scholarly journals A role for a conserved kinase in the transcriptional control of methionine biosynthesis inEscherichia coliexperiencing sustained nitrogen starvation

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Switzer ◽  
Dimitrios Evangelopoulos ◽  
Rita Figueira ◽  
Luiz Pedro S. de Carvalho ◽  
Daniel R. Brown ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe initial adaptive transcriptional response to nitrogen (N) starvation inEscherichia coliinvolves large-scale alterations to the transcriptome mediated by the transcription activator, NtrC. One of the NtrC-activated genes isyeaG, which encodes a conserved bacterial kinase. Although it is known that YeaG is required for optimal survival under sustained N starvation, the molecular basis by which YeaG benefits N starvedE. coliremains elusive. By combining transcriptomics with targeted metabolomics analyses, we demonstrate that the methionine biosynthesis pathway becomes transcriptionally dysregulated inΔyeaGbacteria experiencing sustained N starvation. This results in the aberrant and energetically costly biosynthesis of methionine and associated metabolites under sustained N starvation with detrimental consequences to cell viability. It appears the activity of the master transcriptional repressor of methionine biosynthesis genes, MetJ, is compromised inΔyeaGbacteria under sustained N starvation, resulting in transcriptional derepression of MetJ-regulated genes. The results suggest that YeaG is a novel regulatory factor and functions as a molecular brake in the transcriptional control of both the NtrC-regulon and methionine biosynthesis genes inE. coliexperiencing sustained N starvation.

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 1721-1728 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Switzer ◽  
Daniel R. Brown ◽  
Sivaramesh Wigneshweraraj

Bacterial adaptive responses to biotic and abiotic stresses often involve large-scale reprogramming of the transcriptome. Since nitrogen is an essential component of the bacterial cell, the transcriptional basis of the adaptive response to nitrogen starvation has been well studied. The adaptive response to N starvation in Escherichia coli is primarily a ‘scavenging response’, which results in the transcription of genes required for the transport and catabolism of nitrogenous compounds. However, recent genome-scale studies have begun to uncover and expand some of the intricate regulatory complexities that underpin the adaptive transcriptional response to nitrogen starvation in E. coli. The purpose of this review is to highlight some of these new developments.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Switzer ◽  
Lynn Burchell ◽  
Josh McQuail ◽  
Sivaramesh Wigneshweraraj

ABSTRACTBacteria initially respond to nutrient starvation by eliciting large-scale transcriptional changes. The accompanying changes in gene expression and metabolism allow the bacterial cells to effectively adapt to the nutrient starved state. How the transcriptome subsequently changes as nutrient starvation ensues is not well understood. We used nitrogen (N) starvation as a model nutrient starvation condition to study the transcriptional changes in Escherichia coli experiencing long-term N starvation. The results reveal that the transcriptome of N starved E. coli undergoes changes that are required to maximise chances of viability and to effectively recover growth when N starvation conditions become alleviated. We further reveal that, over time, N starved E. coli cells rely on the degradation of allantoin for optimal growth recovery when N becomes replenished. This study provides insights into the temporally coordinated adaptive responses that occur in E. coli experiencing sustained N starvation.IMPORTANCEBacteria in their natural environments seldom encounter conditions that support continuous growth. Hence, many bacteria spend the majority of their time in states of little or no growth due to starvation of essential nutrients. To cope with prolonged periods of nutrient starvation, bacteria have evolved several strategies, primarily manifesting themselves through changes in how the information in their genes is accessed. How these coping strategies change over time under nutrient starvation is not well understood and this knowledge is not only important to broaden our understanding of bacterial cell function, but also to potentially find ways to manage harmful bacteria. This study provides insights into how nitrogen starved Escherichia coli bacteria rely on different genes during long term nitrogen starvation.


eLife ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Albergante ◽  
J Julian Blow ◽  
Timothy J Newman

The gene regulatory network (GRN) is the central decision‐making module of the cell. We have developed a theory called Buffered Qualitative Stability (BQS) based on the hypothesis that GRNs are organised so that they remain robust in the face of unpredictable environmental and evolutionary changes. BQS makes strong and diverse predictions about the network features that allow stable responses under arbitrary perturbations, including the random addition of new connections. We show that the GRNs of E. coli, M. tuberculosis, P. aeruginosa, yeast, mouse, and human all verify the predictions of BQS. BQS explains many of the small- and large‐scale properties of GRNs, provides conditions for evolvable robustness, and highlights general features of transcriptional response. BQS is severely compromised in a human cancer cell line, suggesting that loss of BQS might underlie the phenotypic plasticity of cancer cells, and highlighting a possible sequence of GRN alterations concomitant with cancer initiation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 202 (17) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Switzer ◽  
Lynn Burchell ◽  
Josh McQuail ◽  
Sivaramesh Wigneshweraraj

