scholarly journals The Nitrogen Regulatory PII Protein (GlnB) andN-Acetylglucosamine 6-Phosphate Epimerase (NanE) Allosterically Activate Glucosamine 6-Phosphate Deaminase (NagB) inEscherichia coli

2017 ◽  
Vol 200 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Irina A. Rodionova ◽  
Norman Goodacre ◽  
Mohan Babu ◽  
Andrew Emili ◽  
Peter Uetz ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTAmino sugars are good sources of both ammonia and fructose-6-phosphate, produced by the glucosamine 6-phosphate deaminase, NagB. NagB is known to be allosterically regulated byN-acetylglucosamine 6-phosphate (GlcNAc-6P) and the phosphocarrier protein of the bacterial phosphotransferase system, HPr, inEscherichia coli. We provide evidence that NanE, GlcNAc-6P epimerase, and the uridylylated PII protein (U-PII) also allosterically activate NagB by direct protein-protein interactions. NanE is essential for neuraminic acid (NANA) andN-acetylmannosamine (ManNAc) utilization, and PII is known to be a central metabolic nitrogen regulator. We demonstrate that uridylylated PII (but not underivatized PII) activates NagB >10-fold at low concentrations of substrate, whereas NanE increases NagB activity >2-fold. NanE activates NagB in the absence or presence of GlcNAc-6P, but HPr and U-PII activation requires the presence of GlcNAc-6P. Activation of NagB by HPr and uridylylated PII, as well as by NanE and HPr (but not by NanE and U-PII), is synergistic, and the modeling, which suggests specific residues involved in complex formation, provides possible explanations. Specific physiological functions for the regulation of NagB by its three protein activators are proposed. Each regulatory agent is suggested to mediate signal transduction in response to a different stimulus.IMPORTANCEThe regulation of amino sugar utilization is important for the survival of bacteria in a competitive environment. NagB, a glucosamine 6-phosphate deaminase inEscherichia coli, is essential for amino sugar utilization and is known to be allosterically regulated byN-acetylglucosamine 6-phosphate (GlcNAc-6P) and the histidine-phosphorylatable phosphocarrier protein, HPr. We provide evidence here that NanE, GlcNAc-6P epimerase, and the uridylylated PII protein allosterically activate NagB by direct protein-protein interactions. NanE is essential forN-acetylneuraminic acid (NANA) andN-acetylmannosamine (ManNAc) utilization, and the PII protein is known to be a central metabolic nitrogen regulator. Regulatory links between carbon and nitrogen metabolism are important for adaptation of metabolism to different growth conditions.

2015 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 2051-2061 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erica J. Rubin ◽  
Carmen M. Herrera ◽  
Alexander A. Crofts ◽  
M. Stephen Trent

ABSTRACTInSalmonella enterica, PmrD is a connector protein that links the two-component systems PhoP-PhoQ and PmrA-PmrB. WhileEscherichia coliencodes a PmrD homolog, it is thought to be incapable of connecting PhoPQ and PmrAB in this organism due to functional divergence from theS. entericaprotein. However, our laboratory previously observed that low concentrations of Mg2+, a PhoPQ-activating signal, leads to the induction of PmrAB-dependent lipid A modifications in wild-typeE. coli(C. M. Herrera, J. V. Hankins, and M. S. Trent, Mol Microbiol 76:1444–1460, 2010,http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2958.2010.07150.x). These modifications include phosphoethanolamine (pEtN) and 4-amino-4-deoxy-l-arabinose (l-Ara4N), which promote bacterial resistance to cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs) when affixed to lipid A. Here, we demonstrate thatpmrDis required for modification of the lipid A domain ofE. colilipopolysaccharide (LPS) under low-Mg2+growth conditions. Further, RNA sequencing shows thatE. colipmrDinfluences the expression ofpmrAand its downstream targets, including genes coding for the modification enzymes that transfer pEtN andl-Ara4N to the lipid A molecule. In line with these findings, apmrDmutant is dramatically impaired in survival compared with the wild-type strain when exposed to the CAMP polymyxin B. Notably, we also reveal the presence of an unknown factor or system capable of activatingpmrDto promote lipid A modification in the absence of the PhoPQ system. These results illuminate a more complex network of protein interactions surrounding activation of PhoPQ and PmrAB inE. colithan previously understood.


