The role of EF-Tu and other translation components in determining translocation step size

A metabarcoding framework for facilitated survey of endolithic phototrophs with tufA

Background

In spite of their ecological importance as primary producers and microbioeroders of marine calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) substrata, endolithic phototrophs spanning both prokaryotic (the cyanobacteria) and eukaryotic algae lack established molecular resources for their facilitated survey with high throughput sequencing. Here, the development of a metabarcoding framework for the elongation factor EF-Ttu (tufA) was tested on four Illumina-sequenced marine CaCO₃ microfloras for the characterization of their endolithic phototrophs, especially the abundant bioeroding Ostreobium spp. (Ulvophyceae). The framework consists of novel tufA degenerate primers and a comprehensive database enabling Operational Taxonomic Unit (OTU) identification at multiple taxonomic ranks with percent identity thresholds determined herein.

Results

The newly established tufA database comprises 4057 non-redundant sequences (from 1339 eukaryotic and prokaryotic phototrophs, and 2718 prokaryotic heterotrophs) including 27 classes in 10 phyla of phototrophic diversity summarized from data mining on GenBank^®, our barcoding of >150 clones produced from coral reef microfloras, and >300 eukaryotic phototrophs (>230 Ulvophyceae including >100 ‘Ostreobium’ spp., and >70 Florideophyceae, Phaeophyceae and miscellaneous taxa). Illumina metabarcoding with the newly designed primers resulted in 802 robust OTUs including 618 phototrophs and 184 heterotrophs (77 and 23 % of OTUs, respectively). Phototrophic OTUs belonged to 14 classes of phototrophs found in seven phyla, and represented ~98 % of all reads. The phylogenetic profiles of coral reef microfloras showed few OTUs in large abundance (proportion of reads) for the Chlorophyta (Ulvophyceae, i.e. Ostreobium and Phaeophila), the Rhodophyta (Florideophyceae) and Haptophyta (Coccolithophyceae), and a large diversity (richness) of OTUs in lower abundance for the Cyanophyta (Cyanophyceae) and the Ochrophyta (the diatoms, ‘Bacillariophyta’). The bioerosive ‘Ostreobium’ spp. represented four families in a large clade of subordinal divergence, i.e. the Ostreobidineae, and a fifth, phylogenetically remote family in the suborder Halimedineae (provisionally assigned as the ‘Pseudostreobiaceae’). Together they harbor 85–95 delimited cryptic species of endolithic microsiphons.

Conclusions

The novel degenerate primers allowed for amplification of endolithic phototrophs across a wide phylogenetic breadth as well as their recovery in very large proportions of reads (overall 98 %) and diversity (overall 77 % of OTUs). The established companion tufA database and determined identity thresholds allow for OTU identification at multiple taxonomic ranks to facilitate the monitoring of phototrophic assemblages via metabarcoding, especially endolithic communities rich in bioeroding Ulvophyceae, such as those harboring ‘Ostreobium’ spp., Phaeophila spp. and associated algal diversity.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12898-016-0068-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A gripping tale of ribosomal frameshifting: extragenic suppressors of frameshift mutations spotlight P-site realignment

Mutants of translation components which compensate for both -1 and +1 frameshift mutations showed the first evidence for framing malleability. Those compensatory mutants isolated in bacteria and yeast with altered tRNA or protein factors are reviewed here and are considered to primarily cause altered P-site realignment and not altered translocation. Though the first sequenced tRNA mutant which suppressed a +1 frameshift mutation had an extra base in its anticodon loop and led to a textbook "yardstick" model in which the number of anticodon bases determines codon size, this model has long been discounted, although not by all. Accordingly, the reviewed data suggest that reading frame maintenance and translocation are two distinct features of the ribosome. None of the -1 tRNA suppressors have anticodon loops with fewer than the standard seven nucleotides. Many of the tRNA mutants potentially affect tRNA bending and/or stability and can be used for functional assays, and one has the conserved C74 of the 3' CCA substituted. The effect of tRNA modification deficiencies on framing has been particularly informative. The properties of some mutants suggest the use of alternative tRNA anticodon loop stack conformations by individual tRNAs in one translation cycle. The mutant proteins range from defective release factors with delayed decoding of A-site stop codons facilitating P-site frameshifting to altered EF-Tu/EF1alpha to mutant ribosomal large- and small-subunit proteins L9 and S9. Their study is revealing how mRNA slippage is restrained except where it is programmed to occur and be utilized.

