Phase separation by ssDNA binding protein controlled via protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions

ABSTRACTBacterial single stranded (ss) DNA-binding proteins (SSB) are essential for the replication and maintenance of the genome. SSBs share a conserved ssDNA-binding domain, a less conserved intrinsically disordered linker (IDL) and a highly conserved C-terminal peptide (CTP) motif that mediates a wide array of protein-protein interactions with DNA-metabolizing proteins. Here we show that the E. coli SSB protein forms liquid-liquid phase separated condensates in cellular-like conditions through multifaceted interactions involving all structural regions of the protein. SSB, ssDNA and SSB-interacting molecules are highly concentrated within the condensates, whereas phase separation is overall regulated by the stoichiometry of SSB and ssDNA. Together with recent results on subcellular SSB localization patterns, our results point to a conserved mechanism by which bacterial cells store a pool of SSB and SSB-interacting proteins. Dynamic phase separation enables rapid mobilization of this protein pool to protect exposed ssDNA and repair genomic loci affected by DNA damage.

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Phase separation by ssDNA binding protein controlled via protein−protein and protein−DNA interactions

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.2000761117 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 117 (42) ◽

pp. 26206-26217

Author(s):

Gábor M. Harami ◽

Zoltán J. Kovács ◽

Rita Pancsa ◽

János Pálinkás ◽

Veronika Baráth ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phase Separation ◽

Protein Interactions ◽

Interacting Proteins ◽

Bacterial Cells ◽

Protein Protein Interactions ◽

Ssdna Binding ◽

Intrinsically Disordered ◽

Protein Pool ◽

Protein Dna Interactions ◽

Ssdna Binding Protein

Bacterial single-stranded (ss)DNA-binding proteins (SSB) are essential for the replication and maintenance of the genome. SSBs share a conserved ssDNA-binding domain, a less conserved intrinsically disordered linker (IDL), and a highly conserved C-terminal peptide (CTP) motif that mediates a wide array of protein−protein interactions with DNA-metabolizing proteins. Here we show that theEscherichia coliSSB protein forms liquid−liquid phase-separated condensates in cellular-like conditions through multifaceted interactions involving all structural regions of the protein. SSB, ssDNA, and SSB-interacting molecules are highly concentrated within the condensates, whereas phase separation is overall regulated by the stoichiometry of SSB and ssDNA. Together with recent results on subcellular SSB localization patterns, our results point to a conserved mechanism by which bacterial cells store a pool of SSB and SSB-interacting proteins. Dynamic phase separation enables rapid mobilization of this protein pool to protect exposed ssDNA and repair genomic loci affected by DNA damage.

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Expansion of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins Increases the Range of Stability of Liquid–Liquid Phase Separation

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules25204705 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 25 (20) ◽

pp. 4705

Author(s):

Adiran Garaizar ◽

Ignacio Sanchez-Burgos ◽

Rosana Collepardo-Guevara ◽

Jorge R. Espinosa

Keyword(s):

Phase Separation ◽

Liquid Phase ◽

Protein Interactions ◽

Conformational Dynamics ◽

Liquid Phase Separation ◽

Phase Behaviour ◽

Coarse Grained ◽

Protein Protein Interactions ◽

Intrinsically Disordered ◽

Liquid Liquid Phase Separation

Proteins containing intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) are ubiquitous within biomolecular condensates, which are liquid-like compartments within cells formed through liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS). The sequence of amino acids of a protein encodes its phase behaviour, not only by establishing the patterning and chemical nature (e.g., hydrophobic, polar, charged) of the various binding sites that facilitate multivalent interactions, but also by dictating the protein conformational dynamics. Besides behaving as random coils, IDRs can exhibit a wide-range of structural behaviours, including conformational switching, where they transition between alternate conformational ensembles. Using Molecular Dynamics simulations of a minimal coarse-grained model for IDRs, we show that the role of protein conformation has a non-trivial effect in the liquid–liquid phase behaviour of IDRs. When an IDR transitions to a conformational ensemble enriched in disordered extended states, LLPS is enhanced. In contrast, IDRs that switch to ensembles that preferentially sample more compact and structured states show inhibited LLPS. This occurs because extended and disordered protein conformations facilitate LLPS-stabilising multivalent protein–protein interactions by reducing steric hindrance; thereby, such conformations maximize the molecular connectivity of the condensed liquid network. Extended protein configurations promote phase separation regardless of whether LLPS is driven by homotypic and/or heterotypic protein–protein interactions. This study sheds light on the link between the dynamic conformational plasticity of IDRs and their liquid–liquid phase behaviour.

