scholarly journals Expression and Functional Analysis of the Argonaute Protein of Thermus thermophilus (TtAgo) in E. coli BL21(DE3)

Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 524
Author(s):  
Jiani Xing ◽  
Lixia Ma ◽  
Xinzhen Cheng ◽  
Jinrong Ma ◽  
Ruyu Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thermus Thermophilus ◽  
Extreme Environments ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Independent Manner ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Argonaute Proteins ◽  
Shed Light

The prokaryotic Argonaute proteins (pAgos) have been reported to cleave or interfere with DNA targets in a guide-dependent or independent manner. It is often difficult to characterize pAgos in vivo due to the extreme environments favored by their hosts. In the present study, we expressed functional Thermus thermophilus pAgo (TtAgo) in E. coli BL21 (DE3) cells at 37 °C. Initial attempts to express TtAgo in BL21(DE3) cells at 37 °C failed. This was not because of TtAgo mediated general toxicity to the host cells, but instead because of TtAgo-induced loss of its expression plasmid. We employed this discovery to establish a screening system for isolating loss-of-function mutants of TtAgo. The E. colifabI gene was used to help select for full-length TtAgo loss of function mutants, as overexpression of fabI renders the cell to be resistant to the triclosan. We isolated and characterized eight mutations in TtAgo that abrogated function. The ability of TtAgo to induce loss of its expression vector in vivo at 37 °C is an unreported function that is mechanistically different from its reported in vitro activity. These results shed light on the mechanisms by which TtAgo functions as a defense against foreign DNA invasion.

scholarly journals In vivo and in vitro folding of a recombinant metalloenzyme, phosphomannose isomerase

1996 ◽  
Vol 318 (2) ◽  
pp. 437-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda E. I. PROUDFOOT ◽  
Laurence GOFFIN ◽  
Mark A PAYTON ◽  
Timothy N. C. WELLS ◽  
Alain R BERNARD
Keyword(s):  
Inclusion Bodies ◽  
Guanidine Hydrochloride ◽  
Expression Level ◽  
Phosphomannose Isomerase ◽  
Independent Manner ◽  
Body Protein ◽  
Fourfold Increase ◽  
E Coli

Phosphomannose isomerase (PMI) catalyses the interconversion of mannose 6-phosphate and fructose 6-phosphate in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. The enzyme is a metalloenzyme which contains 1 mol of zinc per mol of enzyme. Heterologous expression of the cDNA coding for the Candida albicans enzyme in the prokaryotic host Escherichia coli results in an expression level of up to 30% of total E. coli protein. Ten percent of recombinant PMI is expressed in the soluble fraction and 90% in inclusion bodies. Inclusion of a high level of zinc in the fermentation medium resulted in a fourfold increase in soluble protein. Co-expression of the bacterial chaperones, GroES and GroEL, resulted in a proportional twofold increase in soluble PMI while causing an overall decrease in the PMI expression level. Folding denatured PMI in vitro required reductant and zinc ions. The yield of renatured protein was increased by folding in the presence of GroEL and DnaK in an ATP-independent manner. The refolding yield of denatured soluble enzyme from a guanidine solution was threefold higher than that of folding monomerized inclusion body protein solubilized in guanidine hydrochloride. This suggests that a proportion of recombinant protein expressed in E. coli inclusion bodies may be irreversibly denatured.

scholarly journals Role of F1C Fimbriae, Flagella, and Secreted Bacterial Components in the Inhibitory Effect of Probiotic Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 on Atypical Enteropathogenic E. coli Infection

2014 ◽  
Vol 82 (5) ◽  
pp. 1801-1812 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvia Kleta ◽  
Marcel Nordhoff ◽  
Karsten Tedin ◽  
Lothar H. Wieler ◽  
Rafal Kolenda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Inhibitory Effect ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Single Infection ◽  
Content Type ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Initial Adhesion

