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Nie L, Xiao Y, Zhou T, Feng H, He M, Liang Q, Mu K, Nie H, Huang Q, Chen W. Cyclic di-GMP inhibits nitrate assimilation by impairing the antitermination function of NasT in Pseudomonas putida. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:186-203. [PMID: 38000372 PMCID: PMC10783516 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad1117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2022] [Revised: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The ubiquitous bacterial second messenger cyclic diguanylate (c-di-GMP) coordinates diverse cellular processes through its downstream receptors. However, whether c-di-GMP participates in regulating nitrate assimilation is unclear. Here, we found that NasT, an antiterminator involved in nitrate assimilation in Pseudomonas putida, specifically bound c-di-GMP. NasT was essential for expressing the nirBD operon encoding nitrite reductase during nitrate assimilation. High-level c-di-GMP inhibited the binding of NasT to the leading RNA of nirBD operon (NalA), thus attenuating the antitermination function of NasT, resulting in decreased nirBD expression and nitrite reductase activity, which in turn led to increased nitrite accumulation in cells and its export. Molecular docking and point mutation assays revealed five residues in NasT (R70, Q72, D123, K127 and R140) involved in c-di-GMP-binding, of which R140 was essential for both c-di-GMP-binding and NalA-binding. Three diguanylate cyclases (c-di-GMP synthetases) were found to interact with NasT and inhibited nirBD expression, including WspR, PP_2557, and PP_4405. Besides, the c-di-GMP-binding ability of NasT was conserved in the other three representative Pseudomonas species, including P. aeruginosa, P. fluorescens and P. syringae. Our findings provide new insights into nitrate assimilation regulation by revealing the mechanism by which c-di-GMP inhibits nitrate assimilation via NasT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Nie
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Yujie Xiao
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Tiantian Zhou
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Haoqi Feng
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Meina He
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Qingyuan Liang
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Kexin Mu
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Hailing Nie
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Qiaoyun Huang
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Wenli Chen
- National Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
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2
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Goodson JR, Zhang C, Trettel D, Ailinger HE, Lee PE, Spirito CM, Winkler WC. An autoinhibitory mechanism controls RNA-binding activity of the nitrate-sensing protein NasR. Mol Microbiol 2020; 114:348-360. [PMID: 32314426 PMCID: PMC7496416 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2019] [Revised: 04/06/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The ANTAR domain harnesses RNA‐binding activity to promote transcription attenuation. Although several ANTAR proteins have been analyzed by high‐resolution structural analyses, the residues involved in RNA‐recognition and transcription attenuation have not been identified. Nor is it clear how signal‐responsive domains are allosterically coupled with ANTAR domains for control of gene expression. Herein, we examined the sequence conservation of ANTAR domains to find residues that may associate with RNA. We subjected the corresponding positions of Klebsiella oxytoca NasR to site‐directed alanine substitutions and measured RNA‐binding activity. This revealed a functionally important patch of residues that forms amino acid pairing interactions with residues from NasR’s nitrate‐sensing NIT domain. We hypothesize these amino acid pairing interactions are part of an autoinhibitory mechanism that holds the structure in an “off” state in the absence of nitrate signal. Indeed, mutational disruption of these interactions resulted in constitutively active proteins, freed from autoinhibition and no longer influenced by nitrate. Moreover, sequence analyses suggested the autoinhibitory mechanism has been evolutionarily maintained by NasR proteins. These data reveal a molecular mechanism for how NasR couples its nitrate signal to RNA‐binding activity, and generally show how signal‐responsive domains of one‐component regulatory proteins have evolved to exert control over RNA‐binding ANTAR domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan R Goodson
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, The University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Christopher Zhang
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, The University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Daniel Trettel
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Heather E Ailinger
- FIRE: The First-Year Innovation & Research Experience Program, The University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Priscilla E Lee
- FIRE: The First-Year Innovation & Research Experience Program, The University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Catherine M Spirito
- FIRE: The First-Year Innovation & Research Experience Program, The University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Wade C Winkler
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, The University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.,Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.,FIRE: The First-Year Innovation & Research Experience Program, The University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
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3
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Abstract
