scholarly journals A Division of Labor in the Recruitment and Topological Organization of a Bacterial Morphogenic Complex

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul D. Caccamo ◽  
Maxime Jacq ◽  
Michael S. VanNieuwenhze ◽  
Yves V. Brun
Keyword(s):  
Cell Elongation ◽  
Cell Shape ◽  
Molecular Level ◽  
Cell Envelope ◽  
Cytoskeletal Protein ◽  
Scaffolding Proteins ◽  
Cylindrical Projection ◽  
Primary Determinant ◽  
Specialized Form ◽  
Synthesis Activity

SummaryBacteria come in an array of shapes and sizes, but the mechanisms underlying diverse morphologies are poorly understood. The peptidoglycan (PG) cell wall is the primary determinant of cell shape. At the molecular level, morphological variation often results from the regulation of enzymes involved in cell elongation and division. These enzymes are spatially controlled by cytoskeletal scaffolding proteins, that both recruit and organize the PG synthesis complex. How then do cells define alternative morphogenic processes that are distinct from cell elongation and division? To address this, we have turned to the specific morphotype of Alphaproteobacterial stalks. Stalk synthesis is a specialized form of zonal growth, which requires PG synthesis in a spatially constrained zone to extend a thin cylindrical projection of the cell envelope. The morphogen SpmX defines the site of stalk PG synthesis, but SpmX is a PG hydrolase. How then does a non-cytoskeletal protein, SpmX, define and constrain PG synthesis to form stalks? Here we report that SpmX and the bactofilin BacA act in concert to regulate stalk synthesis in Asticcacaulis biprosthecum. We show that SpmX recruits BacA to the site of stalk synthesis. BacA then serves as a stalk-specific topological organizer for PG synthesis activity, including its recruiter SpmX, at the base of the stalk. In the absence of BacA, cells produce “pseudostalks” that are the result of unconstrained PG synthesis. Therefore, the protein responsible for recruitment of a morphogenic PG remodeling complex, SpmX, is distinct from the protein that topologically organizes the complex, BacA.

scholarly journals Swarmer cell development of the bacteriumProteus mirabilisrequires the conserved ECA biosynthesis gene,rffG

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin Little ◽  
Murray J. Tipping ◽  
Karine A. Gibbs
Keyword(s):  
Cell Morphology ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Cell Elongation ◽  
Cell Envelope ◽  
Membrane Composition ◽  
Swarmer Cell ◽  
Enterobacterial Common Antigen ◽  
Envelope Stress ◽  
Open Question ◽  
Additional Role

AbstractIndividual cells of the bacteriumProteus mirabiliscan elongate up to 40-fold on surfaces before engaging in a cooperative surface-based motility termed swarming. How cells regulate this dramatic morphological remodeling remains an open question. In this paper, we move forward the understanding of this regulation by demonstrating thatP. mirabilisrequires the generffGfor swarmer cell elongation and subsequent swarm motility. TherffGgene encodes a protein homologous to the dTDP-glucose 4,6 dehydratase protein ofEscherichia coli, which contributes to Enterobacterial Common Antigen biosynthesis. Here we characterize therffGgene inP. mirabilis, demonstrating that it is required for the production of large lipopolysaccharide-linked moieties necessary for wild-type cell envelope integrity. We show that absence of therffGgene induces several stress-responsive pathways including those controlled by the transcriptional regulators RpoS, CaiF, and RcsB. We further show that inrffG-deficient cells, suppression of the Rcs phosphorelay, via loss of RcsB, is sufficient to induce cell elongation and swarm motility. However, loss of RcsB does not rescue cell envelope integrity defects and instead results in abnormally shaped cells, including cells producing more than two poles. We conclude that a RcsB-mediated response acts to suppress emergence of shape defects in cell envelope-compromised cells, suggesting an additional role for RcsB in maintaining cell morphology under stress conditions. We further propose that the composition of the cell envelope acts as a checkpoint before cells initiate swarmer cell elongation and motility.Importance statementP. mirabilisswarm motility has been implicated in pathogenesis. We have found that cells deploy multiple uncharacterized strategies to handle cell envelope stress beyond the Rcs phosphorelay when attempting to engage in swarm motility. While RcsB is known to directly inhibit the master transcriptional regulator for swarming, we have shown an additional role for RcsB in protecting cell morphology. These data support a growing appreciation that the Rcs phosphorelay is a multi-functional regulator of cell morphology in addition to its role in microbial stress responses. These data also strengthen the paradigm that outer membrane composition is a crucial checkpoint for modulating entry into swarm motility. Furthermore, therffG-dependent moieties provide a novel, attractive target for potential antimicrobials.

