scholarly journals Hfq Modulates the σE-Mediated Envelope Stress Response and the σ32-Mediated Cytoplasmic Stress Response in Escherichia coli

2006 ◽  
Vol 189 (5) ◽  
pp. 1963-1973 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Guisbert ◽  
Virgil A. Rhodius ◽  
Nidhi Ahuja ◽  
Emily Witkin ◽  
Carol A. Gross
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Stress Response ◽  
Membrane Proteins ◽  
Outer Membrane ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Outer Membrane Proteins ◽  
Sugar Uptake ◽  
Acid Uptake ◽  
General Role ◽  
Envelope Stress

ABSTRACT Hfq, a chaperone for small noncoding RNAs, regulates many processes in Escherichia coli, including the σS-mediated general stress response. Here we used microarray analysis to identify the changes in gene expression resulting from lack of Hfq. We identify several potential new targets for Hfq regulation, including genes encoding outer membrane proteins, enzymes, factors, and transporters. Many of these genes are involved in amino acid uptake and biosynthesis, sugar uptake and metabolism, and cell energetics. In addition, we find altered regulation of the σE- and σ32-mediated stress responses, which we analyze further. We show that cells lacking Hfq induce the σE-mediated envelope stress response and are defective in σE-mediated repression of outer membrane proteins. We also show that the σ32-mediated cytoplasmic stress response is repressed in cells lacking Hfq due to increased expression of DnaK. Furthermore, we show that cells lacking Hfq are defective in the “long-term adaptation” of σ32 to chronic chaperone overexpression. Together, our results indicate that Hfq may play a general role in stress response regulation in E. coli.

scholarly journals The CpxQ sRNA Negatively Regulates Skp To Prevent Mistargeting of β-Barrel Outer Membrane Proteins into the Cytoplasmic Membrane

mBio ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcin Grabowicz ◽  
Daria Koren ◽  
Thomas J. Silhavy
Keyword(s):  
Stress Response ◽  
Membrane Proteins ◽  
Outer Membrane ◽  
Protein Misfolding ◽  
Outer Membrane Proteins ◽  
Inner Membrane ◽  
Bam Complex ◽  
Envelope Stress ◽  
Periplasmic Chaperone

ABSTRACT The promoter most strongly induced upon activation of the Cpx two-component envelope stress response is the cpxP promoter. The 3′ untranscribed region (UTR) of the cpxP transcript is shown to produce a small RNA (sRNA), CpxQ. We investigated the role of CpxQ in combating envelope stress. Remarkably, the two effectors specified by the transcript are deployed to combat distinct stresses in different cellular compartments. CpxP acts in both a regulatory negative-feedback loop and as an effector that combats periplasmic protein misfolding. We find that CpxQ combats toxicity at the inner membrane (IM) by downregulating the synthesis of the periplasmic chaperone Skp. Our data indicate that this regulation prevents Skp from inserting β-barrel outer membrane proteins (OMPs) into the IM, a lethal event that likely collapses the proton motive force. Our findings suggest that Skp can fold and directly insert OMPs into a lipid bilayer in vivo without the aid of the Bam complex. IMPORTANCE Skp is a well-characterized periplasmic chaperone that binds unfolded OMPs. Surprisingly, we find that Skp can catalyze the folding and mistargeting of OMPs into the inner membrane without the aid of the other cellular proteins that normally assemble OMPs. Several OMPs function as diffusion pores. Accordingly, their mistargeting is lethal because it depolarizes the inner membrane. We show that the most highly expressed transcript of the Cpx stress response produces an sRNA from the 3′ UTR, CpxQ, which combats this potential toxicity by downregulating Skp production. Defects in OMP assembly trigger the σ E response to upregulate factors, including Skp, that promote OMP folding. The Cpx response downregulates σ E . Our findings reveal that this heretofore puzzling hierarchy exists to protect the inner membrane.

scholarly journals Fine-Tuning of σEActivation Suppresses Multiple Assembly-Defective Mutations inEscherichia coli

2019 ◽  
Vol 201 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth M. Hart ◽  
Aileen O’Connell ◽  
Kimberly Tang ◽  
Joseph S. Wzorek ◽  
Marcin Grabowicz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stress Response ◽  
Cell Viability ◽  
Outer Membrane ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Expression Profiles ◽  
Outer Membrane Proteins ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Permeability Barrier ◽  
Gram Negative ◽  
Envelope Stress