Proteomes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 16
Author(s):  
Shomeek Chowdhury ◽  
Stephen Hepper ◽  
Mudassir K. Lodi ◽  
Milton H. Saier ◽  
Peter Uetz

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.


mBio ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher W. Lennon ◽  
Kimberly C. Lemmer ◽  
Jessica L. Irons ◽  
Max I. Sellman ◽  
Timothy J. Donohue ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTDksA is a global regulatory protein that, together with the alarmone ppGpp, is required for the “stringent response” to nutrient starvation in the gammaproteobacteriumEscherichia coliand for more moderate shifts between growth conditions. DksA modulates the expression of hundreds of genes, directly or indirectly. Mutants lacking a DksA homolog exhibit pleiotropic phenotypes in other gammaproteobacteria as well. Here we analyzed the DksA homolog RSP2654 in the more distantly relatedRhodobacter sphaeroides, an alphaproteobacterium. RSP2654 is 42% identical and similar in length toE. coliDksA but lacks the Zn finger motif of theE. coliDksA globular domain. Deletion of the RSP2654 gene results in defects in photosynthetic growth, impaired utilization of amino acids, and an increase in fatty acid content. RSP2654 complements the growth and regulatory defects of anE. colistrain lacking thedksAgene and modulates transcriptionin vitrowithE. coliRNA polymerase (RNAP) similarly toE. coliDksA. RSP2654 reduces RNAP-promoter complex stabilityin vitrowith RNAPs fromE. coliorR. sphaeroides, alone and synergistically with ppGpp, suggesting that even though it has limited sequence identity toE. coliDksA (DksAEc), it functions in a mechanistically similar manner. We therefore designate the RSP2654 protein DksARsp. Our work suggests that DksARsphas distinct and important physiological roles in alphaproteobacteria and will be useful for understanding structure-function relationships in DksA and the mechanism of synergy between DksA and ppGpp.IMPORTANCEThe role of DksA has been analyzed primarily in the gammaproteobacteria, in which it is best understood for its role in control of the synthesis of the translation apparatus and amino acid biosynthesis. Our work suggests that DksA plays distinct and important physiological roles in alphaproteobacteria, including the control of photosynthesis inRhodobacter sphaeroides. The study of DksARsp, should be useful for understanding structure-function relationships in the protein, including those that play a role in the little-understood synergy between DksA and ppGpp.


2008 ◽  
Vol 190 (18) ◽  
pp. 6048-6059 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carine Robichon ◽  
Glenn F. King ◽  
Nathan W. Goehring ◽  
Jon Beckwith

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.


mBio ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane E. Schulte ◽  
Mark Goulian

ABSTRACTSixA, a well-conserved protein found in proteobacteria, actinobacteria, and cyanobacteria, is the only reported example of a bacterial phosphohistidine phosphatase. A single protein target of SixA has been reported to date: theEscherichia colihistidine kinase ArcB. The present work analyzes an ArcB-independent growth defect of asixAdeletion inE. coli. A screen for suppressors, analysis of various mutants, and phosphorylation assays indicate that SixA modulates phosphorylation of the nitrogen-related phosphotransferase system (PTSNtr). The PTSNtris a widely conserved bacterial pathway that regulates diverse metabolic processes through the phosphorylation states of its protein components, EINtr, NPr, and EIIANtr, which receive phosphoryl groups on histidine residues. However, a mechanism for dephosphorylating this system has not been reported. The results presented here suggest a model in which SixA removes phosphoryl groups from the PTSNtrby acting on NPr. This work uncovers a new role for the phosphohistidine phosphatase SixA and, through factors that affect SixA expression or activity, may point to additional inputs that regulate the PTSNtr.IMPORTANCEOne common means to regulate protein activity is through phosphorylation. Protein phosphatases exist to reverse this process, returning the protein to the unphosphorylated form. The vast majority of protein phosphatases that have been identified target phosphoserine, phosphotheronine, and phosphotyrosine. A widely conserved phosphohistidine phosphatase was identified inEscherichia coli20 years ago but remains relatively understudied. The present work shows that this phosphatase modulates the nitrogen-related phosphotransferase system, a pathway that is regulated by nitrogen and carbon metabolism and affects diverse aspects of bacterial physiology. Until now, there was no known mechanism for removing phosphoryl groups from this pathway.


