scholarly journals BrnQ-type Branched-chain Amino Acid Transporters Influence Bacillus anthracis Growth and Virulence

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soumita Dutta ◽  
Ileana D Corsi ◽  
Naomi Bier ◽  
Theresa M Koehler
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Bacillus Anthracis ◽  
Murine Model ◽  
Amino Acid Transporters ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Isoleucine Leucine ◽  
Virulence Gene Expression ◽  
Branched Chain Amino Acid ◽  
Branched Chain

Bacillus anthracis, the anthrax agent, exhibits robust proliferation in diverse niches of mammalian hosts. Metabolic attributes of B. anthracis that permit rapid growth in multiple mammalian tissues have not been established. We posit that branched-chain amino acid (BCAA: Isoleucine, leucine and valine) metabolism is key to B. anthracis pathogenesis. Increasing evidence indicates relationships between B. anthracis virulence and expression of BCAA-related genes. Expression of some BCAA-related genes is altered during culture in bovine blood in vitro and the bacterium exhibits valine auxotrophy in a blood serum mimic medium. Transcriptome analyses have revealed that the virulence regulator AtxA, that positively affects expression of the anthrax toxin and capsule genes, negatively regulates genes predicted to be associated with BCAA biosynthesis and transport. Here, we show that B. anthracis growth in defined media is severely restricted in the absence of exogenous BCAAs, indicating that BCAA transport is required for optimal growth in vitro. We demonstrate functional redundancy among multiple BrnQ-type BCAA transporters. Three transporters are associated with isoleucine and valine transport, and deletion of one, BrnQ3, attenuates virulence in a murine model for anthrax. Interestingly, an ilvD-null mutant lacking dihydroxy-acid dehydratase, an enzyme essential for BCAAs synthesis, exhibits unperturbed growth when cultured in media containing BCAAs, but is highly attenuated in the murine model. Finally, our data show that BCAAs enhance AtxA activity in a dose-dependent manner, suggesting a model in which BCAAs serve as a signal for virulence gene expression.

scholarly journals Role of BrnQ1 and BrnQ2 in Branched-Chain Amino Acid Transport and Virulence in Staphylococcus aureus

2014 ◽  
Vol 83 (3) ◽  
pp. 1019-1029 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julienne C. Kaiser ◽  
Sameha Omer ◽  
Jessica R. Sheldon ◽  
Ian Welch ◽  
David E. Heinrichs
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Virulence Gene ◽  
Defined Medium ◽  
Infection Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Virulence Gene Expression ◽  
Branched Chain Amino Acid ◽  
Branched Chain

The branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs; Ile, Leu, and Val) not only are important nutrients for the growth ofStaphylococcus aureusbut also are corepressors for CodY, which regulates virulence gene expression, implicating BCAAs as an important link between the metabolic state of the cell and virulence. BCAAs are either synthesized intracellularly or acquired from the environment.S. aureusencodes three putative BCAA transporters, designated BrnQ1, BrnQ2, and BrnQ3; their functions have not yet been formally tested. In this study, we mutated all threebrnQparalogs so as to characterize their substrate specificities and their roles in growthin vitroandin vivo. We demonstrated that in the community-associated, methicillin-resistantS. aureus(CA-MRSA) strain USA300, BrnQ1 is involved in uptake of all three BCAAs, BrnQ2 transports Ile, and BrnQ3 does not have a significant role in BCAA transport under the conditions tested. Of the three, only BrnQ1 is essential for USA300 to grow in a chemically defined medium that is limited for Leu or Val. Interestingly, we observed that abrnQ2mutant grew better than USA300 in media limited for Leu and Val, owing to the fact that this mutation leads to overexpression ofbrnQ1. In a murine infection model, thebrnQ1mutant was attenuated, but in contrast,brnQ2mutants had significantly increased virulence compared to that of USA300, a phenotype we suggest is at least partially linked to enhancedin vivoscavenging of Leu and Val through BrnQ1. These data uncover a hitherto-undiscovered connection between nutrient acquisition and virulence in CA-MRSA.

