The yefM-yoeB Toxin-Antitoxin Systems of Escherichia coli and Streptococcus pneumoniae: Functional and Structural Correlation

ABSTRACT Toxin-antitoxin loci belonging to the yefM-yoeB family are located in the chromosome or in some plasmids of several bacteria. We cloned the yefM-yoeB locus of Streptococcus pneumoniae, and these genes encode bona fide antitoxin (YefM Spn ) and toxin (YoeB Spn ) products. We showed that overproduction of YoeB Spn is toxic to Escherichia coli cells, leading to severe inhibition of cell growth and to a reduction in cell viability; this toxicity was more pronounced in an E. coli B strain than in two E. coli K-12 strains. The YoeB Spn -mediated toxicity could be reversed by the cognate antitoxin, YefM Spn , but not by overproduction of the E. coli YefM antitoxin. The pneumococcal proteins were purified and were shown to interact with each other both in vitro and in vivo. Far-UV circular dichroism analyses indicated that the pneumococcal antitoxin was partially, but not totally, unfolded and was different than its E. coli counterpart. Molecular modeling showed that the toxins belonging to the family were homologous, whereas the antitoxins appeared to be specifically designed for each bacterial locus; thus, the toxin-antitoxin interactions were adapted to the different bacterial environmental conditions. Both structural features, folding and the molecular modeled structure, could explain the lack of cross-complementation between the pneumococcal and E. coli antitoxins.

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Chitin, Chitin Oligosaccharide, and Chitin Disaccharide Metabolism of Escherichia coli Revisited: Reassignment of the Roles of ChiA, ChbR, ChbF, and ChbG

Microbial Physiology ◽

10.1159/000515178 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-17

Author(s):

Axel Walter ◽

Simon Friz ◽

Christoph Mayer

Keyword(s):

Escherichia Coli ◽

Catalytic Mechanism ◽

Phosphotransferase System ◽

E Coli ◽

The Family ◽

Acetyl Group ◽

Bona Fide ◽

Modeling Data

Escherichia coli is unable to grow on polymeric and oligomeric chitin, but grows on chitin disaccharide (GlcNAc-GlcNAc; N,N′-diacetylchitobiose) and chitin trisaccharide (GlcNAc-GlcNAc-GlcNAc; N,N′,N′′-triacetylchitotriose) via expression of the chb operon (chbBCARFG). The phosphotransferase system (PTS) transporter ChbBCA facilitates transport of both saccharides across the inner membrane and their concomitant phosphorylation at the non-reducing end, intracellularly yielding GlcNAc 6-phosphate-GlcNAc (GlcNAc6P-GlcNAc) and GlcNAc6P-GlcNAc-GlcNAc, respectively. We revisited the intracellular catabolism of the PTS products, thereby correcting the reported functions of the 6-phospho-glycosidase ChbF, the monodeacetylase ChbG, and the transcriptional regulator ChbR. Intracellular accumulation of glucosamine 6P-GlcNAc (GlcN6P-GlcNAc) and GlcN6P-GlcNAc-GlcNAc in a chbF mutant unraveled a role for ChbG as a monodeacetylase that removes the N-acetyl group at the non-reducing end. Consequently, GlcN6P- but not GlcNAc6P-containing saccharides likely function as coactivators of ChbR. Furthermore, ChbF removed the GlcN6P from the non-reducing terminus of the former saccharides, thereby degrading the inducers of the chb operon and facilitating growth on the saccharides. Consequently, ChbF was unable to hydrolyze GlcNAc6P-residues from the non-reducing end, contrary to previous assumptions but in agreement with structural modeling data and with the unusual catalytic mechanism of the family 4 of glycosidases, to which ChbF belongs. We also refuted the assumption that ChiA is a bifunctional endochitinase/lysozyme ChiA, and show that it is unable to degrade peptidoglycans but acts as a bona fide chitinase in vitro and in vivo, enabling growth of E. coli on chitin oligosaccharides when ectopically expressed. Overall, this study revises our understanding of the chitin, chitin oligosaccharide, and chitin disaccharide metabolism of E. coli.

