scholarly journals Mutant Analysis Reveals a Specific Requirement for Protein P30 in Mycoplasma pneumoniae Gliding Motility

2005 ◽  
Vol 187 (18) ◽  
pp. 6281-6289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin M. Hasselbring ◽  
Jarrat L. Jordan ◽  
Duncan C. Krause
Keyword(s):  
Mycoplasma Pneumoniae ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Yellow Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Gliding Motility ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Cellular Polarity ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Developmental Defects ◽  
C Terminus ◽  
Quantitative Examination

ABSTRACT The cell-wall-less prokaryote Mycoplasma pneumoniae, long considered among the smallest and simplest cells capable of self-replication, has a distinct cellular polarity characterized by the presence of a differentiated terminal organelle which functions in adherence to human respiratory epithelium, gliding motility, and cell division. Characterization of hemadsorption (HA)-negative mutants has resulted in identification of several terminal organelle proteins, including P30, the loss of which results in developmental defects and decreased adherence to host cells, but their impact on M. pneumoniae gliding has not been investigated. Here we examined the contribution of P30 to gliding motility on the basis of satellite growth and cell gliding velocity and frequency. M. pneumoniae HA mutant II-3 lacking P30 was nonmotile, but HA mutant II-7 producing a truncated P30 was motile, albeit at a velocity 50-fold less than that of the wild type. HA-positive revertant II-3R producing an altered P30 was unexpectedly not fully wild type with respect to gliding. Complementation of mutant II-3 with recombinant wild-type and mutant alleles confirmed the correlation between gliding defect and loss or alteration in P30. Surprisingly, fusion of yellow fluorescent protein to the C terminus of P30 had little impact on cell gliding velocity and significantly enhanced HA. Finally, while quantitative examination of HA revealed clear distinctions among these mutant strains, gliding defects did not correlate strictly with the HA phenotype, and all strains attached to glass at wild-type levels. Taken together, these findings suggest a role for P30 in gliding motility that is distinct from its requirement in adherence.

scholarly journals High-Throughput Growth Assay for Toxoplasma gondii Using Yellow Fluorescent Protein

2003 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 309-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc-Jan Gubbels ◽  
Catherine Li ◽  
Boris Striepen
Keyword(s):  
Toxoplasma Gondii ◽  
High Throughput ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Yellow Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Rapid Screening ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Parasite Line ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Growth Assay

ABSTRACT A high-throughput growth assay for the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii was developed based on a highly fluorescent transgenic parasite line. These parasites are stably transfected with a tandem yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) and are 1,000 times more fluorescent than the wild type. Parasites were inoculated in optical-bottom 384-well culture plates containing a confluent monolayer of host cells, and growth was monitored by using a fluorescence plate reader. The signal was linearly correlated with parasite numbers over a wide array. Direct comparison of the YFP growth assay with the β-galactosidase growth assay by using parasites expressing both reporters demonstrated that the assays' sensitivities were comparable but that the accuracy of the YFP assay was higher, especially at higher numbers of parasites per well. Determination of the 50%-inhibitory concentrations of three known growth-inhibiting drugs (cytochalasin D, pyrimethamine, and clindamycin) resulted in values comparable to published data. The delayed parasite death kinetics of clindamycin could be measured without modification of the assay, making this assay very versatile. Additionally, the temperature-dependent effect of pyrimethamine was assayed in both wild-type and engineered drug-resistant parasites. Lastly, the development of mycophenolic acid resistance after transfection of a resistance gene in T. gondii was followed. In conclusion, the YFP growth assay limits pipetting steps to a minimum, is highly versatile and amendable to automation, and should enable rapid screening of compounds to fulfill the need for more efficient and less toxic antiparasitic drugs.

scholarly journals Structural Study of MPN387, an Essential Protein for Gliding Motility of a Human-Pathogenic Bacterium, Mycoplasma pneumoniae

2016 ◽  
Vol 198 (17) ◽  
pp. 2352-2359 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshito Kawakita ◽  
Miki Kinoshita ◽  
Yukio Furukawa ◽  
Isil Tulum ◽  
Yuhei O. Tahara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mycoplasma Pneumoniae ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Yellow Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Coiled Coil ◽  
Core Structure ◽  
Gliding Motility ◽  
Pathogenic Bacterium ◽  
Predicted Amino Acid Sequence ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Gliding Mechanism