ABSTRACTEnteropathogenicEscherichia coli(EPEC) is recognized as an important intestinal pathogen that frequently causes acute and persistent diarrhea in humans and animals. The use of probiotic bacteria to prevent diarrhea is gaining increasing interest. The probioticE. colistrain Nissle 1917 (EcN) is known to be effective in the treatment of several gastrointestinal disorders. While bothin vitroandin vivostudies have described strong inhibitory effects of EcN on enteropathogenic bacteria, including pathogenicE. coli, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. In this study, we examined the inhibitory effect of EcN on infections of porcine intestinal epithelial cells with atypical enteropathogenicE. coli(aEPEC) with respect to single infection steps, including adhesion, microcolony formation, and the attaching and effacing phenotype. We show that EcN drastically reduced the infection efficiencies of aEPEC by inhibiting bacterial adhesion and growth of microcolonies, but not the attaching and effacing of adherent bacteria. The inhibitory effect correlated with EcN adhesion capacities and was predominantly mediated by F1C fimbriae, but also by H1 flagella, which served as bridges between EcN cells. Furthermore, EcN seemed to interfere with the initial adhesion of aEPEC to host cells by secretion of inhibitory components. These components do not appear to be specific to EcN, but we propose that the strong adhesion capacities enable EcN to secrete sufficient local concentrations of the inhibitory factors. The results of this study are consistent with a mode of action whereby EcN inhibits secretion of virulence-associated proteins of EPEC, but not their expression.

scholarly journals Investigation of the in vitro and in vivo activity of the type IV pilus extension ATPase BfpD

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinlei Zhao ◽  
Shahista Nisa ◽  
Michael S. Donnenberg
Keyword(s):  
Atpase Activity ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Multifunctional Protein ◽  
Mutant Proteins ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Type Iv ◽  
Kinetics Of

AbstractType IV pili (T4Ps) are multifunctional protein fibers found in many bacteria and archaea. All T4P systems have an extension ATPase, which provides the energy required to push structural subunits out of the membrane. We previously reported that the BfpD T4P ATPase from enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) has the expected hexameric structure and ATPase activity, the latter enhanced by the presence of the N-terminal cytoplasmic domains of its partner proteins BfpC and BfpE. In this study, we further investigated the kinetics of the BfpD ATPase. Despite high purity of the proteins, the reported enhanced ATPase activity was found to be from (an) ATPase(s) contaminating the N-BfpC preparation. Furthermore, although two mutations in highly conserved bfpD sites led to loss of function in vivo, the purified mutant proteins retained some ATPase activity, albeit less than the wild-type protein. Therefore, the observed ATPase activity of BfpD was also affected by (a) contaminating ATPase(s). Expression of the mutant bfpD alleles did not interfere with BfpD function in bacteria that also expressed wild-type BfpD. However, a similar mutation of bfpF, which encodes the retraction ATPase, blocked the function of wild-type BfpF when both were present. These results highlight similarities and differences in function and activity of T4P extension and retraction ATPases in EPEC.

STUDIES ON MECHANISM OF REPAIR OF ULTRAVIOLET-IRRADIATED VIRAL AND BACTERIAL DNA IN VIVO AND IN VITRO

1965 ◽  
Vol 43 (7) ◽  
pp. 1207-1219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emanuel Riklis
Keyword(s):  
Uv Irradiation ◽  
Soluble Fraction ◽  
Cell Extract ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Bacterial Dna ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Thymine Dimers ◽  
K 12

The formation of thymine dimers [Formula: see text] from adjacent intrastrand thymines by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation in DNA was studied under different conditions. When thymine-2-C14 DNA was exposed in quartz tubes to 0.5 × 106 ergs/mm2 ultraviolet irradiation, two photoproducts were formed: "a" + [Formula: see text]. The concentration formed in dry DNA was only about [Formula: see text] of that formed in wet DNA.The survival of T1 phage in the dark in the resistant (uvr+) and the sensitive (uvr−) mutants of E. coli K-12 after UV irradiation of the phage in the wet and dry state is markedly dependent on the state of the phage during irradiation. Survival of T1 phage, when UV irradiated dry, was the same in the sensitive as in the resistant host cells, over a wide range of UV doses, while a marked difference in sensitivity existed when it was UV irradiated wet. Similar survival was obtained also by photoreactivation. These results correspond with the notion that thymine dimers are involved both in photoreactivation and in dark (host cell) reactivation.Thymine-requiring E. coli K-12 cells were mutated to a radioresistant strain uvr+ (AB 2416) and a radiosensitive strain uvr− (AB 2419).Irradiation of cells with a dose of 1000 ergs/mm2, followed by incubation of the cells in the dark in enriched M9 media, stopped by addition of 5% trichloroacetic acid, hydrolysis of the acid-insoluble fraction and the acid-soluble fraction in trifluoroacetic acid at 175 °C, and separation of the products by paper chromatography, showed that the two irradiation products "a" + [Formula: see text], which were formed in the bacterial DNA, are excised from the DNA in the uvr+ strain and appear in the acid-soluble fraction. No such excision occurred upon incubation of the radiosensitive strain uvr−.Incubation of the cells under light showed that photoreactivation prevails in the radiosensitive strain, i.e. disappearance of "a" + [Formula: see text] from the DNA, without their appearance in the acid-soluble fraction, while dark reactivation prevailed in the uvr+ strain, a result that indicates a stronger affinity of the dark reactivating system to UV-irradiated DNA. Cell extracts prepared by breaking the cells in a French press in Tris buffer, pH 7.5, plus 10−3 M Mg++ plus 10−3 M mercapto-ethanol showed a similar mechanism; the two irradiation products were excised from DNA by a uvr+ cell extract and not by a uvr− cell extract. Extract of uvr+ cells brought about excision of photoproducts from DNA of the uvr− cell extract.The results suggest that an enzyme, capable of excising thymine dimers, is present in the radioresistant cell as part of the system of repair of DNA from UV irradiation, and its mechanism is demonstrated, both in vivo and in vitro.

