scholarly journals Protein Residues and a Novel Motif Involved in the Cellular Localization of CheZ in Azorhizobium caulinodans ORS571

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaolin Liu ◽  
Yanan Liu ◽  
Kevin Scot Johnson ◽  
Xiaoyan Dong ◽  
Zhihong Xie

Chemotaxis is essential for the competitiveness of motile bacteria in complex and harsh environments. The localization of chemotactic proteins in the cell is critical for coordinating a maximal response to chemotactic signals. One chemotaxis protein with a well-defined subcellular localization is the phosphatase CheZ. CheZ localizes to cell poles by binding with CheA in Escherichia coli and other enteric bacteria, or binding with a poorly understood protein called ChePep in epsilon-Proteobacteria. In alpha-Proteobacteria, CheZ lacks CheA-binding sites, and its cellular localization remains unknown. We therefore determined the localization of CheZ in the alpha-Proteobacteria Azorhizobium caulinodans ORS571. A. caulinodans CheZ, also termed as CheZAC, was found to be located to cell poles independently of CheA, and we suspect that either the N-terminal helix or the four-helix bundle of CheZAC is sufficient to locate to cell poles. We also found a novel motif, AXXFQ, which is adjacent to the phosphatase active motif DXXXQ, which effects the monopolar localization of CheZAC. This novel motif consisting of AXXFQ is conserved in CheZ and widely distributed among Proteobacteria. Finally, we found that the substitution of phosphatase active site affects the polar localization of CheZAC. In total, this work characterized the localization pattern of CheZ containing a novel motif, and we mapped the regions of CheZAC that are critical for its polar localization.

1991 ◽  
Vol 159 (1) ◽  
pp. 149-164
Author(s):  
A. H. Duittoz ◽  
R. J. Martin

1. In a previous study, it was shown that the potency order for two arylamino-pyridazine derivatives, SR95531 and SR95103, was different in Ascaris suum when compared to vertebrate preparations. SR95531, the most potent analogue at the vertebrate GABAA receptor, was found to be very weak at antagonizing GABA responses in Ascaris, but SR95103, approximately 20 times less potent than SR95531 in vertebrate preparations, was more potent than SR95531 in Ascaris. These results suggested the existence of different accessory binding sites at the Ascaris GABA receptor. 2. To test this hypothesis, the effects of a series of arylaminopyridazine derivatives of GABA on the GABA response in Ascaris suum muscle were investigated using a two-microelectrode current-clamp technique. 3. The results showed that SR42627, a potent antagonist at the GABAA receptor, was one of the weakest analogues in Ascaris muscle. In contrast, SR95132, virtually inactive in vertebrate preparations, was equipotent to SR95103, the most potent analogue of the series in Ascaris muscle. 4. The three most potent analogues in Ascaris, SR95103, SR95132 and SR42666, displace GABA dose-response curves to the right without decreasing the maximal response. The modified Schild plots for these compounds are consistent with a competitive mechanism involving two molecules of GABA and only one molecule of antagonist interacting with the receptor. The estimated dissociation constants for SR95103, SR95132 and SR42666 are, respectively, 64, 65 and 105 mumol l-1. 5. Structure-activity relationships for this series of compounds were examined in Ascaris and compared to those in vertebrates. Substitution on the pyridazine ring in the 4-position, while detrimental for the antagonist potency at the vertebrate GABAA receptor, appears to be a prerequisite for antagonistic activity on the Ascaris muscle GABA receptor. These results are interpreted in terms of the accessory binding site theory of Ariens, and suggest the existence of different accessory binding sites on the Ascaris GABA receptor.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lukas L. Stelzl ◽  
Despoina A.I. Mavridou ◽  
Emmanuel Saridakis ◽  
Diego Gonzalez ◽  
Andrew J. Baldwin ◽  
...  