ABSTRACTMycoplasma pneumoniaeis a human pathogen that glides on host cell surfaces with repeated catch and release of sialylated oligosaccharides. At a pole, this organism forms a protrusion called the attachment organelle, which is composed of surface structures, including P1 adhesin and the internal core structure. The core structure can be divided into three parts, the terminal button, paired plates, and bowl complex, aligned in that order from the front end of the protrusion. To elucidate the gliding mechanism, we focused on MPN387, a component protein of the bowl complex which is essential for gliding but dispensable for cytadherence. The predicted amino acid sequence showed that the protein features a coiled-coil region spanning residue 72 to residue 290 of the total of 358 amino acids in the protein. Recombinant MPN387 proteins were isolated with and without an enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (EYFP) fusion tag and analyzed by gel filtration chromatography, circular dichroism spectroscopy, analytical ultracentrifugation, partial proteolysis, and rotary-shadowing electron microscopy. The results showed that MPN387 is a dumbbell-shaped homodimer that is about 42.7 nm in length and 9.1 nm in diameter and includes a 24.5-nm-long central parallel coiled-coil part. The molecular image was superimposed onto the electron micrograph based on the localizing position mapped by fluorescent protein tagging. A proposed role of this protein in the gliding mechanism is discussed.IMPORTANCEHuman mycoplasma pneumonia is caused by a pathogenic bacterium,Mycoplasma pneumoniae. This tiny, 2-μm-long bacterium is suggested to infect humans by gliding on the surface of the trachea through binding to sialylated oligosaccharides. The mechanism underlying mycoplasma “gliding motility” is not related to any other well-studied motility systems, such as bacterial flagella and eukaryotic motor proteins. Here, we isolated and analyzed the structure of a key protein which is directly involved in the gliding mechanism.

The C-terminus of the transmembrane mucin MUC17 binds to the scaffold protein PDZK1 that stably localizes it to the enterocyte apical membrane in the small intestine

2008 ◽  
Vol 410 (2) ◽  
pp. 283-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily K. Malmberg ◽  
Thaher Pelaseyed ◽  
Åsa C. Petersson ◽  
Ursula E. Seidler ◽  
Hugo De Jonge ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Glutathione Transferase ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Apical Membrane ◽  
Yellow Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Pdz Domain ◽  
Scaffold Protein ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
C Terminus ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Membrane Bound

The membrane-bound mucins have a heavily O-glycosylated extracellular domain, a single-pass membrane domain and a short cytoplasmic tail. Three of the membrane-bound mucins, MUC3, MUC12 and MUC17, are clustered on chromosome 7 and found in the gastrointestinal tract. These mucins have C-terminal sequences typical of PDZ-domain-binding proteins. To identify PDZ proteins that are able to interact with the mucins, we screened PDZ domain arrays using YFP (yellow fluorescent protein)-tagged proteins. MUC17 exhibited a strong binding to PDZK1 (PDZ domain containing 1), whereas the binding to NHERF1 (Na+/H+-exchanger regulatory factor 1) was weak. Furthermore, we showed weak binding of MUC12 to PDZK1, NHERF1 and NHERF2. GST (glutathione transferase) pull-down experiments confirmed that the C-terminal tail of MUC17 co-precipitates with the scaffold protein PDZK1 as identified by MS. This was mediated through the C-terminal PDZ-interaction site in MUC17, which was capable of binding to three of the four PDZ domains in PDZK1. Immunostaining of wild-type or Pdzk1−/− mouse jejunum with an antiserum against Muc3(17), the mouse orthologue of human MUC17, revealed strong brush-border membrane staining in the wild-type mice compared with an intracellular Muc3(17) staining in the Pdzk1−/− mice. This suggests that Pdzk1 plays a specific role in stabilizing Muc3(17) in the apical membrane of small intestinal enterocytes.

scholarly journals Mycoplasma pneumoniae Cytoskeletal Protein HMW2 and the Architecture of the Terminal Organelle

2009 ◽  
Vol 191 (21) ◽  
pp. 6741-6748 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie R. Bose ◽  
Mitchell F. Balish ◽  
Duncan C. Krause
Keyword(s):  
Mycoplasma Pneumoniae ◽  
Gliding Motility ◽  
Cytoskeletal Protein ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Mutant Analysis ◽  
The Core ◽  
C Terminus ◽  
Complex Membrane ◽  
Membrane Bound ◽  
Electron Dense Core