scholarly journals Cell Shape and Population Migration Are Distinct Steps ofProteus mirabilisSwarming That Are Decoupled on High-Percentage Agar

2019 ◽  
Vol 201 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin Little ◽  
Jacob Austerman ◽  
Jenny Zheng ◽  
Karine A. Gibbs
Keyword(s):  
Cell Motility ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Cell Elongation ◽  
Cell Shape ◽  
Population Migration ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Agar Concentration ◽  
Collective Interactions ◽  
Cell Phenotypes ◽  
Rigid Surfaces

ABSTRACTSwarming on rigid surfaces requires movement of cells as individuals and as a group of cells. For the bacteriumProteus mirabilis, an individual cell can respond to a rigid surface by elongating and migrating over micrometer-scale distances. Cells can form groups of transiently aligned cells, and the collective population is capable of migrating over centimeter-scale distances. To address howP. mirabilispopulations swarm on rigid surfaces, we asked whether cell elongation and single-cell motility are coupled to population migration. We first measured the relationship between agar concentration (a proxy for surface rigidity), single-cell phenotypes, and swarm colony phenotypes. We find that cell elongation and single-cell motility are coupled with population migration on low-percentage hard agar (1% to 2.5%) and become decoupled on high-percentage hard agar (>2.5%). Next, we evaluate how disruptions in lipopolysaccharide (LPS), specifically the O-antigen components, affect responses to hard agar. We find that LPS is not essential for elongation and motility of individual cells, as predicted, and instead functions to broaden the range of agar concentrations on which cell elongation and motility are coupled with population migration. These findings demonstrate that cell elongation and motility are coupled with population migration under a permissive range of surface conditions; increasing agar concentration is sufficient to decouple these behaviors. Since swarm colonies cover greater distances when these steps are coupled than when they are not, these findings suggest that collective interactions amongP. mirabiliscells might be emerging as a colony expands outwards on rigid surfaces.IMPORTANCEHow surfaces influence cell size, cell-cell interactions, and population migration for robust swarmers likeP. mirabilisis not fully understood. Here, we have elucidated how cells change length along a spectrum of sizes that positively correlates with increases in agar concentration, regardless of population migration. Single-cell phenotypes can be decoupled from collective population migration simply by increasing agar concentration. A cell’s lipopolysaccharides function to broaden the range of agar conditions under which cell elongation and single-cell motility remain coupled with population migration. In eukaryotes, the physical environment, such as a surface matrix, can impact cell development, shape, and migration. These findings support the idea that rigid surfaces similarly act on swarming bacteria to impact cell shape, single-cell motility, and collective population migration.

scholarly journals AVibrio choleraeBolA-Like Protein Is Required for Proper Cell Shape and Cell Envelope Integrity

mBio ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aurore Fleurie ◽  
Abdelrahim Zoued ◽  
Laura Alvarez ◽  
Kelly M. Hines ◽  
Felipe Cava ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vibrio Cholerae ◽  
Cell Morphology ◽  
Cell Shape ◽  
Cell Envelope ◽  
Intestinal Colonization ◽  
Iron Sulfur Cluster ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sulfur Cluster ◽  
Iron Sulfur ◽  
Morphological Defects

