scholarly journals Phylogenetic Distribution, Ultrastructure, and Function of Bacterial Flagellar Sheaths

Biomolecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Chu ◽  
Jun Liu ◽  
Timothy R. Hoover
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Outer Membrane ◽  
Electron Tomography ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Outer Membrane Proteins ◽  
Wall Layer ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Outer Cell ◽  
Flagellar Filament ◽  
And Function

A number of Gram-negative bacteria have a membrane surrounding their flagella, referred to as the flagellar sheath, which is continuous with the outer membrane. The flagellar sheath was initially described in Vibrio metschnikovii in the early 1950s as an extension of the outer cell wall layer that completely surrounded the flagellar filament. Subsequent studies identified other bacteria that possess flagellar sheaths, most of which are restricted to a few genera of the phylum Proteobacteria. Biochemical analysis of the flagellar sheaths from a few bacterial species revealed the presence of lipopolysaccharide, phospholipids, and outer membrane proteins in the sheath. Some proteins localize preferentially to the flagellar sheath, indicating mechanisms exist for protein partitioning to the sheath. Recent cryo-electron tomography studies have yielded high resolution images of the flagellar sheath and other structures closely associated with the sheath, which has generated insights and new hypotheses for how the flagellar sheath is synthesized. Various functions have been proposed for the flagellar sheath, including preventing disassociation of the flagellin subunits in the presence of gastric acid, avoiding activation of the host innate immune response by flagellin, activating the host immune response, adherence to host cells, and protecting the bacterium from bacteriophages.

scholarly journals The Landscape of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Membrane-Associated Proteins

Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 2421
Author(s):  
Sara Motta ◽  
Davide Vecchietti ◽  
Alessandra M. Martorana ◽  
Pietro Brunetti ◽  
Giovanni Bertoni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Outer Membrane ◽  
Protein Identification ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Outer Membrane Proteins ◽  
Protein Domains ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Inner Membrane ◽  
Proteomic Data ◽  
Associated Proteins

Background: Pseudomonas aeruginosa cell envelope-associated proteins play a relevant role in infection mechanisms. They can contribute to the antibiotic resistance of the bacterial cells and be involved in the interaction with host cells. Thus, studies contributing to elucidating these key molecular elements are of great importance to find alternative therapeutics. Methods: Proteins and peptides were extracted by different methods and analyzed by Multidimensional Protein Identification Technology (MudPIT) approach. Proteomic data were processed by Discoverer2.1 software and multivariate statistics, i.e., Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA), while the Immune Epitope Database (IEDB) resources were used to predict antigenicity and immunogenicity of experimental identified peptides and proteins. Results: The combination of 29 MudPIT runs allowed the identification of 10,611 peptides and 2539 distinct proteins. Following application of extraction methods enriching specific protein domains, about 15% of total identified peptides were classified in trans inner-membrane, inner-membrane exposed, trans outer-membrane and outer-membrane exposed. In this scenario, nine outer membrane proteins (OprE, OprI, OprF, OprD, PagL, OprG, PA1053, PAL and PA0833) were predicted to be highly antigenic. Thus, they were further processed and epitopes target of T cells (MHC Class I and Class II) and B cells were predicted. Conclusion: The present study represents one of the widest characterizations of the P. aeruginosa membrane-associated proteome. The feasibility of our method may facilitates the investigation of other bacterial species whose envelope exposed protein domains are still unknown. Besides, the stepwise prioritization of proteome, by combining experimental proteomic data and reverse vaccinology, may be useful for reducing the number of proteins to be tested in vaccine development.

scholarly journals Mutagenesis and Functional Reconstitution of Chlamydial Major Outer Membrane Proteins: VS4 Domains Are Not Required for Pore Formation but Modify Channel Function

2001 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 1671-1678 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. S. Hughes ◽  
K. M. Shaw ◽  
R. H. Ashley
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Proteins ◽  
Outer Membrane ◽  
Single Channel ◽  
Outer Membrane Proteins ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Chimeric Proteins ◽  
Functional Differences ◽  
And Function ◽  
Bacterial Porins ◽  
Medical Interest