ABSTRACT The terminal organelle of Mycoplasma pneumoniae mediates cytadherence and gliding motility and functions in cell division. The defining feature of this complex membrane-bound cell extension is an electron-dense core of two segmented rods oriented longitudinally and enlarging to form a bulb at the distal end. While the components of the core have not been comprehensively identified, previous evidence suggested that the cytoskeletal protein HMW2 forms parallel bundles oriented lengthwise to yield the major rod of the core. In the present study, we tested predictions emerging from that model by ultrastructural and immunoelectron microscopy analyses of cores from wild-type M. pneumoniae and mutants producing HMW2 derivatives. Antibodies specific for the N or C terminus of HMW2 labeled primarily peripheral to the core along its entire length. Furthermore, truncation of HMW2 did not correlate specifically with core length. However, mutant analysis correlated specific HMW2 domains with core assembly, and examination of core-enriched preparations confirmed that HMW2 was a major component of these fractions. Taken together, these findings yielded a revised model for HMW2 in terminal organelle architecture.

scholarly journals Use of Fluorescent-Protein Tagging To Determine the Subcellular Localization of Mycoplasma pneumoniae Proteins Encoded by the Cytadherence Regulatory Locus

2004 ◽  
Vol 186 (20) ◽  
pp. 6944-6955 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tsuyoshi Kenri ◽  
Shintaro Seto ◽  
Atsuko Horino ◽  
Yuko Sasaki ◽  
Tsuguo Sasaki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mycoplasma Pneumoniae ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Yellow Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Cytoskeletal Proteins ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Protein Fusion ◽  
Enhanced Yellow Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Regulatory Locus ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
Protein Tagging

ABSTRACT Mycoplasma pneumoniae lacks a cell wall but has internal cytoskeleton-like structures that are assumed to support the attachment organelle and asymmetric cell shape of this bacterium. To explore the fine details of the attachment organelle and the cytoskeleton-like structures, a fluorescent-protein tagging technique was applied to visualize the protein components of these structures. The focus was on the four proteins—P65, HMW2, P41, and P24—that are encoded in the crl operon (for “cytadherence regulatory locus”), which is known to be essential for the adherence of M. pneumoniae to host cells. When the P65 and HMW2 proteins were fused to enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (EYFP), a variant of green fluorescent protein, the fused proteins became localized at the attachment organelle, enabling visualization of the organelles of living cells by fluorescence microscopy. The leading end of gliding M. pneumoniae cells, expressing the EYFP-P65 fusion, was observed as a focus of fluorescence. On the other hand, when the P41 and P24 proteins were labeled with EYFP, the fluorescence signals of these proteins were observed at the proximal end of the attachment organelle. Coexpression of the P65 protein labeled with enhanced cyan fluorescent protein clearly showed that the sites of localization of P41 and P24 did not overlap that of P65. The localization of P41 and P24 suggested that they are also cytoskeletal proteins that function in the formation of unknown structures at the proximal end of the attachment organelle. The fluorescent-protein fusion technique may serve as a powerful tool for identifying components of cytoskeleton-like structures and the attachment organelle. It can also be used to analyze their assembly.

scholarly journals Apparent lack of physical or functional interaction between CaV1.1 and its distal C terminus

2015 ◽  
Vol 145 (4) ◽  
pp. 303-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua D. Ohrtman ◽  
Christin F. Romberg ◽  
Ong Moua ◽  
Roger A. Bannister ◽  
S. Rock Levinson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Yellow Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Channel Activity ◽  
Functional Interaction ◽  
Adult Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Apparent Lack ◽  
Terminal Domain ◽  
C Terminus ◽  
Decay Times