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E. coli primase and DNA polymerase III holoenzyme are able to bind concurrently to a primed template during DNA replication

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-019-51031-0 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Andrea Bogutzki ◽

Natalie Naue ◽

Lidia Litz ◽

Andreas Pich ◽

Ute Curth

Keyword(s):

Dna Replication ◽

Dna Polymerase ◽

Protein Interactions ◽

Dna Polymerase Iii ◽

Protein Protein Interactions ◽

Single Stranded Dna ◽

E Coli ◽

Polymerase Iii ◽

C Terminus ◽

Pol Iii

Abstract During DNA replication in E. coli, a switch between DnaG primase and DNA polymerase III holoenzyme (pol III) activities has to occur every time when the synthesis of a new Okazaki fragment starts. As both primase and the χ subunit of pol III interact with the highly conserved C-terminus of single-stranded DNA-binding protein (SSB), it had been proposed that the binding of both proteins to SSB is mutually exclusive. Using a replication system containing the origin of replication of the single-stranded DNA phage G4 (G4ori) saturated with SSB, we tested whether DnaG and pol III can bind concurrently to the primed template. We found that the addition of pol III does not lead to a displacement of primase, but to the formation of higher complexes. Even pol III-mediated primer elongation by one or several DNA nucleotides does not result in the dissociation of DnaG. About 10 nucleotides have to be added in order to displace one of the two primase molecules bound to SSB-saturated G4ori. The concurrent binding of primase and pol III is highly plausible, since even the SSB tetramer situated directly next to the 3′-terminus of the primer provides four C-termini for protein-protein interactions.

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The Protein Interactome of Glycolysis in Escherichia coli

Proteomes ◽

10.3390/proteomes9020016 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 16

Author(s):

Shomeek Chowdhury ◽

Stephen Hepper ◽

Mudassir K. Lodi ◽

Milton H. Saier ◽

Peter Uetz

Keyword(s):

Escherichia Coli ◽

Protein Interactions ◽

Allosteric Regulation ◽

Glycolytic Enzymes ◽

Protein Protein Interactions ◽

Post Translational Modification ◽

Interacting Protein ◽

E Coli ◽

Protein Interactome ◽

The Impact

Glycolysis is regulated by numerous mechanisms including allosteric regulation, post-translational modification or protein-protein interactions (PPI). While glycolytic enzymes have been found to interact with hundreds of proteins, the impact of only some of these PPIs on glycolysis is well understood. Here we investigate which of these interactions may affect glycolysis in E. coli and possibly across numerous other bacteria, based on the stoichiometry of interacting protein pairs (from proteomic studies) and their conservation across bacteria. We present a list of 339 protein-protein interactions involving glycolytic enzymes but predict that ~70% of glycolytic interactors are not present in adequate amounts to have a significant impact on glycolysis. Finally, we identify a conserved but uncharacterized subset of interactions that are likely to affect glycolysis and deserve further study.

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E. coli Single-Stranded DNA Binding (SSB) Protein Undergoes Dynamic Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation Controlled via Protein-Protein and Protein-DNA Interactions

Biophysical Journal ◽

10.1016/j.bpj.2019.11.2680 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 118 (3) ◽

pp. 484a

Author(s):

Gabor Harami ◽

Zoltan J. Kovacs ◽

János Pálinkás ◽

Rita Pancsa ◽

Veronika Baráth ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phase Separation ◽

Liquid Phase ◽

Dna Binding ◽

Liquid Phase Separation ◽

Dna Interactions ◽

Single Stranded Dna ◽

E Coli ◽

Protein Dna Interactions ◽

Liquid Liquid Phase Separation

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Artificial Septal Targeting of Bacillus subtilis Cell Division Proteins in Escherichia coli: an Interspecies Approach to the Study of Protein-Protein Interactions in Multiprotein Complexes

Journal of Bacteriology ◽

10.1128/jb.00462-08 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 190 (18) ◽

pp. 6048-6059 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Carine Robichon ◽

Glenn F. King ◽

Nathan W. Goehring ◽

Jon Beckwith

Keyword(s):