ABSTRACT Chlamidial organisms are obligate intracellular pathogens containing highly antigenic porin-like major outer membrane proteins (MOMPs). MOMP epitopes are of substantial medical interest, and they cluster within four relatively short variable (VS) domains. If MOMPs adopt a β-barrel fold, like bacterial porins, the VS domains may form extramembranous loops and the conserved regions of the protein may correspond to predicted membrane-located β-strands. However, molecular studies on native MOMPs have been hampered by the need to culture chlamydiae in eukaryotic host cells and purification and reconstitution remain problematic. In addition, the organisms are difficult to manipulate genetically, and it has also been difficult to functionally reconstitute recombinant MOMPs. To help overcome these problems and improve our understanding of MOMP structure and function, we cloned and expressed C. trachomatis and C. psittaci MOMPs and functionally reconstituted them at the single-channel level. We measured significant functional differences between the two proteins, and by removing and exchanging VS4, we tested the hypothesis that the largest variable domain forms an extramembranous loop that contributes to these differences. Proteins in which VS4 was deleted continued to form functional ion channels, consistent with the idea that the domain forms an extramembranous protein loop and incompatible with models in which it contributes to predicted membrane-located β-strands. Additionally, the properties of the chimeric proteins strongly suggested that the VS4 domain interacts closely with other regions of the protein to form the channel entrance or vestibule. Our approach can be used to probe structure-function relationships in chlamydial MOMPs and may have implications for the generation of effective antichlamydial vaccines.

scholarly journals The Conservation of Low Complexity Regions in Bacterial Proteins Depends on the Pathogenicity of the Strain and Subcellular Location of the Protein

Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 451
Author(s):  
Pablo Mier ◽  
Miguel A. Andrade-Navarro
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Proteins ◽  
Outer Membrane ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Outer Membrane Proteins ◽  
Subcellular Location ◽  
Low Complexity ◽  
Extracellular Proteins ◽  
Bacterial Strains ◽  
Bacterial Proteins ◽  
Protein Subcellular Location

Low complexity regions (LCRs) in proteins are characterized by amino acid frequencies that differ from the average. These regions evolve faster and tend to be less conserved between homologs than globular domains. They are not common in bacteria, as compared to their prevalence in eukaryotes. Studying their conservation could help provide hypotheses about their function. To obtain the appropriate evolutionary focus for this rapidly evolving feature, here we study the conservation of LCRs in bacterial strains and compare their high variability to the closeness of the strains. For this, we selected 20 taxonomically diverse bacterial species and obtained the completely sequenced proteomes of two strains per species. We calculated all orthologous pairs for each of the 20 strain pairs. Per orthologous pair, we computed the conservation of two types of LCRs: compositionally biased regions (CBRs) and homorepeats (polyX). Our results show that, in bacteria, Q-rich CBRs are the most conserved, while A-rich CBRs and polyA are the most variable. LCRs have generally higher conservation when comparing pathogenic strains. However, this result depends on protein subcellular location: LCRs accumulate in extracellular and outer membrane proteins, with conservation increased in the extracellular proteins of pathogens, and decreased for polyX in the outer membrane proteins of pathogens. We conclude that these dependencies support the functional importance of LCRs in host–pathogen interactions.

scholarly journals Beyond Slam: the DUF560 family outer membrane protein superfamily SPAM has distinct network subclusters that suggest a role in non-lipidated substrate transport and bacterial environmental adaptation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terra J. Mauer ◽  
Alex S. Grossman ◽  
Katrina T. Forest ◽  
Heidi Goodrich-Blair
Keyword(s):  
Host Range ◽  
Outer Membrane ◽  
Binding Protein ◽  
Sequence Similarity ◽  
Outer Membrane Proteins ◽  
Environmental Adaptation ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Xenorhabdus Nematophila ◽  
Associated Bacteria ◽  
Host Phylogeny

