Dimerization of the RelA protein of Escherichia coli

2001 ◽  
Vol 79 (6) ◽  
pp. 729-736 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoming Yang ◽  
Edward E Ishiguro

The RelA protein of Escherichia coli is a ribosome-associated (p)ppGpp synthetase that is activated by amino acid deprivation. It was recently reported that the activity of RelA is regulated by oligomerization mediated by the C-terminal domain of RelA. The oligomerization of RelA is further characterized in this study. The C-terminal domain consisting of amino acids 455–744, designated 'RelA, formed homooligomers as well as heterooligomers with RelA as demonstrated by copurification of RelA and 'RelA and by an affinity blotting assay. Glutaraldehyde-induced cross-linking indicated that the oligomer was a dimer. The functional analysis of 'RelA was based on a combination of yeast two-hybrid analysis, the determination of the effects of overexpression of 'RelA derivatives on the stringent response, and the cellular localization of the overexpressed 'RelA derivatives. These studies indicated that two regions, designated 'RelA-1 (amino acids 455–538) and 'RelA-2 (amino acids 550–682), were involved in dimerization. The involvement of one of these two regions, RelA-2, is consistent with a previous site-directed mutagenesis study. In addition to dimerization, 'RelA-2 apparently contained the main ribosome-binding domain of RelA. The third region, 'RelA-3 (amino acids 682–744), was not involved in either dimerization or ribosome binding. The overexpression of 'RelA-1 and 'RelA-2, but not 'RelA-3, inhibited the stringent response. These results support the previously proposed model which suggests a role for oligomerization in the regulation of (p)ppGpp synthetase.Key words: RelA, Escherichia coli, stringent response.


2001 ◽  
Vol 183 (22) ◽  
pp. 6532-6537 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoming Yang ◽  
Edward E. Ishiguro

ABSTRACT Amino acid-deprived rplK (previously known asrelC) mutants of Escherichia coli cannot activate (p)ppGpp synthetase I (RelA) and consequently exhibit relaxed phenotypes. The rplK gene encodes ribosomal protein L11, suggesting that L11 is involved in regulating the activity of RelA. To investigate the role of L11 in the stringent response, a derivative ofrplK encoding L11 lacking the N-terminal 36 amino acids (designated ′L11) was constructed. Bacteria overexpressing ′L11 exhibited a relaxed phenotype, and this was associated with an inhibition of RelA-dependent (p)ppGpp synthesis during amino acid deprivation. In contrast, bacteria overexpressing normal L11 exhibited a typical stringent response. The overexpressed ′L11 was incorporated into ribosomes and had no effect on the ribosome-binding activity of RelA. By several methods (yeast two-hybrid, affinity blotting, and copurification), no direct interaction was observed between the C-terminal ribosome-binding domain of RelA and L11. To determine whether the proline-rich helix of L11 was involved in RelA regulation, the Pro-22 residue was replaced with Leu by site-directed mutagenesis. The overexpression of the Leu-22 mutant derivative of L11 resulted in a relaxed phenotype. These results indicate that the proline-rich helix in the N terminus of L11 is involved in regulating the activity of RelA.



1989 ◽  
Vol 44 (9-10) ◽  
pp. 838-844 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Mach ◽  
M. Hecker ◽  
I. Hill ◽  
A. Schroeter ◽  
F. Mach

The viability of three isogenic relA+/relA strain pairs of Escherichia coli (CP78/CP79; NF 161/ NF162; CP 107/CP 143) was studied during prolonged starvation for amino acids, glucose or phosphate. After amino acid limitation we found a prolonged viability of all relA+ strains which synthesized ppGpp. We suggest that some ppGpp-mediated pleiotropic effects of the stringent response (e.g. glykogen accumulation, enhanced protein turnover) might be involved in this prolongation of survival. After glucose or phosphate starvation there was no difference in the relA+/relA strains either in the ppGpp content or in the survival.