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Regulatory Role of PlaR (YiaJ) for Plant Utilization in Escherichia coli K-12

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-019-56886-x ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Tomohiro Shimada ◽

Yui Yokoyama ◽

Takumi Anzai ◽

Kaneyoshi Yamamoto ◽

Akira Ishihama

Keyword(s):

Escherichia Coli ◽

Genetic System ◽

Regulatory Role ◽

E Coli ◽

Warm Blooded Animal ◽

Plant Utilization ◽

K 12

AbstractOutside a warm-blooded animal host, the enterobacterium Escherichia coli K-12 is also able to grow and survive in stressful nature. The major organic substance in nature is plant, but the genetic system of E. coli how to utilize plant-derived materials as nutrients is poorly understood. Here we describe the set of regulatory targets for uncharacterized IclR-family transcription factor YiaJ on the E. coli genome, using gSELEX screening system. Among a total of 18 high-affinity binding targets of YiaJ, the major regulatory target was identified to be the yiaLMNOPQRS operon for utilization of ascorbate from fruits and galacturonate from plant pectin. The targets of YiaJ also include the genes involved in the utilization for other plant-derived materials as nutrients such as fructose, sorbitol, glycerol and fructoselysine. Detailed in vitro and in vivo analyses suggest that L-ascorbate and α-D-galacturonate are the effector ligands for regulation of YiaJ function. These findings altogether indicate that YiaJ plays a major regulatory role in expression of a set of the genes for the utilization of plant-derived materials as nutrients for survival. PlaR was also suggested to play protecting roles of E. coli under stressful environments in nature, including the formation of biofilm. We then propose renaming YiaJ to PlaR (regulator of plant utilization).

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Adaptation in a Mouse Colony Monoassociated with Escherichia coli K-12 for More than 1,000 Days

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.00358-10 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 76 (14) ◽

pp. 4655-4663 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Sean M. Lee ◽

Aaron Wyse ◽

Aaron Lesher ◽

Mary Lou Everett ◽

Linda Lou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Escherichia Coli ◽

Growth Rates ◽

Bacterial Species ◽

Intestinal Flora ◽

Average Density ◽

Host Bacterium ◽

E Coli ◽

K 12

ABSTRACT Although mice associated with a single bacterial species have been used to provide a simple model for analysis of host-bacteria relationships, bacteria have been shown to display adaptability when grown in a variety of novel environments. In this study, changes associated with the host-bacterium relationship in mice monoassociated with Escherichia coli K-12 over a period of 1,031 days were evaluated. After 80 days, phenotypic diversification of E. coli was observed, with the colonizing bacteria having a broader distribution of growth rates in the laboratory than the parent E. coli. After 1,031 days, which included three generations of mice and an estimated 20,000 generations of E. coli, the initially homogeneous bacteria colonizing the mice had evolved to have widely different growth rates on agar, a potential decrease in tendency for spontaneous lysis in vivo, and an increased tendency for spontaneous lysis in vitro. Importantly, mice at the end of the experiment were colonized at an average density of bacteria that was more than 3-fold greater than mice colonized on day 80. Evaluation of selected isolates on day 1,031 revealed unique restriction endonuclease patterns and differences between isolates in expression of more than 10% of the proteins identified by two-dimensional electrophoresis, suggesting complex changes underlying the evolution of diversity during the experiment. These results suggest that monoassociated mice might be used as a tool for characterizing niches occupied by the intestinal flora and potentially as a method of targeting the evolution of bacteria for applications in biotechnology.

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Single-Target Regulators Constitute the Minority Group of Transcription Factors in Escherichia coli K-12

Frontiers in Microbiology ◽

10.3389/fmicb.2021.697803 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Tomohiro Shimada ◽

Hiroshi Ogasawara ◽

Ikki Kobayashi ◽

Naoki Kobayashi ◽

Akira Ishihama

Keyword(s):