A newly formed telomere in Ascaris suum does not exert a telomere position effect on a nearby gene

During the process of chromatin diminution in Ascaris suum (formerly named Ascaris lumbricoides var. suum), developmentally regulated chromosomal fragmentation and new telomere addition occur within specific chromosomal breakage regions (CBRs). The DNA sequences flanking one of these CBRs (CBR-1) were analyzed, and two protein-encoding genes were found on either side. The noneliminated gene, agp-1, whose AUG start codon is located within approximately 2 kb of the boundary of CBR-1, encodes a putative GTP-binding protein which is structurally related to eukaryotic and prokaryotic elongation factors. Northern (RNA) blot analyses revealed that transcripts of this gene are present at all developmental stages, suggesting that the massive chromosomal rearrangements associated with the process of chromatin diminution have no influence on agp-1 expression. This demonstrates that addition of new telomeres in CBR-1 does not result in a telomeric position effect, a phenomenon previously described in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Messenger RNA translation in prokaryotes: GTPase centers associated with translational factors

During the decoding of messenger RNA, each step of the translational cycle requires the intervention of protein factors and the hydrolysis of one or more GTP molecule(s). Of the prokaryotic translational factors, IF2, EF-Tu, SELB, EF-G and RF3 are GTP-binding proteins. In this review we summarize the latest findings on the structures and the roles of these GTPases in the translational process.

Elongation factor Tu, a GTPase triggered by codon recognition on the ribosome: mechanism and GTP consumption

The mechanism of elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu) catalyzed aminoacyl-tRNA (aa-tRNA) binding to the A site of the ribosome was studied. Two types of complexes of EF-Tu with GTP and aa-tRNA, EF-Tu.GTP-aa-tRNA (ternary) and (EF-Tu.GTP)2.aa-tRNA (quinternary), can be formed in vitro depending on the conditions. On interaction with the ribosomal A site, generally only one molecule of GTP is hydrolysed per aa-tRNA bound and peptide bond formed. The second GTP molecule from the quinternary complex is hydrolyzed only during translation of an oligo(U) tract in the presence of EF-G. The first step in the interaction between the ribosome and the ternary complex is the codon-independent formation of an initial complex. In the absence of codon recognition, the aa-tRNA-EF-Tu complex does not enter further steps of A site binding and remains in the initial binding state. Despite the rapid formation of the initial complex, the rate constant of GTP hydrolysis in the noncognate complex is four orders of magnitude lower compared with the cognate complex. This, together with the results of time-resolved fluorescence measurements, suggests that codon recognition by the ternary complex on the ribosome initiates a series of structural rearrangements that result in a conformational change of EF-Tu, presumably involving the effector region, which, in turn, triggers GTP hydrolysis and the subsequent steps of A site binding.

Genetic map of Salmonella typhimurium, edition VIII

We present edition VIII of the genetic map of Salmonella typhimurium LT2. We list a total of 1,159 genes, 1,080 of which have been located on the circular chromosome and 29 of which are on pSLT, the 90-kb plasmid usually found in LT2 lines. The remaining 50 genes are not yet mapped. The coordinate system used in this edition is neither minutes of transfer time in conjugation crosses nor units representing "phage lengths" of DNA of the transducing phage P22, as used in earlier editions, but centisomes and kilobases based on physical analysis of the lengths of DNA segments between genes. Some of these lengths have been determined by digestion of DNA by rare-cutting endonucleases and separation of fragments by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Other lengths have been determined by analysis of DNA sequences in GenBank. We have constructed StySeq1, which incorporates all Salmonella DNA sequence data known to us. StySeq1 comprises over 548 kb of nonredundant chromosomal genomic sequences, representing 11.4% of the chromosome, which is estimated to be just over 4,800 kb in length. Most of these sequences were assigned locations on the chromosome, in some cases by analogy with mapped Escherichia coli sequences.

Mutations to kirromycin resistance occur in the interface of domains I and III of EF-Tu.GTP

The antibiotic kirromycin inhibits protein synthesis by binding to EF-Tu and preventing its release from the ribosome after GTP hydrolysis. We have isolated and sequenced a collection of kirromycin resistant tuf mutations and identified thirteen single amino acid substitutions at seven different sites in EF-Tu. These have been mapped onto the 3D structures of EF-Tu.GTP and EF-Tu.GDP. In the active GTP form of EF-Tu the mutations cluster on each side of the interface between domains I and III. We propose that this domain interface is the binding site for kirromycin.