ABSTRACTThe Gram-negative outer membrane (OM) is a selectively permeable asymmetric bilayer that allows vital nutrients to diffuse into the cell but prevents toxins and hydrophobic molecules from entering. Functionally and structurally diverse β-barrel outer membrane proteins (OMPs) build and maintain the permeability barrier, making the assembly of OMPs crucial for cell viability. In this work, we characterize an assembly-defective mutant of the maltoporin LamB, LamBG439D. We show that the folding defect of LamBG439Dresults in an accumulation of unfolded substrate that is toxic to the cell when the periplasmic protease DegP is removed. Selection for suppressors of this toxicity identified the novel mutantdegSA323Eallele. The mutant DegSA323Eprotein contains an amino acid substitution at the PDZ/protease domain interface that results in a partially activated conformation of this protein. This activation increases basal levels of downstream σEstress response signaling. Furthermore, the enhanced σEactivity of DegSA323Esuppresses a number of other assembly-defective conditions without exhibiting the toxicity associated with high levels of σEactivity. We propose that the increased basal levels of σEsignaling primes the cell to respond to envelope stress before OMP assembly defects threaten cell viability. This finding addresses the importance of envelope stress responses in monitoring the OMP assembly process and underpins the critical balance between envelope defects and stress response activation.IMPORTANCEGram-negative bacteria, such asEscherichia coli, inhabit a natural environment that is prone to flux. In order to cope with shifting growth conditions and the changing availability of nutrients, cells must be capable of quickly responding to stress. Stress response pathways allow cells to rapidly shift gene expression profiles to ensure survival in this unpredictable environment. Here we describe a mutant that partially activates the σEstress response pathway. The elevated basal level of this stress response allows the cell to quickly respond to overwhelming stress to ensure cell survival.

scholarly journals Evolution of Escherichia coli for maximum HOCl resistance through constitutive expression of the OxyR regulon

Microbiology ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 160 (8) ◽  
pp. 1690-1704 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jasmin Gundlach ◽  
Jeannette Winter
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Membrane Proteins ◽  
Outer Membrane ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Stress Resistance ◽  
Outer Membrane Proteins ◽  
Acquired Resistance ◽  
Constitutive Expression ◽  
Proteome Analysis ◽  
Epigenetic Changes

Exposure of cells to stress impairs cellular functions and may cause killing or adaptation. Adaptation can be facilitated by stress-induced mutagenesis or epigenetic changes, i.e. phenotypic variation without mutations. Upon exposure to HOCl, which is produced by the innate immune system upon bacterial infection, bacteria trigger stress responses that enable increased survival against the stress. Here, we addressed the question whether bacteria can adapt to high HOCl doses and if so, how the acquired resistance is facilitated. We evolved Escherichia coli cells for maximum HOCl resistance by successively increasing the HOCl concentration in the cultivation medium. HOCl-resistant cells showed broad stress resistance but did not carry any chromosomal mutations as revealed by whole-genome sequencing. According to proteome analysis and analysis of transcript levels of stress-related genes, HOCl resistance was accompanied by altered levels of outer-membrane proteins A, C, F and W, and, most prominently, a constitutively expressed OxyR regulon. Induction of the OxyR regulon is facilitated by a partially oxidized OxyR leading to increased levels of antioxidant proteins such as Dps, AhpC/AhpF and KatG. These changes were maintained in evolved strains even when they were cultivated without stress for a prolonged time, indicating epigenetic changes contributed to stress resistance. This indicated that maximum HOCl resistance was conferred by the accumulated action of the OxyR stress response and other factors such as altered levels of outer-membrane proteins.

BaeR participates in cephalosporins susceptibility by regulating the expression level of outer membrane proteins in Escherichia coli

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuaiyang Wang ◽  
Chunbo You ◽  
Fareed Qumar Memon ◽  
Geyin Zhang ◽  
Yawei Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Membrane Proteins ◽  
Outer Membrane ◽  
Efflux Pump ◽  
Outer Membrane Proteins ◽  
Expression Level ◽  
Antibiotics Resistance ◽  
Dilution Method ◽  
Expression Levels ◽  
E Coli

Abstract The two-component system BaeSR participates in antibiotics resistance of Escherichia coli. To know whether the outer membrane proteins involve in the antibiotics resistance mediated by BaeSR, deletion of acrB was constructed and the recombined plasmid p-baeR was introduced into E. coli K12 and K12△acrB. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of antibacterial agents were determined by 2-fold broth micro-dilution method. Gene expressions related with major outer membrane proteins and multidrug efflux pump-related genes were determined by real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The results revealed that the MICs of K12ΔacrB to the tested drugs except for gentamycin and amikacin decreased 2- to 16.75-folds compared with those of K12. When BaeR was overexpressed, the MICs of K12ΔacrB/p-baeR to ceftiofur and cefotaxime increased 2.5- and 2-fold, respectively, compared with their corresponding that of K12△acrB. At the same time, the expression levels of ompC, ompF, ompW, ompA and ompX showed significant reduction in K12ΔacrB/p-baeR as compared with K12△acrB. Moreover, the expression levels of ompR, marA, rob and tolC also significantly ‘decreased’ in K12ΔacrB/p-baeR. These findings indicated that BaeR overproduction can decrease cephalosporins susceptibility in acrB-free E. coli by decreasing the expression level of outer membrane proteins.

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