High-Level Resistance to Cobalt and Nickel in Cuban Serratia marcescens Strains Isolated from Serpentine Deposits

2007 ◽  
Vol 20-21 ◽  
pp. 521-525
Author(s):  
Jeannette Marrero ◽  
Georg Auling ◽  
Orquidea Coto ◽  
Dietrich Nies
Keyword(s):  
Serratia Marcescens ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Regulatory Protein ◽  
Metal Resistance ◽  
Uptake System ◽  
Nickel Resistance ◽  
16S Rrna Analysis ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Flow Equilibrium ◽  
Cobalt And Nickel

A collection of highly nickel and cobalt-resistant enterobacteria were isolated from the Punta Gorda serpentine deposit (Moa, Cuba). The most nickel and cobalt resistant strain (termed C- 1) was assigned to Serratia marcescens by 16S rRNA analysis and DNA/DNA hybridization and the molecular mechanisms underlying its inducible cobalt and nickel resistance was investigated. Genes involved in metal resistance were identified by transposon mutagenesis followed by selection for Co- and Ni-sensitive derivatives. The transposon insertion causing the highest decrease in metal resistance was located in the ncrABC determinant. The three ORFs (ncrA, ncrB and ncrC) were cloned in E. coli. The predicted NcrA product was an NreB ortholog of the major facilitator protein superfamily and was central for Co/Ni resistance in S. marcescens strain C-1. NcrA also mediated metal resistance in E. coli and caused decreased accumulation of Co and Ni in this heterologous host. NcrB may be a regulatory protein. NcrC was a protein of the Ni–Co transport (NiCoT) protein family and necessary for full metal resistance in E. coli, but only when NcrA was also present. Without NcrA, NcrC caused a slight decrease in metal resistance and mediated increased accumulation of Ni and Co. As the cytoplasmic metal concentration can be assumed to be the result of a flow equilibrium of uptake and efflux processes, this interplay between metal uptake system NcrC and metal efflux system NcrA may contribute to nickel and cobalt resistance in this bacterium.

scholarly journals Regulation of the Cobalt/Nickel Efflux OperondmeRFin Agrobacterium tumefaciens and a Link between the Iron-Sensing Regulator RirA and Cobalt/Nickel Resistance

2016 ◽  
Vol 82 (15) ◽  
pp. 4732-4742 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thanittra Dokpikul ◽  
Paweena Chaoprasid ◽  
Kritsakorn Saninjuk ◽  
Sirin Sirirakphaisarn ◽  
Jaruwan Johnrod ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Agrobacterium Tumefaciens ◽  
Iron Homeostasis ◽  
Regulatory Protein ◽  
Nickel Resistance ◽  
Mobility Shift ◽  
Potent Inducer ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cobalt Nickel ◽  
Metal Efflux ◽  
Cobalt And Nickel

ABSTRACTTheAgrobacterium tumefaciensC58 genome harbors an operon containing thedmeR(Atu0890) anddmeF(Atu0891) genes, which encode a transcriptional regulatory protein belonging to the RcnR/CsoR family and a metal efflux protein belonging to the cation diffusion facilitator (CDF) family, respectively. ThedmeRFoperon is specifically induced by cobalt and nickel, with cobalt being the more potent inducer. Promoter-lacZtranscriptional fusion, an electrophoretic mobility shift assay, and DNase I footprinting assays revealed that DmeR repressesdmeRFtranscription through direct binding to the promoter region upstream ofdmeR. A strain lackingdmeFshowed increased accumulation of intracellular cobalt and nickel and exhibited hypersensitivity to these metals; however, this strain displayed full virulence, comparable to that of the wild-type strain, when infecting aNicotiana benthamianaplant model under the tested conditions. Cobalt, but not nickel, increased the expression of many iron-responsive genes and reduced the induction of the SoxR-regulated genesodBII. Furthermore, control of iron homeostasis via RirA is important for the ability ofA. tumefaciensto cope with cobalt and nickel toxicity.IMPORTANCEThe molecular mechanism of the regulation ofdmeRFtranscription by DmeR was demonstrated. This work provides evidence of a direct interaction of apo-DmeR with the corresponding DNA operator siteinvitro. The recognition site for apo-DmeR consists of 10-bp AT-rich inverted repeats separated by six C bases (5′-ATATAGTATACCCCCCTATAGTATAT-3′). Cobalt and nickel cause DmeR to dissociate from thedmeRFpromoter, which leads to expression of the metal efflux genedmeF. This work also revealed a connection between iron homeostasis and cobalt/nickel resistance inA. tumefaciens.