Evidence that GHN phase bias does not constitute a framing code

It has been suggested that a triplet repeated pattern found in coding sequences, the G-nonG-N or GHN phase bias, serves a framing function during protein synthesis. To test this idea, the framing characteristics of a highly GHN biased sequence are examined. No effects on reading frame maintenance are observed despite the use of sensitive frameshift assays. Specifically, first the GHN phase is not more accurate than the alternative overlapping phases (i.e., HNG and NGH). Second, ribosomes do not exhibit any significant tendency to slip from the alternative frames into the GHN pahse. In addition, examination of Escherichia coli programmed frameshift sites does not support roles for GHN phase bias in programmed frameshifting. Framing functions for GHN phase bias, if they occur at all, must be extremely limited.

A novel programed frameshift expresses the POL3 gene of retrotransposon Ty3 of yeast: frameshifting without tRNA slippage

Most retroviruses and retrotransposons express their pol gene as a translational fusion to the upstream gag gene, often involving translational frameshifting. We describe here an unusual translational frameshift event occurring between the GAG3 and POL3 genes of the retrotransposon Ty3 of yeast. A +1 frameshift occurs within the sequence GCG AGU U (shown as codons of GAG3), encoding alanine-valine (GCG A GUU). Unlike other programed translational frameshifts described, this event does not require tRNA slippage between cognate or near-cognate codons in the mRNA. Two features distal to the GCG codon stimulate frameshifting. The low availability of the tRNA specific for the "hungry" serine codon, AGU, induces a translational pause required for frameshifting. A sequence of 12 nt distal to the AGU codon (termed the Ty3 "context") also stimulates the event.

Growth and translation elongation rate are sensitive to the concentration of EF-Tu

We have used quantitative immunoblotting to estimate the amount of EF-Tu in a variety of S. typhimurium strains with wild-type, mutant, insertionally inactivated or plasmid-borne tuf genes. In the same strains we have measured translation elongation rate, exponential growth rate and the level of nonsense codon readthrough. In the wild-type strain, at moderate to fast growth rates, our data show that EF-Tu makes up 8-9% of total cell protein. Strains with either of the tuf genes insertionally inactivated have 65% of the wild-type EF-Tu level, irrespective of which tuf gene remains active, or whether that gene is wild-type or a kirromycin-resistant mutant. Strains with only one active tuf gene have reduced growth and translation elongation rates. From the magnitude of the reduction in elongation rate relative to the level of EF-Tu we calculate that in glucose minimal medium the in vivo saturation level of wild-type ribosomes by ternary complexes is only 63%. Strains with a ribosome mutation causing a poor interaction with ternary complex are non-viable on minimal medium when the level of EF-Tu is reduced.

A technique for targeted mutagenesis of the EF-Tu chromosomal gene by M13-mediated gene replacement

A generally applicable system for targeted mutagenesis of a chromosomal sequence is described. The Escherichia coli tufA gene was mutated using a recombinant M13mp9 phage vector carrying a tuf gene. Integration via crossing over with the chromosomal tufA target gene produced an M13 lysogen. These lysogens were screened for resistance to kirromycin. The M13 phage carrying tufA mutations were efficiently retrieved by a genetic procedure. Genetic mapping was performed with the M13 vectors. The same recombinant M13 phage was used for mutagenesis, lysogen formation, gene replacement, retrieval, mapping and sequencing of kirromycin mutants. Three different mutations yielding resistance to kirromycin were found: two of these have previously been found and characterised, while the third mutation, Gly316-->Asp, is a new mutant. We also report the identification of a fourth kirromycin-resistant mutant, Gln124-->Lys.

A single amino acid substitution in elongation factor Tu disrupts interaction between the ternary complex and the ribosome

Elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu).GTP has the primary function of promoting the efficient and correct interaction of aminoacyl-tRNA with the ribosome. Very little is known about the elements in EF-Tu involved in this interaction. We describe a mutant form of EF-Tu, isolated in Salmonella typhimurium, that causes a severe defect in the interaction of the ternary complex with the ribosome. The mutation causes the substitution of Val for Gly-280 in domain II of EF-Tu. The in vivo growth and translation phenotypes of strains harboring this mutation are indistinguishable from those of strains in which the same tuf gene is insertionally inactivated. Viable cells are not obtained when the other tuf gene is inactivated, showing that the mutant EF-Tu alone cannot support cell growth. We have confirmed, by partial protein sequencing, that the mutant EF-Tu is present in the cells. In vitro analysis of the natural mixture of wild-type and mutant EF-Tu allows us to identify the major defect of this mutant. Our data shows that the EF-Tu is homogeneous and competent with respect to guanine nucleotide binding and exchange, stimulation of nucleotide exchange by EF-Ts, and ternary complex formation with aminoacyl-tRNA. However various measures of translational efficiency show a significant reduction, which is associated with a defective interaction between the ribosome and the mutant EF-Tu.GTP.aminoacyl-tRNA complex. In addition, the antibiotic kirromycin, which blocks translation by binding EF-Tu on the ribosome, fails to do so with this mutant EF-Tu, although it does form a complex with EF-Tu. Our results suggest that this region of domain II in EF-Tu has an important function and influences the binding of the ternary complex to the codon-programmed ribosome during protein synthesis. Models involving either a direct or an indirect effect of the mutation are discussed.