2015 ◽  
Vol 197 (8) ◽  
pp. 1478-1491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustavo G. Caballero-Flores ◽  
Matthew A. Croxen ◽  
Verónica I. Martínez-Santos ◽  
B. Brett Finlay ◽  
José L. Puente

ABSTRACTThe Gram-negative enteric bacteriumCitrobacter rodentiumis a natural mouse pathogen that has been extensively used as a surrogate model for studying the human pathogens enteropathogenic and enterohemorrhagicEscherichia coli. All three pathogens produce similar attaching and effacing (A/E) lesions in the intestinal epithelium. During infection, these bacteria employ surface structures called fimbriae to adhere and colonize the host intestinal epithelium. ForC. rodentium, the roles of only a small number of its genome-carried fimbrial operons have been evaluated. Here, we report the identification of a novelC. rodentiumcolonization factor, calledgutcolonizationfimbria (Gcf), which is encoded by a chaperone-usher fimbrial operon. AgcfAmutant shows a severe colonization defect within the first 10 days of infection. Thegcfpromoter is not active inC. rodentiumunder severalin vitrogrowth conditions; however, it is readily expressed in aC. rodentiumΔhns1mutant lacking the closest ortholog of theEscherichia colihistone-like nucleoid structuring protein (H-NS) but not in mutants with deletion of the other four genes encoding H-NS homologs. H-NS binds to the regulatory region ofgcf, further supporting its direct role as a repressor of thegcfpromoter that starts transcription 158 bp upstream of the start codon of its first open reading frame. Thegcfoperon possesses interesting novel traits that open future opportunities to expand our knowledge of the structure, regulation, and function during infection of these important bacterial structures.IMPORTANCEFimbriae are surface bacterial structures implicated in a variety of biological processes. Some have been shown to play a critical role during host colonization and thus in disease. Pathogenic bacteria possess the genetic information for an assortment of fimbriae, but their function and regulation and the interplay between them have not been studied in detail. This work provides new insights into the function and regulation of a novel fimbria called Gcf that is important for early establishment of a successful infection byC. rodentiumin mice, despite being poorly expressed underin vitrogrowth conditions. This discovery offers an opportunity to better understand the individual role and the regulatory mechanisms controlling the expression of specific fimbrial operons that are critical during infection.


