scholarly journals Inorganic Polyphosphate Accumulation inEscherichia coliIs Regulated by DksA but Not by (p)ppGpp

2019 ◽  
Vol 201 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Gray
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Rna Polymerase ◽  
Elongation Factor ◽  
Stringent Response ◽  
Inorganic Polyphosphate ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Polyphosphate Accumulation ◽  
Pathogenic Microbes ◽  
Polyp Accumulation

ABSTRACTProduction of inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) by bacteria is triggered by a variety of different stress conditions. polyP is required for stress survival and virulence in diverse pathogenic microbes. Previous studies have hypothesized a model for regulation of polyP synthesis in which production of the stringent-response second messenger (p)ppGpp directly stimulates polyP accumulation. In this work, I have now shown that this model is incorrect, and (p)ppGpp is not required for polyP synthesis inEscherichia coli. However, stringent mutations of RNA polymerase that frequently arise spontaneously in strains defective in (p)ppGpp synthesis and null mutations of the stringent-response-associated transcription factor DksA both strongly inhibit polyP accumulation. The loss of polyP synthesis in a mutant lacking DksA was reversed by deletion of the transcription elongation factor GreA, suggesting that competition between these proteins for binding to the secondary channel of RNA polymerase plays an important role in controlling polyP activation. These results provide new insights into the poorly understood regulation of polyP synthesis in bacteria and indicate that the relationship between polyP and the stringent response is more complex than previously suspected.IMPORTANCEProduction of polyP in bacteria is required for virulence and stress response, but little is known about how bacteria regulate polyP levels in response to changes in their environments. Understanding this regulation is important for understanding how pathogenic microbes resist killing by disinfectants, antibiotics, and the immune system. In this work, I have clarified the connections between polyP regulation and the stringent response to starvation stress inEscherichia coliand demonstrated an important and previously unknown role for the transcription factor DksA in controlling polyP levels.

Crystal structure of the human transcription elongation factor DSIF hSpt4 subunit in complex with the hSpt5 dimerization interface

2009 ◽  
Vol 425 (2) ◽  
pp. 373-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabine Wenzel ◽  
Berta M. Martins ◽  
Paul Rösch ◽  
Birgitta M. Wöhrl
Keyword(s):  
Crystal Structure ◽  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Rna Polymerase ◽  
Rna Polymerase Ii ◽  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Transcription Elongation ◽  
Elongation Factor ◽  
Structural Similarity ◽  
Transcription Elongation Factor

The eukaryotic transcription elongation factor DSIF [DRB (5,6-dichloro-1-β-D-ribofuranosylbenzimidazole) sensitivity-inducing factor] is composed of two subunits, hSpt4 and hSpt5, which are homologous to the yeast factors Spt4 and Spt5. DSIF is involved in regulating the processivity of RNA polymerase II and plays an essential role in transcriptional activation of eukaryotes. At several eukaryotic promoters, DSIF, together with NELF (negative elongation factor), leads to promoter-proximal pausing of RNA polymerase II. In the present paper we describe the crystal structure of hSpt4 in complex with the dimerization region of hSpt5 (amino acids 176–273) at a resolution of 1.55 Å (1 Å=0.1 nm). The heterodimer shows high structural similarity to its homologue from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Furthermore, hSpt5-NGN is structurally similar to the NTD (N-terminal domain) of the bacterial transcription factor NusG. A homologue for hSpt4 has not yet been found in bacteria. However, the archaeal transcription factor RpoE” appears to be distantly related. Although a comparison of the NusG-NTD of Escherichia coli with hSpt5 revealed a similarity of the three-dimensional structures, interaction of E. coli NusG-NTD with hSpt4 could not be observed by NMR titration experiments. A conserved glutamate residue, which was shown to be crucial for dimerization in yeast, is also involved in the human heterodimer, but is substituted for a glutamine residue in Escherichia coli NusG. However, exchanging the glutamine for glutamate proved not to be sufficient to induce hSpt4 binding.

scholarly journals A Stringent Analysis of Polyphosphate Dynamics inEscherichia coli

2019 ◽  
Vol 201 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Downey
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Infection Control ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Stringent Response ◽  
Industrial Applications ◽  
Bacterial Cells ◽  
Inescherichia Coli ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Polyphosphate Accumulation ◽  
Inorganic Phosphates