ABSTRACTBolA family proteins are conserved in Gram-negative bacteria and many eukaryotes. While diverse cellular phenotypes have been linked to this protein family, the molecular pathways through which these proteins mediate their effects are not well described. Here, we investigated the roles of BolA family proteins inVibrio cholerae, the cholera pathogen. LikeEscherichia coli,V. choleraeencodes two BolA proteins, BolA and IbaG. However, in marked contrast toE. coli, wherebolAis linked to cell shape andibaGis not, inV. cholerae,bolAmutants lack morphological defects, whereasibaGproved critical for the generation and/or maintenance of the pathogen’s morphology. Notably, the bizarre-shaped, multipolar, elongated, and wide cells that predominated in exponential-phase ΔibaGV. choleraecultures were not observed in stationary-phase cultures. TheV. choleraeΔibaGmutant exhibited increased sensitivity to cell envelope stressors, including cell wall-acting antibiotics and bile, and was defective in intestinal colonization. ΔibaGV. choleraehad reduced peptidoglycan and lipid II and altered outer membrane lipids, likely contributing to the mutant’s morphological defects and sensitivity to envelope stressors. Transposon insertion sequencing analysis ofibaG’s genetic interactions suggested thatibaGis involved in several processes involved in the generation and homeostasis of the cell envelope. Furthermore, copurification studies revealed that IbaG interacts with proteins containing iron-sulfur clusters or involved in their assembly. Collectively, our findings suggest thatV. choleraeIbaG controls cell morphology and cell envelope integrity through its role in biogenesis or trafficking of iron-sulfur cluster proteins.IMPORTANCEBolA-like proteins are conserved across prokaryotes and eukaryotes. These proteins have been linked to a variety of phenotypes, but the pathways and mechanisms through which they act have not been extensively characterized. Here, we unraveled the role of the BolA-like protein IbaG in the cholera pathogenVibrio cholerae. The absence of IbaG was associated with dramatic changes in cell morphology, sensitivity to envelope stressors, and intestinal colonization defects. IbaG was found to be required for biogenesis of several components of theV. choleraecell envelope and to interact with numerous iron-sulfur cluster-containing proteins and factors involved in their assembly. Thus, our findings suggest that IbaG governsV. choleraecell shape and cell envelope homeostasis through its effects on iron-sulfur proteins and associated pathways. The diversity of processes involving iron-sulfur-containing proteins is likely a factor underlying the range of phenotypes associated with BolA family proteins.

scholarly journals The Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutation elm4-1 facilitates pseudohyphal differentiation and interacts with a deficiency in phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthase activity to cause constitutive pseudohyphal growth.

1994 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 4671-4681 ◽  
Author(s):  
M J Blacketer ◽  
P Madaule ◽  
A M Myers
Keyword(s):  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Cell Elongation ◽  
Cell Shape ◽  
Nitrogen Limitation ◽  
Single Gene ◽  
Dominant Factor ◽  
Rich Medium ◽  
Pseudohyphal Growth ◽  
Gene Coding ◽  
Pseudohyphal Differentiation

Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant E124 was selected in a visual screen based on elongated cell shape. Genetic analysis showed that E124 contains two separate mutations, pps1-1 and elm4-1, each causing a distinct phenotype inherited as a single-gene trait. In rich medium, pps1-1 by itself causes increased doubling time but does not affect cell shape, whereas elm4-1 results in a moderate cell elongation phenotype but does not affect growth rate. Reconstructed elm4-1 pps1-1 double mutants display a synthetic phenotype in rich medium including extreme cell elongation and delayed cell separation, both characteristics of pseudohyphal differentiation. The elm4-1 mutation was shown to act as a dominant factor that potentiates pseudohyphal differentiation in response to general nitrogen starvation in a genetic background in which pseudohyphal growth normally does not occur. Thus, elm4-1 allows recognition of, or response to, a pseudohyphal differentiation signal that results from nitrogen limitation. PPS1 was isolated and shown to be a previously undescribed gene coding for a protein similar in amino acid sequence to phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthase, a rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of nucleotides, histidine, and tryptophan. Thus, the pps1-1 mutation may generate a nitrogen limitation signal, which when coupled with elm4-1 results in pseudohyphal growth even in rich medium.

scholarly journals SEDS-bPBP pairs direct Lateral and Septal Peptidoglycan Synthesis in Staphylococcus aureus

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalie T. Reichmann ◽  
Andreia C. Tavares ◽  
Bruno M. Saraiva ◽  
Ambre Jousselin ◽  
Patricia Reed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Cell Wall ◽  
Cell Division ◽  
Late Stage ◽  
Cell Elongation ◽  
Cell Shape ◽  
Protein A ◽  
Interacting Proteins ◽  
Peptidoglycan Synthesis ◽  
Multiple Rings

