scholarly journals The Nucleoid-Associated Protein GapR Uses Conserved Structural Elements To Oligomerize and Bind DNA

mBio ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rogério F. Lourenço ◽  
Saumya Saurabh ◽  
Jonathan Herrmann ◽  
Soichi Wakatsuki ◽  
Lucy Shapiro
Keyword(s):  
Dna Binding ◽  
Caulobacter Crescentus ◽  
Genetic Material ◽  
Bacterial Cells ◽  
Structural Elements ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Time Dynamic ◽  
Associated Proteins ◽  
And Function

ABSTRACT Nucleoid-associated proteins (NAPs) are DNA binding proteins critical for the organization and function of the bacterial chromosome. A newly discovered NAP in Caulobacter crescentus, GapR, is thought to facilitate the movement of the replication and transcription machines along the chromosome by stimulating type II topoisomerases to remove positive supercoiling. Here, utilizing genetic, biochemical, and biophysical studies of GapR in light of a recently published DNA-bound crystal structure of GapR, we identified the structural elements involved in oligomerization and DNA binding. Moreover, we show that GapR is maintained as a tetramer upon its dissociation from DNA and that tetrameric GapR is capable of binding DNA molecules in vitro. Analysis of protein chimeras revealed that two helices of GapR are functionally conserved in H-NS, demonstrating that two evolutionarily distant NAPs with distinct mechanisms of action utilize conserved structural elements to oligomerize and bind DNA. IMPORTANCE Bacteria organize their genetic material in a structure called the nucleoid, which needs to be compact to fit inside the cell and, at the same time, dynamic to allow high rates of replication and transcription. Nucleoid-associated proteins (NAPs) play a pivotal role in this process, so their detailed characterization is crucial for our understanding of DNA organization into bacterial cells. Even though NAPs affect DNA-related processes differently, all of them have to oligomerize and bind DNA for their function. The significance of this study is the identification of structural elements involved in the oligomerization and DNA binding of a newly discovered NAP in C. crescentus and the demonstration that structural elements are conserved in evolutionarily distant and functionally distinct NAPs.

scholarly journals Deconstructing the structural conservation of distantly related bacterial nucleoid-associated proteins using functional chimeras

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rogério F. Lourenço ◽  
Saumya Saurabh ◽  
Jonathan Herrmann ◽  
Soichi Wakatsuki ◽  
Lucy Shapiro
Keyword(s):  
Dna Binding ◽  
Caulobacter Crescentus ◽  
Structural Elements ◽  
Phylogenetic Groups ◽  
Sequence Element ◽  
Force Microscopy ◽  
Associated Proteins ◽  
Self Association ◽  
And Function

ABSTRACTNucleoid-associated proteins (NAPs) are DNA-binding proteins critical for the organization and function of the bacterial chromosome. A subclass of NAPs, including Caulobacter crescentus GapR and Escherichia coli H-NS, preferentially bind AT-rich regions of the nucleoid, but phylogenetic groups that encode GapR rarely encode H-NS. Here, utilizing genetic, biochemical, and biophysical studies of GapR in light of a recent DNA-bound crystal structure of GapR (Guo et al, 2018), we show that although evolutionarily distant, GapR and H-NS possess two regions that are structurally and functionally conserved. These regions are involved in self-association and DNA-binding, even though the two proteins oligomerize and regulate transcription differently. Functional analysis of GapR and H-NS protein chimeras identified structural elements present in H-NS but absent in GapR that rationalize differences in transcriptional regulation. In addition, we identified a sequence element unique to GapR that enables assembly into its tetrameric state. Using fluid-atomic force microscopy, we showed that GapR is capable of bridging DNA molecules in vitro. Together, these results demonstrate that two distantly related NAPs utilize evolutionarily conserved structural elements to serve specialized cellular roles via distinct mechanisms.