Escherichia Coli ◽

Transcription Factors ◽

Binding Sites ◽

Target Genes ◽

Minority Group ◽

E Coli ◽

Single Target ◽

K 12

The identification of regulatory targets of all transcription factors (TFs) is critical for understanding the entire network of genome regulation. A total of approximately 300 TFs exist in the model prokaryote Escherichia coli K-12, but the identification of whole sets of their direct targets is impossible with use of in vivo approaches. For this end, the most direct and quick approach is to identify the TF-binding sites in vitro on the genome. We then developed and utilized the gSELEX screening system in vitro for identification of more than 150 E. coli TF-binding sites along the E. coli genome. Based on the number of predicted regulatory targets, we classified E. coli K-12 TFs into four groups, altogether forming a hierarchy ranging from a single-target TF (ST-TF) to local TFs, global TFs, and nucleoid-associated TFs controlling as many as 1,000 targets. Using the collection of purified TFs and a library of genome DNA segments from a single and the same E. coli K-12, we identified here a total of 11 novel ST-TFs, CsqR, CusR, HprR, NorR, PepA, PutA, QseA, RspR, UvrY, ZraR, and YqhC. The regulation of single-target promoters was analyzed in details for the hitherto uncharacterized QseA and RspR. In most cases, the ST-TF gene and its regulatory target genes are adjacently located on the E. coli K-12 genome, implying their simultaneous transfer in the course of genome evolution. The newly identified 11 ST-TFs and the total of 13 hitherto identified altogether constitute the minority group of TFs in E. coli K-12.

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Characterization of Stg Fimbriae from an Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli O78:K80 Strain and Assessment of Their Contribution to Colonization of the Chicken Respiratory Tract

Journal of Bacteriology ◽

10.1128/jb.00453-06 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 188 (18) ◽

pp. 6449-6459 ◽

Cited By ~ 36

Author(s):

Maria H. Lymberopoulos ◽

Sébastien Houle ◽

France Daigle ◽

Simon Léveillé ◽

Annie Brée ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Escherichia Coli ◽

Gene Cluster ◽

Distinct Group ◽

Immunogold Electron Microscopy ◽

Carbohydrate Source ◽

E Coli ◽

Tract Infections ◽

K 12

ABSTRACT In a previous study, ecs-3, a sequence from avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) O78:K80 strain χ7122, was found to be expressed in vivo in infected chicken tissues. The region encompassing ecs-3 carries a fimbrial gene cluster that is a putative ortholog of the stg fimbrial gene cluster of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi. This APEC fimbrial gene cluster, which we have termed stg, is a member of a distinct group of related fimbriae that are located in the glmS-pstS intergenic region of certain E. coli and S. enterica strains. Under the control of the pBAD promoter, the production of Stg fimbriae was demonstrated by Western blotting and immunogold electron microscopy with E. coli K-12. Transcriptional fusions suggest that stg expression is influenced by the carbohydrate source and decreased by the addition of iron and that Fur plays a role in the regulation of stg expression. stg sequences were associated with APEC O78 isolates, and stg was phylogenetically distributed among E. coli reference strains and clinical isolates from human urinary tract infections. Stg fimbriae contributed to the adherence of a nonfimbriated E. coli K-12 strain to avian lung sections and human epithelial cells in vitro. Coinfection experiments with APEC strain χ7122 and an isogenic Δstg mutant demonstrated that compared to the wild-type parent, the Δstg mutant was less able to colonize air sacs, equally able to colonize lungs, and able to more effectively colonize tracheas of infected chickens. Stg fimbriae, together with other adhesins, may therefore contribute to the colonization of avian respiratory tissues by certain APEC strains.

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Dual Function of Aar, a Member of the New AraC Negative Regulator Family, in Escherichia coli Gene Expression

Infection and Immunity ◽

10.1128/iai.00100-20 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 88 (6) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Abigail S. Mickey ◽

James P. Nataro

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Escherichia Coli ◽

Negative Regulator ◽

Dual Function ◽

Content Type ◽

Virulence Gene Expression ◽

E Coli ◽

K 12

ABSTRACT Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) is an E. coli pathotype associated with diarrhea and growth faltering. EAEC virulence gene expression is controlled by the autoactivated AraC family transcriptional regulator, AggR. AggR activates transcription of a large number of virulence genes, including Aar, which in turn acts as a negative regulator of AggR itself. Aar has also been shown to affect expression of E. coli housekeeping genes, including H-NS, a global regulator that acts at multiple promoters and silences AT-rich genes (such as those in the AggR regulon). Although Aar has been shown to bind both AggR and H-NS in vitro, functional significance of these interactions has not been shown in vivo. In order to dissect this regulatory network, we removed the complex interdependence of aggR and aar by placing the genes under the control of titratable promoters. We measured phenotypic and genotypic changes on downstream genes in EAEC strain 042 and E. coli K-12 strain DH5α, which lacks the AggR regulon. In EAEC, we found that low expression of aar increases aafA fimbrial gene expression via H-NS; however, when aar is more highly expressed, it acts as a negative regulator via AggR. In DH5α, aar affected expression of E. coli genes in some cases via H-NS and in some cases independent of H-NS. Our data support the model that Aar interacts in concert with AggR, H-NS, and possibly other regulators and that these interactions are likely to be functionally significant in vivo.

