scholarly journals Dissection of the Functional and Structural Domains of Phosphorelay Histidine Kinase A of Bacillus subtilis

2001 ◽  
Vol 183 (9) ◽  
pp. 2795-2802 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ling Wang ◽  
Céline Fabret ◽  
Kyoko Kanamaru ◽  
Keith Stephenson ◽  
Veronique Dartois ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Sequence Similarity ◽  
Terminal Region ◽  
Phosphoryl Group ◽  
Structural Domains ◽  
Substitution Mutations ◽  
Two Hybrid ◽  
Kinase A

ABSTRACT The initiation of sporulation in Bacillus subtilisresults primarily from phosphoryl group input into the phosphorelay by histidine kinases, the major kinase being kinase A. Kinase A is active as a homodimer, the protomer of which consists of an approximately 400-amino-acid N-terminal putative signal-sensing region and a 200-amino-acid C-terminal autokinase. On the basis of sequence similarity, the N-terminal region may be subdivided into three PAS domains: A, B, and C, located from the N- to the C-terminal end. Proteolysis experiments and two-hybrid analyses indicated that dimerization of the N-terminal region is accomplished through the PAS-B/PAS-C region of the molecule, whereas the most amino-proximal PAS-A domain is not dimerized. N-terminal deletions generated with maltose binding fusion proteins showed that an intact PAS-A domain is very important for enzymatic activity. Amino acid substitution mutations in PAS-A as well as PAS-C affected the in vivo activity of kinase A, suggesting that both PAS domains are required for signal sensing. The C-terminal autokinase, when produced without the N-terminal region, was a dimer, probably because of the dimerization required for formation of the four-helix-bundle phosphotransferase domain. The truncated autokinase was virtually inactive in autophosphorylation with ATP, whereas phosphorylation of the histidine of the phosphotransfer domain by back reactions from Spo0F∼P appeared normal. The phosphorylated autokinase lost the ability to transfer its phosphoryl group to ADP, however. The N-terminal region appears to be essential both for signal sensing and for maintaining the correct conformation of the autokinase component domains.

scholarly journals Characterization of ResDE-Dependent fnr Transcription in Bacillus subtilis

2006 ◽  
Vol 189 (5) ◽  
pp. 1745-1755 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hao Geng ◽  
Yi Zhu ◽  
Karl Mullen ◽  
Cole S. Zuber ◽  
Michiko M. Nakano
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Transcription Initiation ◽  
Sequence Similarity ◽  
Anaerobic Respiration ◽  
Amino Acid Residues ◽  
Promoter Regions ◽  
Α Subunit ◽  
Dnase I Footprinting

ABSTRACT The ResD-ResE signal transduction system is required for transcription of genes involved in aerobic and anaerobic respiration in Bacillus subtilis. Phosphorylated ResD (ResD∼P) interacts with target DNA to activate transcription. A strong sequence similarity was detected in promoter regions of some ResD-controlled genes including fnr and resA. Single-base substitutions in the fnr and resA promoters were performed to determine a ResD-binding sequence. DNase I footprinting analysis indicated that ResD∼P itself does not bind to fnr, but interaction of ResD∼P with the C-terminal domain of the α subunit (αCTD) of RNA polymerase (RNAP) facilitates cooperative binding of ResD∼P and RNAP, thereby increasing fnr transcription initiation. Consistent with this result, amino acid substitutions in αCTD, such as Y263A, K267A, A269I, or N290A, sharply reduced fnr transcription in vivo, and the K267A αCTD protein, unlike the wild-type protein, did not increase ResD∼P binding to the fnr promoter. Amino acid residues of αCTD required for ResD-dependent fnr transcription, with the exception of N290, which may interact with DNA, constitute a distinct surface, suggesting that these residues likely interact with ResD∼P.

scholarly journals The Direct Binding of Mrc1, a Checkpoint Mediator, to Mcm6, a Replication Helicase, Is Essential for the Replication Checkpoint against Methyl Methanesulfonate-Induced Stress

