scholarly journals Dissection of 16S rRNA Methyltransferase (KsgA) Function in Escherichia coli

2007 ◽  
Vol 189 (23) ◽  
pp. 8510-8518 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koichi Inoue ◽  
Soumit Basu ◽  
Masayori Inouye
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
16S Rrna ◽  
Growth Defect ◽  
Methyltransferase Activity ◽  
Additional Function ◽  
Multicopy Suppressor ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Acid Shock ◽  
Cold Sensitive ◽  
Increased Sensitivity

ABSTRACT A 16S rRNA methyltransferase, KsgA, identified originally in Escherichia coli is highly conserved in all living cells, from bacteria to humans. KsgA orthologs in eukaryotes possess functions in addition to their rRNA methyltransferase activity. E. coli Era is an essential GTP-binding protein. We recently observed that KsgA functions as a multicopy suppressor for the cold-sensitive cell growth of an era mutant [Era(E200K)] strain (Q. Lu and M. Inouye, J. Bacteriol. 180:5243-5246, 1998). Here we observed that although KsgA(E43A), KsgA(G47A), and KsgA(E66A) mutations located in the S-adenosylmethionine-binding motifs severely reduced its methyltransferase activity, these mutations retained the ability to suppress the growth defect of the Era(E200K) strain at a low temperature. On the other hand, a KsgA(R248A) mutation at the C-terminal domain that does not affect the methyltransferase activity failed to suppress the growth defect. Surprisingly, E. coli cells overexpressing wild-type KsgA, but not KsgA(R248A), were found to be highly sensitive to acetate even at neutral pH. Such growth inhibition also was observed in the presence of other weak organic acids, such as propionate and benzoate. These chemicals are known to be highly toxic at acidic pH by lowering the intracellular pH. We found that KsgA-induced cells had increased sensitivity to extreme acid conditions (pH 3.0) compared to that of noninduced cells. These results suggest that E. coli KsgA, in addition to its methyltransferase activity, has another unidentified function that plays a role in the suppression of the cold-sensitive phenotype of the Era(E200K) strain and that the additional function may be involved in the acid shock response. We discuss a possible mechanism of the KsgA-induced acid-sensitive phenotype.

scholarly journals Novel Plasmid-Mediated 16S rRNA m1A1408 Methyltransferase, NpmA, Found in a Clinically Isolated Escherichia coli Strain Resistant to Structurally Diverse Aminoglycosides

2007 ◽  
Vol 51 (12) ◽  
pp. 4401-4409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun-ichi Wachino ◽  
Keigo Shibayama ◽  
Hiroshi Kurokawa ◽  
Kouji Kimura ◽  
Kunikazu Yamane ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
16S Rrna ◽  
Recombinant Plasmid ◽  
Coli Strain ◽  
Methyltransferase Activity ◽  
Ribosomal Subunits ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Rrna Molecule ◽  
A Site

ABSTRACT We have isolated a multiple-aminoglycoside-resistant Escherichia coli strain, strain ARS3, and have been the first to identify a novel plasmid-mediated 16S rRNA methyltransferase, NpmA. This new enzyme shared a relatively low level of identity (30%) to the chromosomally encoded 16S rRNA methyltransferase (KamA) of Streptomyces tenjimariensis, an actinomycete aminoglycoside producer. The introduction of a recombinant plasmid carrying npmA could confer on E. coli consistent resistance to both 4,6-disubstituted 2-deoxystreptamines, such as amikacin and gentamicin, and 4,5-disubstituted 2-deoxystreptamines, including neomycin and ribostamycin. The histidine-tagged NpmA elucidated methyltransferase activity against 30S ribosomal subunits but not against 50S subunits and the naked 16S rRNA molecule in vitro. We further confirmed that NpmA is an adenine N-1 methyltransferase specific for the A1408 position at the A site of 16S rRNA. Drug footprinting data indicated that binding of aminoglycosides to the target site was apparently interrupted by methylation at the A1408 position. These observations demonstrate that NpmA is a novel plasmid-mediated 16S rRNA methyltransferase that provides a panaminoglycoside-resistant nature through interference with the binding of aminoglycosides toward the A site of 16S rRNA through N-1 methylation at position A1408.

scholarly journals The Gene for 16S rRNA Methyltransferase (ksgA) Functions as a Multicopy Suppressor for a Cold-Sensitive Mutant of Era, an Essential RAS-Like GTP-Binding Protein in Escherichia coli