CaV1.1 acts as both the voltage sensor that triggers excitation–contraction coupling in skeletal muscle and as an L-type Ca2+ channel. It has been proposed that, after its posttranslational cleavage, the distal C terminus of CaV1.1 remains noncovalently associated with proximal CaV1.1, and that tethering of protein kinase A to the distal C terminus is required for depolarization-induced potentiation of L-type Ca2+ current in skeletal muscle. Here, we report that association of the distal C terminus with proximal CaV1.1 cannot be detected by either immunoprecipitation of mouse skeletal muscle or by colocalized fluorescence after expression in adult skeletal muscle fibers of a CaV1.1 construct labeled with yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) and cyan fluorescent protein on the N and C termini, respectively. We found that L-type Ca2+ channel activity was similar after expression of constructs that either did (YFP-CaV1.11860) or did not (YFP-CaV1.11666) contain coding sequence for the distal C-terminal domain in dysgenic myotubes null for endogenous CaV1.1. Furthermore, in response to strong (up to 90 mV) or long-lasting prepulses (up to 200 ms), tail current amplitudes and decay times were equally increased in dysgenic myotubes expressing either YFP-CaV1.11860 or YFP-CaV1.11666, suggesting that the distal C-terminal domain was not required for depolarization-induced potentiation. Thus, our experiments do not support the existence of either biochemical or functional interactions between proximal CaV1.1 and the distal C terminus.

scholarly journals Proteins P24 and P41 Function in the Regulation of Terminal-Organelle Development and Gliding Motility in Mycoplasma pneumoniae

2007 ◽  
Vol 189 (20) ◽  
pp. 7442-7449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin M. Hasselbring ◽  
Duncan C. Krause
Keyword(s):  
Cell Division ◽  
Mycoplasma Pneumoniae ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Gliding Motility ◽  
Atypical Pneumonia ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
Spatial Positioning ◽  
Time Lapse Imaging ◽  
Gliding Mechanism

ABSTRACT Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a major cause of bronchitis and atypical pneumonia in humans. This cell wall-less bacterium has a complex terminal organelle that functions in cytadherence and gliding motility. The gliding mechanism is unknown but is coordinated with terminal-organelle development during cell division. Disruption of M. pneumoniae open reading frame MPN311 results in loss of protein P41 and downstream gene product P24. P41 localizes to the base of the terminal organelle and is required to anchor the terminal organelle to the cell body, but during cell division, MPN311 insertion mutants also fail to properly regulate nascent terminal-organelle development spatially or gliding activity temporally. We measured gliding velocity and frequency and used fluorescent protein fusions and time-lapse imaging to assess the roles of P41 and P24 individually in terminal-organelle development and gliding function. P41 was necessary for normal gliding velocity and proper spatial positioning of new terminal organelles, while P24 was required for gliding frequency and new terminal-organelle formation at wild-type rates. However, P41 was essential for P24 function, and in the absence of P41, P24 exhibited a dynamic localization pattern. Finally, protein P28 requires P41 for stability, but analysis of a P28− mutant established that the MPN311 mutant phenotype was not a function of loss of P28.

scholarly journals The sustainability of interactions between the orexin-1 receptor and β-arrestin-2 is defined by a single C-terminal cluster of hydroxy amino acids and modulates the kinetics of ERK MAPK regulation

2005 ◽  
Vol 387 (3) ◽  
pp. 573-584 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra MILASTA ◽  
Nicholas A. EVANS ◽  
Laura ORMISTON ◽  
Shelagh WILSON ◽  
Robert J. LEFKOWITZ ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Weak Interactions ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Erk Mapk ◽  
Hydroxy Amino ◽  
C Terminus ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
Kinetics Of

The orexin-1 receptor interacts with β-arrestin-2 in an agonist-dependent manner. In HEK-293T cells, these two proteins became co-internalized into acidic endosomes. Truncations from the C-terminal tail did not prevent agonist-induced internalization of the orexin-1 receptor or alter the pathway of internalization, although such mutants failed to interact with β-arrestin-2 in a sustained manner or produce its co-internalization. Mutation of a cluster of three threonine and one serine residue at the extreme C-terminus of the receptor greatly reduced interaction and abolished co-internalization of β-arrestin-2–GFP (green fluorescent protein). Despite the weak interactions of this C-terminally mutated form of the receptor with β-arrestin-2, studies in wild-type and β-arrestin-deficient mouse embryo fibroblasts confirmed that agonist-induced internalization of this mutant required expression of a β-arrestin. Although without effect on agonist-mediated elevation of intracellular Ca2+ levels, the C-terminally mutated form of the orexin-1 receptor was unable to sustain phosphorylation of the MAPKs (mitogen-activated protein kinases) ERK1 and ERK2 (extracellular-signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2) to the same extent as the wild-type receptor. These studies indicate that a single cluster of hydroxy amino acids within the C-terminal seven amino acids of the orexin-1 receptor determine the sustainability of interaction with β-arrestin-2, and indicate an important role of β-arrestin scaffolding in defining the kinetics of orexin-1 receptor-mediated ERK MAPK activation.