Branched chain amino acid regulation of the ILV2 locus in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Genome ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 596-603 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Xiao ◽  
Gerald H. Rank
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Acetolactate Synthase ◽  
Multiple Control ◽  
Isoleucine Leucine ◽  
Acid Sensitivity ◽  
Cis Acting ◽  
General Amino Acid Control ◽  
Branched Chain Amino Acid ◽  
Branched Chain ◽  
Unusual Phenotype

Mutant regulatory loci of the branched pathway for the biosynthesis of isoleucine–valine and leucine were identified with the unusual phenotype of an amino acid dependent auxotrophy. Two mutant loci, bcs1 and bcs2, conferred branched chain amino acid sensitivity and showed independent segregation. Linkage studies defined bcs1 as a cis-acting regulatory site of ILV2 (SMR1). ILV2 upstream deletion analyses and high-copy transformation of the positive regulatory locus LEU3 ruled out the possibility of LEU3 protein binding palindromes mediating the branched chain amino acid dependent auxotrophy. In the presence of leucine and valine, the general amino acid control system (GCN4) was epistatic to bcs1 and bcs2, and under nonstarvation conditions GCN4 strains showed an increased acetolactate synthase activity over gcn4 strains. Thus in addition to general regulation of ILV2, GCN4 functions in basal level expression when the locus is subject to specific repression by pathway end product.Key words: yeast, isoleucine, leucine, valine pathway, amino acid sensitivity, gene regulation, multiple control.

scholarly journals Rhizobium leguminosarum Has a Second General Amino Acid Permease with Unusually Broad Substrate Specificity and High Similarity to Branched-Chain Amino Acid Transporters (Bra/LIV) of the ABC Family

2002 ◽  
Vol 184 (15) ◽  
pp. 4071-4080 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. H. F. Hosie ◽  
D. Allaway ◽  
C. S. Galloway ◽  
H. A. Dunsby ◽  
P. S. Poole
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Rhizobium Leguminosarum ◽  
Binding Protein ◽  
Amino Acid Transporters ◽  
Acid Uptake ◽  
Amino Acid Permease ◽  
Branched Chain Amino Acid ◽  
General Amino Acid Permease ◽  
Branched Chain

ABSTRACT Amino acid uptake by Rhizobium leguminosarum is dominated by two ABC transporters, the general amino acid permease (Aap) and the branched-chain amino acid permease (BraRl). Characterization of the solute specificity of BraRl shows it to be the second general amino acid permease of R. leguminosarum. Although BraRl has high sequence identity to members of the family of hydrophobic amino acid transporters (HAAT), it transports a broad range of solutes, including acidic and basic polar amino acids (l-glutamate, l-arginine, and l-histidine), in addition to neutral amino acids (l-alanine and l-leucine). While amino and carboxyl groups are required for transport, solutes do not have to be α-amino acids. Consistent with this, BraRl is the first ABC transporter to be shown to transport γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). All previously identified bacterial GABA transporters are secondary carriers of the amino acid-polyamine-organocation (APC) superfamily. Also, transport by BraRl does not appear to be stereospecific as d amino acids cause significant inhibition of uptake of l-glutamate and l-leucine. Unlike all other solutes tested, l-alanine uptake is not dependent on solute binding protein BraCRl. Therefore, a second, unidentified solute binding protein may interact with the BraDEFGRl membrane complex during l-alanine uptake. Overall, the data indicate that BraRl is a general amino acid permease of the HAAT family. Furthermore, BraRl has the broadest solute specificity of any characterized bacterial amino acid transporter.

scholarly journals Branched-chain amino acid aminotransferase 2 regulates ferroptotic cell death in cancer cells

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kang Wang ◽  
Zhengyang Zhang ◽  
Hsiang-i Tsai ◽  
Yanfang Liu ◽  
Jie Gao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Ectopic Expression ◽  
Branched Chain Amino Acid ◽  
Pancreatic Cancer Cells ◽  
Key Enzyme ◽  
Branched Chain

Abstract Ferroptosis, a form of iron-dependent cell death driven by cellular metabolism and iron-dependent lipid peroxidation, has been implicated as a tumor-suppressor function for cancer therapy. Recent advance revealed that the sensitivity to ferroptosis is tightly linked to numerous biological processes, including metabolism of amino acid and the biosynthesis of glutathione. Here, by using a high-throughput CRISPR/Cas9-based genetic screen in HepG2 hepatocellular carcinoma cells to search for metabolic proteins inhibiting ferroptosis, we identified a branched-chain amino acid aminotransferase 2 (BCAT2) as a novel suppressor of ferroptosis. Mechanistically, ferroptosis inducers (erastin, sorafenib, and sulfasalazine) activated AMPK/SREBP1 signaling pathway through iron-dependent ferritinophagy, which in turn inhibited BCAT2 transcription. We further confirmed that BCAT2 as the key enzyme mediating the metabolism of sulfur amino acid, regulated intracellular glutamate level, whose activation by ectopic expression specifically antagonize system Xc– inhibition and protected liver and pancreatic cancer cells from ferroptosis in vitro and in vivo. On the contrary, direct inhibition of BCAT2 by RNA interference, or indirect inhibition by blocking system Xc– activity, triggers ferroptosis. Finally, our results demonstrate the synergistic effect of sorafenib and sulfasalazine in downregulating BCAT2 expression and dictating ferroptotic death, where BCAT2 can also be used to predict the responsiveness of cancer cells to ferroptosis-inducing therapies. Collectively, these findings identify a novel role of BCAT2 in ferroptosis, suggesting a potential therapeutic strategy for overcoming sorafenib resistance.

