacctate. citrate and succinate inhibited this entyme. The plastids isolated from <em>Pisum arvense</em> root,. ahen incubated with glutamine and α-ketoglutarate, released glutamate into the medium Malate clearly stimulated this process. Albizziin (25 mM) completely reduced the presence of glutamate in the incubation mixture. These results indicate that reduced pyridine nucleotides arising in <em>P. arvense</em> root plastids during oxidation of malic acid may constitute the indispensable source of electrons for glutamic acid synthesis.

scholarly journals Role of Spore Coat Proteins in the Resistance of Bacillus subtilis Spores to Caenorhabditis elegans Predation

2008 ◽  
Vol 190 (18) ◽  
pp. 6197-6203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria-Halima Laaberki ◽  
Jonathan Dworkin
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Spore Coat ◽  
Coat Proteins ◽  
Host Interaction ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
In The Wild

ABSTRACT Bacterial spores are resistant to a wide range of chemical and physical insults that are normally lethal for the vegetative form of the bacterium. While the integrity of the protein coat of the spore is crucial for spore survival in vitro, far less is known about how the coat provides protection in vivo against predation by ecologically relevant hosts. In particular, assays had characterized the in vitro resistance of spores to peptidoglycan-hydrolyzing enzymes like lysozyme that are also important effectors of innate immunity in a wide variety of hosts. Here, we use the bacteriovorous nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, a likely predator of Bacillus spores in the wild, to characterize the role of the spore coat in an ecologically relevant spore-host interaction. We found that ingested wild-type Bacillus subtilis spores were resistant to worm digestion, whereas vegetative forms of the bacterium were efficiently digested by the nematode. Using B. subtilis strains carrying mutations in spore coat genes, we observed a correlation between the degree of alteration of the spore coat assembly and the susceptibility to the worm degradation. Surprisingly, we found that the spores that were resistant to lysozyme in vitro can be sensitive to C. elegans digestion depending on the extent of the spore coat structure modifications.

scholarly journals Interaction of Bacillus subtilis CsaA with SecA and precursor proteins

2000 ◽  
Vol 348 (2) ◽  
pp. 367-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jörg P. MÜLLER ◽  
Jörg OZEGOWSKI ◽  
Stefan VETTERMANN ◽  
Jelto SWAVING ◽  
Karel H. M. VAN WELY ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Specific Interaction ◽  
Membrane Vesicles ◽  
Protein Export ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Bacterium Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Bacterium Bacillus

CsaA from the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis has been identified previously as a suppressor of the growth and protein-export defect of Escherichia coli secA(Ts) mutants. CsaA has chaperone-like activities in vivo and in vitro. To examine the role of CsaA in protein export in B. subtilis, expression of the csaA gene was repressed. While export of most proteins remained unaffected, export of at least two proteins was significantly reduced upon CsaA depletion. CsaA co-immunoprecipitates and co-purifies with the SecA proteins of E. coli and B. subtilis, and binds the B. subtilis preprotein prePhoB. Purified CsaA stimulates the translocation of prePhoB into E. coli membrane vesicles bearing the B. subtilis translocase, whereas it interferes with the SecB-mediated translocation of proOmpA into membrane vesicles of E. coli. The specific interaction with the SecA translocation ATPase and preproteins suggests that CsaA acts as a chaperone that promotes the export of a subset of preproteins in B. subtilis.

scholarly journals High Levels of Genetic Recombination during Nasopharyngeal Carriage and Biofilm Formation in Streptococcus pneumoniae

mBio ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura R. Marks ◽  
Ryan M. Reddinger ◽  
Anders P. Hakansson
Keyword(s):  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Transformation Efficiency ◽  
Genetic Exchange ◽  
Biofilm Growth ◽  
High Transformation ◽  
Lower Temperature ◽  
Multiple Strains