Molecular architecture and functions of the neuronal cytoskeleton

1990 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 2-3
Author(s):  
Nobutaka Hirokawa
Keyword(s):  
Major Elements ◽  
Molecular Structures ◽  
Organelle Transport ◽  
Molecular Architecture ◽  
Neuronal Morphogenesis ◽  
Microtubule Associated Proteins ◽  
Associated Proteins ◽  
And Function ◽  
Small Clusters

In this symposium I will present our studies about the molecular architecture and function of the cytomatrix of the nerve cells. The nerve cell is a highly polarized cell composed of highly branched dendrites, cell body, and a single long axon along the direction of the impulse propagation. Each part of the neuron takes characteristic shapes for which the cytoskeleton provides the framework. The neuronal cytoskeletons play important roles on neuronal morphogenesis, organelle transport and the synaptic transmission. In the axon neurofilaments (NF) form dense arrays, while microtubules (MT) are arranged as small clusters among the NFs. On the other hand, MTs are distributed uniformly, whereas NFs tend to run solitarily or form small fascicles in the dendrites Quick freeze deep etch electron microscopy revealed various kinds of strands among MTs, NFs and membranous organelles (MO). These structures form major elements of the cytomatrix in the neuron. To investigate molecular nature and function of these filaments first we studied molecular structures of microtubule associated proteins (MAP1A, MAP1B, MAP2, MAP2C and tau), and microtubules reconstituted from MAPs and tubulin in vitro. These MAPs were all fibrous molecules with different length and formed arm like projections from the microtubule surface.

scholarly journals Novel Transcriptional Regulons for Autotrophic Cycle Genes in Crenarchaeota

2015 ◽  
Vol 197 (14) ◽  
pp. 2383-2391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Semen A. Leyn ◽  
Irina A. Rodionova ◽  
Xiaoqing Li ◽  
Dmitry A. Rodionov
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Transcriptional Regulation ◽  
Comparative Genomics ◽  
Dna Binding ◽  
Transcriptional Control ◽  
Binding Assays ◽  
Promoter Regions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Genome Context

ABSTRACTAutotrophic microorganisms are able to utilize carbon dioxide as their only carbon source, or, alternatively, many of them can grow heterotrophically on organics. Different variants of autotrophic pathways have been identified in various lineages of the phylumCrenarchaeota. Aerobic members of the orderSulfolobalesutilize the hydroxypropionate-hydroxybutyrate cycle (HHC) to fix inorganic carbon, whereas anaerobicThermoprotealesuse the dicarboxylate-hydroxybutyrate cycle (DHC). Knowledge of transcriptional regulation of autotrophic pathways inArchaeais limited. We applied a comparative genomics approach to predict novel autotrophic regulons in theCrenarchaeota. We report identification of two novel DNA motifs associated with the autotrophic pathway genes in theSulfolobales(HHC box) andThermoproteales(DHC box). Based on genome context evidence, the HHC box regulon was attributed to a novel transcription factor from the TrmB family named HhcR. Orthologs of HhcR are present in allSulfolobalesgenomes but were not found in other lineages. A predicted HHC box regulatory motif was confirmed byin vitrobinding assays with the recombinant HhcR protein fromMetallosphaera yellowstonensis. For the DHC box regulon, we assigned a different potential regulator, named DhcR, which is restricted to the orderThermoproteales. DhcR inThermoproteus neutrophilus(Tneu_0751) was previously identified as a DNA-binding protein with high affinity for the promoter regions of two autotrophic operons. The global HhcR and DhcR regulons reconstructed by comparative genomics were reconciled with available omics data inMetallosphaeraandThermoproteusspp. The identified regulons constitute two novel mechanisms for transcriptional control of autotrophic pathways in theCrenarchaeota.IMPORTANCELittle is known about transcriptional regulation of carbon dioxide fixation pathways inArchaea. We previously applied the comparative genomics approach for reconstruction of DtxR family regulons in diverse lineages ofArchaea. Here, we utilize similar computational approaches to identify novel regulatory motifs for genes that are autotrophically induced in microorganisms from two lineages ofCrenarchaeotaand to reconstruct the respective regulons. The predicted novel regulons in archaeal genomes control the majority of autotrophic pathway genes and also other carbon and energy metabolism genes. The HhcR regulon was experimentally validated by DNA-binding assays inMetallosphaeraspp. Novel regulons described for the first time in this work provide a basis for understanding the mechanisms of transcriptional regulation of autotrophic pathways inArchaea.