BACKGROUND RNA secondary structure comparison is a fundamental task for several studies, among which are RNA structure prediction and evolution. The comparison can currently be done efficiently only for pseudoknot-free structures due to their inherent tree representation. RESULTS In this work, we introduce an algebraic language to represent RNA secondary structures with arbitrary pseudoknots. Each structure is associated with a unique algebraic RNA tree that is derived from a tree grammar having concatenation, nesting and crossing as operators. From an algebraic RNA tree, an abstraction is defined in which the primary structure is neglected. The resulting structural RNA tree allows us to define a new measure of similarity calculated exploiting classical tree alignment. CONCLUSIONS The tree grammar with its operators permit to uniquely represent any RNA secondary structure as a tree. Structural RNA trees allow us to perform comparison of RNA secondary structures with arbitrary pseudoknots without taking into account the primary structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela Quadrini
- School of Science and Technology, University of Camerino, Via Madonna della Carceri 9, Camerino, 62032 Italy
| | - Luca Tesei
- School of Science and Technology, University of Camerino, Via Madonna della Carceri 9, Camerino, 62032 Italy
| | - Emanuela Merelli
- School of Science and Technology, University of Camerino, Via Madonna della Carceri 9, Camerino, 62032 Italy
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4
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Sánchez C, Mitsui H, Minamisawa K. Regulation of nitrous oxide reductase genes by NasT-mediated transcription antitermination in Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS 2017; 9:389-396. [PMID: 28474433 DOI: 10.1111/1758-2229.12543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
In Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens, maximal expression of the nitrous oxide reductase gene (nosZ) requires oxygen limitation and the presence of a nitrogen oxide. The putative transcription antiterminator NasT is a positive regulator of nosZ; but in the absence of nitrate, NasT is counteracted by the nitrate sensor NasS. Here, we examined the NasT-mediated mechanism of nosRZDFYLX gene cluster expression. We mapped two transcription start sites of nosR and identified two potential hairpins, H1 and H2, within the 5'-leader of nosR transcripts. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay showed that NasT specifically bound the nosR-leader RNA and deletion of H1 abolished such binding. Under aerobic nitrate-deficient conditions, deletion of H1 or H2 increased the level of nosRZD transcripts. Under denitrifying conditions (anaerobiosis with nitrate supply), the level of nosRZD transcripts was severely impaired in the nasT mutant; in the nasT background, deletions of either hairpin led to increased level of nosRZD transcripts. In contrast to nosRZD coding region, nosR-leader transcript level was not affected by nasS or nasT mutations under aerobic or denitrifying conditions respectively. These results suggest that the two-hairpin RNA structure acts for transcription termination upstream of nosR and the binding of NasT to H1 facilitates read-through transcription to induce nos expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Sánchez
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-Ku, Sendai, 980-8577, Japan
| | - Hisayuki Mitsui
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-Ku, Sendai, 980-8577, Japan
| | - Kiwamu Minamisawa
- Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-Ku, Sendai, 980-8577, Japan
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5
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Transcriptional and translational adaptation to aerobic nitrate anabolism in the denitrifier Paracoccus denitrificans. Biochem J 2017; 474:1769-1787. [PMID: 28385879 PMCID: PMC5424462 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20170115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2017] [Revised: 04/04/2017] [Accepted: 04/06/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Transcriptional adaptation to nitrate-dependent anabolism by Paracoccus denitrificans PD1222 was studied. A total of 74 genes were induced in cells grown with nitrate as N-source compared with ammonium, including nasTSABGHC and ntrBC genes. The nasT and nasS genes were cotranscribed, although nasT was more strongly induced by nitrate than nasS. The nasABGHC genes constituted a transcriptional unit, which is preceded by a non-coding region containing hairpin structures involved in transcription termination. The nasTS and nasABGHC transcripts were detected at similar levels with nitrate or glutamate as N-source, but nasABGHC transcript was undetectable in ammonium-grown cells. The nitrite reductase NasG subunit was detected by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in cytoplasmic fractions from nitrate-grown cells, but it was not observed when either ammonium or glutamate was used as the N-source. The nasT mutant lacked both nasABGHC transcript and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH)-dependent nitrate reductase activity. On the contrary, the nasS mutant showed similar levels of the nasABGHC transcript to the wild-type strain and displayed NasG protein and NADH–nitrate reductase activity with all N-sources tested, except with ammonium. Ammonium repression of nasABGHC was dependent on the Ntr system. The ntrBC and ntrYX genes were expressed at low levels regardless of the nitrogen source supporting growth. Mutational analysis of the ntrBCYX genes indicated that while ntrBC genes are required for nitrate assimilation, ntrYX genes can only partially restore growth on nitrate in the absence of ntrBC genes. The existence of a regulation mechanism for nitrate assimilation in P. denitrificans, by which nitrate induction operates at both transcriptional and translational levels, is proposed.
