scholarly journals Structure of dual-BON domain protein DolP identifies phospholipid binding as a new mechanism for protein localization

eLife ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack Alfred Bryant ◽  
Faye C Morris ◽  
Timothy J Knowles ◽  
Riyaz Maderbocus ◽  
Eva Heinz ◽  
...  

The Gram-negative outer membrane envelops the bacterium and functions as a permeability barrier against antibiotics, detergents and environmental stresses. Some virulence factors serve to maintain the integrity of the outer membrane, including DolP (formerly YraP) a protein of unresolved structure and function. Here we reveal DolP is a lipoprotein functionally conserved among Gram-negative bacteria and that loss of DolP increases membrane fluidity. We present the NMR solution structure for Escherichia coli DolP, which is composed of two BON domains that form an interconnected opposing pair. The C-terminal BON domain binds anionic phospholipids through an extensive membrane:protein interface. This interaction is essential for DolP function and is required for sub-cellular localization of the protein to the cell division site, providing evidence of subcellular localization of these phospholipids within the outer membrane. The structure of DolP provides a new target for developing therapies that disrupt the integrity of the bacterial cell envelope.

Author(s):  
J. A. Bryant ◽  
F. C. Morris ◽  
T. J. Knowles ◽  
R. Maderbocus ◽  
E. Heinz ◽  
...  

AbstractThe Gram-negative outer membrane envelops the bacterium and functions as a permeability barrier against antibiotics, detergents and environmental stresses. Some virulence factors serve to maintain the integrity of the outer membrane, including DolP (formerly YraP) a protein of unresolved structure and function. Here we reveal DolP is a lipoprotein functionally conserved among Gram-negative bacteria and that loss of DolP increases membrane fluidity. We present the NMR solution structure for DolP, which is composed of two BON domains that form an interconnected opposing pair. The C-terminal BON domain binds to anionic phospholipids through an extensive membrane:protein interface providing evidence of subcellular localization of these phospholipids within the outer membrane. This interaction is essential for DolP function and is required for sub-cellular localization of the protein to the cell division site. The structure of DolP provides a new target for developing therapies that disrupt the integrity of the bacterial cell envelope.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Winkle ◽  
Víctor M. Hernández-Rocamora ◽  
Karthik Pullela ◽  
Emily C. A. Goodall ◽  
Alessandra M. Martorana ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTGram-negative bacteria have a unique cell envelope with a lipopolysaccharide-containing outer membrane that is tightly connected to a thin layer of peptidoglycan. The tight connection between the outer membrane and peptidoglycan is needed to maintain the outer membrane as an impermeable barrier for many toxic molecules and antibiotics. Enterobacteriaceae such as Escherichia coli covalently attach the abundant outer membrane-anchored lipoprotein Lpp (Braun’s lipoprotein) to tripeptides in peptidoglycan, mediated by the transpeptidases LdtA, LdtB and LdtC. LdtD and LdtE are members of the same family of LD-transpeptidases but they catalyse a different reaction, the formation of 3-3 cross-links in the peptidoglycan. The function of the sixth homologue in E. coli, LdtF remains unclear, although it has been shown to become essential in cells with inhibited LPS export to the outer membrane. We now show that LdtF hydrolyses the Lpp-peptidoglycan linkage, detaching Lpp from peptidoglycan, and have renamed LdtF to peptidoglycan meso-diaminopimelic acid protein amidase A (DpaA). We show that the detachment of Lpp from peptidoglycan is beneficial for the cell under certain stress conditions and that the deletion of dpaA allows frequent transposon inactivation in the lapB (yciM) gene, whose product down-regulates lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis. DpaA-like proteins have characteristic sequence motifs and are present in many Gram-negative bacteria of which some have no Lpp, raising the possibility that DpaA has other substrates in these species. Overall, our data show that the Lpp-peptidoglycan linkage in E. coli is more dynamic than previously appreciated.IMPORTANCEGram-negative bacteria have a complex cell envelope with two membranes and a periplasm containing the peptidoglycan layer. The outer membrane is firmly connected to the peptidoglycan by highly abundant proteins. The outer membrane-anchored Braun’s lipoprotein (Lpp) is the most abundant protein in E. coli and about one third of the Lpp molecules become covalently attached to tripeptides in peptidoglycan. The attachment of Lpp to peptidoglycan stabilizes the cell envelope and is crucial for the outer membrane to function as a permeability barrier for a range of toxic molecules and antibiotics. So far the attachment of Lpp to peptidoglycan has been considered to be irreversible. We have now identified an amidase, DpaA, which is capable of detaching Lpp from PG and we show that the detachment of Lpp is important under certain stress conditions. DpaA-like proteins are present in many Gram-negative bacteria and may have different substrates in these species.