AbstractIn host-associated bacteria, surface and secreted proteins mediate acquisition of nutrients, interactions with host cells, and specificity of host-range and tissue-localization. In Gram-negative bacteria, the mechanism by which many proteins cross, become embedded within, or become tethered to the outer membrane remains unclear. The domain of unknown function (DUF)560 occurs in outer membrane proteins found throughout and beyond the proteobacteria. Functionally characterized DUF560 representatives include NilB, a host-range specificity determinant of the nematode-mutualist Xenorhabdus nematophila and the surface lipoprotein assembly modulators (Slam), Slam1 and Slam2 which facilitate surface exposure of lipoproteins in the human pathogen Neisseria meningitidis. Through network analysis of protein sequence similarity we show that DUF560 subclusters exist and correspond with organism lifestyle rather than with taxonomy, suggesting a role for these proteins in environmental adaptation. Cluster 1 had the greatest number of representative proteins, was dominated by homologs from animal-associated symbionts, and was composed of subclusters: 1A (containing NilB, Slam1, and Slam2), 1B, and 1C. Genome neighborhood networks revealed that Cluster 1A DUF560 members are strongly associated with TonB, TonB-dependent receptors, and predicted co-receptors such as the Slam1 lipoprotein substrates transferrin binding protein and lactoferrin binding protein. The genome neighborhood network of Cluster 1B sequences are similarly dominated by TonB loci, but typically the associated co-receptors (the presumed DUF560 substrates) are predicted to be non-lipidated. We suggest that these subclusters within the DUF560 protein family indicate distinctive activities and that Slam activity may be characteristic of Cluster 1A members but not all DUF560 homologs. For Cluster 1 DUF560 homologs we propose the name SPAM (Surface/Secreted Protein Associated Outer Membrane Proteins) to accommodate the potential for non-lipoprotein substrates or different activities. We show that the repertoire of SPAM proteins in Xenorhabdus correlates with host phylogeny, suggesting that the host environment drives the evolution of these symbiont-encoded proteins. This pattern of selection for specific sequences based on host physiology and/or environmental factors may extend to other clusters of the DUF560 family.

Bacterial ß-Barrel Outer Membrane Proteins

2009 ◽  
pp. 182-207
Author(s):  
Pantelis G. Bagos ◽  
Stavros J. Hamodrakas
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Proteins ◽  
Outer Membrane ◽  
Bacterial Cell ◽  
Outer Membrane Proteins ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Structural Motif ◽  
Functional Roles ◽  
Bacterial Outer Membrane ◽  
And Function

ß-barrel outer membrane proteins constitute the second and less well-studied class of transmembrane proteins. They are present exclusively in the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria and presumably in the outer membrane of mitochondria and chloroplasts. During the last few years, remarkable advances have been made towards an understanding of their functional and structural features. It is now wellknown that ß-barrels are performing a large variety of biologically important functions for the bacterial cell. Such functions include acting as specific or non-specific channels, receptors for various compounds, enzymes, translocation channels, structural proteins, and adhesion proteins. All these functional roles are of great importance for the survival of the bacterial cell under various environmental conditions or for the pathogenic properties expressed by these organisms. This chapter reviews the currently available literature regarding the structure and function of bacterial outer membrane proteins. We emphasize the functional diversity expressed by a common structural motif such as the ß-barrel, and we provide evidence from the current literature for dozens of newly discovered families of transmembrane ß-barrels.

scholarly journals N-Acetylcysteine Selectively Antagonizes the Activity of Imipenem in Pseudomonas aeruginosa by an OprD-Mediated Mechanism

2015 ◽  
Vol 59 (6) ◽  
pp. 3246-3251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerónimo Rodríguez-Beltrán ◽  
Gabriel Cabot ◽  
Estela Ynés Valencia ◽  
Coloma Costas ◽  
German Bou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Acinetobacter Baumannii ◽  
Outer Membrane ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Outer Membrane Proteins ◽  
Antibiotic Activity ◽  
Simultaneous Treatment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sds Page

ABSTRACTThe modulating effect ofN-acetylcysteine (NAC) on the activity of different antibiotics has been studied inPseudomonas aeruginosa. Our results demonstrate that, in contrast to previous reports, only the activity of imipenem is clearly affected by NAC. MIC and checkerboard determinations indicate that the NAC-based modulation of imipenem activity is dependent mainly on OprD. SDS-PAGE of outer membrane proteins (OMPs) after NAC treatments demonstrates that NAC does not modify the expression of OprD, suggesting that NAC competitively inhibits the uptake of imipenem through OprD. Similar effects on imipenem activity were obtained withP. aeruginosaclinical isolates. Our results indicate that imipenem-susceptibleP. aeruginosastrains become resistant upon simultaneous treatment with NAC and imipenem. Moreover, the generality of the observed effects of NAC on antibiotic activity was assessed with two additional bacterial species,Escherichia coliandAcinetobacter baumannii. Caution should be taken during treatments, as the activity of imipenem may be modified by physiologically attainable concentrations of NAC, particularly during intravenous and nebulized regimes.