ABSTRACTTransformation of genetic material between bacteria was first observed in the 1920s usingStreptococcus pneumoniaeas a model organism. Since then, the mechanism of competence induction and transformation has been well characterized, mainly using planktonic bacteria or septic infection models. However, epidemiological evidence suggests that genetic exchange occurs primarily during pneumococcal nasopharyngeal carriage, which we have recently shown is associated with biofilm growth, and is associated with cocolonization with multiple strains. However, no studies to date have comprehensively investigated genetic exchange during cocolonizationin vitroandin vivoor the role of the nasopharyngeal environment in these processes. In this study, we show that genetic exchange during dual-strain carriagein vivois extremely efficient (10−2) and approximately 10,000,000-fold higher than that measured during septic infection (10−9). This high transformation efficiency was associated with environmental conditions exclusive to the nasopharynx, including the lower temperature of the nasopharynx (32 to 34°C), limited nutrient availability, and interactions with epithelial cells, which were modeled in a novel biofilm modelin vitrothat showed similarly high transformation efficiencies. The nasopharyngeal environmental factors, combined, were critical for biofilm formation and induced constitutive upregulation of competence genes and downregulation of capsule that promoted transformation. In addition, we show that dual-strain carriagein vivoand biofilms formedin vitrocan be transformed during colonization to increase their pneumococcal fitness and also, importantly, that bacteria with lower colonization ability can be protected by strains with higher colonization efficiency, a process unrelated to genetic exchange.IMPORTANCEAlthough genetic exchange between pneumococcal strains is known to occur primarily during colonization of the nasopharynx and colonization is associated with biofilm growth, this is the first study to comprehensively investigate transformation in this environment and to analyze the role of environmental and bacterial factors in this process. We show that transformation efficiency during cocolonization by multiple strains is very high (around 10−2). Furthermore, we provide novel evidence that specific aspects of the nasopharyngeal environment, including lower temperature, limited nutrient availability, and epithelial cell interaction, are critical for optimal biofilm formation and transformation efficiency and result in bacterial protein expression changes that promote transformation and fitness of colonization-deficient strains. The results suggest that cocolonization in biofilm communities may have important clinical consequences by facilitating the spread of antibiotic resistance and enabling serotype switching and vaccine escape as well as protecting and retaining poorly colonizing strains in the pneumococcal strain pool.

scholarly journals Bifunctional Malic/Malolactic Enzyme Provides a Novel Mechanism for NADPH-Balancing in Bacillus subtilis

mBio ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel Hörl ◽  
Tobias Fuhrer ◽  
Nicola Zamboni
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Metabolic Flux ◽  
Central Carbon Metabolism ◽  
Flux Analysis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Malolactic Enzyme ◽  
First Time

ABSTRACT The redox cofactor NADPH is required as a reducing equivalent in about 100 anabolic reactions throughout metabolism. To ensure fitness under all conditions, the demand is fulfilled by a few dehydrogenases in central carbon metabolism that reduce NADP+ with electrons derived from the catabolism of nutrients. In the case of Bacillus subtilis growing on glucose, quantitative flux analyses indicate that NADPH production largely exceeds biosynthetic needs, suggesting a hitherto unknown mechanism for NADPH balancing. We investigated the role of the four malic enzymes present in B. subtilis that could bring about a metabolic cycle for transhydrogenation of NADPH into NADH. Using quantitative 13C metabolic flux analysis, we found that isoform YtsJ alone contributes to NADPH balancing in vivo and demonstrated relevant NADPH-oxidizing activity by YtsJ in vitro. To our surprise, we discovered that depending on NADPH, YtsJ switches activity from a pyruvate-producing malic enzyme to a lactate-generating malolactic enzyme. This switch in activity allows YtsJ to adaptively compensate for cellular NADPH over- and underproduction upon demand. Finally, NADPH-dependent bifunctional activity was also detected in the YtsJ homolog in Escherichia coli MaeB. Overall, our study extends the known redox cofactor balancing mechanisms by providing first-time evidence that the type of catalyzed reaction by an enzyme depends on metabolite abundance. IMPORTANCE A new mechanism for NADPH balancing was discovered in Bacillus subtilis. It pivots on the bifunctional enzyme YtsJ, which is known to catalyze NADP-dependent malate decarboxylation. We found that in the presence of excessive NADPH, the same enzyme switches to malolactic activity and creates a transhydrogenation cycle that ultimately converts NADPH to NADH. This provides a regulated mechanism to immediately adjust NADPH/NADP+ in response to instantaneous needs.