ABSTRACT Bacteria initially respond to nutrient starvation by eliciting large-scale transcriptional changes. The accompanying changes in gene expression and metabolism allow the bacterial cells to effectively adapt to the nutrient-starved state. How the transcriptome subsequently changes as nutrient starvation ensues is not well understood. We used nitrogen (N) starvation as a model nutrient starvation condition to study the transcriptional changes in Escherichia coli experiencing long-term N starvation. The results reveal that the transcriptome of N-starved E. coli undergoes changes that are required to maximize chances of viability and to effectively recover growth when N starvation conditions become alleviated. We further reveal that, over time, N-starved E. coli cells rely on the degradation of allantoin for optimal growth recovery when N becomes replenished. This study provides insights into the temporally coordinated adaptive responses that occur in E. coli experiencing sustained N starvation. IMPORTANCE Bacteria in their natural environments seldom encounter conditions that support continuous growth. Hence, many bacteria spend the majority of their time in states of little or no growth due to starvation of essential nutrients. To cope with prolonged periods of nutrient starvation, bacteria have evolved several strategies, primarily manifesting themselves through changes in how the information in their genes is accessed. How these coping strategies change over time under nutrient starvation is not well understood, and this knowledge is important not only to broaden our understanding of bacterial cell function but also to potentially find ways to manage harmful bacteria. This study provides insights into how nitrogen-starved Escherichia coli bacteria rely on different genes during long-term nitrogen starvation.


Author(s):  
F. A. Durum ◽  
R. G. Goldman ◽  
T. J. Bolling ◽  
M. F. Miller

CMP-KDO synthetase (CKS) is an enzyme which plays a key role in the synthesis of LPS, an outer membrane component unique to gram negative bacteria. CKS activates KDO to CMP-KDO for incorporation into LPS. The enzyme is normally present in low concentrations (0.02% of total cell protein) which makes it difficult to perform large scale isolation and purification. Recently, the gene for CKS from E. coli was cloned and various recombinant DNA constructs overproducing CKS several thousandfold (unpublished data) were derived. Interestingly, no cytoplasmic inclusions of overproduced CKS were observed by EM (Fig. 1) which is in contrast to other reports of large proteinaceous inclusion bodies in various overproducing recombinant strains. The present immunocytochemical study was undertaken to localize CKS in these cells.Immune labeling conditions were first optimized using a previously described cell-free test system. Briefly, this involves soaking small blocks of polymerized bovine serum albumin in purified CKS antigen and subjecting them to various fixation, embedding and immunochemical conditions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 346-354
Author(s):  
Yan A. Ivanenkov ◽  
Renat S. Yamidanov ◽  
Ilya A. Osterman ◽  
Petr V. Sergiev ◽  
Vladimir A. Aladinskiy ◽  
...  

Aim and Objective: Antibiotic resistance is a serious constraint to the development of new effective antibacterials. Therefore, the discovery of the new antibacterials remains one of the main challenges in modern medicinal chemistry. This study was undertaken to identify novel molecules with antibacterial activity. Materials and Methods: Using our unique double-reporter system, in-house large-scale HTS campaign was conducted for the identification of antibacterial potency of small-molecule compounds. The construction allows us to visually assess the underlying mechanism of action. After the initial HTS and rescreen procedure, luciferase assay, C14-test, determination of MIC value and PrestoBlue test were carried out. Results: HTS rounds and rescreen campaign have revealed the antibacterial activity of a series of Nsubstituted triazolo-azetidines and their isosteric derivatives that has not been reported previously. Primary hit-molecule demonstrated a MIC value of 12.5 µg/mL against E. coli Δ tolC with signs of translation blockage and no SOS-response. Translation inhibition (26%, luciferase assay) was achieved at high concentrations up to 160 µg/mL, while no activity was found using C14-test. The compound did not demonstrate cytotoxicity in the PrestoBlue assay against a panel of eukaryotic cells. Within a series of direct structural analogues bearing the same or bioisosteric scaffold, compound 2 was found to have an improved antibacterial potency (MIC=6.25 µg/mL) close to Erythromycin (MIC=2.5-5 µg/mL) against the same strain. In contrast to the parent hit, this compound was more active and selective, and provided a robust IP position. Conclusion: N-substituted triazolo-azetidine scaffold may be used as a versatile starting point for the development of novel active and selective antibacterial compounds.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 716-724
Author(s):  
Yan A. Ivanenkov ◽  
Renat S. Yamidanov ◽  
Ilya A. Osterman ◽  
Petr V. Sergiev ◽  
Vladimir A. Aladinskiy ◽  
...  