1998 ◽  
Vol 180 (19) ◽  
pp. 5243-5246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qing Lu ◽  
Masayori Inouye
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
16S Rrna ◽  
Binding Protein ◽  
Restrictive Temperature ◽  
Multicopy Plasmid ◽  
Gtp Binding Protein ◽  
Sensitive Mutant ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Gtp Binding ◽  
Cold Sensitive

ABSTRACT Era, a Ras-like GTP-binding protein in Escherichia coli, has been shown to be essential for growth. However, its cellular functions still remain elusive. In this study, a genetic screening of an E. coli genomic library was performed to identify those genes which can restore the growth ability of a cold-sensitive mutant, Era(Cs) (E200K), at a restrictive temperature when expressed in a multicopy plasmid. Among eight suppressors isolated, six were located at 1 min of the E. coli genomic map, and the gene responsible for the suppression of Era(Cs) (E200K) was identified as the ksgA gene for 16S rRNA transmethylase, whose mutation causes a phenotype of resistance to kasugamycin, a translation initiation inhibitor. This is the first demonstration of suppression of impaired function of Era by overproduction of a functional enzyme. A possible mechanism of the suppression of the Era cold-sensitive phenotype by KsgA overproduction is discussed.

scholarly journals Polyamine-Mediated Resistance of Uropathogenic Escherichia coli to Nitrosative Stress

2006 ◽  
Vol 188 (3) ◽  
pp. 928-933 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean M. Bower ◽  
Matthew A. Mulvey
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Nitrosative Stress ◽  
Resistance Mutation ◽  
Reactive Nitrogen ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Exogenous Addition ◽  
Reactive Nitrogen Intermediates ◽  
Transposon Mutants ◽  
Increased Sensitivity ◽  
K 12

ABSTRACT During the course of a urinary tract infection, substantial levels of nitric oxide and reactive nitrogen intermediates are generated. We have found that many uropathogenic strains of Escherichia coli display far greater resistance to nitrosative stress than the K-12 reference strain MG1655. By selecting and screening for uropathogenic E. coli transposon mutants that are unable to grow in the presence of acidified nitrite, the cadC gene product was identified as a key facilitator of nitrosative stress resistance. Mutation of cadC, or its transcriptional targets cadA and cadB, results in loss of significant production of the polyamine cadaverine and increased sensitivity to acidified nitrite. Exogenous addition of cadaverine or other polyamines rescues growth of cad mutants under nitrosative stress. In wild-type cells, the concentration of cadaverine produced per cell is substantially increased by exposure to acidified nitrite. The mechanism behind polyamine-mediated rescue from nitrosative stress is unclear, but it is not attributable solely to chemical quenching of reactive nitrogen species or reduction in mutation frequency.

scholarly journals Escherichia coli NsrR Regulates a Pathway for the Oxidation of 3-Nitrotyramine to 4-Hydroxy-3-Nitrophenylacetate

2008 ◽  
Vol 190 (18) ◽  
pp. 6170-6177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda D. Rankin ◽  
Diane M. Bodenmiller ◽  
Jonathan D. Partridge ◽  
Shirley F. Nishino ◽  
Jim C. Spain ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Physiological Role ◽  
Growth Conditions ◽  
Growth Defect ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Mutant Phenotypes ◽  
Culture Supernatants ◽  
Chip Chip

ABSTRACT Chromatin immunoprecipitation and microarray (ChIP-chip) analysis showed that the nitric oxide (NO)-sensitive repressor NsrR from Escherichia coli binds in vivo to the promoters of the tynA and feaB genes. These genes encode the first two enzymes of a pathway that is required for the catabolism of phenylethylamine (PEA) and its hydroxylated derivatives tyramine and dopamine. Deletion of nsrR caused small increases in the activities of the tynA and feaB promoters in cultures grown on PEA. Overexpression of nsrR severely retarded growth on PEA and caused a marked repression of the tynA and feaB promoters. Both the growth defect and the promoter repression were reversed in the presence of a source of NO. These results are consistent with NsrR mediating repression of the tynA and feaB genes by binding (in an NO-sensitive fashion) to the sites identified by ChIP-chip. E. coli was shown to use 3-nitrotyramine as a nitrogen source for growth, conditions which partially induce the tynA and feaB promoters. Mutation of tynA (but not feaB) prevented growth on 3-nitrotyramine. Growth yields, mutant phenotypes, and analyses of culture supernatants suggested that 3-nitrotyramine is oxidized to 4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenylacetate, with growth occurring at the expense of the amino group of 3-nitrotyramine. Accordingly, enzyme assays showed that 3-nitrotyramine and its oxidation product (4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenylacetaldehyde) could be oxidized by the enzymes encoded by tynA and feaB, respectively. The results suggest that an additional physiological role of the PEA catabolic pathway is to metabolize nitroaromatic compounds that may accumulate in cells exposed to NO.