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6
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Van Assche E, Van Puyvelde S, Vanderleyden J, Steenackers HP. RNA-binding proteins involved in post-transcriptional regulation in bacteria. Front Microbiol 2015; 6:141. [PMID: 25784899 PMCID: PMC4347634 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.00141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2014] [Accepted: 02/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-transcriptional regulation is a very important mechanism to control gene expression in changing environments. In the past decade, a lot of interest has been directed toward the role of small RNAs (sRNAs) in bacterial post-transcriptional regulation. However, sRNAs are not the only molecules controlling gene expression at this level, RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) play an important role as well. CsrA and Hfq are the two best studied bacterial proteins of this type, but recently, additional proteins involved in post-transcriptional control have been identified. This review focuses on the general working mechanisms of post-transcriptionally active RBPs, which include (i) adaptation of the susceptibility of mRNAs and sRNAs to RNases, (ii) modulating the accessibility of the ribosome binding site of mRNAs, (iii) recruiting and assisting in the interaction of mRNAs with other molecules and (iv) regulating transcription terminator/antiterminator formation, and gives an overview of both the well-studied and the newly identified proteins that are involved in post-transcriptional regulatory processes. Additionally, the post-transcriptional mechanisms by which the expression or the activity of these proteins is regulated, are described. For many of the newly identified proteins, however, mechanistic questions remain. Most likely, more post-transcriptionally active proteins will be identified in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elke Van Assche
- Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, Department of Molecular and Microbial Systems, KU Leuven Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sandra Van Puyvelde
- Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, Department of Molecular and Microbial Systems, KU Leuven Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jos Vanderleyden
- Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, Department of Molecular and Microbial Systems, KU Leuven Leuven, Belgium
| | - Hans P Steenackers
- Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics, Department of Molecular and Microbial Systems, KU Leuven Leuven, Belgium
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Nitrate assimilation contributes to Ralstonia solanacearum root attachment, stem colonization, and virulence. J Bacteriol 2013; 196:949-60. [PMID: 24363343 DOI: 10.1128/jb.01378-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Ralstonia solanacearum, an economically important plant pathogen, must attach, grow, and produce virulence factors to colonize plant xylem vessels and cause disease. Little is known about the bacterial metabolism that drives these processes. Nitrate is present in both tomato xylem fluid and agricultural soils, and the bacterium's gene expression profile suggests that it assimilates nitrate during pathogenesis. A nasA mutant, which lacks the gene encoding the catalytic subunit of R. solanacearum's sole assimilatory nitrate reductase, did not grow on nitrate as a sole nitrogen source. This nasA mutant exhibited reduced virulence and delayed stem colonization after soil soak inoculation of tomato plants. The nasA virulence defect was more severe following a period of soil survival between hosts. Unexpectedly, once bacteria reached xylem tissue, nitrate assimilation was dispensable for growth, virulence, and competitive fitness. However, nasA-dependent nitrate assimilation was required for normal production of extracellular polysaccharide (EPS), a major virulence factor. Quantitative analyses revealed that EPS production was significantly influenced by nitrate assimilation when nitrate was not required for growth. The plant colonization delay of the nasA mutant was externally complemented by coinoculation with wild-type bacteria but not by coinoculation with an EPS-deficient epsB mutant. The nasA mutant and epsB mutant did not attach to tomato roots as well as wild-type strain UW551. However, adding either wild-type cells or cell-free EPS improved the root attachment of these mutants. These data collectively suggest that nitrate assimilation promotes R. solanacearum virulence by enhancing root attachment, the initial stage of infection, possibly by modulating EPS production.
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8
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Three of four GlnR binding sites are essential for GlnR-mediated activation of transcription of the Amycolatopsis mediterranei nas operon. J Bacteriol 2013; 195:2595-602. [PMID: 23543714 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00182-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In Amycolatopsis mediterranei U32, genes responsible for nitrate assimilation formed one operon, nasACKBDEF, whose transcription is induced by the addition of nitrate. Here, we characterized GlnR as a direct transcriptional activator for the nas operon. The GlnR-protected DNA sequences in the promoter region of the nas operon were characterized by DNase I footprinting assay, the previously deduced Streptomyces coelicolor double 22-bp GlnR binding consensus sequences comprising a1, b1, a2, and b2 sites were identified, and the sites were then mutated individually to test their roles in both the binding of GlnR in vitro and the GlnR-mediated transcriptional activation in vivo. The results clearly showed that only three GlnR binding sites (a1, b1, and b2 sites) were required by GlnR for its specific binding to the nas promoter region and efficient activation of the transcription of the nas operon in U32, while the a2 site seemed unnecessary.