2009 ◽  
Vol 29 (18) ◽  
pp. 5008-5019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Makiko Komata ◽  
Masashige Bando ◽  
Hiroyuki Araki ◽  
Katsuhiko Shirahige
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Dna Replication ◽  
Terminal Region ◽  
Methyl Methanesulfonate ◽  
Checkpoint Activation ◽  
Replication Checkpoint ◽  
Hydroxyurea Treatment ◽  
Dna Replication Checkpoint ◽  
Direct Binding

ABSTRACT Mrc1 plays a role in mediating the DNA replication checkpoint. We surveyed replication elongation proteins that interact directly with Mrc1 and identified a replicative helicase, Mcm6, as a specific Mrc1-binding protein. The central portion of Mrc1, containing a conserved coiled-coil region, was found to be essential for interaction with the 168-amino-acid C-terminal region of Mcm6, and introduction of two amino acid substitutions in this C-terminal region abolished the interaction with Mrc1 in vivo. An mcm6 mutant bearing these substitutions showed a severe defect in DNA replication checkpoint activation in response to stress caused by methyl methanesulfonate. Interestingly, the mutant did not show any defect in DNA replication checkpoint activation in response to hydroxyurea treatment. The phenotype of the mcm6 mutant was suppressed when the mutant protein was physically fused with Mrc1. These results strongly suggest for the first time that an Mcm helicase acts as a checkpoint sensor for methyl methanesulfonate-induced DNA damage through direct binding to the replication checkpoint mediator Mrc1.

scholarly journals Residues in the Swi5 Zinc Finger Protein That Mediate Cooperative DNA Binding with the Pho2 Homeodomain Protein

1998 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 6436-6446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leena T. Bhoite ◽  
David J. Stillman
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Dna Binding ◽  
Zinc Finger ◽  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Binding Proteins ◽  
Zinc Finger Protein ◽  
Interaction Analysis ◽  
Dna Binding Proteins ◽  
Two Hybrid

ABSTRACT The Swi5 zinc finger and the Pho2 homeodomain DNA-binding proteins bind cooperatively to the HO promoter.Pho2 (also known as Bas2 or Grf10) activates transcription of diverse genes, acting with multiple distinct DNA-binding proteins. We have performed a genetic screen to identify amino acid residues in Swi5 that are required for synergistic transcriptional activation of a reporter construct in vivo. Nine unique amino acid substitutions within a 24-amino-acid region of Swi5, upstream of the DNA-binding domain, reduce expression of promoters that require both Swi5 and Pho2 for activation. In vitro DNA binding experiments show that the mutant Swi5 proteins bind DNA normally, but some mutant Swi5 proteins (resulting from SWI5* mutations) show reduced cooperative DNA binding with Pho2. In vivo experiments show that these SWI5* mutations sharply reduce expression of promoters that require both SWI5 and PHO2, while expression of promoters that require SWI5 but arePHO2 independent is largely unaffected. This suggests that these SWI5* mutations do not affect the ability of Swi5 to bind DNA or activate transcription but specifically affect the region of Swi5 required for interaction with Pho2. Two-hybrid experiments show that amino acids 471 to 513 of Swi5 are necessary and sufficient for interaction with Pho2 and that the SWI5* point mutations cause a severe reduction in this two-hybrid interaction. Analysis of promoter activation by these mutants suggests that this small region of Swi5 has at least two distinct functions, conferring specificity for activation of the HO promoter and for interaction with Pho2.

scholarly journals Identification of human proteins functionally conserved with the yeast putative adaptors ADA2 and GCN5.