scholarly journals Membrane-associated phase separation: organization and function emerge from a two-dimensional milieu

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathon A Ditlev
Keyword(s):  
Phase Separation ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Cellular Environment ◽  
Condensate Formation ◽  
Associated Proteins ◽  
Available Technology ◽  
And Function ◽  
Surrounding Membrane

Abstract Liquid‒liquid phase separation (LLPS) of biomolecules has emerged as an important mechanism that contributes to cellular organization. Phase separated biomolecular condensates, or membrane-less organelles, are compartments composed of specific biomolecules without a surrounding membrane in the nucleus and cytoplasm. LLPS also occurs at membranes, where both lipids and membrane-associated proteins can de-mix to form phase separated compartments. Investigation of these membrane-associated condensates using in vitro biochemical reconstitution and cell biology has provided key insights into the role of phase separation in membrane domain formation and function. However, these studies have generally been limited by available technology to study LLPS on model membranes and the complex cellular environment that regulates condensate formation, composition, and function. Here, I briefly review our current understanding of membrane-associated condensates, establish why LLPS can be advantageous for certain membrane-associated condensates, and offer a perspective for how these condensates may be studied in the future.

scholarly journals DNA-Binding Properties of YbaB, a Putative Nucleoid-Associated Protein From Caulobacter crescentus

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Parul Pal ◽  
Malvika Modi ◽  
Shashank Ravichandran ◽  
Ragothaman M. Yennamalli ◽  
Richa Priyadarshini
Keyword(s):  
Gene Regulation ◽  
Dna Binding ◽  
Caulobacter Crescentus ◽  
Binding Protein ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Physiological Role ◽  
Dna Binding Protein ◽  
Associated Proteins ◽  
Family Gene ◽  
Almost All

Nucleoid-associated proteins (NAPs) or histone-like proteins (HLPs) are DNA-binding proteins present in bacteria that play an important role in nucleoid architecture and gene regulation. NAPs affect bacterial nucleoid organization via DNA bending, bridging, or forming aggregates. EbfC is a nucleoid-associated protein identified first in Borrelia burgdorferi, belonging to YbaB/EbfC family of NAPs capable of binding and altering DNA conformation. YbaB, an ortholog of EbfC found in Escherichia coli and Haemophilus influenzae, also acts as a transcriptional regulator. YbaB has a novel tweezer-like structure and binds DNA as homodimers. The homologs of YbaB are found in almost all bacterial species, suggesting a conserved function, yet the physiological role of YbaB protein in many bacteria is not well understood. In this study, we characterized the YbaB/EbfC family DNA-binding protein in Caulobacter crescentus. C. crescentus has one YbaB/EbfC family gene annotated in the genome (YbaBCc) and it shares 41% sequence identity with YbaB/EbfC family NAPs. Computational modeling revealed tweezer-like structure of YbaBCc, a characteristic of YbaB/EbfC family of NAPs. N-terminal–CFP tagged YbaBCc localized with the nucleoid and is able to compact DNA. Unlike B. burgdorferi EbfC protein, YbaBCc protein is a non-specific DNA-binding protein in C. crescentus. Moreover, YbaBCc shields DNA against enzymatic degradation. Collectively, our findings reveal that YbaBCc is a small histone-like protein and may play a role in bacterial chromosome structuring and gene regulation in C. crescentus.

scholarly journals Assessment of Minocycline and Polymyxin B Combination against Acinetobacter baumannii