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9
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Heterologous viral expression systems in fosmid vectors increase the functional analysis potential of metagenomic libraries. Sci Rep 2013; 3:1107. [PMID: 23346364 PMCID: PMC3551230 DOI: 10.1038/srep01107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2012] [Accepted: 01/08/2013] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The extraordinary potential of metagenomic functional analyses to identify activities of interest present in uncultured microorganisms has been limited by reduced gene expression in surrogate hosts. We have developed vectors and specialized E. coli strains as improved metagenomic DNA heterologous expression systems, taking advantage of viral components that prevent transcription termination at metagenomic terminators. One of the systems uses the phage T7 RNA-polymerase to drive metagenomic gene expression, while the other approach uses the lambda phage transcription anti-termination protein N to limit transcription termination. A metagenomic library was constructed and functionally screened to identify genes conferring carbenicillin resistance to E. coli. The use of these enhanced expression systems resulted in a 6-fold increase in the frequency of carbenicillin resistant clones. Subcloning and sequence analysis showed that, besides β-lactamases, efflux pumps are not only able contribute to carbenicillin resistance but may in fact be sufficient by themselves to convey carbenicillin resistance.
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NasT-mediated antitermination plays an essential role in the regulation of the assimilatory nitrate reductase operon in Azotobacter vinelandii. Appl Environ Microbiol 2012; 78:6558-67. [PMID: 22773651 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01720-12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Azotobacter vinelandii is a well-studied model system for nitrogen fixation in bacteria. Regulation of nitrogen fixation in A. vinelandii is independent of NtrB/NtrC, a conserved nitrogen regulatory system in proteobacteria. Previous work showed that an ntrC mutation in A. vinelandii resulted in a loss of induction of assimilatory nitrate and nitrite reductases encoded by the nasAB operon. In addition to NtrC, several other proteins, including NasT, a protein containing a potential RNA-binding domain ANTAR (AmiR and NasR transcription antitermination regulators), have been implicated in nasAB regulation. In this work, we characterize the sequence upstream of nasA and identify several DNA sequence elements, including two potential NtrC binding sites and a putative intrinsic transcriptional terminator upstream of nasA that are potentially involved in nasAB regulation. Our analyses confirm that the nasAB promoter, P(nasA), is under NtrC control. However, unlike NtrC-regulated promoters in enteric bacteria, P(nasA) shows high activity in the presence of ammonium; in addition, the P(nasA) activity is altered in the nifA gene mutation background. We discuss the implication of these results on NtrC-mediated regulation in A. vinelandii. Our study provides direct evidence that induction of nasAB is regulated by NasT-mediated antitermination, which occurs within the leader region of the operon. The results also support the hypothesis that NasT binds the promoter proximal hairpin of nasAB for its regulatory function, which contributes to the understanding of the regulatory mechanism of ANTAR-containing antiterminators.
