A silent mutation in the ftsH gene of Escherichia coli that affects FtsH protein production and colicin tolerance

Crystal structure of the central and the C-terminal RNase domains of colicin D implicated its translocation pathway through inner membrane of target cell

Colicins are protein toxins produced by and toxic to Escherichia coli strains. Colicin D consists of an N-terminal domain (NTD), central domain (CD) and C-terminal RNase domain (CRD). The cognate immunity protein, ImmD, is co-synthesized in producer cells to block the toxic tRNase activity of the CRD. Previous studies have reported the crystal structure of CRD/ImmD complex. Colicin D hijacks the surface receptor FepA and the energy transducer TonB system using the NTD for translocation across the outer membrane of the target cells. The CD is required for endoproteolytic processing and the translocation of CRD across the inner membrane, and the membrane-associated protease FtsH and the signal peptidase LepB are exploited in this process. Although several regions of the CD have been identified in interactions with the hijacked inner membrane system or immunity protein, the structural basis of the CD is unknown. In this study, we determined the crystal structure of colicin D, containing both the CD and CRD. The full-length colicin D/ImmD heterodimer structure was built by superimposing the CD-CRD structure with the previously determined partial structures. The overall translocation process of colicin D, including the interaction between CD and LepB, is discussed.

Structure and function of the bacterial AAA protease FtsH

Proteolysis of regulatory proteins or key enzymes of biosynthetic pathways is a universal mechanism to rapidly adjust the cellular proteome to particular environmental needs. Among the five energy-dependent AAA(+) proteases in Escherichia coli, FtsH is the only essential protease. Moreover, FtsH is unique owing to its anchoring to the inner membrane. This review describes the structural and functional properties of FtsH. With regard to its role in cellular quality control and regulatory circuits, cytoplasmic and membrane substrates of the FtsH protease are depicted and mechanisms of FtsH-dependent proteolysis are discussed.

Manipulating the genetic code for membrane protein production: what have we learnt so far?

With synthetic gene services, molecular cloning is as easy as ordering a pizza. However choosing the right RNA code for efficient protein production is less straightforward, more akin to deciding on the pizza toppings. The possibility to choose synonymous codons in the gene sequence has ignited a discussion that dates back 50 years: Does synonymous codon use matter? Recent studies indicate that replacement of particular codons for synonymous codons can improve expression in homologous or heterologous hosts, however it is not always successful. Furthermore it is increasingly apparent that membrane protein biogenesis can be codon-sensitive. Single synonymous codon substitutions can influence mRNA stability, mRNA structure, translational initiation, translational elongation and even protein folding. Synonymous codon substitutions therefore need to be carefully evaluated when membrane proteins are engineered for higher production levels and further studies are needed to fully understand how to select the codons that are optimal for higher production. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Protein Folding in Membranes.

CELLULAR FUNCTIONS, MECHANISM OF ACTION, AND REGULATION OF FTSH PROTEASE

FtsH is a cytoplasmic membrane protein that has N-terminally located transmembrane segments and a main cytosolic region consisting of AAA-ATPase and Zn2+-metalloprotease domains. It forms a homo-hexamer, which is further complexed with an oligomer of the membrane-bound modulating factor HflKC. FtsH degrades a set of short-lived proteins, enabling cellular regulation at the level of protein stability. FtsH also degrades some misassembled membrane proteins, contributing to their quality maintenance. It is an energy-utilizing and processive endopeptidase with a special ability to dislocate membrane protein substrates out of the membrane, for which its own membrane-embedded nature is essential. We discuss structure-function relationships of this intriguing enzyme, including the way it recognizes the soluble and membrane-integrated substrates differentially, on the basis of the solved structure of the ATPase domain as well as extensive biochemical and genetic information accumulated in the past decade on this enzyme.