scholarly journals Insights into the Biosynthesis of Duramycin

2016 ◽  
Vol 83 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liujie Huo ◽  
Ayşe Ökesli ◽  
Ming Zhao ◽  
Wilfred A. van der Donk
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Cystic Fibrosis ◽  
Viral Entry ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Molecular Probe ◽  
Content Type ◽  
E Coli

ABSTRACT Lantibiotics are ribosomally synthesized and posttranslationally modified antimicrobial peptides that are characterized by the thioether cross-linked bisamino acids lanthionine (Lan) and methyllanthionine (MeLan). Duramycin contains 19 amino acids, including one Lan and two MeLans, an unusual lysinoalanine (Lal) bridge formed from the ε-amino group of lysine 19 and a serine residue at position 6, and an erythro-3-hydroxy-l-aspartic acid at position 15. These modifications are important for the interactions of duramycin with its biological target, phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). Based on the binding affinity and specificity for PE, duramycin has been investigated as a potential therapeutic, as a molecular probe to investigate the role and localization of PE in biological systems, and to block viral entry into mammalian cells. In this study, we identified the duramycin biosynthetic gene cluster by genome sequencing of Streptomyces cinnamoneus ATCC 12686 and investigated the dur biosynthetic machinery by heterologous expression in Escherichia coli. In addition, the analog duramycin C, containing six amino acid changes compared to duramycin, was successfully generated in E. coli. The substrate recognition motif of DurX, an α-ketoglutarate/iron(II)-dependent hydroxylase that carries out the hydroxylation of aspartate 15 of the precursor peptide DurA, was also investigated using mutagenesis of the DurA peptide. Both in vivo and in vitro results demonstrated that Gly16 is important for DurX activity. IMPORTANCE Duramycin is a natural product produced by certain bacteria that binds to phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). Because PE is involved in many cellular processes, duramycin is an antibiotic that kills bacteria, but it has also been used as a molecular probe to detect PE and monitor its localization in mammalian cells and even whole organisms, and it was recently shown to display broad-spectrum inhibition of viral entry into host cells. In addition, the molecule has been evaluated as treatment for cystic fibrosis. We report here the genes that are involved in duramycin biosynthesis, and we produced duramycin by expressing those genes in Escherichia coli. We show that duramycin analogs can also be produced. The ability to access duramycin and analogs by production in E. coli opens opportunities to improve duramycin as an antibiotic, PE probe, antiviral, or cystic fibrosis therapeutic.

scholarly journals G9a and Sirtuin6 epigenetically modulate host cholesterol accumulation to facilitate mycobacterial survival

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Praveen Prakhar ◽  
Bharat Bhatt ◽  
Tanushree Mukherjee ◽  
Gaurav Kumar Lohia ◽  
Ullas Kolthur-Seetharam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cholesterol Biosynthesis ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Cholesterol Accumulation ◽  
Antioxidant Genes ◽  
Histone Modifiers ◽  
Mycobacterial Pathogenesis