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11
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Boudes M, Lazar N, Graille M, Durand D, Gaidenko TA, Stewart V, van Tilbeurgh H. The structure of the NasR transcription antiterminator reveals a one-component system with a NIT nitrate receptor coupled to an ANTAR RNA-binding effector. Mol Microbiol 2012; 85:431-44. [PMID: 22690729 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2012.08111.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The nitrate- and nitrite-sensing NIT domain is present in diverse signal-transduction proteins across a wide range of bacterial species. NIT domain function was established through analysis of the Klebsiella oxytoca NasR protein, which controls expression of the nasF operon encoding enzymes for nitrite and nitrate assimilation. In the presence of nitrate or nitrite, the NasR protein inhibits transcription termination at the factor-independent terminator site in the nasF operon transcribed leader region. We present here the crystal structure of the intact NasR protein in the apo state. The dimeric all-helical protein contains a large amino-terminal NIT domain that associates two four-helix bundles, and a carboxyl-terminal ANTAR (AmiR and NasR transcription antitermination regulator) domain. The analysis reveals unexpectedly that the NIT domain is structurally similar to the periplasmic input domain of the NarX two-component sensor that regulates nitrate and nitrite respiration. This similarity suggests that the NIT domain binds nitrate and nitrite between two invariant arginyl residues located on adjacent alpha helices, and results from site-specific mutagenesis showed that these residues are critical for NasR function. The resulting structural movements in the NIT domain would provoke an active configuration of the ANTAR domains necessary for specific leader mRNA binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion Boudes
- IBBMC-CNRS UMR8619, Bât. 430, Université Paris-Sud, 91405 Orsay, France
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12
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Affiliation(s)
- Valley Stewart
- Department of Microbiology, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America
- * E-mail: (VS); (Hvt)
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13
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Ramesh A, DebRoy S, Goodson JR, Fox KA, Faz H, Garsin DA, Winkler WC. The mechanism for RNA recognition by ANTAR regulators of gene expression. PLoS Genet 2012; 8:e1002666. [PMID: 22685413 PMCID: PMC3369931 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1002666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2012] [Accepted: 03/07/2012] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
ANTAR proteins are widespread bacterial regulatory proteins that have RNA–binding output domains and utilize antitermination to control gene expression at the post-initiation level. An ANTAR protein, EutV, regulates the ethanolamine-utilization genes (eut) in Enterococcus faecalis. Using this system, we present genetic and biochemical evidence of a general mechanism of antitermination used by ANTARs, including details of the antiterminator structure. The novel antiterminator structure consists of two small hairpins with highly conserved terminal loop residues, both features being essential for successful antitermination. The ANTAR protein dimerizes and associates with its substrate RNA in response to signal-induced phosphorylation. Furthermore, bioinformatic searches using this conserved antiterminator motif identified many new ANTAR target RNAs in phylogenetically diverse bacterial species, some comprising complex regulons. Despite the unrelatedness of the species in which they are found, the majority of the ANTAR–associated genes are thematically related to nitrogen management. These data suggest that the central tenets for gene regulation by ANTAR antitermination occur widely in nature to specifically control nitrogen metabolism. In bacteria, two-component regulatory systems comprise the primary mechanisms for how microorganisms respond to changes in their environment. These signal transduction systems rely upon phosphotransfer between two conserved proteins, a histidine kinase and a response regulator, to propagate the signal and affect cellular biology. Phosphorylation of the response regulator has been shown in many systems to control DNA–binding activity, protein–protein interactions, or enzymatic activity. However, in this study, we discover a general RNA substrate for a large family of putative RNA–binding response regulator proteins called ANTAR proteins. By identifying the general architecture of this RNA recognition element, our bioinformatic searches were then able to discover many more examples of these RNA motifs in bacteria. Indeed, our data together revealed that the regulatory relationship between ANTAR proteins and the RNA motif identified in this study is widespread among phylogenetically diverse bacteria for control of numerous nitrogen metabolism genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arati Ramesh
- Department of Biochemistry, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, United States of America
| | - Sruti DebRoy
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Jonathan R. Goodson
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, The University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Kristina A. Fox
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Herbey Faz
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Danielle A. Garsin
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- * E-mail: (WCW); (DAG)
| | - Wade C. Winkler
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, The University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
- * E-mail: (WCW); (DAG)
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14
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Romeo A, Sonnleitner E, Sorger-Domenigg T, Nakano M, Eisenhaber B, Bläsi U. Transcriptional regulation of nitrate assimilation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa occurs via transcriptional antitermination within the nirBD–PA1779–cobA operon. Microbiology (Reading) 2012; 158:1543-1552. [DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.053850-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Romeo
- Max F. Perutz Laboratories, Department of Microbiology, Immunobiology and Genetics, University of Vienna, Dr. Bohrgasse 9/4, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Elisabeth Sonnleitner