Escherichia coli FtsH (HflB) degrades a membrane-associated TolAI-II-beta-lactamase fusion protein under highly denaturing conditions

TolAI--II--beta-lactamase, a fusion protein consisting of the inner membrane and transperiplasmic domains of TolA followed by TEM--beta-lactamase associated with the inner membrane but remained confined to the cytoplasm when expressed at high level in Escherichia coli. Although the fusion protein was resistant to proteolysis in vivo, it was hydrolyzed during preparative SDS-polyacrylamide electrophoresis and when insoluble cellular fractions unfolded with 5 M urea were subjected to microdialysis. Inhibitor profiling studies revealed that both a metallo- and serine protease were involved in TolAI--II--beta-lactamase degradation under denaturing conditions. The in vitro degradation rates of the fusion protein were not affected when insoluble fractions were harvested from a strain lacking protease IV, but were significantly reduced when microdialysis experiments were conducted with material isolated from an isogenic ftsH1 mutant. Adenine nucleotides were not required for degradation, and ATP supplementation did not accelerate the apparent rate of TolAI--II--beta-lactamase hydrolysis under denaturing conditions. Our results indicate that the metalloprotease active site of FtsH remains functional in the presence of 3--5 M urea and suggest that the ATPase and proteolytic activities of FtsH can be uncoupled if the substrate is sufficiently unstructured. Thus, a key role of the FtsH AAA module appears to be the net unfolding of bound substrates so that they can be efficiently engaged by the protease active site.

A colicin-tolerant Escherichia coli mutant that confers hfl phenotype carries two mutations in the region coding for the C-terminal domain of FtsH (HflB)

An Escherichia coli mutant, ER437, which was originally isolated for colicin tolerance, was found to carry two amino acid changes in the C-terminal portion of FtsH (HflB). These mutations were demonstrated to reduce the ability of FtsH to degrade the phage lambda CII protein in vivo and in vitro, providing a rationalization for the mutant Hfl phenotype.

Second transmembrane segment of FtsH plays a role in its proteolytic activity and homo-oligomerization

The FtsH (HflB) protein of Escherichia coli is a membrane-bound ATP-dependent zinc protease. The role(s) of the N-terminal membrane-anchoring region of FtsH were studied by fusion with a maltose-binding protein (MBP) at five different N-termini of FtsH. The MBP-FtsH fusions were expressed in the cytoplasm of E. coli, and were purified as soluble proteins. The four longer constructs, which have a second transmembrane segment and the C-terminal cytoplasmic region in common, retained ATP-dependent protease activity toward heat-shock transcription factor sigma(32), and were found to be homo-oligomers. In contrast, the shortest construct which has the C-terminal cytoplasmic region but not the second transmembrane segment showed neither protease activity nor oligomerization. Therefore, the second transmembrane segment, which neighbors the C-terminal cytoplasmic region of the FtsH, participates in not only its membrane-anchoring, but also its protease activity and homo-oligomerization.

Balanced biosynthesis of major membrane components through regulated degradation of the committed enzyme of lipid A biosynthesis by the AAA protease FtsH (HflB) in Escherichia coli

The suppressor mutation, named sfhC21, that allows Escherichia coli ftsH null mutant cells to survive was found to be an allele of fabZ encoding R-3-hydroxyacyl-ACP dehydrase, involved in a key step of fatty acid biosynthesis, and appears to upregulate the dehydrase. The ftsH1(Ts) mutation increased the amount of lipopolysaccharide at 42 degrees C. This was accompanied by a dramatic increase in the amount of UDP-3-O-(R-3-hydroxymyristoyl)-N-acetylglucosamine deacetylase [the IpxC (envA) gene product] involved in the committed step of lipid A biosynthesis. Pulse-chase experiments and in vitro assays with purified components showed that FtsH, the AAA-type membrane-bound metalloprotease, degrades the deacetylase. Genetic evidence also indicated that the FtsH protease activity for the deacetylase might be affected when acyl-ACP pools were altered. The biosynthesis of phospholipids and the lipid A moiety of lipopolysaccharide, both of which derive their fatty acyl chains from the same R-3-hydroxyacyl-ACP pool, is regulated by FtsH.