Background: The key issue in the development of novel antimicrobials is a rapid expansion of new bacterial strains resistant to current antibiotics. Indeed, World Health Organization has reported that bacteria commonly causing infections in hospitals and in the community, e.g. E. Coli, K. pneumoniae and S. aureus, have high resistance vs the last generations of cephalosporins, carbapenems and fluoroquinolones. During the past decades, only few successful efforts to develop and launch new antibacterial medications have been performed. This study aims to identify new class of antibacterial agents using novel high-throughput screening technique. Methods: We have designed library containing 125K compounds not similar in structure (Tanimoto coeff.< 0.7) to that published previously as antibiotics. The HTS platform based on double reporter system pDualrep2 was used to distinguish between molecules able to block translational machinery or induce SOS-response in a model E. coli system. MICs for most active chemicals in LB and M9 medium were determined using broth microdilution assay. Results: In an attempt to discover novel classes of antibacterials, we performed HTS of a large-scale small molecule library using our unique screening platform. This approach permitted us to quickly and robustly evaluate a lot of compounds as well as to determine the mechanism of action in the case of compounds being either translational machinery inhibitors or DNA-damaging agents/replication blockers. HTS has resulted in several new structural classes of molecules exhibiting an attractive antibacterial activity. Herein, we report as promising antibacterials. Two most active compounds from this series showed MIC value of 1.2 (5) and 1.8 μg/mL (6) and good selectivity index. Compound 6 caused RFP induction and low SOS response. In vitro luciferase assay has revealed that it is able to slightly inhibit protein biosynthesis. Compound 5 was tested on several archival strains and exhibited slight activity against gram-negative bacteria and outstanding activity against S. aureus. The key structural requirements for antibacterial potency were also explored. We found, that the unsubstituted carboxylic group is crucial for antibacterial activity as well as the presence of bulky hydrophobic substituents at phenyl fragment. Conclusion: The obtained results provide a solid background for further characterization of the 5'- (carbonylamino)-2,3'-bithiophene-4'-carboxylate derivatives discussed herein as new class of antibacterials and their optimization campaign.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather S. Deter ◽  
Tahmina Hossain ◽  
Nicholas C. Butzin

AbstractAntibiotic treatment kills a large portion of a population, while a small, tolerant subpopulation survives. Tolerant bacteria disrupt antibiotic efficacy and increase the likelihood that a population gains antibiotic resistance, a growing health concern. We examined how E. coli transcriptional networks changed in response to lethal ampicillin concentrations. We are the first to apply transcriptional regulatory network (TRN) analysis to antibiotic tolerance by leveraging existing knowledge and our transcriptional data. TRN analysis shows that gene expression changes specific to ampicillin treatment are likely caused by specific sigma and transcription factors typically regulated by proteolysis. These results demonstrate that to survive lethal concentration of ampicillin specific regulatory proteins change activity and cause a coordinated transcriptional response that leverages multiple gene systems.


2021 ◽  
Vol 184 ◽  
pp. 106186
Author(s):  
Richard Haugland ◽  
Kevin Oshima ◽  
Mano Sivaganesan ◽  
Alfred Dufour ◽  
Manju Varma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
E Coli ◽  

Metabolomics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiina Jääskeläinen ◽  
◽  
Olli Kärkkäinen ◽  
Jenna Jokkala ◽  
Anton Klåvus ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction Maternal metabolism changes substantially during pregnancy. However, few studies have used metabolomics technologies to characterize changes across gestation. Objectives and methods We applied liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) based non-targeted metabolomics to determine whether the metabolic profile of serum differs throughout the pregnancy between pre-eclamptic and healthy women in the FINNPEC (Finnish Genetics of Preeclampsia Consortium) Study. Serum samples were available from early and late pregnancy. Results Progression of pregnancy had large-scale effects to the serum metabolite profile. Altogether 50 identified metabolites increased and 49 metabolites decreased when samples of early pregnancy were compared to samples of late pregnancy. The metabolic signatures of pregnancy were largely shared in pre-eclamptic and healthy women, only urea, monoacylglyceride 18:1 and glycerophosphocholine were identified to be increased in the pre-eclamptic women when compared to healthy controls. Conclusions Our study highlights the need of large-scale longitudinal metabolomic studies in non-complicated pregnancies before more detailed understanding of metabolism in adverse outcomes could be provided. Our findings are one of the first steps for a broader metabolic understanding of the physiological changes caused by pregnancy per se.


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