- Max F. Perutz Laboratories, Department of Microbiology, Immunobiology and Genetics, University of Vienna, Dr. Bohrgasse 9/4, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Theresa Sorger-Domenigg
- Max F. Perutz Laboratories, Department of Microbiology, Immunobiology and Genetics, University of Vienna, Dr. Bohrgasse 9/4, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Masayuki Nakano
- Max F. Perutz Laboratories, Department of Microbiology, Immunobiology and Genetics, University of Vienna, Dr. Bohrgasse 9/4, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Birgit Eisenhaber
- Bioinformatics Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 30 Biopolis Street, #07-01 Matrix, 138671 Singapore
| | - Udo Bläsi
- Max F. Perutz Laboratories, Department of Microbiology, Immunobiology and Genetics, University of Vienna, Dr. Bohrgasse 9/4, 1030 Vienna, Austria
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15
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Abstract
In the context of the global nitrogen cycle, the importance of inorganic nitrate for the nutrition and growth of marine and freshwater autotrophic phytoplankton has long been recognized. In contrast, the utilization of nitrate by heterotrophic bacteria has historically received less attention because the primary role of these organisms has classically been considered to be the decomposition and mineralization of dissolved and particulate organic nitrogen. In the pre-genome sequence era, it was known that some, but not all, heterotrophic bacteria were capable of growth on nitrate as a sole nitrogen source. However, examination of currently available prokaryotic genome sequences suggests that assimilatory nitrate reductase (Nas) systems are widespread phylogenetically in bacterial and archaeal heterotrophs. Until now, regulation of nitrate assimilation has been mainly studied in cyanobacteria. In contrast, in heterotrophic bacterial strains, the study of nitrate assimilation regulation has been limited to Rhodobacter capsulatus, Klebsiella oxytoca, Azotobacter vinelandii and Bacillus subtilis. In Gram-negative bacteria, the nas genes are subjected to dual control: ammonia repression by the general nitrogen regulatory (Ntr) system and specific nitrate or nitrite induction. The Ntr system is widely distributed in bacteria, whereas the nitrate/nitrite-specific control is variable depending on the organism.
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16
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Medina C, Camacho EM, Flores A, Mesa-Pereira B, Santero E. Improved expression systems for regulated expression in Salmonella infecting eukaryotic cells. PLoS One 2011; 6:e23055. [PMID: 21829692 PMCID: PMC3148252 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0023055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2010] [Accepted: 07/12/2011] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
In this work we describe a series of improvements to the Salmonella-based salicylate-inducible cascade expression system comprised of a plasmid-borne expression module, where target gene expression is driven by the P(m) promoter governed by the XylS2 regulator, and a genome-integrated regulatory module controlled by the nahR/P(sal) system. We have constructed a set of high and low-copy number plasmids bearing modified versions of the expression module with a more versatile multiple cloning site and different combinations of the following elements: (i) the nasF transcriptional attenuator, which reduces basal expression levels, (ii) a strong ribosome binding site, and (iii) the Type III Secretion System (TTSS) signal peptide from the effector protein SspH2 to deliver proteins directly to the eukaryotic cytosol following bacterial infection of animal cells. We show that different expression module versions can be used to direct a broad range of protein production levels. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the efficient reduction of basal expression by the nasF attenuator allows the cloning of genes encoding highly cytotoxic proteins such as colicin E3 even in the absence of its immunity protein. Additionally, we show that the Salmonella TTSS is able to translocate most of the protein produced by this regulatory cascade to the cytoplasm of infected HeLa cells. Our results indicate that these vectors represent useful tools for the regulated overproduction of heterologous proteins in bacterial culture or in animal cells, for the cloning and expression of genes encoding toxic proteins and for pathogenesis studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Medina
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo, CSIC/Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Seville, Spain.
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Santangelo TJ, Artsimovitch I. Termination and antitermination: RNA polymerase runs a stop sign. Nat Rev Microbiol 2011; 9:319-29. [PMID: 21478900 DOI: 10.1038/nrmicro2560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 141] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Termination signals induce rapid and irreversible dissociation of the nascent transcript from RNA polymerase. Terminators at the end of genes prevent unintended transcription into the downstream genes, whereas terminators in the upstream regulatory leader regions adjust expression of the structural genes in response to metabolic and environmental signals. Premature termination within an operon leads to potentially deleterious defects in the expression of the downstream genes, but also provides an important surveillance mechanism. This Review discusses the actions of bacterial and phage antiterminators that allow RNA polymerase to override a terminator when the circumstances demand it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J Santangelo
- Department of Microbiology and The RNA Group, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