mBio ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Winkle ◽  
Víctor M. Hernández-Rocamora ◽  
Karthik Pullela ◽  
Emily C. A. Goodall ◽  
Alessandra M. Martorana ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Gram-negative bacteria have a unique cell envelope with a lipopolysaccharide-containing outer membrane that is tightly connected to a thin layer of peptidoglycan. The tight connection between the outer membrane and peptidoglycan is needed to maintain the outer membrane as an impermeable barrier for many toxic molecules and antibiotics. Enterobacteriaceae such as Escherichia coli covalently attach the abundant outer membrane-anchored lipoprotein Lpp (Braun’s lipoprotein) to tripeptides in peptidoglycan, mediated by the transpeptidases LdtA, LdtB, and LdtC. LdtD and LdtE are members of the same family of ld-transpeptidases but they catalyze a different reaction, the formation of 3-3 cross-links in the peptidoglycan. The function of the sixth homologue in E. coli, LdtF, remains unclear, although it has been shown to become essential in cells with inhibited lipopolysaccharide export to the outer membrane. We now show that LdtF hydrolyzes the Lpp-peptidoglycan linkage, detaching Lpp from peptidoglycan, and have renamed LdtF to peptidoglycan meso-diaminopimelic acid protein amidase A (DpaA). We show that the detachment of Lpp from peptidoglycan is beneficial for the cell under certain stress conditions and that the deletion of dpaA allows frequent transposon inactivation in the lapB (yciM) gene, whose product downregulates lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis. DpaA-like proteins have characteristic sequence motifs and are present in many Gram-negative bacteria, of which some have no Lpp, raising the possibility that DpaA has other substrates in these species. Overall, our data show that the Lpp-peptidoglycan linkage in E. coli is more dynamic than previously appreciated. IMPORTANCE Gram-negative bacteria have a complex cell envelope with two membranes and a periplasm containing the peptidoglycan layer. The outer membrane is firmly connected to the peptidoglycan by highly abundant proteins. The outer membrane-anchored Braun’s lipoprotein (Lpp) is the most abundant protein in E. coli, and about one-third of the Lpp molecules become covalently attached to tripeptides in peptidoglycan. The attachment of Lpp to peptidoglycan stabilizes the cell envelope and is crucial for the outer membrane to function as a permeability barrier for a range of toxic molecules and antibiotics. So far, the attachment of Lpp to peptidoglycan has been considered to be irreversible. We have now identified an amidase, DpaA, which is capable of detaching Lpp from peptidoglycan, and we show that the detachment of Lpp is important under certain stress conditions. DpaA-like proteins are present in many Gram-negative bacteria and may have different substrates in these species.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raj Bahadur ◽  
Pavan Kumar Chodisetti ◽  
Manjula Reddy

AbstractGram-negative bacterial cell envelope is made up of an outer membrane (OM), an inner membrane (IM) that surrounds the cytoplasm, and a periplasmic space between the two membranes containing peptidoglycan (PG or murein). PG is an elastic polymer that forms a mesh-like sacculus around the IM protecting cells from turgor and environmental stress conditions. In several bacteria including E. coli, the OM is tethered to PG by an abundant OM lipoprotein, Lpp (or Braun lipoprotein) that functions to maintain the structural and functional integrity of the cell envelope. Since its discovery Lpp has been studied extensively and although L,D-transpeptidases, the enzymes that catalyse the formation of PG–Lpp linkages have been earlier identified, it is not known how these linkages are modulated. Here, using genetic and biochemical approaches, we show that LdtF (formerly yafK), a newly-identified paralog of L,D-transpeptidases in E. coli is a murein hydrolytic enzyme that catalyses cleavage of Lpp from the PG sacculus. LdtF also exhibits glycine-specific carboxypeptidase activity on muropeptides containing a terminal glycine residue. LdtF is earlier presumed to be an L,D-transpeptidase; however, our results show that it is indeed an L,D-endopeptidase that hydrolyses the products generated by the L,D-transpeptidases. To summarize, this study describes the discovery of a murein endopeptidase with a hitherto unknown catalytic specificity that removes the PG–Lpp cross-links suggesting a role for LdtF in regulation of PG-OM linkages to maintain the structural integrity of the bacterial cell envelope.Significance statementBacterial cell walls contain a unique protective exoskeleton, peptidoglycan, which is a target of several clinically important antimicrobials. In Gram-negative bacteria, peptidoglycan is covered by an additional lipid layer, outer membrane that serves as permeability barrier against entry of toxic molecules. In some bacteria, an extremely abundant lipoprotein, Lpp staples outer membrane to peptidoglycan to maintain the structural integrity of the cell envelope. In this study, we identify a previously unknown peptidoglycan hydrolytic enzyme that cleaves Lpp from the peptidoglycan sacculus and show how the outer membrane-peptidoglycan linkages are modulated in Escherichia coli. Overall, this study helps in understanding the fundamental bacterial cell wall biology and in identification of alternate drug targets for development of new antimicrobials.