Peptidoglycan (PGN) is the major component of the bacterial cell wall, a structure essential for the physical integrity and shape of the cell. Bacteria maintain cell shape by directing PGN incorporation to distinct regions of the cell, namely through the localisation of the late stage PGN synthesis proteins. These include two key protein families, SEDS transglycosylases and the bPBP transpeptidases, proposed to function in cognate pairs. Rod-shaped bacteria have two SEDS-bPBP pairs, involved in cell elongation and cell division. Here, we elucidate why coccoid bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus, also possess two SEDS-bPBP pairs. We determined that S. aureus RodA-PBP3 and FtsW-PBP1 likely constitute cognate pairs of interacting proteins. Lack of RodA-PBP3 decreased cell eccentricity due to deficient pre-septal PGN synthesis, whereas the depletion of FtsW-PBP1 arrested normal septal PGN incorporation. Although PBP1 is an essential protein, a mutant lacking PBP1 transpeptidase activity is viable, showing that this protein has a second function. We propose that the FtsW-PBP1 pair has a role in stabilising the divisome at midcell. In the absence of these proteins, the divisome appears as multiple rings/arcs that drive lateral PGN incorporation, leading to cell elongation. We conclude that RodA-PBP3 and FtsW-PBP1 mediate lateral and septal PGN incorporation, respectively, and that the activity of these pairs must be balanced in order to maintain coccoid morphology.

scholarly journals Inner Membrane Protein YhcB Interacts with RodZ Involved in Cell Shape Maintenance in Escherichia coli

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaochi Li ◽  
Kentaro Hamamoto ◽  
Madoka Kitakawa
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Membrane Protein ◽  
Hybrid System ◽  
Cell Shape ◽  
Deletion Mutant ◽  
Cell Envelope ◽  
Inner Membrane ◽  
Inner Membrane Protein ◽  
Synthetically Lethal ◽  
Two Hybrid

Depletion of YhcB, an inner membrane protein of Escherichia coli, inhibited the growth of rodZ deletion mutant showing that the loss of both YhcB and RodZ is synthetically lethal. Furthermore, YhcB was demonstrated to interact with RodZ as well as several other proteins involved in cell shape maintenance and an inner membrane protein YciS of unknown function, using bacterial two-hybrid system. These observations seem to indicate that YhcB is involved in the biogenesis of cell envelope and the maintenance of cell shape together with RodZ.

scholarly journals Rv0180c contributes to Mycobacterium tuberculosis cell shape and to infectivity in mice and macrophages

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (11) ◽  
pp. e1010020
Author(s):  
Delphine Payros ◽  
Henar Alonso ◽  
Wladimir Malaga ◽  
Arnaud Volle ◽  
Serge Mazères ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Cell Shape ◽  
Cell Envelope ◽  
Membrane Receptors ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Genes Encoding ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Complement Receptor 3 ◽  
New Perspective

Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the main causative agent of human tuberculosis, is transmitted from person to person via small droplets containing very few bacteria. Optimizing the chance to seed in the lungs is therefore a major adaptation to favor survival and dissemination in the human population. Here we used TnSeq to identify genes important for the early events leading to bacterial seeding in the lungs. Beside several genes encoding known virulence factors, we found three new candidates not previously described: rv0180c, rv1779c and rv1592c. We focused on the gene, rv0180c, of unknown function. First, we found that deletion of rv0180c in M. tuberculosis substantially reduced the initiation of infection in the lungs of mice. Next, we established that Rv0180c enhances entry into macrophages through the use of complement-receptor 3 (CR3), a major phagocytic receptor for M. tuberculosis. Silencing CR3 or blocking the CR3 lectin site abolished the difference in entry between the wild-type parental strain and the Δrv0180c::km mutant. However, we detected no difference in the production of both CR3-known carbohydrate ligands (glucan, arabinomannan, mannan), CR3-modulating lipids (phthiocerol dimycocerosate), or proteins in the capsule of the Δrv0180c::km mutant in comparison to the wild-type or complemented strains. By contrast, we established that Rv0180c contributes to the functionality of the bacterial cell envelope regarding resistance to toxic molecule attack and cell shape. This alteration of bacterial shape could impair the engagement of membrane receptors that M. tuberculosis uses to invade host cells, and open a new perspective on the modulation of bacterial infectivity.