AbstractLocal structural frustration, the existence of mutually exclusive competing interactions, may explain why some proteins are dynamic while others are rigid. Frustration is thought to underpin biomolecular recognition and the flexibility of protein binding sites. Here we show how a small chemical modification, the oxidation of two cysteine thiols to a disulfide bond, during the catalytic cycle of the N-terminal domain of the key bacterial oxidoreductase DsbD (nDsbD), introduces frustration ultimately influencing protein function. In oxidized nDsbD, local frustration disrupts the packing of the protective cap-loop region against the active site allowing loop opening. By contrast, in reduced nDsbD the cap loop is rigid, always protecting the active-site thiols from the oxidizing environment of the periplasm. Our results point towards an intricate coupling between the dynamics of the active-site cysteines and of the cap loop which modulates the association reactions of nDsbD with its partners resulting in optimized protein function.


Author(s):  
Giovani Orlando Cancino Escalante ◽  
S E Cancino ◽  
Enrique Quevedo Garcia

Root systems of two Andean blackberry materials (thorn and thornless) of Rubus glaucus Benth cultured in vitro in the presence of five treatments (four flavonoids and one control) were inoculated with Azorhizobium caulinodans ORS571 (pXLGD4)  (a strain carrying the lacZ reporter gene which facilitated the detection of bacterial colonization). Evaluation of colonization effectiveness for each treatment was done by means of application of experimental design measuring frequency and intensity parameters. Statistical analysis showed differences at comparing flavonoids vs. control and the overall higher effectiveness of the flavonoid naringenin. Observation of colonization was made by light and electron microscope confirming internal colonization of Andean blackberry roots by A. caulinodans. This is the first work demonstrating root colonization of R.glaucus by azorhizobia and therefore settling the basis for future investigations and scientific applications related to interaction with plant growth-promoting bacteria under the effect of flavonoids, along with possible implications of common benefit for non-legume crops in the northwest region of Colombia.  Key Words: Azorhizobium caulinodans ORS571, Andean blackberry, flavonoids, LacZ, lateral roots, naringenin. 


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maksym Bobrovskyy ◽  
Jane K. Frandsen ◽  
Jichuan Zhang ◽  
Anustup Poddar ◽  
Muhammad S. Azam ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe mechanisms by which small RNA (sRNA) regulators select and prioritize target mRNAs remain poorly understood, but serve to promote efficient responses to environmental cues and stresses. We sought to uncover mechanisms that establish regulatory hierarchy for a model sRNA, SgrS, found in enteric bacteria and produced under conditions of metabolic stress when sugar transport and metabolism are unbalanced. SgrS post-transcriptionally controls a nine-gene regulon to restore growth and homeostasis under stress conditions. An in vivo reporter system was used to quantify SgrS-dependent regulation of target genes and established that SgrS exhibits a clear preference for certain targets, and regulates those targets efficiently even at low SgrS levels. Higher SgrS concentrations are required to regulate other targets. The position of targets in the regulatory hierarchy is not well-correlated with the predicted thermodynamic stability of SgrS-mRNA interactions or the SgrS-mRNA binding affinity as measured in vitro. Detailed analyses of SgrS interaction with asd mRNA demonstrate that SgrS binds cooperatively to two sites and remodels asd mRNA secondary structure. SgrS binding at both sites increases the efficiency of asd mRNA regulation compared to mutants that have only a single SgrS binding site. Our results suggest that sRNA selection of target mRNAs and regulatory hierarchy are influenced by several molecular features. The sRNA-mRNA interaction, including the number and position of sRNA binding sites on the mRNA and cofactors like the RNA chaperone Hfq, seem to tune the efficiency of regulation of specific mRNA targets.IMPORTANCETo survive, bacteria must respond rapidly to stress and simultaneously maintain metabolic homeostasis. The small RNA (sRNA) SgrS mediates the response to stress arising from imbalanced sugar transport and metabolism. To coordinate the stress response, SgrS regulates genes involved in sugar uptake and metabolism. Intrinsic properties of sRNAs such as SgrS allow them to regulate extensive networks of genes. To date, sRNA regulation of targets has largely been studied in the context of “one sRNA-one target”, and little is known about coordination of multi-gene regulons and sRNA regulatory network structure. Here, we explore the molecular basis for regulatory hierarchy in sRNA regulons. Our results reveal a complex interplay of factors that influence the outcome of sRNA regulation. The number and location of sRNA binding sites on mRNA targets and the participation of an RNA chaperone dictate prioritized regulation of targets to promote an efficient response to stress.