scholarly journals 16S rRNA Mutations That Confer Tetracycline Resistance in Helicobacter pylori Decrease Drug Binding in Escherichia coli Ribosomes

2005 ◽  
Vol 187 (11) ◽  
pp. 3708-3712 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Nonaka ◽  
Sean R. Connell ◽  
Diane E. Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Helicobacter Pylori ◽  
16S Rrna ◽  
Binding Site ◽  
Tetracycline Resistance ◽  
Drug Binding ◽  
Multicopy Plasmid ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
E Coli ◽  
H Pylori

ABSTRACT Tetracycline resistance in clinical isolates of Helicobacter pylori has been associated with nucleotide substitutions at positions 965 to 967 in the 16S rRNA. We constructed mutants which had different sequences at 965 to 967 in the 16S rRNA gene present on a multicopy plasmid in Escherichia coli strain TA527, in which all seven rrn genes were deleted. The MICs for tetracycline of all mutants having single, double, or triple substitutions at the 965 to 967 region that were previously found in highly resistant H. pylori isolates were higher than that of the mutant exhibiting the wild-type sequence of tetracycline-susceptible H. pylori. The MIC of the mutant with the 965TTC967 triple substitution was 32 times higher than that of the E. coli mutant with the 965AGA967 substitution present in wild-type H. pylori. The ribosomes extracted from the tetracycline-resistant E. coli 965TTC967 variant bound less tetracycline than E. coli with the wild-type H. pylori sequence at this region. The concentration of tetracycline bound to the ribosome was 40% that of the wild type. The results of this study suggest that tetracycline binding to the primary binding site (Tet-1) of the ribosome at positions 965 to 967 is influenced by its sequence patterns, which form the primary binding site for tetracycline.

scholarly journals Effect of gamma irradiation on viability and DNA of Staphylococcus epidermidis and Escherichia coli

2006 ◽  
Vol 55 (9) ◽  
pp. 1271-1275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrej Trampuz ◽  
Kerryl E. Piper ◽  
James M. Steckelberg ◽  
Robin Patel
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
16S Rrna ◽  
Gamma Irradiation ◽  
Staphylococcus Epidermidis ◽  
16S Rrna Genes ◽  
Rrna Genes ◽  
Molecular Diagnostic ◽  
Molecular Diagnostic Techniques ◽  
Bacterial Cells ◽  
E Coli

Gamma irradiation is widely used for sterilization; however, its effect on elimination of amplifiable DNA, an issue of relevance to molecular diagnostic approaches, has not been well studied. The effect of gamma irradiation on the viability of Staphylococcus epidermidis and Escherichia coli (using quantitative cultures) and on their DNA (using quantitative 16S rRNA gene PCR) was evaluated. Viability was abrogated at 2.8 and 3.6 kGy for S. epidermidis and E. coli, respectively. The radiation dose required to reduce viable bacteria by one log10 (D 10 value) was 0.31 and 0.35 kGy for S. epidermidis and E. coli, respectively. D 10 values for amplifiable DNA extracted from bacteria were 2.58 and 3.09 kGy for S. epidermidis and E. coli, respectively, whereas D 10 values for amplifiable DNA were significantly higher for DNA extracted from irradiated viable bacterial cells (22.9 and 52.6 kGy for S. epidermidis and E. coli, respectively; P<0.001). This study showed that gamma irradiation of DNA in viable bacterial cells has little effect on amplifiable DNA, was not able to eliminate amplifiable 16S rRNA genes at a dose of up to 12 kGy and cannot therefore be used for elimination of DNA contamination of PCR reaction components or laboratory equipment when this DNA is present in microbial cells. This finding has practical implications for those using molecular diagnostic techniques in microbiology.

scholarly journals Outbreak Caused by NDM-1- and RmtB-Producing Escherichia coli in Bulgaria

2014 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 2472-2474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurent Poirel ◽  
Encho Savov ◽  
Arzu Nazli ◽  
Angelina Trifonova ◽  
Iva Todorova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
16S Rrna ◽  
Sequence Type ◽  
Content Type ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Carbapenem Resistant ◽  
The World ◽  
High Level ◽  
16S Rrna Methylase ◽  
Level Resistance

ABSTRACTTwelve consecutive carbapenem-resistantEscherichia coliisolates were recovered from patients (infection or colonization) hospitalized between March and September 2012 in different units at a hospital in Bulgaria. They all produced the carbapenemase NDM-1 and the extended-spectrum-β-lactamase CTX-M-15, together with the 16S rRNA methylase RmtB, conferring high-level resistance to all aminoglycosides. All those isolates were clonally related and belonged to the same sequence type, ST101. In addition to being the first to identify NDM-producing isolates in Bulgaria, this is the very first study reporting an outbreak of NDM-1-producingE. coliin the world.