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Metabolic Engineering of Escherichia coli for Enhanced Production of (R)- and (S)-3-Hydroxybutyrate

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.02667-08 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 75 (10) ◽

pp. 3137-3145 ◽

Cited By ~ 79

Author(s):

Hsien-Chung Tseng ◽

Collin H. Martin ◽

David R. Nielsen ◽

Kristala L. Jones Prather

Keyword(s):

Escherichia Coli ◽

Shake Flask ◽

Maximal Activity ◽

Culture Conditions ◽

Recombinant Enzymes ◽

E Coli ◽

Enhanced Production ◽

K 12

ABSTRACT Synthetic metabolic pathways have been constructed for the production of enantiopure (R)- and (S)-3-hydroxybutyrate (3HB) from glucose in recombinant Escherichia coli strains. To promote maximal activity, we profiled three thiolase homologs (BktB, Thl, and PhaA) and two coenzyme A (CoA) removal mechanisms (Ptb-Buk and TesB). Two enantioselective 3HB-CoA dehydrogenases, PhaB, producing the (R)-enantiomer, and Hbd, producing the (S)-enantiomer, were utilized to control the 3HB chirality across two E. coli backgrounds, BL21Star(DE3) and MG1655(DE3), representing E. coli B- and K-12-derived strains, respectively. MG1655(DE3) was found to be superior for the production of each 3HB stereoisomer, although the recombinant enzymes exhibited lower in vitro specific activities than BL21Star(DE3). Hbd in vitro activity was significantly higher than PhaB activity in both strains. The engineered strains achieved titers of enantiopure (R)-3HB and (S)-3HB as high as 2.92 g liter−1 and 2.08 g liter−1, respectively, in shake flask cultures within 2 days. The NADPH/NADP+ ratio was found to be two- to three-fold higher than the NADH/NAD+ ratio under the culture conditions examined, presumably affecting in vivo activities of PhaB and Hbd and resulting in greater production of (R)-3HB than (S)-3HB. To the best of our knowledge, this study reports the highest (S)-3HB titer achieved in shake flask E. coli cultures to date.

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Transduction of Porcine Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli with a Derivative of a Shiga Toxin 2-Encoding Bacteriophage in a Porcine Ligated Ileal Loop System

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.69.12.7242-7247.2003 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 69 (12) ◽

pp. 7242-7247 ◽

Cited By ~ 61

Author(s):

István Tóth ◽

Herbert Schmidt ◽

Mohamed Dow ◽

Anna Malik ◽

Eric Oswald ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Escherichia Coli ◽

Shiga Toxin ◽

Prototype Strain ◽

Epec Strain ◽

Ileal Loop ◽

E Coli ◽

Shiga Toxin 2 ◽

K 12

ABSTRACT In this study, we have investigated the ability of detoxified Shiga toxin (Stx)-converting bacteriophages Φ3538 (Δstx 2::cat) (H. Schmidt et al., Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 65:3855-3861, 1999) and H-19B::Tn10d-bla (D. W. Acheson et al., Infect. Immun. 66:4496-4498, 1998) to lysogenize enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) strains in vivo. We were able to transduce the porcine EPEC strain 1390 (O45) withΦ 3538 (Δstx 2::cat) in porcine ligated ileal loops but not the human EPEC prototype strain E2348/69 (O127). Neither strain 1390 nor strain E2348/69 was lysogenized under these in vivo conditions when E. coli K-12 containing H-19B::Tn10d-bla was used as the stx1 phage donor. The repeated success in the in vivo transduction of an Stx2-encoding phage to a porcine EPEC strain in pig loops was in contrast to failures in the in vitro trials with these and other EPEC strains. These results indicate that in vivo conditions are more effective for transduction of Stx2-encoding phages than in vitro conditions.