1996 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 593-602 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Candau ◽  
P A Moore ◽  
L Wang ◽  
N Barlev ◽  
C Y Ying ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Sequence Similarity ◽  
Adaptor Proteins ◽  
Yeast Two Hybrid ◽  
Yeast Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Activation Domains ◽  
Evolutionarily Conserved ◽  
Human Proteins ◽  
Two Hybrid

Transcriptional adaptor proteins are required for full function of higher eukaryotic acidic activators in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, suggesting that this pathway of activation is evolutionarily conserved. Consistent with this view, we have identified possible human homologs of yeast ADA2 (yADA2) and yeast GCN5 (yGCN5), components of a putative adaptor complex. While there is overall sequence similarity between the yeast and human proteins, perhaps more significant is conservation of key sequence features with other known adaptors. We show several functional similarities between the human and yeast adaptors. First, as shown for yADA2 and yGCN5, human ADA2 (hADA2) and human GCN5 (hGCN5) interacted in vivo in a yeast two-hybrid assay. Moreover, hGCN5 interacted with yADA2 in this assay, suggesting that the human proteins form similar complexes. Second, both yADA2 and hADA2 contain cryptic activation domains. Third, hGCN5 and yGCN5 had similar stabilizing effects on yADA2 in vivo. Furthermore, the region of yADA2 that interacted with yGCN5 mapped to the amino terminus of yADA2, which is highly conserved in hADA2. Most striking, is the behavior of the human proteins in human cells. First, GAL4-hADA2 activated transcription in HeLa cells, and second, either hADA2 or hGCN5 augmented GAL4-VP16 activation. These data indicated that the human proteins correspond to functional homologs of the yeast adaptors, suggesting that these cofactors play a key role in transcriptional activation.

scholarly journals Organizational analysis of elav gene and functional analysis of ELAV protein of Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila virilis.

1991 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 2994-3000 ◽  
Author(s):  
K M Yao ◽  
K White
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Terminal Region ◽  
Drosophila Virilis ◽  
Functional Domain ◽  
Amino Terminal ◽  
Binding Domains ◽  
Rna Binding Domains

Drosophila virilis genomic DNA corresponding to the D. melanogaster embryonic lethal abnormal visual system (elav) locus was cloned. DNA sequence analysis of a 3.8-kb genomic piece allowed identification of (i) an open reading frame (ORF) with striking homology to the previously identified D. melanogaster ORF and (ii) conserved sequence elements of possible regulatory relevance within and flanking the second intron. Conceptual translation of the D. virilis ORF predicts a 519-amino-acid-long ribonucleoprotein consensus sequence-type protein. Similar to D. melanogaster ELAV protein, it contains three tandem RNA-binding domains and an alanine/glutamine-rich amino-terminal region. The sequence throughout the RNA-binding domains, comprising the carboxy-terminal 346 amino acids, shows an extraordinary 100% identity at the amino acid level, indicating a strong structural constraint for this functional domain. The amino-terminal region is 36 amino acids longer in D. virilis, and the conservation is 66%. In in vivo functional tests, the D. virilis ORF was indistinguishable from the D. melanogaster ORF. Furthermore, a D. melanogaster ORF encoding an ELAV protein with a 40-amino-acid deletion within the alanine/glutamine-rich region was also able to supply elav function in vivo. Thus, the divergence of the amino-terminal region of the ELAV protein reflects lowered functional constraint rather than species-specific functional specification.

scholarly journals The −10 Region Is a Key Promoter Specificity Determinant for the Bacillus subtilis Extracytoplasmic-Function ς Factors ςX and ςW

2001 ◽  
Vol 183 (6) ◽  
pp. 1921-1927 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Qiu ◽  
John D. Helmann
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Rna Polymerase ◽  
Context Effects ◽  
Promoter Strength ◽  
Binding Properties ◽  
Promoter Specificity ◽  
Dna Binding Properties