High-Level Resistance to Cobalt and Nickel but Probably No Transenvelope Efflux: Metal Resistance in the Cuban Serratia marcescens Strain C-1

2006 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeannette Marrero ◽  
Georg Auling ◽  
Orquidea Coto ◽  
Dietrich H. Nies
Keyword(s):  
Serratia Marcescens ◽  
Metal Resistance ◽  
High Level ◽  
Level Resistance ◽  
Cobalt And Nickel

scholarly journals HasB, the Serratia marcescens TonB Paralog, Is Specific to HasR

2007 ◽  
Vol 190 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Najla Benevides-Matos ◽  
Cécile Wandersman ◽  
Francis Biville
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Serratia Marcescens ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Natural Host ◽  
Heme Uptake ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Transport Receptors ◽  
Tonb Protein ◽  
Specific Pair ◽  
Dependent Transport

ABSTRACT Serratia marcescens possesses two functional TonB paralogs, TonBSm and HasB, for energizing TonB-dependent transport receptors (TBDT). Previous work had shown that HasB is specific to heme uptake in the natural host and in Escherichia coli expressing the S. marcescens TBDT receptor HasR, whereas the S. marcescens TonB and E. coli TonB proteins function equally well with various TBDT receptors for heme and siderophores. This has raised the question of the target of this specificity. HasB could be specific either to heme TBDT receptors or only to HasR. To resolve this question, we have cloned in E. coli another S. marcescens heme receptor, HemR, and we show here that this receptor is TonB dependent and does not work with HasB. This demonstrates that HasB is not dedicated to heme TBDT receptors but rather forms a specific pair with HasR. This is the first reported case of a specific TonB protein working with only one TBDT receptor in one given species. We discuss the occurrence, possible molecular mechanisms, and selective advantages of such dedicated TonB paralogs.

scholarly journals Production, characterization, and cross-reactivity of a polyclonal antibody against Arabidopsis TARGET OF RAPAMYCIN

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gyeong-Im Shin ◽  
Sun Young Moon ◽  
Song Yi Jeong ◽  
Myung Geun Ji ◽  
Joon-Yung Cha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Cross Reactivity ◽  
Target Of Rapamycin ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Anticancer Activities ◽  
Purification Method ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Related Family ◽  
Large Gene ◽  
Truncated Variants

AbstractTARGET OF RAPAMYCIN (TOR), a member of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-related family of protein kinases, is encoded by a single, large gene and is evolutionarily conserved in all eukaryotes. TOR plays a role as a master regulator that integrates nutrient, energy, and stress signaling to orchestrate development. TOR was first identified in yeast mutant screens, as its mutants conferred resistance to rapamycin, an antibiotic with immunosuppressive and anticancer activities. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the loss-of-function tor mutant displays embryo lethality, but the precise mechanisms of TOR function are still unknown. Moreover, a lack of reliable molecular and biochemical assay tools limits our ability to explore TOR functions in plants. Here, we produced a polyclonal α-TOR antibody using two truncated variants of TOR (1–200 and 1113–1304 amino acids) as antigens because recombinant full-length TOR is challenging to express in Escherichia coli. Recombinant His-TOR1−200 and His-TOR1113−1304 proteins were individually expressed in E. coli, and a mixture of proteins (at a 1:1 ratio) was used for immunizing rabbits. Antiserum was purified by an antigen-specific purification method, and the purified polyclonal α-TOR antibody successfully detected endogenous TOR proteins in wild-type Arabidopsis and TOR orthologous in major crop plants, including tomato, maize, and alfalfa. Moreover, our α-TOR antibody is useful for coimmunoprecipitation assays. In summary, we generated a polyclonal α-TOR antibody that detects endogenous TOR in various plant species. Our antibody could be used in future studies to determine the precise molecular mechanisms of TOR, which has largely unknown multifunctional roles in plants.

scholarly journals Global versus Local Regulatory Roles for Lrp-Related Proteins: Haemophilus influenzae as a Case Study

2001 ◽  
Vol 183 (13) ◽  
pp. 4004-4011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Devorah Friedberg ◽  
Michael Midkiff ◽  
Joseph M. Calvo
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Haemophilus Influenzae ◽  
Regulatory Protein ◽  
Enteric Bacteria ◽  
Regulatory Role ◽  
Regulatory Function ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Sequence Identity ◽  
Related Proteins