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Ueki T, Lovley DR. Novel regulatory cascades controlling expression of nitrogen-fixation genes in Geobacter sulfurreducens. Nucleic Acids Res 2010; 38:7485-99. [PMID: 20660485 PMCID: PMC2995071 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkq652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Geobacter species often play an important role in bioremediation of environments contaminated with metals or organics and show promise for harvesting electricity from waste organic matter in microbial fuel cells. The ability of Geobacter species to fix atmospheric nitrogen is an important metabolic feature for these applications. We identified novel regulatory cascades controlling nitrogen-fixation gene expression in Geobacter sulfurreducens. Unlike the regulatory mechanisms known in other nitrogen-fixing microorganisms, nitrogen-fixation gene regulation in G. sulfurreducens is controlled by two two-component His–Asp phosphorelay systems. One of these systems appears to be the master regulatory system that activates transcription of the majority of nitrogen-fixation genes and represses a gene encoding glutamate dehydrogenase during nitrogen fixation. The other system whose expression is directly activated by the master regulatory system appears to control by antitermination the expression of a subset of the nitrogen-fixation genes whose transcription is activated by the master regulatory system and whose promoter contains transcription termination signals. This study provides a new paradigm for nitrogen-fixation gene regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toshiyuki Ueki
- Department of Microbiology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
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Ethanolamine utilization in bacterial pathogens: roles and regulation. Nat Rev Microbiol 2010; 8:290-5. [PMID: 20234377 DOI: 10.1038/nrmicro2334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 225] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Ethanolamine is a compound that can be readily derived from cell membranes and that some bacteria can use as a source of carbon and/or nitrogen. The complex biology and chemistry of this process has been under investigation since the 1970s, primarily in one or two species. However, recent investigations into ethanolamine utilization have revealed important and intriguing differences in gene content and regulatory mechanisms among the bacteria that harbour this catabolic ability. In addition, many reports have connected this process to bacterial pathogenesis. In this Progress article, I discuss the latest research on the phylogeny and regulation of ethanolamine utilization and its possible roles in bacterial pathogenesis.
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Multiple posttranscriptional regulatory mechanisms partner to control ethanolamine utilization in Enterococcus faecalis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2009; 106:4435-40. [PMID: 19246383 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0812194106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Ethanolamine, a product of the breakdown of phosphatidylethanolamine from cell membranes, is abundant in the human intestinal tract and in processed foods. Effective utilization of ethanolamine as a carbon and nitrogen source may provide a survival advantage to bacteria that inhabit the gastrointestinal tract and may influence the virulence of pathogens. In this work, we describe a unique series of posttranscriptional regulatory strategies that influence expression of ethanolamine utilization genes (eut) in Enterococcus, Clostridium, and Listeria species. One of these mechanisms requires an unusual 2-component regulatory system. Regulation involves specific sensing of ethanolamine by a sensor histidine kinase (EutW), resulting in autophosphorylation and subsequent phosphoryl transfer to a response regulator (EutV) containing a RNA-binding domain. Our data suggests that EutV is likely to affect downstream gene expression by interacting with conserved transcription termination signals located within the eut locus. Breakdown of ethanolamine requires adenosylcobalamin (AdoCbl) as a cofactor, and, intriguingly, we also identify an intercistronic AdoCbl riboswitch that has a predicted structure different from previously established AdoCbl riboswitches. We demonstrate that association of AdoCbl to this riboswitch prevents formation of an intrinsic transcription terminator element located within the intercistronic region. Together, these results suggest an intricate and carefully coordinated interplay of multiple regulatory strategies for control of ethanolamine utilization genes. Gene expression appears to be directed by overlapping posttranscriptional regulatory mechanisms, each responding to a particular metabolic signal, conceptually akin to regulation by multiple DNA-binding transcription factors.
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Royo JL, Manyani H, Cebolla A, Santero E. A new generation of vectors with increased induction ratios by overimposing a second regulatory level by attenuation. Nucleic Acids Res 2005; 33:e169. [PMID: 16260471 PMCID: PMC1275594 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gni168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
A major drawback of regulated gene expression from vectors bearing strong promoters is the associated high basal expression level. Simple regulatory systems have an intrinsic limitation in the range of induction, and attempts to mutate promoters to reduce basal expression usually result in concomitant reduction of induced levels. We have explored the possibility of reducing basal levels of gene expression while keeping induced levels intact by incorporating an additional regulatory circuit controlling a different step of the expression process. We have integrated the nasFEDCBA transcriptional attenuation system of Klebsiella oxytoca into a cascade expression circuit based on different regulatory elements of Pseudomonas putida, and also into a system based on the tac promoter, to expand their regulatory capacity. Basal expression from the promoters of these circuits was reduced by more than 10-fold by the nasF attenuator sequence while keeping the induced levels intact in the presence of the antiterminator protein, thus increasing the induction ratio by up to 1700-fold. In addition, using different combinations of regulatory elements and inducing conditions, we were able to obtain a broad range of expression levels. These vectors and the concept of their design will be very useful in regulating overproduction of heterologous proteins both at laboratory and industrial scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose Luis Royo
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo, Departamento de Ciencias Ambientales, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, 41013 Sevilla, Spain.