AbstractCholesterol derived from the host milieu forms a critical factor for mycobacterial pathogenesis. However, the molecular circuitry co-opted by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) to accumulate cholesterol in host cells remains obscure. Here, we report that a functional amalgamation of WNT-responsive histone modifiers G9a (H3K9 methyltransferase) and Sirt6 (H3K9 deacetylase) orchestrate cholesterol build-up in in-vitro and in-vivo models of Mtb infection. Mechanistically, G9a, along with SREBP2, drives the expression of cholesterol biosynthesis and uptake genes; while Sirt6 represses the genes involved in cholesterol efflux. The accumulated cholesterol promotes the expression of antioxidant genes leading to reduced oxidative stress, thereby supporting Mtb survival. In corroboration, loss-of-function of G9a in vitro and in vivo by pharmacological inhibition; or utilization of BMDMs derived from Sirt6 KO mice or in vivo infection in Sirt6 heterozygous mice; hampers host cholesterol accumulation and restricts Mtb burden. These findings shed light on the novel roles of G9a and Sirt6 during Mtb infection and highlight the previously unknown contribution of host cholesterol in potentiating anti-oxidative responses for aiding Mtb survival.

scholarly journals The Tubulin-Like RepX Protein Encoded by the pXO1 Plasmid Forms Polymers In Vivo in Bacillus anthracis

2009 ◽  
Vol 191 (8) ◽  
pp. 2493-2500 ◽  
Author(s):  
Parvez Akhtar ◽  
Syam P. Anand ◽  
Simon C. Watkins ◽  
Saleem A. Khan
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Anthracis ◽  
Cell Morphology ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
Related Proteins ◽  
Polymeric Structures

ABSTRACT Bacillus anthracis contains two megaplasmids, pXO1 and pXO2, that are critical for its pathogenesis. Stable inheritance of pXO1 in B. anthracis is dependent upon the tubulin/FtsZ-like RepX protein encoded by this plasmid. Previously, we have shown that RepX undergoes GTP-dependent polymerization in vitro. However, the polymerization properties and localization pattern of RepX in vivo are not known. Here, we utilize a RepX-green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion to show that RepX forms foci and three distinct forms of polymeric structures in B. anthracis in vivo, namely straight, curved, and helical filaments. Polymerization of RepX-GFP as well as the nature of polymers formed were dependent upon concentration of the protein inside the B. anthracis cells. RepX predominantly localized as polymers that were parallel to the length of the cell. RepX also formed polymers in Escherichia coli in the absence of other pXO1-encoded products, showing that in vivo polymerization is an inherent property of the protein and does not require either the pXO1 plasmid or proteins unique to B. anthracis. Overexpression of RepX did not affect the cell morphology of B. anthracis cells, whereas it drastically distorted the cell morphology of E. coli host cells. We discuss the significance of our observations in view of the plasmid-specific functions that have been proposed for RepX and related proteins encoded by several megaplasmids found in members of the Bacillus cereus group of bacteria.

scholarly journals Dissecting and Evaluating the Therapeutic Targets of Coptis Chinensis Franch in the Treatment of Urinary Tract Infections Induced by Escherichia coli

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhenglin Chang ◽  
Jinhu Zhang ◽  
Min Lei ◽  
Zheng Jiang ◽  
Xiangkun Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Urinary Tract ◽  
Urinary Tract Infections ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Network Pharmacology ◽  
Coptis Chinensis ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Tract Infections

Coptis chinensis Franch (CCF) is extensively used in the treatment of inflammatory-related diseases. Accumulating studies have previously demonstrated the anti-inflammatory properties of CCF, yet data on its exact targets against urinary tract infections (UTIs) remain largely unknown. Therefore, the present study decodes the potential targets of action of CCF against UTIs by network pharmacology combined with experiment evaluations. Based on the pharmacology network analysis, the current study yielded six core ingredients: quercetin, palmatine (R)-canadine, berlambine, berberine, and berberrubine. The protein–protein interaction network (PPI) was generated by the string database, and then, four targets (IL6, FOS, MYC, and EGFR) were perceived as the major CCF targets using the CytoNCA plug-in. The results of molecular docking showed that the six core constituents of CCF had strong binding affinities toward the four key targets of UTIs after docking into the crystal structure. The enrichment analysis indicated that the possible regulatory mechanisms of CCF against UTIs were based on the modules of inflammation, immune responses, and apoptosis among others. Experimentally, the Escherichia coli (E. coli) strain CFT073 was applied to establish in vivo and in vitro models. In vivo results revealed that the key targets, IL6 and FOS, are significantly upregulated in rat bladder tissues of UTIs, whereas the expression of MYC and EGFR remained steady. Last, in vitro results further confirmed the therapeutic potential of CCF by reducing the expression of IL6 and FOS. In conclusion, IL6 and FOS were generally upregulated in the progression of E. coli–induced UTIs, whereas the CCF intervention exerted a preventive role in host cells stimulated by E. coli, partially due to inhibiting the expression of IL6 and FOS.