ABSTRACTDuring stress, bacterial cells activate a conserved pathway called the stringent response that promotes survival. Polyphosphates are long chains of inorganic phosphates that modulate this response in diverse bacterial species. In this issue, Michael J. Gray provides an important correction to the model of how polyphosphate accumulation is regulated during the stringent response inEscherichia coli(M. J. Gray, J. Bacteriol, 201:e00664-18, 2019,https://doi.org/10.1128/JB.00664-18). With other recent publications, this study provides a revised framework for understanding how bacterial polyphosphate dynamics might be exploited in infection control and industrial applications.

scholarly journals Mutations inEscherichia coliPolyphosphate Kinase That Lead to Dramatically IncreasedIn VivoPolyphosphate Levels

2018 ◽  
Vol 200 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda K. Rudat ◽  
Arya Pokhrel ◽  
Todd J. Green ◽  
Michael J. Gray
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Stress Response ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Phosphate Removal ◽  
Biological Engineering ◽  
Inorganic Polyphosphate ◽  
Intracellular Magnesium ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Polyp Accumulation

ABSTRACTBacteria synthesize inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) in response to a wide variety of stresses, and production of polyP is essential for stress response and survival in many important pathogens and bacteria used in biotechnological processes. However, surprisingly little is known about the molecular mechanisms that control polyP synthesis. We have therefore developed a novel genetic screen that specifically links growth ofEscherichia colito polyP synthesis, allowing us to isolate mutations leading to enhanced polyP production. Using this system, we have identified mutations in the polyP-synthesizing enzyme polyP kinase (PPK) that lead to dramatic increases inin vivopolyP synthesis but do not substantially affect the rate of polyP synthesis by PPKin vitro. These mutations are distant from the PPK active site and found in interfaces between monomers of the PPK tetramer. We have also shown that high levels of polyP lead to intracellular magnesium starvation. Our results provide new insights into the control of bacterial polyP accumulation and suggest a simple, novel strategy for engineering bacteria with increased polyP contents.IMPORTANCEPolyP is an ancient, universally conserved biomolecule and is important for stress response, energy metabolism, and virulence in a remarkably broad range of microorganisms. PolyP accumulation by bacteria is also important in biotechnology applications. For example, it is critical to enhanced biological phosphate removal (EBPR) from wastewater. Understanding how bacteria control polyP synthesis is therefore of broad importance in both the fields of bacterial pathogenesis and biological engineering. UsingEscherichia colias a model organism, we have identified the first known mutations in polyP kinase that lead to increases in cellular polyP content.

scholarly journals Stringent Response Regulators Contribute to Recovery from Glucose Phosphate Stress in Escherichia coli

2017 ◽  
Vol 83 (24) ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie R. Kessler ◽  
Brandi L. Cobe ◽  
Gregory R. Richards
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Stress Response ◽  
Small Rna ◽  
Stringent Response ◽  
Response Regulators ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Growth Defects ◽  
Glucose Phosphate ◽  
Sugar Phosphates

ABSTRACT In enteric bacteria such as Escherichia coli, the transcription factor SgrR and the small RNA SgrS regulate the response to glucose phosphate stress, a metabolic dysfunction that results in growth inhibition and stems from the intracellular accumulation of sugar phosphates. SgrR activates the transcription of sgrS, and SgrS helps to rescue cells from stress in part by inhibiting the uptake of stressor sugar phosphates. While the regulatory targets of this stress response are well described, less is known about how the SgrR-SgrS response itself is regulated. To further characterize the regulation of the glucose phosphate stress response, we screened global regulator gene mutants for growth changes during glucose phosphate stress. We found that deleting dksA, which encodes a regulator of the stringent response to nutrient starvation, decreases growth under glucose phosphate stress conditions. The stringent response alarmone regulator ppGpp (synthesized by RelA and SpoT) also contributes to recovery from glucose phosphate stress: as with dksA, mutating relA and spoT worsens the growth defect of an sgrS mutant during stress, although the sgrS relA spoT mutant defect was only detectable under lower stress levels. In addition, mutating dksA or relA and spoT lowers sgrS expression (as measured with a P sgrS -lacZ fusion), suggesting that the observed growth defects may be due to decreased induction of the glucose phosphate stress response or related targets. This regulatory effect could occur through altered sgrR transcription, as dksA and relA spoT mutants also exhibit decreased expression of a P sgrR -lacZ fusion. Taken together, this work supports a role for stringent response regulators in aiding the recovery from glucose phosphate stress. IMPORTANCE Glucose phosphate stress leads to growth inhibition in bacteria such as Escherichia coli when certain sugar phosphates accumulate in the cell. The transcription factor SgrR and the small RNA SgrS alleviate this stress in part by preventing further sugar phosphate transport. While the regulatory mechanisms of this response have been characterized, the regulation of the SgrR-SgrS response itself is not as well understood. Here, we describe a role for stringent response regulators DksA and ppGpp in the response to glucose phosphate stress. sgrS dksA and sgrS relA spoT mutants exhibit growth defects under glucose phosphate stress conditions. These defects may be due to a decrease in stress response induction, as deleting dksA or relA and spoT also results in decreased expression of sgrS and sgrR. This research presents one of the first regulatory effects on the glucose phosphate stress response outside SgrR and SgrS and depicts a novel connection between these two metabolic stress responses.