2015 ◽  
Vol 59 (5) ◽  
pp. 2720-2725 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dana R. Bowers ◽  
Henry Cao ◽  
Jian Zhou ◽  
Kimberly R. Ledesma ◽  
Dongxu Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acinetobacter Baumannii ◽  
Clinical Utility ◽  
Efflux Pump ◽  
Polymyxin B ◽  
Intracellular Concentration ◽  
Bacterial Cells ◽  
Efflux Pump Inhibitor ◽  
Content Type

ABSTRACTAntimicrobial resistance amongAcinetobacter baumanniiis increasing worldwide, often necessitating combination therapy. The clinical utility of using minocycline with polymyxin B is not well established. In this study, we investigated the activity of minocycline and polymyxin B against 1 laboratory isolate and 3 clinical isolates ofA. baumannii. Minocycline susceptibility testing was performed with and without an efflux pump inhibitor, phenylalanine-arginine β-naphthylamide (PAβN). The intracellular minocycline concentration was determined with and without polymyxin B (0.5 μg/ml). Time-kill studies were performed over 24 h using approximately 106CFU/ml of each strain with clinically relevant minocycline concentrations (2 μg/ml and 8 μg/ml), with and without polymyxin B (0.5 μg/ml). Thein vivoefficacy of the combination was assessed in a neutropenic murine pneumonia model. Infected animals were administered minocycline (50 mg/kg), polymyxin B (10 mg/kg), or both to achieve clinically equivalent exposures in humans. A reduction in the minocycline MIC (≥4×) was observed in the presence of PAβN. The intracellular concentration andin vitrobactericidal effect of minocycline were both enhanced by polymyxin B. With 2 minocycline-susceptible strains, the bacterial burden in lung tissue at 24 h was considerably reduced by the combination compared to monotherapy with minocycline or polymyxin B. In addition, the combination prolonged survival of animals infected with a minocycline-susceptible strain. Polymyxin B increased the intracellular concentration of minocycline in bacterial cells and enhanced the bactericidal activity of minocycline, presumably due to efflux pump disruption. The clinical utility of this combination should be further investigated.

scholarly journals Characterization of the Chromosome Dimer Resolution Site in Caulobacter crescentus

2019 ◽  
Vol 201 (24) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Farrokhi ◽  
Hua Liu ◽  
George Szatmari
Keyword(s):  
Cell Division ◽  
Caulobacter Crescentus ◽  
Consensus Sequence ◽  
Markov Modeling ◽  
Control Of Gene Expression ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Site Specific Recombination ◽  
Resolution System

ABSTRACT Chromosome dimers occur in bacterial cells as a result of the recombinational repair of DNA. In most bacteria, chromosome dimers are resolved by XerCD site-specific recombination at the dif (deletion-induced filamentation) site located in the terminus region of the chromosome. Caulobacter crescentus, a Gram-negative oligotrophic bacterium, also possesses Xer recombinases, called CcXerC and CcXerD, which have been shown to interact with the Escherichia coli dif site in vitro. Previous studies on Caulobacter have suggested the presence of a dif site (referred to in this paper as dif1CC), but no in vitro data have shown any association with this site and the CcXer proteins. Using recursive hidden Markov modeling, another group has proposed a second dif site, which we call dif2CC, which shows more similarity to the dif consensus sequence. Here, by using a combination of in vitro experiments, we compare the affinities and the cleavage abilities of CcXerCD recombinases for both dif sites. Our results show that dif2CC displays a higher affinity for CcXerC and CcXerD and is bound cooperatively by these proteins, which is not the case for the original dif1CC site. Furthermore, dif2CC nicked substrates are more efficiently cleaved by CcXerCD, and deletion of the site results in about 5 to 10% of cells showing an altered cellular morphology. IMPORTANCE Bacteria utilize site-specific recombination for a variety of purposes, including the control of gene expression, acquisition of genetic elements, and the resolution of dimeric chromosomes. Failure to resolve dimeric chromosomes can lead to cell division defects in a percentage of the cell population. The work presented here shows the existence of a chromosomal resolution system in C. crescentus. Defects in this resolution system result in the formation of chains of cells. Further understanding of how these cells remain linked together will help in the understanding of how chromosome segregation and cell division are linked in C. crescentus.