scholarly journals Immunolocalization of Hsp60 inLegionella pneumophila

1998 ◽  
Vol 180 (3) ◽  
pp. 505-513 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael A. Garduño ◽  
Gary Faulkner ◽  
Mary A. Trevors ◽  
Neeraj Vats ◽  
Paul S. Hoffman
Keyword(s):  
Legionella Pneumophila ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Polyclonal Antibodies ◽  
Cell Envelope ◽  
Subcellular Location ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Surface Molecules

ABSTRACT One of the most abundant proteins synthesized by Legionella pneumophila, particularly during growth in a variety of eukaryotic host cells, is Hsp60, a member of the GroEL family of molecular chaperones. The present study was initiated in response to a growing number of reports suggesting that for some bacteria, includingL. pneumophila, Hsp60 may exist in extracytoplasmic locations. Immunolocalization techniques with Hsp60-specific monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies were used to define the subcellular location and distribution of Hsp60 in L. pneumophila grown in vitro, or in vivo inside of HeLa cells. For comparative purposesEscherichia coli, expressing recombinant L. pneumophila Hsp60, was employed. In contrast to E. coli, where Hsp60 was localized exclusively in the cytoplasm, inL. pneumophila Hsp60 was predominantly associated with the cell envelope, conforming to a distribution pattern typical of surface molecules that included the major outer membrane protein OmpS and lipopolysaccharide. Interestingly, heat-shocked L. pneumophila organisms exhibited decreased overall levels of cell-associated Hsp60 epitopes and increased relative levels of surface epitopes, suggesting that Hsp60 was released by stressed bacteria. Putative secretion of Hsp60 by L. pneumophila was further indicated by the accumulation of Hsp60 in the endosomal space, between replicating intracellular bacteria. These results are consistent with an extracytoplasmic location for Hsp60 in L. pneumophilaand further suggest both the existence of a novel secretion mechanism (not present in E. coli) and a potential role in pathogenesis.

scholarly journals Thermus thermophilus L11 Methyltransferase, PrmA, Is Dispensable for Growth and Preferentially Modifies Free Ribosomal Protein L11 Prior to Ribosome Assembly

2004 ◽  
Vol 186 (17) ◽  
pp. 5819-5825 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dale M. Cameron ◽  
Steven T. Gregory ◽  
Jill Thompson ◽  
Moo-Jin Suh ◽  
Patrick A. Limbach ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ribosomal Protein ◽  
Thermus Thermophilus ◽  
Methyl Groups ◽  
Maldi Tof Ms ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Maldi Tof ◽  
Ribosomal Protein L11 ◽  
Tof Ms

ABSTRACT The ribosomal protein L11 in bacteria is posttranslationally trimethylated at multiple amino acid positions by the L11 methyltransferase PrmA, the product of the prmA gene. The role of L11 methylation in ribosome function or assembly has yet to be determined, although the deletion of Escherichia coli prmA has no apparent phenotype. We have constructed a mutant of the extreme thermophile Thermus thermophilus in which the prmA gene has been disrupted with the htk gene encoding a heat-stable kanamycin adenyltransferase. This mutant shows no growth defects, indicating that T. thermophilus PrmA, like its E. coli homolog, is dispensable. Ribosomes prepared from this mutant contain unmethylated L11, as determined by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), and are effective substrates for in vitro methylation by cloned and purified T. thermophilus PrmA. MALDI-TOF MS also revealed that T. thermophilus L11 contains a total of 12 methyl groups, in contrast to the 9 methyl groups found in E. coli L11. Finally, we found that, as with the E. coli methyltransferase, the ribosomal protein L11 dissociated from ribosomes is a more efficient substrate for in vitro methylation by PrmA than intact 70S ribosomes, suggesting that methylation in vivo occurs on free L11 prior to its incorporation into ribosomes.

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