2010 ◽  
Vol 192 (19) ◽  
pp. 4847-4858 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi-Chun Yeh ◽  
Luis R. Comolli ◽  
Kenneth H. Downing ◽  
Lucy Shapiro ◽  
Harley H. McAdams

ABSTRACTCell division inCaulobacter crescentusinvolves constriction and fission of the inner membrane (IM) followed about 20 min later by fission of the outer membrane (OM) and daughter cell separation. In contrast toEscherichia coli, theCaulobacterTol-Pal complex is essential. Cryo-electron microscopy images of theCaulobactercell envelope exhibited outer membrane disruption, and cells failed to complete cell division in TolA, TolB, or Pal mutant strains. In wild-type cells, components of the Tol-Pal complex localize to the division plane in early predivisional cells and remain predominantly at the new pole of swarmer and stalked progeny upon completion of division. The Tol-Pal complex is required to maintain the position of the transmembrane TipN polar marker, and indirectly the PleC histidine kinase, at the cell pole, but it is not required for the polar maintenance of other transmembrane and membrane-associated polar proteins tested. Coimmunoprecipitation experiments show that both TolA and Pal interact directly or indirectly with TipN. We propose that disruption of thetrans-envelope Tol-Pal complex releases TipN from its subcellular position. TheCaulobacterTol-Pal complex is thus a key component of cell envelope structure and function, mediating OM constriction at the final step of cell division as well as the positioning of a protein localization factor.


2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (26) ◽  
pp. 6834-6839 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ge Zhang ◽  
Vadim Baidin ◽  
Karanbir S. Pahil ◽  
Eileen Moison ◽  
David Tomasek ◽  
...  

New drugs are needed to treat gram-negative bacterial infections. These bacteria are protected by an outer membrane which prevents many antibiotics from reaching their cellular targets. The outer leaflet of the outer membrane contains LPS, which is responsible for creating this permeability barrier. Interfering with LPS biogenesis affects bacterial viability. We developed a cell-based screen that identifies inhibitors of LPS biosynthesis and transport by exploiting the nonessentiality of this pathway inAcinetobacter. We used this screen to find an inhibitor of MsbA, an ATP-dependent flippase that translocates LPS across the inner membrane. Treatment with the inhibitor caused mislocalization of LPS to the cell interior. The discovery of an MsbA inhibitor, which is universally conserved in all gram-negative bacteria, validates MsbA as an antibacterial target. Because our cell-based screen reports on the function of the entire LPS biogenesis pathway, it could be used to identify compounds that inhibit other targets in the pathway, which can provide insights into vulnerabilities of the gram-negative cell envelope.


mBio ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Niccolò Morè ◽  
Alessandra M. Martorana ◽  
Jacob Biboy ◽  
Christian Otten ◽  
Matthias Winkle ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTGram-negative bacteria have a tripartite cell envelope with the cytoplasmic membrane (CM), a stress-bearing peptidoglycan (PG) layer, and the asymmetric outer membrane (OM) containing lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the outer leaflet. Cells must tightly coordinate the growth of their complex envelope to maintain cellular integrity and OM permeability barrier function. The biogenesis of PG and LPS relies on specialized macromolecular complexes that span the entire envelope. In this work, we show thatEscherichia colicells are capable of avoiding lysis when the transport of LPS to the OM is compromised, by utilizing LD-transpeptidases (LDTs) to generate 3-3 cross-links in the PG. This PG remodeling program relies mainly on the activities of the stress response LDT, LdtD, together with the major PG synthase PBP1B, its cognate activator LpoB, and the carboxypeptidase PBP6a. Our data support a model according to which these proteins cooperate to strengthen the PG in response to defective OM synthesis.IMPORTANCEIn Gram-negative bacteria, the outer membrane protects the cell against many toxic molecules, and the peptidoglycan layer provides protection against osmotic challenges, allowing bacterial cells to survive in changing environments. Maintaining cell envelope integrity is therefore a question of life or death for a bacterial cell. Here we show thatEscherichia colicells activate the LD-transpeptidase LdtD to introduce 3-3 cross-links in the peptidoglycan layer when the integrity of the outer membrane is compromised, and this response is required to avoid cell lysis. This peptidoglycan remodeling program is a strategy to increase the overall robustness of the bacterial cell envelope in response to defects in the outer membrane.