scholarly journals Cell Division Protein FtsZ Is Unfolded for N-Terminal Degradation by Antibiotic-Activated ClpP

mBio ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadine Silber ◽  
Stefan Pan ◽  
Sina Schäkermann ◽  
Christian Mayer ◽  
Heike Brötz-Oesterhelt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Division ◽  
Protein Unfolding ◽  
Multidrug Resistant ◽  
Unexpected Finding ◽  
Bacterial Cells ◽  
Clp Protease ◽  
Content Type ◽  
C Terminus ◽  
Cell Division Protein

ABSTRACT Antibiotic acyldepsipeptides (ADEPs) deregulate ClpP, the proteolytic core of the bacterial Clp protease, thereby inhibiting its native functions and concomitantly activating it for uncontrolled proteolysis of nonnative substrates. Importantly, although ADEP-activated ClpP is assumed to target multiple polypeptide and protein substrates in the bacterial cell, not all proteins seem equally susceptible. In Bacillus subtilis, the cell division protein FtsZ emerged to be particularly sensitive to degradation by ADEP-activated ClpP at low inhibitory ADEP concentrations. In fact, FtsZ is the only bacterial protein that has been confirmed to be degraded in vitro as well as within bacterial cells so far. However, the molecular reason for this preferred degradation remained elusive. Here, we report the unexpected finding that ADEP-activated ClpP alone, in the absence of any Clp-ATPase, leads to an unfolding and subsequent degradation of the N-terminal domain of FtsZ, which can be prevented by the stabilization of the FtsZ fold via nucleotide binding. At elevated antibiotic concentrations, importantly, the C terminus of FtsZ is notably targeted for degradation in addition to the N terminus. Our results show that different target structures are more or less accessible to ClpP, depending on the ADEP level present. Moreover, our data assign a Clp-ATPase-independent protein unfolding capability to the ClpP core of the bacterial Clp protease and suggest that the protein fold of FtsZ may be more flexible than previously anticipated. IMPORTANCE Acyldepsipeptide (ADEP) antibiotics effectively kill multidrug-resistant Gram-positive pathogens, including vancomycin-resistant enterococcus, penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae (PRSP), and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The antibacterial activity of ADEP depends on a new mechanism of action, i.e., the deregulation of bacterial protease ClpP that leads to bacterial self-digestion. Our data allow new insights into the mode of ADEP action by providing a molecular explanation for the distinct bacterial phenotypes observed at low versus high ADEP concentrations. In addition, we show that ClpP alone, in the absence of any unfoldase or energy-consuming system, and only activated by the small molecule antibiotic ADEP, leads to the unfolding of the cell division protein FtsZ.

scholarly journals Three-Dimensional Observations of an Aperiodic Oscillatory Gliding Behavior in Myxococcus xanthus Using Confocal Interference Reflection Microscopy

mSphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liam M. Rooney ◽  
Lisa S. Kölln ◽  
Ross Scrimgeour ◽  
William B. Amos ◽  
Paul A. Hoskisson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Myxococcus Xanthus ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Oscillatory Behavior ◽  
Gliding Motility ◽  
Bacterial Cells ◽  
Force Transmission ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Gliding Bacteria ◽  
Microscopy Techniques