scholarly journals Inorganic Polyphosphate in Escherichia coli: the Phosphate Regulon and the Stringent Response

1998 ◽  
Vol 180 (8) ◽  
pp. 2186-2193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Narayana N. Rao ◽  
Shengjiang Liu ◽  
Arthur Kornberg
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Amino Acids ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Response Regulator ◽  
Stringent Response ◽  
Amino Acid Starvation ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Inorganic Polyphosphate ◽  
Polyp Accumulation ◽  
Phosphate Regulon

ABSTRACT Escherichia coli transiently accumulates large amounts of inorganic polyphosphate (polyP), up to 20 mM in phosphate residues (Pi), in media deficient in both Pi and amino acids. This transient accumulation is preceded by the appearance of nucleotides ppGpp and pppGpp, generated in response to nutritional stresses. Mutants which lack PhoB, the response regulator of the phosphate regulon, do not accumulate polyP even though they develop wild-type levels of (p)ppGpp when subjected to amino acid starvation. When complemented with a phoB-containing plasmid,phoB mutants regain the ability to accumulate polyP. PolyP accumulation requires high levels of (p)ppGpp independent of whether they are generated by RelA (active during the stringent response) or SpoT (expressed during Pi starvation). Hence, accumulation of polyP requires a functional phoB gene and elevated levels of (p)ppGpp. A rapid assay of polyP depends on its adsorption to an anion-exchange disk on which it is hydrolyzed by a yeast exopolyphosphatase.

scholarly journals Interactions between DksA and Stress-Responsive Alternative Sigma Factors Control Inorganic Polyphosphate Accumulation in Escherichia coli

2020 ◽  
Vol 202 (14) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Gray
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Rna Polymerase ◽  
Nutrient Limitation ◽  
Protein Function ◽  
Regulatory Protein ◽  
Sigma Factors ◽  
Inorganic Polyphosphate ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Alternative Sigma Factors

ABSTRACT Bacteria synthesize inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) in response to a variety of different stress conditions. polyP protects bacteria by acting as a protein-stabilizing chaperone, metal chelator, or regulator of protein function, among other mechanisms. However, little is known about how stress signals are transmitted in the cell to lead to increased polyP accumulation. Previous work in the model enterobacterium Escherichia coli has indicated that the RNA polymerase-binding regulatory protein DksA is required for polyP synthesis in response to nutrient limitation stress. In this work, I set out to characterize the role of DksA in polyP regulation in more detail. I found that overexpression of DksA increases cellular polyP content (explaining the long-mysterious phenotype of dksA overexpression rescuing growth of a dnaK mutant at high temperatures) and characterized the roles of known functional residues of DksA in this process, finding that binding to RNA polymerase is required but that none of the other functions of DksA appear to be necessary. Transcriptomics revealed genome-wide transcriptional changes upon nutrient limitation, many of which were affected by DksA, and follow-up experiments identified complex interactions between DksA and the stress-sensing alternative sigma factors FliA, RpoN, and RpoE that impact polyP production, indicating that regulation of polyP synthesis is deeply entwined in the multifactorial stress response network of E. coli. IMPORTANCE Inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) is an evolutionarily ancient, widely conserved biopolymer required for stress resistance and pathogenesis in diverse bacteria, but we do not understand how its synthesis is regulated. In this work, I gained new insights into this process by characterizing the role of the transcriptional regulator DksA in polyP regulation in Escherichia coli and identifying previously unknown links between polyP synthesis and the stress-responsive alternative sigma factors FliA, RpoN, and RpoE.