ABSTRACT Lrp (leucine-responsive regulatory protein) plays a global regulatory role in Escherichia coli, affecting expression of dozens of operons. Numerous lrp-related genes have been identified in different bacteria and archaea, includingasnC, an E. coli gene that was the first reported member of this family. Pairwise comparisons of amino acid sequences of the corresponding proteins shows an average sequence identity of only 29% for the vast majority of comparisons. By contrast, Lrp-related proteins from enteric bacteria show more than 97% amino acid identity. Is the global regulatory role associated withE. coli Lrp limited to enteric bacteria? To probe this question we investigated LrfB, an Lrp-related protein fromHaemophilus influenzae that shares 75% sequence identity with E. coli Lrp (highest sequence identity among 42 sequences compared). A strain of H. influenzae having anlrfB null allele grew at the wild-type growth rate but with a filamentous morphology. A comparison of two-dimensional (2D) electrophoretic patterns of proteins from parent and mutant strains showed only two differences (comparable studies withlrp + and lrp E. coli strains by others showed 20 differences). The abundance of LrfB in H. influenzae, estimated by Western blotting experiments, was about 130 dimers per cell (compared to 3,000 dimers per E. colicell). LrfB expressed in E. coli replaced Lrp as a repressor of the lrp gene but acted only to a limited extent as an activator of the ilvIH operon. Thus, although LrfB resembles Lrp sufficiently to perform some of its functions, its low abundance is consonant with a more local role in regulating but a few genes, a view consistent with the results of the 2D electrophoretic analysis. We speculate that an Lrp having a global regulatory role evolved to help enteric bacteria adapt to their ecological niches and that it is unlikely that Lrp-related proteins in other organisms have a broad regulatory function.

scholarly journals In Escherichia coli Ammonia Inhibits Cytochrome bo3 But Activates Cytochrome bd-I

Antioxidants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Elena Forte ◽  
Sergey A. Siletsky ◽  
Vitaliy B. Borisov
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Dissociation Constants ◽  
Reductase Activity ◽  
Ammonia Concentration ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Cytochrome Bd ◽  
Cytochrome Bo3 ◽  
Oxygen Reductase

Interaction of two redox enzymes of Escherichia coli, cytochrome bo3 and cytochrome bd-I, with ammonium sulfate/ammonia at pH 7.0 and 8.3 was studied using high-resolution respirometry and absorption spectroscopy. At pH 7.0, the oxygen reductase activity of none of the enzymes is affected by the ligand. At pH 8.3, cytochrome bo3 is inhibited by the ligand, with 40% maximum inhibition at 100 mM (NH4)2SO4. In contrast, the activity of cytochrome bd-I at pH 8.3 increases with increasing the ligand concentration, the largest increase (140%) is observed at 100 mM (NH4)2SO4. In both cases, the effector molecule is apparently not NH4+ but NH3. The ligand induces changes in absorption spectra of both oxidized cytochromes at pH 8.3. The magnitude of these changes increases as ammonia concentration is increased, yielding apparent dissociation constants Kdapp of 24.3 ± 2.7 mM (NH4)2SO4 (4.9 ± 0.5 mM NH3) for the Soret region in cytochrome bo3, and 35.9 ± 7.1 and 24.6 ± 12.4 mM (NH4)2SO4 (7.2 ± 1.4 and 4.9 ± 2.5 mM NH3) for the Soret and visible regions, respectively, in cytochrome bd-I. Consistently, addition of (NH4)2SO4 to cells of the E. coli mutant containing cytochrome bd-I as the only terminal oxidase at pH 8.3 accelerates the O2 consumption rate, the highest one (140%) being at 27 mM (NH4)2SO4. We discuss possible molecular mechanisms and physiological significance of modulation of the enzymatic activities by ammonia present at high concentration in the intestines, a niche occupied by E. coli.

scholarly journals Structure and dynamics of the E. coli chemotaxis core signaling complex by cryo-electron tomography and molecular simulations

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Keith Cassidy ◽  
Benjamin A. Himes ◽  
Dapeng Sun ◽  
Jun Ma ◽  
Gongpu Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Electron Tomography ◽  
Conformational Dynamics ◽  
Molecular Simulations ◽  
Adaptor Protein ◽  
Signaling Mechanism ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Signaling Complex ◽  
Chemical Gradients ◽  
Cryo Electron Tomography