ABSTRACT The deltaproteobacterium Myxococcus xanthus is a model for bacterial motility and has provided unprecedented insights into bacterial swarming behaviors. Fluorescence microscopy techniques have been invaluable in defining the mechanisms that are involved in gliding motility, but these have almost entirely been limited to two-dimensional (2D) studies, and there is currently no understanding of gliding motility in a three-dimensional (3D) context. We present here the first use of confocal interference reflection microscopy (IRM) to study gliding bacteria, revealing aperiodic oscillatory behavior with changes in the position of the basal membrane relative to the substrate on the order of 90 nm in vitro. First, we use a model planoconvex lens specimen to show how topological information can be obtained from the wavelength-dependent interference pattern in IRM. We then use IRM to observe gliding M. xanthus bacteria and show that cells undergo previously unobserved changes in their adhesion profile as they glide. We compare the wild type with mutants that have reduced motility, which also exhibit the same changes in the adhesion profile during gliding. We find that the general gliding behavior is independent of the proton motive force-generating complex AglRQS and suggest that the novel behavior that we present here may be a result of recoil and force transmission along the length of the cell body following firing of the type IV pili. IMPORTANCE 3D imaging of live bacteria with optical microscopy techniques is a challenge due to the small size of bacterial cells, meaning that previous studies have been limited to observing motility behavior in 2D. We introduce the application of confocal multiwavelength interference reflection microscopy to bacteria, which enables visualization of 3D motility behaviors in a single 2D image. Using the model organism Myxococcus xanthus, we identified novel motility behaviors that are not explained by current motility models, where gliding bacteria exhibit aperiodic changes in their adhesion to an underlying solid surface. We concluded that the 3D behavior was not linked to canonical motility mechanisms and that IRM could be applied to study a range of microbiological specimens with minimal adaptation to a commercial microscope.

scholarly journals The Bacterial DNA Binding Protein MatP Involved in Linking the Nucleoid Terminal Domain to the Divisome at Midcell Interacts with Lipid Membranes

mBio ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Begoña Monterroso ◽  
Silvia Zorrilla ◽  
Marta Sobrinos-Sanguino ◽  
Miguel Ángel Robles-Ramos ◽  
Carlos Alfonso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Binding ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Lipid Membranes ◽  
Binding Protein ◽  
Dna Binding Protein ◽  
Content Type ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Daughter Cells ◽  
Z Ring

ABSTRACTDivision ring formation at midcell is controlled by various mechanisms inEscherichia coli, one of them being the linkage between the chromosomal Ter macrodomain and the Z-ring mediated by MatP, a DNA binding protein that organizes this macrodomain and contributes to the prevention of premature chromosome segregation. Here we show that, during cell division, just before splitting the daughter cells, MatP seems to localize close to the cytoplasmic membrane, suggesting that this protein might interact with lipids. To test this hypothesis, we investigated MatP interaction with lipidsin vitro. We found that, when encapsulated inside vesicles and microdroplets generated by microfluidics, MatP accumulates at phospholipid bilayers and monolayers matching the lipid composition in theE. coliinner membrane. MatP binding to lipids was independently confirmed using lipid-coated microbeads and biolayer interferometry assays, which suggested that the recognition is mainly hydrophobic. Interaction of MatP with the lipid membranes also occurs in the presence of the DNA sequences specifically targeted by the protein, but there is no evidence of ternary membrane/protein/DNA complexes. We propose that the association of MatP with lipids may modulate its spatiotemporal localization and its recognition of other ligands.IMPORTANCEThe division of anE. colicell into two daughter cells with equal genomic information and similar size requires duplication and segregation of the chromosome and subsequent scission of the envelope by a protein ring, the Z-ring. MatP is a DNA binding protein that contributes both to the positioning of the Z-ring at midcell and the temporal control of nucleoid segregation. Our integratedin vivoandin vitroanalysis provides evidence that MatP can interact with lipid membranes reproducing the phospholipid mixture in theE. coliinner membrane, without concomitant recruitment of the short DNA sequences specifically targeted by MatP. This observation strongly suggests that the membrane may play a role in the regulation of the function and localization of MatP, which could be relevant for the coordination of the two fundamental processes in which this protein participates, nucleoid segregation and cell division.

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