ABSTRACT Transcriptional selectivity derives, in large part, from the sequence-specific DNA-binding properties of the ς subunit of RNA polymerase. There are 17 ς factors in Bacillus subtilis which, in general, recognize distinct sets of promoters. However, some ς factors have overlapping promoter selectivity. We hypothesize that the overlap between the regulons activated by the ςX and ςW factors can be explained by overlapping specificity for the −10 region: ςX recognizes −10 elements with the sequence CGAC and ςW recognizes CGTA, while both can potentially recognize CGTC. To test this model, we mutated the ςX-specific autoregulatory site (PX), containing the −10 element CGAC, to either CGTC or GCTA. Conversely, the ςW autoregulatory site (PW) was altered from CGTA to CGTC or CGAC. Transcriptional analyses, both in vitro and in vivo, indicate that changes to the −10 element are sufficient to switch a promoter from the ςX to the ςW regulon or, conversely, from the ςW to the ςX regulon, but context effects clearly play an important role in determining promoter strength. It seems likely that these subtle differences in promoter selectivity derive from amino acid differences in conserved region 2 of ς, which contacts the −10 element. However, we were unable to alter promoter selectivity by replacements of two candidate recognition residues in ςW.

scholarly journals Evidence that Autophosphorylation of the Major Sporulation Kinase in Bacillus subtilis Is Able To Occur in trans

2015 ◽  
Vol 197 (16) ◽  
pp. 2675-2684 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seram Nganbiton Devi ◽  
Brittany Kiehler ◽  
Lindsey Haggett ◽  
Masaya Fujita
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Mutant Protein ◽  
Phosphoryl Group ◽  
Atp Binding ◽  
Histidine Kinases ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Point Mutant ◽  
Terminal Domain

ABSTRACTEntry into sporulation inBacillus subtilisis governed by a multicomponent phosphorelay, a complex version of a two-component system which includes at least three histidine kinases (KinA to KinC), two phosphotransferases (Spo0F and Spo0B), and a response regulator (Spo0A). Among the three histidine kinases, KinA is known as the major sporulation kinase; it is autophosphorylated with ATP upon starvation and then transfers a phosphoryl group to the downstream components in a His-Asp-His-Asp signaling pathway. Our recent study demonstrated that KinA forms a homotetramer, not a dimer, mediated by the N-terminal domain, as a functional unit. Furthermore, when the N-terminal domain was overexpressed in the starving wild-type strain, sporulation was impaired. We hypothesized that this impairment of sporulation could be explained by the formation of a nonfunctional heterotetramer of KinA, resulting in the reduced level of phosphorylated Spo0A (Spo0A∼P), and thus, autophosphorylation of KinA could occur intrans. To test this hypothesis, we generated a series ofB. subtilisstrains expressing homo- or heterogeneous KinA protein complexes consisting of various combinations of the phosphoryl-accepting histidine point mutant protein and the catalytic ATP-binding domain point mutant protein. We found that the ATP-binding-deficient protein was phosphorylated when the phosphorylation-deficient protein was present in a 1:1 stoichiometry in the tetramer complex, while each of the mutant homocomplexes was not phosphorylated. These results suggest that ATP initially binds to one protomer within the tetramer complex and then the γ-phosphoryl group is transmitted to another in atransfashion. We further found that the sporulation defect of each of the mutant proteins is complemented when the proteins are coexpressedin vivo. Taken together, thesein vitroandin vivoresults reinforce the evidence that KinA autophosphorylation is able to occur in atransfashion.IMPORTANCEAutophosphorylation of histidine kinases is known to occur by either thecis(one subunit of kinase phosphorylating itself within the multimer) or thetrans(one subunit of the multimer phosphorylates the other subunit) mechanism. The present study provided directin vivoandin vitroevidence that autophosphorylation of the major sporulation histidine kinase (KinA) is able to occur intranswithin the homotetramer complex. While the physiological and mechanistic significance of thetransautophosphorylation reaction remains obscure, understanding the detailed reaction mechanism of the sporulation kinase is the first step toward gaining insight into the molecular mechanisms of the initiation of sporulation, which is believed to be triggered by unknown factors produced under conditions of nutrient depletion.

scholarly journals Prevalence of fluoroquinolone resistance and mutations in the gyrA, parC and parE genes of Riemerella anatipestifer isolated from ducks in China