Repression of the Branched-Chain Amino Acid Biosynthetic Enzymes in Developing Conidia and Mycelia of Neurospora

1974 ◽  
Vol 52 (10) ◽  
pp. 822-829 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrés J. Jobbágy ◽  
Robert P. Wagner
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Neurospora Crassa ◽  
Enzymic Activity ◽  
Logarithmic Phase ◽  
Biosynthetic Enzymes ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Isoleucine Leucine ◽  
Branched Chain Amino Acid ◽  
End Products ◽  
Branched Chain

During germination of the conidia of wild type Neurospora crassa, the enzymes of the isoleucine–valine pathway increase in activity. This increase is partially repressed in the presence of a combination of exogenous isoleucine, leucine, and valine. Repressed levels of enzymic activity are also observed in mycelium during the logarithmic phase of growth. In both cases, isoleucine and leucine together are almost as effective without valine as when the three are present together. The synthesis of these enzymes does appear to be affected by their end products but not to the extent exhibited in bacteria.

scholarly journals Branched-chain-amino-acid-preferring peptidase activity of the lobster multicatalytic proteinase (proteasome) and the degradation of myofibrillar proteins

1995 ◽  
Vol 306 (1) ◽  
pp. 285-291 ◽  
Author(s):  
D L Mykles ◽  
M F Haire
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Myofibrillar Proteins ◽  
Significant Finding ◽  
Peptidase Activity ◽  
Multicatalytic Proteinase ◽  
Branched Chain Amino Acid ◽  
Endogenous Protein ◽  
Proteolytic Activities ◽  
Branched Chain

The multicatalytic proteinase (MCP or proteasome) is a large proteolytic complex that contains at least five catalytic components: the trypsin-like, chymotrypsin-like, peptidylglutamyl-peptide hydrolase (PGPH), branched-chain-amino-acid-preferring (BrAAP) and small-neutral-amino-acid-preferring activities. We have shown that brief heating of the lobster muscle proteasome activates a proteolytic activity that degrades casein and myofibrillar proteins and is distinct from the trypsin-like, chymotrypsin-like and PGPH components. Here we identify the BrAAP activity as a catalytic component involved in the initial degradation of myofibrillar proteins in vitro. This conclusion is based on the following. (1) The BrAAP component was activated by heat-treatment, whereas the other four peptidase activities were not. (2) The BrAAP and proteolytic activities showed similar sensitivities to cations and protease inhibitors: both were inhibited by 3,4-dichloroisocoumarin, chymostatin, N-ethylmaleimide and Mg2+, but were not affected by leupeptin, phenylmethanesulphonyl fluoride or Li+. (3) The BrAAP activity was inhibited most strongly by casein substrates and troponin; conversely, the troponin-degrading activity was inhibited by the BrAAP substrate. Another significant finding was that incubation of the heat-activated MCP in the presence of chymostatin resulted in the limited cleavage of troponin-T2 (45 kDa) to two fragments of 41 and 42 kDa; this cleavage was completely suppressed by leupeptin. These results suggest that under certain conditions the trypsin-like component can cleave endogenous protein.

scholarly journals Branched-chain amino acid metabolism and alanine formation in rat diaphragm muscle in vitro. Effects of dichloroacetate

1984 ◽  
Vol 223 (3) ◽  
pp. 831-835 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Snell ◽  
D A Duff
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Pyruvate Dehydrogenase ◽  
Amino Acid Metabolism ◽  
Acid Metabolism ◽  
Diaphragm Muscle ◽  
Rat Diaphragm ◽  
Branched Chain Amino Acid ◽  
In Vitro Effects ◽  
Branched Chain

Dichloroacetate (which activates pyruvate dehydrogenase) decreases the release of alanine, pyruvate and lactate in hemidiaphragm incubations with valine. Dichloroacetate interferes with alanine formation by diverting pyruvate into oxidative pathways, which not only limits pyruvate availability for direct transamination to form alanine but also indirectly affects branched-chain amino acid transamination by limiting 2-oxoglutarate regeneration from glutamate.

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