AbstractTo enable the processing of chemical gradients, chemotactic bacteria possess large arrays of transmembrane chemoreceptors, the histidine kinase CheA, and the adaptor protein CheW, organized as coupled core-signaling units (CSU). Despite decades of study, important questions surrounding the molecular mechanisms of sensory signal transduction remain unresolved, owing especially to the lack of a high-resolution CSU structure. Here, we use cryo-electron tomography and sub-tomogram averaging to determine a structure of the Escherichia coli CSU at sub-nanometer resolution. Based on our experimental data, we use molecular simulations to construct an atomistic model of the CSU, enabling a detailed characterization of CheA conformational dynamics in its native structural context. We identify multiple, distinct conformations of the critical P4 domain as well as asymmetries in the localization of the P3 bundle, offering several novel insights into the CheA signaling mechanism.

scholarly journals A Rhodobacter sphaeroides Protein Mechanistically Similar to Escherichia coli DksA Regulates Photosynthetic Growth

mBio ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher W. Lennon ◽  
Kimberly C. Lemmer ◽  
Jessica L. Irons ◽  
Max I. Sellman ◽  
Timothy J. Donohue ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Structure Function ◽  
Rhodobacter Sphaeroides ◽  
Fatty Acid Content ◽  
Regulatory Protein ◽  
Growth Conditions ◽  
Globular Domain ◽  
Content Type ◽  
E Coli

ABSTRACTDksA is a global regulatory protein that, together with the alarmone ppGpp, is required for the “stringent response” to nutrient starvation in the gammaproteobacteriumEscherichia coliand for more moderate shifts between growth conditions. DksA modulates the expression of hundreds of genes, directly or indirectly. Mutants lacking a DksA homolog exhibit pleiotropic phenotypes in other gammaproteobacteria as well. Here we analyzed the DksA homolog RSP2654 in the more distantly relatedRhodobacter sphaeroides, an alphaproteobacterium. RSP2654 is 42% identical and similar in length toE. coliDksA but lacks the Zn finger motif of theE. coliDksA globular domain. Deletion of the RSP2654 gene results in defects in photosynthetic growth, impaired utilization of amino acids, and an increase in fatty acid content. RSP2654 complements the growth and regulatory defects of anE. colistrain lacking thedksAgene and modulates transcriptionin vitrowithE. coliRNA polymerase (RNAP) similarly toE. coliDksA. RSP2654 reduces RNAP-promoter complex stabilityin vitrowith RNAPs fromE. coliorR. sphaeroides, alone and synergistically with ppGpp, suggesting that even though it has limited sequence identity toE. coliDksA (DksAEc), it functions in a mechanistically similar manner. We therefore designate the RSP2654 protein DksARsp. Our work suggests that DksARsphas distinct and important physiological roles in alphaproteobacteria and will be useful for understanding structure-function relationships in DksA and the mechanism of synergy between DksA and ppGpp.IMPORTANCEThe role of DksA has been analyzed primarily in the gammaproteobacteria, in which it is best understood for its role in control of the synthesis of the translation apparatus and amino acid biosynthesis. Our work suggests that DksA plays distinct and important physiological roles in alphaproteobacteria, including the control of photosynthesis inRhodobacter sphaeroides. The study of DksARsp, should be useful for understanding structure-function relationships in the protein, including those that play a role in the little-understood synergy between DksA and ppGpp.

Formation, translocation and resolution of Holliday junctions during homologous genetic recombination

1995 ◽  
Vol 347 (1319) ◽  
pp. 21-25 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Genetic Recombination ◽  
Holliday Junctions ◽  
The Novel ◽  
E Coli ◽  
The Past ◽  
Endonucleolytic Cleavage ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Made In

Over the past three or four years, great strides have been made in our understanding of the proteins involved in recombination and the mechanisms by which recombinant molecules are formed. This review summarizes our current understanding of the process by focusing on recent studies of proteins involved in the later steps of recombination in bacteria. In particular, biochemical investigation of the in vitro properties of the E. coli RuvA, RuvB and RuvC proteins have provided our first insight into the novel molecular mechanisms by which Holliday junctions are moved along DNA and then resolved by endonucleolytic cleavage.

scholarly journals The regulatory protein RraA modulates RNA-binding and helicase activities of the E. coli RNA degradosome

RNA ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 553-562 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. W. Gorna ◽  
Z. Pietras ◽  
Y.-C. Tsai ◽  
A. J. Callaghan ◽  
H. Hernandez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rna Binding ◽  
Regulatory Protein ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Rna Degradosome
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