2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (16) ◽  
pp. 2528-2541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yajun Liu ◽  
I-Ju Lee ◽  
Mingzhai Sun ◽  
Casey A. Lower ◽  
Kurt W. Runge ◽  
...  

Rho GAPs are important regulators of Rho GTPases, which are involved in various steps of cytokinesis and other processes. However, regulation of Rho-GAP cellular localization and function is not fully understood. Here we report the characterization of a novel coiled-coil protein Rng10 and its relationship with the Rho-GAP Rga7 in fission yeast. Both rng10Δ and rga7Δ result in defective septum and cell lysis during cytokinesis. Rng10 and Rga7 colocalize on the plasma membrane at the cell tips during interphase and at the division site during cell division. Rng10 physically interacts with Rga7 in affinity purification and coimmunoprecipitation. Of interest, Rga7 localization is nearly abolished without Rng10. Moreover, Rng10 and Rga7 work together to regulate the accumulation and dynamics of glucan synthases for successful septum formation in cytokinesis. Our results show that cellular localization and function of the Rho-GAP Rga7 are regulated by a novel protein, Rng10, during cytokinesis in fission yeast.


2004 ◽  
Vol 186 (20) ◽  
pp. 6809-6814 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arpita Chatterjee ◽  
Sohini Chaudhuri ◽  
Gargi Saha ◽  
Satadeepa Gupta ◽  
Rukhsana Chowdhury

ABSTRACT Gram-negative bacteria are inherently impermeable to hydrophobic compounds, due to the synergistic activity of the permeability barrier imposed by the outer membrane and energy dependent efflux systems. The gram-negative, enteric pathogen Vibrio cholerae appears to be deficient in both these activities; the outer membrane is not an effective barrier to hydrophobic permeants, presumably due to the presence of exposed phospholipids on the outer leaflet of the outer membrane, and efflux systems are at best only partially active. When V. cholerae was grown in the presence of bile, entry of hydrophobic compounds into the cells was significantly reduced. No difference was detected in the extent of exposed phospholipids on the outer leaflet of the outer membrane between cells grown in the presence or absence of bile. However, in the presence of energy uncouplers, uptake of hydrophobic probes was comparable between cells grown in the presence or absence of bile, indicating that energy-dependent efflux processes may be involved in restricting the entry of hydrophobic permeants into bile grown cells. Indeed, an efflux system(s) is essential for survival of V. cholerae in the presence of bile. Expression of acrAB, encoding an RND family efflux pump, was significantly increased in V. cholerae cells grown in vitro in the presence of bile and also in cells grown in rabbit intestine.


2020 ◽  
Vol 88 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole P. Giordano ◽  
Melina B. Cian ◽  
Zachary D. Dalebroux

ABSTRACT The outer membrane (OM) of Gram-negative bacteria is an asymmetric lipid bilayer that consists of inner leaflet phospholipids and outer leaflet lipopolysaccharides (LPS). The asymmetric character and unique biochemistry of LPS molecules contribute to the OM’s ability to function as a molecular permeability barrier that protects the bacterium against hazards in the environment. Assembly and regulation of the OM have been extensively studied for understanding mechanisms of antibiotic resistance and bacterial defense against host immunity; however, there is little knowledge on how Gram-negative bacteria release their OMs into their environment to manipulate their hosts. Discoveries in bacterial lipid trafficking, OM lipid homeostasis, and host recognition of microbial patterns have shed new light on how microbes secrete OM vesicles (OMVs) to influence inflammation, cell death, and disease pathogenesis. Pathogens release OMVs that contain phospholipids, like cardiolipins, and components of LPS molecules, like lipid A endotoxins. These multiacylated lipid amphiphiles are molecular patterns that are differentially detected by host receptors like the Toll-like receptor 4/myeloid differentiation factor 2 complex (TLR4/MD-2), mouse caspase-11, and human caspases 4 and 5. We discuss how lipid ligands on OMVs engage these pattern recognition receptors on the membranes and in the cytosol of mammalian cells. We then detail how bacteria regulate OM lipid asymmetry, negative membrane curvature, and the phospholipid-to-LPS ratio to control OMV formation. The goal is to highlight intersections between OM lipid regulation and host immunity and to provide working models for how bacterial lipids influence vesicle formation.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document