Escherichia Coli ◽

Bacillus Subtilis ◽

Cell Division ◽

Protein Interactions ◽

Fluorescent Protein ◽

Bacterial Cell Division ◽

Protein Protein Interactions ◽

Positive Interaction ◽

E Coli ◽

Multiprotein Complexes

ABSTRACT Bacterial cell division is mediated by a set of proteins that assemble to form a large multiprotein complex called the divisome. Recent studies in Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli indicate that cell division proteins are involved in multiple cooperative binding interactions, thus presenting a technical challenge to the analysis of these interactions. We report here the use of an E. coli artificial septal targeting system for examining the interactions between the B. subtilis cell division proteins DivIB, FtsL, DivIC, and PBP 2B. This technique involves the fusion of one of the proteins (the “bait”) to ZapA, an E. coli protein targeted to mid-cell, and the fusion of a second potentially interacting partner (the “prey”) to green fluorescent protein (GFP). A positive interaction between two test proteins in E. coli leads to septal localization of the GFP fusion construct, which can be detected by fluorescence microscopy. Using this system, we present evidence for two sets of strong protein-protein interactions between B. subtilis divisomal proteins in E. coli, namely, DivIC with FtsL and DivIB with PBP 2B, that are independent of other B. subtilis cell division proteins and that do not disturb the cytokinesis process in the host cell. Our studies based on the coexpression of three or four of these B. subtilis cell division proteins suggest that interactions among these four proteins are not strong enough to allow the formation of a stable four-protein complex in E. coli in contrast to previous suggestions. Finally, our results demonstrate that E. coli artificial septal targeting is an efficient and alternative approach for detecting and characterizing stable protein-protein interactions within multiprotein complexes from other microorganisms. A salient feature of our approach is that it probably only detects the strongest interactions, thus giving an indication of whether some interactions suggested by other techniques may either be considerably weaker or due to false positives.

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Transient DNA Binding Induces RNA Polymerase II Compartmentalization During Herpesviral Infection Distinct From Phase Separation

10.1101/375071 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

David T McSwiggen ◽

Anders S Hansen ◽

Hervé Marie-Nelly ◽

Sheila Teves ◽

Alec B Heckert ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phase Separation ◽

Rna Polymerase ◽

Rna Polymerase Ii ◽

Protein Interactions ◽

Viral Dna ◽

Herpes Simplex Virus 1 ◽

Pol Ii ◽

Intrinsically Disordered ◽

Intrinsically Disordered Regions ◽

Simplex Virus

SummaryDuring lytic infection, Herpes Simplex Virus 1 generates replication compartments (RCs) in host nuclei that efficiently recruit protein factors, including host RNA Polymerase II (Pol II). Pol II and other cellular factors form hubs in uninfected cells that are proposed to phase separate via multivalent protein-protein interactions mediated by their intrinsically disordered regions. Using a battery of live cell microscopic techniques, we show that although RCs superficially exhibit many characteristics of phase separation, the recruitment of Pol II instead derives from nonspecific interactions with the viral DNA. We find that the viral genome remains nucleosome-free, profoundly affecting the way Pol II explores RCs by causing it to repetitively visit nearby binding sites, thereby creating local Pol II accumulations. This mechanism, distinct from phase separation, allows viral DNA to outcompete host DNA for cellular proteins. Our work provides new insights into the strategies used to create local molecular hubs in cells.

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Bi-directional protein-protein interactions control liquid-liquid phase separation of PSD-95 and its interaction partners

10.1101/2021.03.03.433781 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Nikolaj Riis Christensen ◽

Christian Parsbæk Pedersen ◽

Vita Sereikaite ◽

Jannik Nedergaard Pedersen ◽

Maria Vistrup-Parry ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phase Separation ◽

Liquid Phase ◽

Protein Interactions ◽

Postsynaptic Density ◽

Specific Protein ◽

Liquid Phase Separation ◽

Protein Protein Interactions ◽

New Perspective ◽

Liquid Liquid Phase Separation

SUMMARYThe organization of the postsynaptic density (PSD), a protein-dense semi-membraneless organelle, is mediated by numerous specific protein-protein interactions (PPIs) which constitute a functional post-synapse. Postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD-95) interacts with a manifold of proteins, including the C-terminal of transmembrane AMPA receptor (AMAPR) regulatory proteins (TARPs). Here, we uncover the minimal essential peptide responsible for the stargazin (TARP-γ2) mediated liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) formation of PSD-95 and other key protein constituents of the PSD. Furthermore, we find that pharmacological inhibitors of PSD-95 can facilitate formation of LLPS. We found that in some cases LLPS formation is dependent on multivalent interactions while in other cases short peptides carrying a high charge are sufficient to promote LLPS in complex systems. This study offers a new perspective on PSD-95 interactions and their role in LLPS formation, while also considering the role of affinity over multivalency in LLPS systems.

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