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Meng Q, Switzer RL. Regulation of transcription of the Bacillus subtilis pyrG gene, encoding cytidine triphosphate synthetase. J Bacteriol 2001; 183:5513-22. [PMID: 11544212 PMCID: PMC95441 DOI: 10.1128/jb.183.19.5513-5522.2001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The B. subtilis pyrG gene, which encodes CTP synthetase, is located far from the pyrimidine biosynthetic operon on the chromosome and is independently regulated. The pyrG promoter and 5' leader were fused to lacZ and integrated into the chromosomes of several B. subtilis strains having mutations in genes of pyrimidine biosynthesis and salvage. These mutations allowed the intracellular pools of cytidine and uridine nucleotides to be manipulated by the composition of the growth medium. These experiments indicated that pyrG expression is repressed by cytidine nucleotides but is largely independent of uridine nucleotides. The start of pyrG transcription was mapped by primer extension to a position 178 nucleotides upstream of the translation initiation codon. A factor-independent termination hairpin lying between the pyrG promoter and its coding region is essential for regulation of pyrG expression. Primer-extended transcripts were equally abundant in repressed and derepressed cells when the primer bound upstream of the terminator, but they were much less abundant in repressed cells when the primer bound downstream of the terminator. Furthermore, deletion of the terminator from pyrG-lacZ fusions integrated into the chromosome yielded elevated levels of expression that was not repressible by cytidine. We suggest that cytidine repression of pyrG expression is mediated by an antitermination mechanism in which antitermination by a putative trans-acting protein is reduced by elevated levels of cytidine nucleotides. Conservation of sequences and secondary structural elements in the pyrG 5' leaders of several other gram-positive bacteria indicates that their pyrG genes are regulated by a similar mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Q Meng
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana 61801, USA
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Abstract
Transcription termination is a dynamic process and is subject to control at a number of levels. New information about the molecular mechanisms of transcription elongation and termination, as well as new insights into protein-RNA interactions, are providing a framework for increased understanding of the molecular details of transcription termination control.
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Affiliation(s)
- T M Henkin
- Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
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Wu SQ, Chai W, Lin JT, Stewart V. General nitrogen regulation of nitrate assimilation regulatory gene nasR expression in Klebsiella oxytoca M5al. J Bacteriol 1999; 181:7274-84. [PMID: 10572131 PMCID: PMC103690 DOI: 10.1128/jb.181.23.7274-7284.1999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Klebsiella oxytoca can assimilate nitrate and nitrite by using enzymes encoded by the nasFEDCBA operon. Expression of the nasF operon is controlled by general nitrogen regulation (Ntr) via the NtrC transcription activator and by pathway-specific nitrate and nitrite induction via the NasR transcription antiterminator. This paper reports our analysis of nasR gene expression. We constructed strains bearing single-copy Phi(nasR-lacZ) operon fusions within the chromosomal rhaBAD-rhaSR locus. The expression of DeltarhaBS::[Phi(nasR-lacZ)] operon fusions was induced about 10-fold during nitrogen-limited growth. Induction was reduced in both ntrC and rpoN null mutants, indicating that Ntr control of nasR gene expression requires the NtrC and sigma(N) (sigma(54)) proteins. Sequence inspection of the nasR control region reveals an apparent sigma(N)-dependent promoter but no apparent NtrC protein binding sites. Analysis of site-specific mutations coupled with primer extension analysis authenticated the sigma(N)-dependent nasR promoter. Fusion constructs with only about 70 nucleotides (nt) upstream of the transcription initiation site exhibited patterns of beta-galactosidase expression indistinguishable from Phi(nasR-lacZ) constructs with about 470 nt upstream. Expression was independent of the Nac protein, implying that NtrC is a direct activator of nasR transcription. Together, these results indicate that nasR gene expression does not require specific upstream NtrC-binding sequences, as previously noted for argT gene expression in Salmonella typhimurium (G. Schmitz, K. Nikaido, and G. F.-L. Ames, Mol. Gen. Genet. 215:107-117, 1988).
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Affiliation(s)
- S Q Wu
- Section of Microbiology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853-8101, USA
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