scholarly journals Accumulation of Inorganic Polyphosphate in phoU Mutants of Escherichia coli and Synechocystis sp. Strain PCC6803

2002 ◽  
Vol 68 (8) ◽  
pp. 4107-4110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomohiro Morohoshi ◽  
Tatsuya Maruo ◽  
Yoko Shirai ◽  
Junichi Kato ◽  
Tsukasa Ikeda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Type Strain ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Biological Process ◽  
Negative Regulator ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Inorganic Polyphosphate ◽  
Insertional Inactivation ◽  
Synechocystis Sp ◽  
Polyp Accumulation

ABSTRACT The biological process for phosphate (Pi) removal is based on the use of bacteria capable of accumulating inorganic polyphosphate (polyP). We obtained Escherichia coli mutants which accumulate a large amount of polyP. The polyP accumulation in these mutants was ascribed to a mutation of the phoU gene that encodes a negative regulator of the Pi regulon. Insertional inactivation of the phoU gene also elevated the intracellular level of polyP in Synechocystis sp. strain PCC6803. The mutant could remove fourfold more Pi from the medium than the wild-type strain removed.

scholarly journals Novel Assay Reveals Multiple Pathways Regulating Stress-Induced Accumulations of Inorganic Polyphosphate in Escherichia coli

1998 ◽  
Vol 180 (7) ◽  
pp. 1841-1847 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dana Ault-Riché ◽  
Cresson D. Fraley ◽  
Chi-Meng Tzeng ◽  
Arthur Kornberg
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Enzyme Assay ◽  
Protein A ◽  
Rich Medium ◽  
Inorganic Polyphosphate ◽  
Simplified Procedure ◽  
Definitive Methods ◽  
And Oxidative Stress ◽  
Major Impediment ◽  
Polyp Accumulation

ABSTRACT A major impediment to understanding the biological roles of inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) has been the lack of sensitive definitive methods to extract and quantitate cellular polyP. We show that polyP recovered in extracts from cells lysed with guanidinium isothiocynate can be bound to silicate glass and quantitatively measured by a two-enzyme assay: polyP is first converted to ATP by polyP kinase, and the ATP is hydrolyzed by luciferase to generate light. This nonradioactive method can detect picomolar amounts of phosphate residues in polyP per milligram of extracted protein. A simplified procedure for preparing polyP synthesized by polyP kinase is also described. Using the new assay, we found that bacteria subjected to nutritional or osmotic stress in a rich medium or to nitrogen exhaustion had large and dynamic accumulations of polyP. By contrast, carbon exhaustion, changes in pH, temperature upshifts, and oxidative stress had no effect on polyP levels. Analysis of Escherichia coli mutants revealed that polyP accumulation depends on several regulatory genes, glnD (NtrC), rpoS,relA, and phoB.

scholarly journals A Mutation of RNA Polymerase β′ Subunit (RpoC) Converts Heterogeneously Vancomycin-Intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (hVISA) into “Slow VISA”

2015 ◽  
Vol 59 (7) ◽  
pp. 4215-4225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miki Matsuo ◽  
Tomomi Hishinuma ◽  
Yuki Katayama ◽  
Keiichi Hiramatsu
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Cell Wall ◽  
Rna Polymerase ◽  
Stringent Response ◽  
Whole Genome ◽  
Multicopy Plasmid ◽  
Β Subunit ◽  
Whole Genome Analysis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Peptidoglycan Biosynthesis