scholarly journals TolC-Dependent Exclusion of Porphyrins in Escherichia coli

2008 ◽  
Vol 190 (18) ◽  
pp. 6228-6233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryoko Tatsumi ◽  
Masaaki Wachi
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Uv Irradiation ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Aminolevulinic Acid ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Chromatography Analysis ◽  
Increased Sensitivity ◽  
Mutant Cells ◽  
Reddish Brown Color

ABSTRACT We found that Escherichia coli tolC mutants showed increased sensitivity to 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), a precursor of porphyrins. The tolC mutant cells grown in the presence of ALA showed a reddish brown color under visible light and a strong red fluorescence under near-UV irradiation. Fluorescence spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography analysis showed that the tolC mutant cells grown in the presence of ALA accumulated a large amount of coproporphyrin(ogen) intracellularly. In contrast, the wild-type cells produced coproporphyrin extracellularly. The tolC mutant cells grown in the presence of ALA, which were capable of surviving in the dark, were killed by near-UV irradiation, suggesting that the intracellular coproporphyrin(ogen) renders these cells photosensitive. These results suggest that the TolC-dependent efflux system is involved in the exclusion of porphyrin(ogen)s in E. coli.

scholarly journals The Listeria monocytogenes Homolog of the Escherichia coli era Gene Is Involved in Adhesion to Inert Surfaces

2007 ◽  
Vol 73 (23) ◽  
pp. 7789-7792 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frédéric Auvray ◽  
Danielle Chassaing ◽  
Cécile Duprat ◽  
Brigitte Carpentier
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Stainless Steel ◽  
Listeria Monocytogenes ◽  
Growth Defect ◽  
Cell Populations ◽  
Lower Growth ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Attached Cell ◽  
Dimethylammonium Chloride ◽  
Inert Surfaces

ABSTRACT Two transposon-insertional mutants of Listeria monocytogenes showing smaller viable surface-attached cell populations after disinfection with N,N-didecyl-N,N-dimethylammonium chloride were identified. In both mutants, transposon Tn917-lac was found to be inserted into the same gene, lmo1462, which is homologous to the essential Escherichia coli era gene. Both L. monocytogenes lmo1462-disrupted mutants displayed lower growth rates, as was also shown for several E. coli era mutants, and the lmo1462 gene was able to complement the growth defect of an E. coli era mutant. We showed that the disruption of lmo1462 decreased the ability of L. monocytogenes cells to adhere to stainless steel. Our results suggest that this era-like gene is involved in adhesion and contributes to the presence of L. monocytogenes on surfaces.

scholarly journals Employment of a Promoter-Swapping Technique Shows that PhoU Modulates the Activity of the PstSCAB2 ABC Transporter in Escherichia coli

2008 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 573-582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher D. Rice ◽  
Jacob E. Pollard ◽  
Zachery T. Lewis ◽  
William R. McCleary
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Regulatory System ◽  
Negative Regulator ◽  
Growth Defect ◽  
Pho Regulon ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Regulatory Module ◽  
Two Component ◽  
Severe Growth Defect ◽  
Promoter Swapping

ABSTRACT Expression of the Pho regulon in Escherichia coli is induced in response to low levels of environmental phosphate (Pi). Under these conditions, the high-affinity PstSCAB2 protein (i.e., with two PstB proteins) is the primary Pi transporter. Expression from the pstSCAB-phoU operon is regulated by the PhoB/PhoR two-component regulatory system. PhoU is a negative regulator of the Pho regulon; however, the mechanism by which PhoU accomplishes this is currently unknown. Genetic studies of phoU have proven to be difficult because deletion of the phoU gene leads to a severe growth defect and creates strong selection for compensatory mutations resulting in confounding data. To overcome the instability of phoU deletions, we employed a promoter-swapping technique that places expression of the phoBR two-component system under control of the Ptac promoter and the lacO ID regulatory module. This technique may be generally applicable for controlling expression of other chromosomal genes in E. coli. Here we utilized PphoB ::Ptac and PpstS ::Ptac strains to characterize phenotypes resulting from various ΔphoU mutations. Our results indicate that PhoU controls the activity of the PstSCAB2 transporter, as well as its abundance within the cell. In addition, we used the PphoB ::Ptac ΔphoU strain as a platform to begin characterizing new phoU mutations in plasmids.

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