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutation elm4-1 facilitates pseudohyphal differentiation and interacts with a deficiency in phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthase activity to cause constitutive pseudohyphal growth

1994 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 4671-4681
Author(s):  
M J Blacketer ◽  
P Madaule ◽  
A M Myers
Keyword(s):  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Cell Elongation ◽  
Cell Shape ◽  
Nitrogen Limitation ◽  
Single Gene ◽  
Dominant Factor ◽  
Rich Medium ◽  
Pseudohyphal Growth ◽  
Gene Coding ◽  
Pseudohyphal Differentiation

Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant E124 was selected in a visual screen based on elongated cell shape. Genetic analysis showed that E124 contains two separate mutations, pps1-1 and elm4-1, each causing a distinct phenotype inherited as a single-gene trait. In rich medium, pps1-1 by itself causes increased doubling time but does not affect cell shape, whereas elm4-1 results in a moderate cell elongation phenotype but does not affect growth rate. Reconstructed elm4-1 pps1-1 double mutants display a synthetic phenotype in rich medium including extreme cell elongation and delayed cell separation, both characteristics of pseudohyphal differentiation. The elm4-1 mutation was shown to act as a dominant factor that potentiates pseudohyphal differentiation in response to general nitrogen starvation in a genetic background in which pseudohyphal growth normally does not occur. Thus, elm4-1 allows recognition of, or response to, a pseudohyphal differentiation signal that results from nitrogen limitation. PPS1 was isolated and shown to be a previously undescribed gene coding for a protein similar in amino acid sequence to phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthase, a rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of nucleotides, histidine, and tryptophan. Thus, the pps1-1 mutation may generate a nitrogen limitation signal, which when coupled with elm4-1 results in pseudohyphal growth even in rich medium.

scholarly journals Molecular networks linked by Moesin drive remodeling of the cell cortex during mitosis

2011 ◽  
Vol 195 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chantal Roubinet ◽  
Barbara Decelle ◽  
Gaëtan Chicanne ◽  
Jonas F. Dorn ◽  
Bernard Payrastre ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Division ◽  
Cell Elongation ◽  
Cell Shape ◽  
Mitotic Cell ◽  
Molecular Networks ◽  
Cell Cortex ◽  
Anaphase Onset ◽  
Shape Transformations ◽  
Intracellular Pressure ◽  
Early Mitosis

The cortical mechanisms that drive the series of mitotic cell shape transformations remain elusive. In this paper, we identify two novel networks that collectively control the dynamic reorganization of the mitotic cortex. We demonstrate that Moesin, an actin/membrane linker, integrates these two networks to synergize the cortical forces that drive mitotic cell shape transformations. We find that the Pp1-87B phosphatase restricts high Moesin activity to early mitosis and down-regulates Moesin at the polar cortex, after anaphase onset. Overactivation of Moesin at the polar cortex impairs cell elongation and thus cytokinesis, whereas a transient recruitment of Moesin is required to retract polar blebs that allow cortical relaxation and dissipation of intracellular pressure. This fine balance of Moesin activity is further adjusted by Skittles and Pten, two enzymes that locally produce phosphoinositol 4,5-bisphosphate and thereby, regulate Moesin cortical association. These complementary pathways provide a spatiotemporal framework to explain how the cell cortex is remodeled throughout cell division.

scholarly journals Cell-wall synthases contribute to bacterial cell-envelope integrity by actively repairing defects

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antoine Vigouroux ◽  
Baptiste Cordier ◽  
Andrey Aristov ◽  
Enno Oldewurtel ◽  
Gizem Özbaykal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Single Molecule ◽  
Cell Shape ◽  
Mechanical Stability ◽  
Cell Envelope ◽  
Cylindrical Part ◽  
Single Molecule Level ◽  
Class A ◽  
Wall Stiffness ◽  
Peptidoglycan Cell Wall

AbstracCell shape and cell-envelope integrity of bacteria are determined by the peptidoglycan cell wall. In rod-shaped Escherichia coli, two conserved sets of machinery are essential for cell-wall insertion in the cylindrical part of the cell, the Rod complex and the class-A penicillin-binding proteins (aPBPs). While the Rod complex governs rod-like cell shape, aPBP function is less well understood. aPBPs were previously hypothesized to either work in concert with the Rod complex or to independently repair cell-wall defects. First, we demonstrate through modulation of enzyme levels that class-A PBPs do not contribute to rod-like cell shape but are required for mechanical stability, supporting their independent activity. By combining measurements of cell-wall stiffness, cell-wall insertion, and PBP1b motion at the single-molecule level we then demonstrate that PBP1b, the major class-A PBP, contributes to cell-wall integrity by localizing and inserting peptidoglycan in direct response to local cell-wall defects.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document