scholarly journals Superresolution Imaging Captures Carbohydrate Utilization Dynamics in Human Gut Symbionts

mBio ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Krishanthi S. Karunatilaka ◽  
Elizabeth A. Cameron ◽  
Eric C. Martens ◽  
Nicole M. Koropatkin ◽  
Julie S. Biteen
Keyword(s):  
Outer Membrane ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Outer Membrane Proteins ◽  
Live Cells ◽  
Human Gut ◽  
Uptake Mechanism ◽  
Complex Assembly ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Superresolution Imaging ◽  
And Function

ABSTRACTGut microbes play a key role in human health and nutrition by catabolizing a wide variety of glycans via enzymatic activities that are not encoded in the human genome. The ability to recognize and process carbohydrates strongly influences the structure of the gut microbial community. While the effects of diet on the microbiota are well documented, little is known about the molecular processes driving metabolism. To provide mechanistic insight into carbohydrate catabolism in gut symbionts, we studied starch processing in real time in the modelBacteroides thetaiotaomicronstarch utilization system (Sus) by single-molecule fluorescence. Although previous studies have explored Sus protein structure and function, the transient interactions, assembly, and collaboration of these outer membrane proteins have not yet been elucidated in live cells. Our live-cell superresolution imaging reveals that the polymeric starch substrate dynamically recruits Sus proteins, serving as an external scaffold for bacterial membrane assembly of the Sus complex, which may promote efficient capturing and degradation of starch. Furthermore, by simultaneously localizing multiple Sus outer membrane proteins on theB. thetaiotaomicroncell surface, we have characterized the dynamics and stoichiometry of starch-induced Sus complex assembly on the molecular scale. Finally, based on Sus protein knockout strains, we have discerned the mechanism of starch-induced Sus complex assembly in live anaerobic cells with nanometer-scale resolution. Our insights into the starch-induced outer membrane protein assembly central to this conserved nutrient uptake mechanism pave the way for the development of dietary or pharmaceutical therapies to controlBacteroidetesin the intestinal tract to enhance human health and treat disease.IMPORTANCEIn this study, we used nanometer-scale superresolution imaging to reveal dynamic interactions between the proteins involved in starch processing by the prominent human gut symbiontBacteroides thetaiotaomicronin real time in live cells. These results represent the first working model of starch utilization system (Sus) complex assembly and function during glycan catabolism and are likely to describe aspects of how other Sus-like systems function in human gutBacteroidetes. Our results provide unique mechanistic insights into a glycan catabolism strategy that is prevalent within the human gut microbial community. Proper understanding of this conserved nutrient uptake mechanism is essential for the development of dietary or pharmaceutical therapies to control intestinal tract microbial populations, to enhance human health, and to treat disease.

scholarly journals Conidial Hydrophobins of Aspergillus fumigatus

2003 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 1581-1588 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Paris ◽  
Jean-Paul Debeaupuis ◽  
Reto Crameri ◽  
Marilyn Carey ◽  
Franck Charlès ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Aspergillus Fumigatus ◽  
Amorphous Layer ◽  
Wall Layer ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Outer Cell ◽  
Host Immune System ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Cell Wall Layer ◽  
Outer Cell Wall

ABSTRACT The surface of Aspergillus fumigatus conidia, the first structure recognized by the host immune system, is covered by rodlets. We report that this outer cell wall layer contains two hydrophobins, RodAp and RodBp, which are found as highly insoluble complexes. The RODA gene was previously characterized, and ΔrodA conidia do not display a rodlet layer (N. Thau, M. Monod, B. Crestani, C. Rolland, G. Tronchin, J. P. Latgé, and S. Paris, Infect. Immun. 62:4380-4388, 1994). The RODB gene was cloned and disrupted. RodBp was highly homologous to RodAp and different from DewAp of A. nidulans. ΔrodB conidia had a rodlet layer similar to that of the wild-type conidia. Therefore, unlike RodAp, RodBp is not required for rodlet formation. The surface of ΔrodA conidia is granular; in contrast, an amorphous layer is present at the surface of the conidia of the ΔrodA ΔrodB double mutant. These data show that RodBp plays a role in the structure of the conidial cell wall. Moreover, rodletless mutants are more sensitive to killing by alveolar macrophages, suggesting that RodAp or the rodlet structure is involved in the resistance to host cells.

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