2003 ◽  
Vol 185 (13) ◽  
pp. 3821-3827 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Enggist ◽  
Linda Thöny-Meyer

ABSTRACT CcmE is a heme chaperone active in the cytochrome c maturation pathway of Escherichia coli. It first binds heme covalently to strictly conserved histidine H130 and subsequently delivers it to apo-cytochrome c. The recently solved structure of soluble CcmE revealed a compact core consisting of a β-barrel and a flexible C-terminal domain with a short α-helical turn. In order to elucidate the function of this poorly conserved domain, CcmE was truncated stepwise from the C terminus. Removal of all 29 amino acids up to crucial histidine 130 did not abolish heme binding completely. For detectable transfer of heme to type c cytochromes, only one additional residue, D131, was required, and for efficient cytochrome c maturation, the seven-residue sequence 131DENYTPP137 was required. When soluble forms of CcmE were expressed in the periplasm, the C-terminal domain had to be slightly longer to allow detection of holo-CcmE. Soluble full-length CcmE had low activity in cytochrome c maturation, indicating the importance of the N-terminal membrane anchor for the in vivo function of CcmE.



2020 ◽  
Vol 202 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gang Li ◽  
Qian Zhao ◽  
Tian Luan ◽  
Yangbo Hu ◽  
Yueling Zhang ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The (p)ppGpp-mediated stringent response (SR) is a highly conserved regulatory mechanism in bacterial pathogens, enabling adaptation to adverse environments, and is linked to pathogenesis. Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae can cause damage to the lungs of pigs, its only known natural host. Pig lungs are known to have a low concentration of free branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) compared to the level in plasma. We had investigated the role for (p)ppGpp in viability and biofilm formation of A. pleuropneumoniae. Now, we sought to determine whether (p)ppGpp was a trigger signal for the SR in A. pleuropneumoniae in the absence of BCAAs. Combining transcriptome and phenotypic analyses of the wild type (WT) and an relA spoT double mutant [which does not produce (p)ppGpp], we found that (p)ppGpp could repress de novo purine biosynthesis and activate antioxidant pathways. There was a positive correlation between GTP and endogenous hydrogen peroxide content. Furthermore, the growth, viability, morphology, and virulence were altered by the inability to produce (p)ppGpp. Genes involved in the biosynthesis of BCAAs were constitutively upregulated, regardless of the existence of BCAAs, without accumulation of (p)ppGpp beyond a basal level. Collectively, our study shows that the absence of BCAAs was not a sufficient signal to trigger the SR in A. pleuropneumoniae. (p)ppGpp-mediated regulation in A. pleuropneumoniae is different from that described for the model organism Escherichia coli. Further work will establish whether the (p)ppGpp-dependent SR mechanism in A. pleuropneumoniae is conserved among other veterinary pathogens, especially those in the Pasteurellaceae family. IMPORTANCE (p)ppGpp is a key player in reprogramming transcriptomes to respond to nutritional challenges. Here, we present transcriptional and phenotypic differences of A. pleuropneumoniae grown in different chemically defined media in the absence of (p)ppGpp. We show that the deprivation of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) does not elicit a change in the basal-level (p)ppGpp, but this level is sufficient to regulate the expression of BCAA biosynthesis. The mechanism found in A. pleuropneumoniae is different from that of the model organism Escherichia coli but similar to that found in some Gram-positive bacteria. This study not only broadens the research scope of (p)ppGpp but also further validates the complexity and multiplicity of (p)ppGpp regulation in microorganisms that occupy different biological niches.



Biochemistry ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 42 (29) ◽  
pp. 8818-8830 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Li ◽  
Artur Osyczka ◽  
Richard C. Conover ◽  
Michael K. Johnson ◽  
Hong Qin ◽  
...  




Biochemistry ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 38 (40) ◽  
pp. 13223-13230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce R. Branchini ◽  
Rachelle A. Magyar ◽  
Martha H. Murtiashaw ◽  
Shannon M. Anderson ◽  
Lisa C. Helgerson ◽  
...  


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