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dekang Zhu ◽  
Mingyu Zheng ◽  
Jinge Xu ◽  
Mingshu Wang ◽  
Renyong Jia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Nalidixic Acid ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Resistance Mechanism ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Fluoroquinolone Resistance ◽  
Mutation Site ◽  
Riemerella Anatipestifer ◽  
Substitution Mutations

Abstract Background Riemerella anatipestifer is one of the most serious infectious disease-causing pathogens in the duck industry. Drug administration is an important method for prevention and treatment of infection in duck production, leading to widespread drug resistance in R. anatipestifer. Methods For a total of 162 isolates of R. anatipestifer, the MICs were determined for a quinolone antimicrobial agent, namely, nalidixic acid, and three fluoroquinolones, namely, ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin and ofloxacin. The gyrA, parC, and parE gene fragments were amplified by PCR to identify the mutation sites in these strains. Site-directed mutants with mutations that were detected at a high frequency in vivo were constructed (hereafter referred to as site-directed in vivo mutants), and the MICs of these four drugs for these strains were determined. Results In total, 100, 97.8, 99.3 and 97.8% of the 137 R. anatipestifer strains isolated between 2013 and 2018 showed resistance to nalidixic acid, ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, and ofloxacin, respectively. The high-frequency mutation sites were detected in a total of 162 R. anatipestifer strains, such as Ser83Ile and Ser83Arg, which are two types of substitution mutations of amino acid 83 in GyrA; Val799Ala and Ile811Val in ParC; and Val357Ile, His358Tyr, and Arg541Lys in ParE. MIC analysis results for the site-directed in vivo mutants showed that the strains with only the Ser83Ile mutation in GyrA exhibited an 8–16-fold increase in MIC values, and all mutants showed resistance to ampicillin and ceftiofur. Conclusions The resistance of R. anatipestifer to quinolone agents is a serious problem. Amino acid 83 in GyrA is the major target mutation site for the fluoroquinolone resistance mechanism of R. anatipestifer.

scholarly journals PrcR, a PucR-type transcriptional activator, is essential for proline utilization and mediates proline-responsive expression of the proline utilization operon putBCP in Bacillus subtilis

Microbiology ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 157 (12) ◽  
pp. 3370-3377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shih-Chien Huang ◽  
Ta-Hui Lin ◽  
Gwo-Chyuan Shaw
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Carbon Source ◽  
Amino Acid Sequence ◽  
Inverted Repeat ◽  
Sequence Similarity ◽  
Transcriptional Activator ◽  
Amino Acid Sequence Similarity ◽  
Mobility Shift ◽  
Proline Utilization

The soil bacterium Bacillus subtilis can utilize exogenous proline as a sole nitrogen or carbon source. The proline-inducible putBCP (formerly ycgMNO) operon encodes proteins responsible for proline uptake and two-step oxidation of proline to glutamate. We now report that a gene (formerly ycgP, now designated prcR) located downstream of the putBCP operon is essential for B. subtilis cells to utilize proline as a sole nitrogen or carbon source. Disruption of the prcR gene also abolished proline induction of putB transcription. prcR expression is not subject to autoregulation and proline induction. The PrcR protein shows no significant amino acid sequence similarity to the known transcriptional activators for proline utilization genes of other bacteria, but it does show partial amino acid sequence similarity to the transcriptional regulator PucR for the purine degradation genes of B. subtilis. PrcR orthologues of unknown function are present in some other Bacillus species. Primer-extension analysis suggests that both putB and prcR are transcribed by a σA-dependent promoter. Deletion and mutation analysis revealed that an inverted repeat (5′-TTGTGG-N5-CCACAA-3′) centred at position −76 relative to the transcriptional initiation site of putB is essential for putB expression. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays showed that the purified His-tagged PrcR was capable of binding specifically to this inverted repeat. Altogether, these results suggest that PrcR is a PucR-type transcriptional activator that mediates expression of the B. subtilis putBCP operon in response to proline availability.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document