2019 ◽  
Vol 201 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Birgit Schilling ◽  
Nathan Basisty ◽  
David G. Christensen ◽  
Dylan Sorensen ◽  
James S. Orr ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Lysine acetylation is thought to provide a mechanism for regulating metabolism in diverse bacteria. Indeed, many studies have shown that the majority of enzymes involved in central metabolism are acetylated and that acetylation can alter enzyme activity. However, the details regarding this regulatory mechanism are still unclear, specifically with regard to the signals that induce lysine acetylation. To better understand this global regulatory mechanism, we profiled changes in lysine acetylation during growth of Escherichia coli on the hexose glucose or the pentose xylose at both high and low sugar concentrations using label-free mass spectrometry. The goal was to see whether lysine acetylation differed during growth on these two different sugars. No significant differences, however, were observed. Rather, the initial sugar concentration was the principal factor governing changes in lysine acetylation, with higher sugar concentrations causing more acetylation. These results suggest that acetylation does not target specific metabolic pathways but rather simply targets accessible lysines, which may or may not alter enzyme activity. They further suggest that lysine acetylation principally results from conditions that favor accumulation of acetyl phosphate, the principal acetate donor in E. coli. IMPORTANCE Bacteria alter their metabolism in response to nutrient availability, growth conditions, and environmental stresses using a number of different mechanisms. One is lysine acetylation, a posttranslational modification known to target many metabolic enzymes. However, little is known about this regulatory mode. We investigated the factors inducing changes in lysine acetylation by comparing growth on glucose and xylose. We found that the specific sugar used for growth did not alter the pattern of acetylation; rather, the amount of sugar did, with more sugar causing more acetylation. These results imply that lysine acetylation is a global regulatory mechanism that is responsive not to the specific carbon source per se but rather to the accumulation of downstream metabolites.


Microbiology ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 156 (10) ◽  
pp. 2920-2932 ◽  
Author(s):  
Goran Jovanovic ◽  
Christoph Engl ◽  
Antony J. Mayhew ◽  
Patricia C. Burrows ◽  
Martin Buck

The phage-shock-protein (Psp) response maintains the proton-motive force (pmf) under extracytoplasmic stress conditions that impair the inner membrane (IM) in bacterial cells. In Escherichia coli transcription of the pspABCDE and pspG genes requires activation of σ 54-RNA polymerase by the enhancer-binding protein PspF. A regulatory network comprising PspF–A–C–B–ArcB controls psp expression. One key regulatory point is the negative control of PspF imposed by its binding to PspA. It has been proposed that under stress conditions, the IM-bound sensors PspB and PspC receive and transduce the signal(s) to PspA via protein–protein interactions, resulting in the release of the PspA–PspF inhibitory complex and the consequent induction of psp. In this work we demonstrate that PspB self-associates and interacts with PspC via putative IM regions. We present evidence suggesting that PspC has two topologies and that conserved residue G48 and the putative leucine zipper motif are determinants required for PspA interaction and signal transduction upon stress. We also establish that PspC directly interacts with the effector PspG, and show that PspG self-associates. These results are discussed in the context of formation and function of the Psp regulatory complex.


mBio ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Akanksha Nigam ◽  
Tamar Ziv ◽  
Adi Oron-Gottesman ◽  
Hanna Engelberg-Kulka

ABSTRACT Escherichia coli mazEF is an extensively studied stress-induced toxin-antitoxin (TA) system. The toxin MazF is an endoribonuclease that cleaves RNAs at ACA sites. By that means, under stress, the induced MazF generates a stress-induced translation machinery (STM) composed of MazF-processed mRNAs and selective ribosomes that specifically translate the processed mRNAs. Here, we performed a proteomic analysis of all the E. coli stress-induced proteins that are mediated through the chromosomally borne mazF gene. We show that the mRNAs of almost all of them are characterized by the presence of an ACA site up to 100 nucleotides upstream of the AUG initiator. Therefore, under stressful conditions, induced MazF processes mRNAs that are translated by STM. Furthermore, the presence of the ACA sites far upstream (up to 100 nucleotides) of the AUG initiator may still permit translation by the canonical translation machinery. Thus, such dual-translation mechanisms enable the bacterium under stress also to prepare proteins for immediate functions while coming back to normal growth conditions. IMPORTANCE The stress response, the strategy that bacteria have developed in order to cope up with all kinds of adverse conditions, is so far understood at the level of transcription. Our previous findings of a uniquely modified stress-induced translation machinery (STM) generated in E. coli under stress by the endoribonucleolytic activity of the toxin MazF opens a new chapter in understanding microbial physiology under stress at the translational level. Here, we performed a proteomic analysis of all the E. coli stress-induced proteins that are mediated by chromosomally borne MazF through STM.


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