Plasma membrane delivery of the gastric H,K-ATPase: the role of β-subunit glycosylation

2003 ◽  
Vol 285 (4) ◽  
pp. C968-C976 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Vagin ◽  
S. Denevich ◽  
G. Sachs
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Yellow Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Glycosylation Site ◽  
Β Subunit ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Α Subunit ◽  
Hek 293 ◽  
Glycosylation Sites ◽  
293 Cells

The factors determining trafficking of the gastric H,K-ATPase to the apical membrane remain elusive. To identify such determinants in the gastric H,K-ATPase, fusion proteins of yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) and the gastric H,K-ATPase β-subunit (YFP-β) and cyan fluorescent protein (CFP) and the gastric H,K-ATPase α-subunit (CFP-α) were expressed in HEK-293 cells. Then plasma membrane delivery of wild-type CFP-α, wild-type YFP-β, and YFP-β mutants lacking one or two of the seven β-subunit glycosylation sites was determined using confocal microscopy and surface biotinylation. Expression of the wild-type YFP-β resulted in the plasma membrane localization of the protein, whereas the expressed CFP-α was retained intracellularly. When coexpressed, both CFP-α and YFP-β were delivered to the plasma membrane. Removing each of the seven glycosylation sites, except the second one, from the extracellular loop of YFP-β prevented plasma membrane delivery of the protein. Only the mutant lacking the second glycosylation site (Asn103Gln) was localized both intracellularly and on the plasma membrane. A double mutant lacking the first (Asn99Gln) and the second (Asn103Gln) glycosylation sites displayed intracellular accumulation of the protein. Therefore, six of the seven glycosylation sites in the β-subunit are essential for the plasma membrane delivery of the β-subunit of the gastric H,K-ATPase, whereas the second glycosylation site (Asn103), which is not conserved among the β-subunits from different species, is not critical for plasma delivery of the protein.

scholarly journals Construction and Characterization of a Lactose-Inducible Promoter System for Controlled Gene Expression inClostridium perfringens

2010 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 471-478 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea H. Hartman ◽  
Hualan Liu ◽  
Stephen B. Melville
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Shuttle Vector ◽  
Yellow Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Inducible Promoter ◽  
Gliding Motility ◽  
Glucuronidase Activity ◽  
Atpase Gene ◽  
Regulated Gene Expression ◽  
Promoter System

ABSTRACTClostridium perfringensis a Gram-positive anaerobic pathogen which causes many diseases in humans and animals. While some genetic tools exist for working withC. perfringens, a tightly regulated, inducible promoter system is currently lacking. Therefore, we constructed a plasmid-based promoter system that provided regulated expression when lactose was added. This plasmid (pKRAH1) is anEscherichia coli-C. perfringensshuttle vector containing the gene encoding a transcriptional regulator, BgaR, and a divergent promoter upstream of genebgaL(bgaR-PbgaL). To measure transcription at thebgaLpromoter in pKRAH1, theE. colireporter genegusA, encoding β-glucuronidase, was placed downstream of the PbgaLpromoter to make plasmid pAH2. When transformed into three strains ofC. perfringens, pAH2 exhibited lactose-inducible expression.C. perfringensstrain 13, a commonly studied strain, has endogenous β-glucuronidase activity. We mutated genebglR, encoding a putative β-glucuronidase, and observed an 89% decrease in endogenous activity with no lactose. This combination of a system for regulated gene expression and a mutant of strain 13 with low β-glucuronidase activity are useful tools for studying gene regulation and protein expression in an important pathogenic bacterium. We used this system to express theyfp-pilBgene, comprised of a yellow fluorescent protein (YFP)-encoding gene fused to an assembly ATPase gene involved in type IV pilus-dependent gliding motility inC. perfringens. Expression in the wild-type strain showed that YFP-PilB localized mostly to the poles of cells, but in apilCmutant it localized throughout the cell, demonstrating that the membrane protein PilC is required for polar localization of PilB.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document