Prostaglandins and Platelet Aggregation in Vivo

1970 ◽  
Vol 23 (02) ◽  
pp. 293-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Kloeze
Keyword(s):  
Platelet Aggregation ◽  
Prostaglandin E1 ◽  
Blood Platelets ◽  
Adenosine Diphosphate ◽  
Primary Role ◽  
Electric Stimulus ◽  
Platelet Thrombi

SummaryIt was shown previously that prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) inhibits the aggregation of blood platelets in vitro whereas PGF1α does not; in vivo, PGE1 inhibits in rats the action of intravenously injected adenosine diphosphate. Locally administered PGE1 is found in the present experiment to inhibit in rats the formation and growth of platelet thrombi, induced by an electric stimulus in cortical veins. PGF1α appeared to be inactive.The morphology of platelet thrombi induced by an electric stimulus is shown. The probability of a primary role of erythrocytes in the formation of this type of thrombi is discussed.

scholarly journals Terminal Oxidases Are Essential To Bypass the Requirement for ResD for Full Pho Induction in Bacillus subtilis

2004 ◽  
Vol 186 (24) ◽  
pp. 8424-8432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Schau ◽  
Amr Eldakak ◽  
F. Marion Hulett
Keyword(s):  
Signal Transduction ◽  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Cellular Response ◽  
Signal Transduction Network ◽  
Terminal Oxidases ◽  
Component Systems ◽  
Two Component Systems

ABSTRACT The Bacillus subtilis Pho signal transduction network, which regulates the cellular response to phosphate starvation, integrates the activity of three signal transduction systems to regulate the level of the Pho response. This signal transduction network includes a positive feedback loop between the PhoP/PhoR and ResD/ResE two-component systems. Within this network, ResD is responsible for 80% of the Pho response. To date, the role of ResD in the generation of the Pho response has not been understood. Expression of two terminal oxidases requires ResD function, and expression of at least one terminal oxidase is needed for the wild-type Pho response. Previously, our investigators have shown that strains bearing mutations in resD are impaired for growth and acquire secondary mutations which compensate for the loss of the a-type terminal oxidases by allowing production of cytochrome bd. We report here that the expression of cytochrome bd in a ΔresDE background is sufficient to compensate for the loss of ResD for full Pho induction. A ctaA mutant strain, deficient in the production of heme A, has the same Pho induction phenotype as a ΔresDE strain. This demonstrates that the production of a-type terminal oxidases is the basis for the role of ResD in Pho induction. Terminal oxidases affect the redox state of the quinone pool. Reduced quinones inhibit PhoR autophosphorylation in vitro, consistent with a requirement for terminal oxidases for full Pho induction in vivo.

scholarly journals YfmK is an Nε-lysine acetyltransferase that directly acetylates the histone-like protein HBsu in Bacillus subtilis

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (9) ◽  
pp. 3752-3757 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerie J. Carabetta ◽  
Todd M. Greco ◽  
Ileana M. Cristea ◽  
David Dubnau
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Biological Significance ◽  
Lysine Residues ◽  
Lysine Acetyltransferase ◽  
Sites Of Action ◽  
Protein Acetyltransferase ◽  
Encoding Genes

Nε-lysine acetylation is an abundant and dynamic regulatory posttranslational modification that remains poorly characterized in bacteria. In bacteria, hundreds of proteins are known to be acetylated, but the biological significance of the majority of these events remains unclear. Previously, we characterized the Bacillus subtilis acetylome and found that the essential histone-like protein HBsu contains seven previously unknown acetylation sites in vivo. Here, we investigate whether acetylation is a regulatory component of the function of HBsu in nucleoid compaction. Using mutations that mimic the acetylated and unacetylated forms of the protein, we show that the inability to acetylate key HBsu lysine residues results in a more compacted nucleoid. We further investigated the mechanism of HBsu acetylation. We screened deletions of the ∼50 putative GNAT domain-encoding genes in B. subtilis for their effects on DNA compaction, and identified five candidates that may encode acetyltransferases acting on HBsu. Genetic bypass experiments demonstrated that two of these, YfmK and YdgE, can acetylate Hbsu, and their potential sites of action on HBsu were identified. Additionally, purified YfmK was able to directly acetylate HBsu in vitro, suggesting that it is the second identified protein acetyltransferase in B. subtilis. We propose that at least one physiological function of the acetylation of HBsu at key lysine residues is to regulate nucleoid compaction, analogous to the role of histone acetylation in eukaryotes.

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