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The rfaE Gene from Escherichia coli Encodes a Bifunctional Protein Involved in Biosynthesis of the Lipopolysaccharide Core Precursor ADP-l-glycero-d-manno-Heptose

Journal of Bacteriology ◽

10.1128/jb.182.2.488-497.2000 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 182 (2) ◽

pp. 488-497 ◽

Cited By ~ 49

Author(s):

Miguel A. Valvano ◽

Cristina L. Marolda ◽

Mauricio Bittner ◽

Mike Glaskin-Clay ◽

Tania L. Simon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Escherichia Coli ◽

Amino Acids ◽

Amino Acid ◽

Inner Core ◽

Structural Features ◽

Predicted Amino Acid Sequence ◽

E Coli ◽

K 12 ◽

Domain I

ABSTRACT The intermediate steps in the biosynthesis of the ADP-l-glycero-d-manno-heptose precursor of inner core lipopolysaccharide (LPS) are not yet elucidated. We isolated a mini-Tn10 insertion that confers a heptoseless LPS phenotype in the chromosome of Escherichia coli K-12. The mutation was in a gene homologous to the previously reported rfaE gene from Haemophilus influenzae. The E. coli rfaE gene was cloned into an expression vector, and an in vitro transcription-translation experiment revealed a polypeptide of approximately 55 kDa in mass. Comparisons of the predicted amino acid sequence with other proteins in the database showed the presence of two clearly separate domains. Domain I (amino acids 1 to 318) shared structural features with members of the ribokinase family, while Domain II (amino acids 344 to 477) had conserved features of the cytidylyltransferase superfamily that includes the aut gene product of Ralstonia eutrophus. Each domain was expressed individually, demonstrating that only Domain I could complement therfaE::Tn10 mutation in E. coli, as well as the rfaE543 mutation ofSalmonella enterica SL1102. DNA sequencing of therfaE543 gene revealed that Domain I had one amino acid substitution and a 12-bp in-frame deletion resulting in the loss of four amino acids, while Domain II remained intact. We also demonstrated that the aut::Tn5 mutation inR. eutrophus is associated with heptoseless LPS, and this phenotype was restored following the introduction of a plasmid expressing the E. coli Domain II. Thus, both domains ofrfaE are functionally different and genetically separable confirming that the encoded protein is bifunctional. We propose that Domain I is involved in the synthesis ofd-glycero-d-manno-heptose 1-phosphate, whereas Domain II catalyzes the ADP transfer to form ADP-d-glycero-d-manno-heptose.

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Lysyl-tRNA synthetase from Escherichia coli K12. Chromatographic heterogeneity and the lysU-gene product

Biochemical Journal ◽

10.1042/bj2480043 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 248 (1) ◽

pp. 43-51 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

J Charlier ◽

R Sanchez

Keyword(s):

Escherichia Coli ◽

Gene Product ◽

Activity Ratio ◽

Deae Cellulose ◽

Trna Synthetase ◽

Trna Synthetases ◽

E Coli ◽

Aminoacyl Trna Synthetases

In contrast with most aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, the lysyl-tRNA synthetase of Escherichia coli is coded for by two genes, the normal lysS gene and the inducible lysU gene. During its purification from E. coli K12, lysyl-tRNA synthetase was monitored by its aminoacylation and adenosine(5′)tetraphospho(5′)adenosine (Ap4A) synthesis activities. Ap4A synthesis was measured by a new assay using DEAE-cellulose filters. The heterogeneity of lysyl-tRNA synthetase (LysRS) was revealed on hydroxyapatite; we focused on the first peak, LysRS1, because of its higher Ap4A/lysyl-tRNA activity ratio at that stage. Additional differences between LysRS1 and LysRS2 (major peak on hydroxyapatite) were collected. LysRS1 was eluted from phosphocellulose in the presence of the substrates, whereas LysRS2 was not. Phosphocellulose chromatography was used to show the increase of LysRS1 in cells submitted to heat shock. Also, the Mg2+ optimum in the Ap4A-synthesis reaction is much higher for LysRS1. LysRS1 showed a higher thermostability, which was specifically enhanced by Zn2+. These results in vivo and in vitro strongly suggest that LysRS1 is the heat-inducible lysU-gene product.

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