ABSTRACTVarious mutations in therpoBgene, which encodes the RNA polymerase β subunit, are associated with increased vancomycin (VAN) resistance in vancomycin-intermediateStaphylococcus aureus(VISA) and heterogeneously VISA (hVISA) strains. We reported thatrpoBmutations are also linked to the expression of the recently found “slow VISA” (sVISA) phenotype (M. Saito, Y. Katayama, T. Hishinuma, A. Iwamoto, Y. Aiba, K Kuwahara-Arai, L. Cui, M. Matsuo, N. Aritaka, and K. Hiramatsu, Antimicrob Agents Chemother 58:5024–5035, 2014,http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/AAC.02470-13). Because RpoC and RpoB are components of RNA polymerase, we examined the effect of therpoC(P440L) mutation on the expression of the sVISA phenotype in the Mu3fdh2*V6-5 strain (V6-5), which was derived from a previously reported hVISA strain with the VISA phenotype. V6-5 had an extremely prolonged doubling time (DT) (72 min) and high vancomycin MIC (16 mg/liter). However, the phenotype of V6-5 was unstable, and the strain frequently reverted to hVISA with concomitant loss of low growth rate, cell wall thickness, and reduced autolysis. Whole-genome sequencing of phenotypic revertant strain V6-5-L1 and comparison with V6-5 revealed a second mutation, F562L, inrpoC. Introduction of the wild-type (WT)rpoCgene using a multicopy plasmid resolved the sVISA phenotype of V6-5, indicating that therpoC(P440L) mutant expressed the sVISA phenotype in hVISA. To investigate the mechanisms of resistance in the sVISA strain, we independently isolated an additional 10 revertants to hVISA and VISA. In subsequent whole-genome analysis, we identified compensatory mutations in the genes of three distinct functional categories: therpoCgene itself as regulatory mutations, peptidoglycan biosynthesis genes, andrelQ, which is involved in the stringent response. It appears that therpoC(P440L) mutation causes the sVISA phenotype by augmenting cell wall peptidoglycan synthesis and through the control of the stringent response.

scholarly journals Biophysical Properties of Escherichia coli Cytoplasm in Stationary Phase by Superresolution Fluorescence Microscopy

mBio ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanyu Zhu ◽  
Mainak Mustafi ◽  
James C. Weisshaar
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Fluorescence Microscopy ◽  
Rna Polymerase ◽  
Stationary Phase ◽  
Exponential Growth ◽  
Mean Square Displacement ◽  
Quiescent State ◽  
Chromosomal Dna ◽  
Content Type ◽  
E Coli

ABSTRACT In nature, bacteria must survive long periods of nutrient deprivation while maintaining the ability to recover and grow when conditions improve. This quiescent state is called stationary phase. The biochemistry of Escherichia coli in stationary phase is reasonably well understood. Much less is known about the biophysical state of the cytoplasm. Earlier studies of harvested nucleoids concluded that the stationary-phase nucleoid is “compacted” or “supercompacted,” and there are suggestions that the cytoplasm is “glass-like.” Nevertheless, stationary-phase bacteria support active transcription and translation. Here, we present results of a quantitative superresolution fluorescence study comparing the spatial distributions and diffusive properties of key components of the transcription-translation machinery in intact E. coli cells that were either maintained in 2-day stationary phase or undergoing moderately fast exponential growth. Stationary-phase cells are shorter and exhibit strong heterogeneity in cell length, nucleoid volume, and biopolymer diffusive properties. As in exponential growth, the nucleoid and ribosomes are strongly segregated. The chromosomal DNA is locally more rigid in stationary phase. The population-weighted average of diffusion coefficients estimated from mean-square displacement plots is 2-fold higher in stationary phase for both RNA polymerase (RNAP) and ribosomal species. The average DNA density is roughly twice as high as that in cells undergoing slow exponential growth. The data indicate that the stationary-phase nucleoid is permeable to RNAP and suggest that it is permeable to ribosomal subunits. There appears to be no need to postulate migration of actively transcribed genes to the nucleoid periphery. IMPORTANCE Bacteria in nature usually lack sufficient nutrients to enable growth and replication. Such starved bacteria adapt into a quiescent state known as the stationary phase. The chromosomal DNA is protected against oxidative damage, and ribosomes are stored in a dimeric structure impervious to digestion. Stationary-phase bacteria can recover and grow quickly when better nutrient conditions arise. The biochemistry of stationary-phase E. coli is reasonably well understood. Here, we present results from a study of the biophysical state of starved E. coli. Superresolution fluorescence microscopy enables high-resolution location and tracking of a DNA locus and of single copies of RNA polymerase (the transcription machine) and ribosomes (the translation machine) in intact E. coli cells maintained in stationary phase. Evidently, the chromosomal DNA remains sufficiently permeable to enable transcription and translation to occur. This description contrasts with the usual picture of a rigid stationary-phase cytoplasm with highly condensed DNA.

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