1988 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 568-574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroshi Onodera ◽  
Kyuya Kogure

Opioid ([3H]naloxone) and spirodecanone ([3H]spiperone) binding sites in the hippocampus were visualized in the Mongolian gerbil and in the rat using in vitro autoradiography. In the hippocampus, marked differences were noted in the stratum (sr.) pyramidale of the CA1 subfield where opioid and spirodecanone (assayed in the presence of mianserin and sulpiride) binding activities were very low in gerbils, but high in rats. Gerbils exhibited a high concentration of [3H]naloxone binding sites in the sr. pyramidale of the CA3 subfield, as observed in the rat. In addition, the gerbil has a very high opioid receptor density in the hilar region and in the sr. moleculare of the dentate gyrus. The cellular localization of opioid and spirodecanone receptor sites was studied in the rat hippocampus using selective neuronal damage to CA1 and CA3 neurons by means of ischemia and kainic acid treatment, respectively. The results suggest that the gerbil differs from the rat with respect to the characteristic pyramidal cells (spirodecanone binding site) and interneurons (opioid receptor) in the CA1 subfield of the hippocampus. Distinct localization of opioid and spirodecanone receptors in the gerbil provides a good model with which to investigate the electrophysiological and biochemical roles of opioid peptides and butyrophenone spirodecanone drugs.


Hemoglobin ◽  
2018 ◽  
pp. 42-57
Author(s):  
Jay F. Storz

Chapter 3 provides a brief overview of allostery, the modulation of protein activity that is caused by an indirect interaction between structurally remote binding sites. In this mode of intramolecular regulatory control, the binding of ligand at a protein’s active site is influenced by the binding of another ligand at a different site in the same protein. This interaction at a distance is mediated by a ligation-induced transition between alternative conformational states. Hemoglobin is regarded as the “allosteric paradigm,” and the oxygenation-linked transition between alternative quaternary conformations provides a textbook example of how allostery works. This chapter reviews different theoretical models, such as the Monod-Wyman-Changeux “two-state” model, to explain the allosteric regulation of hemoglobin function.


2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (12) ◽  
pp. 1381-1393
Author(s):  
Yajun Cao ◽  
Gaofei Jiang ◽  
Mingxu Li ◽  
Xingxing Fang ◽  
Dan Zhu ◽  
...  

Glutaredoxin (GRX) plays an essential role in the control of the cellular redox state and related pathways in many organisms. There is limited information on GRXs from the model nitrogen (N2)-fixing bacterium Azorhizobium caulinodans. In the present work, we identified and performed functional analyses of monothiol and dithiol GRXs in A. caulinodans in the free-living state and during symbiosis with Sesbania rostrata. Our data show that monothiol GRXs may be very important for bacterial growth under normal conditions and in response to oxidative stress due to imbalance of the redox state in grx mutants of A. caulinodans. Functional redundancies were also observed within monothiol and dithiol GRXs in terms of different physiological functions. The changes in catalase activity and iron content in grx mutants were assumed to favor the maintenance of bacterial resistance against oxidants, nodulation, and N2 fixation efficiency in this bacterium. Furthermore, the monothiol GRX12 and dithiol GRX34 play a collective role in symbiotic associations between A. caulinodans and Sesbania rostrata. Our study provided systematic evidence that further investigations are required to understand the importance of glutaredoxins in A. caulinodans and other rhizobia.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document