Suppression of rpsL phenotypes by tuf mutations reveals a unique relationship between translation elongation and growth rate

We have found a simple relationship between bacterial growth rate and the translation elongation rate. Thus, for a set of defined ribosomal protein S12 mutations which reduce the efficiency of the ternary complex ribosome interaction (and restrict the frequency of translational errors) there is a linear relationship between growth rate and translation elongation rate. When these mutants are combined with defined EF-Tu mutants (which increase the probability of translational errors) both the elongation rate and growth rate reductions are reversed. The reductions and reversals are described by a unique linear relationship. We interpret this to mean that these two types of mutation exert opposing effects on the same molecular interaction. We suggest that this interaction is in the initial selection of the aminoacyl-tRNA on the ribosome. The slope of the relationship between translation elongation rate and growth rate, defined in per cent of the wild-type rates, is close to 1. Interestingly, the reversal of the elongation and growth phenotypes is incomplete, suggesting that the ribosomal mutants have an additional defect which is not compensated for by the ternary complex interaction. Our results show that the efficiency of the ternary complex ribosome interaction limits the translation elongation rate, which in turn correlates with changes in exponential growth rate.

Seven, eight and nine-membered anticodon loop mutants of tRNA(2Arg) which cause +1 frameshifting. Tolerance of DHU arm and other secondary mutations

The mutant tRNA(2Arg) encoded by the genetically-selected frameshift suppressor, sufT621, inserts arginine and causes a +1 reading-frame shift at the proline codon, CCG(U). There is an extra base, G36.1, in argV beta, one of the four identical genes for tRNA(2Arg) in the position between bases 36 and 37, corresponding to the 3' side of the anticodon. The new four-base anticodon, predicted from DNA sequencing to be 3' GGCA 5', is complementary to the four-base codon CCGU. Quadruplet translocation promoted by mutant argV does not require perfect complementarity between the codon and the anticodon since synthetic genes encoding derivatives of tRNA(2Arg) and tRNA(1Pro), with four-base anticodons complementary to three out of the four bases of CCGU, were also shown to be capable of frameshifting. Two other mutants of argV, inferred to have normal-size, seven-base anticodon loops, were also found to be capable of four-base-decoding demonstrating that quadruplet translocation promoted by mutant argV does not require an enlarged anticodon loop. Other alleles of argV, predicted to have nine bases in the anticodon loop, were also found to cause frameshifting. The DNA sequence of two of these showed in addition, either a deletion of G24, or a ten-base duplication in the region corresponding to the TFC arm. A general finding is that mutations in the DHU arm of tRNA(2Arg) are compatible with, and in one case necessary for, frameshifting.

Single-base mutations at position 2661 of Escherichia coli 23S rRNA increase efficiency of translational proofreading

Two single-base substitutions were constructed in the 2660 loop of Escherichia coli 23S rRNA (G2661-->C or U) and were introduced into the rrnB operon cloned in plasmid pKK3535. Ribosomes were isolated from bacteria transformed with the mutated plasmids and assayed in vitro in a poly(U)-directed system for their response to the misreading effect of streptomycin, neomycin, and gentamicin, three aminoglycoside antibiotics known to impair the proofreading control of translational accuracy. Both mutations decreased the stimulation of misreading by these drugs, but neither interfered with their binding to the ribosome. The response of the mutant ribosomes to these drugs suggests that the 2660 loop, which belongs to the elongation factor Tu binding site, is involved in the proofreading step of the accuracy control. In vivo, both mutations reduced read-through of nonsense codons and frameshifting, which can also be related to the increased efficiency in proofreading control which they confer to ribosomes.

The sequence of the gene encoding elongation factor Tu from Chlamydia trachomatis compared with those of other organisms

Nucleotide (nt) sequences encoding the elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu), tRNA(Thr) and tRNA(Trp) from Chlamydia trachomatis have been determined. The environment of the EF-Tu-encoding gene (tuf), between two tRNA gene sequences, suggests that it is part of a tufB locus. The nt sequence and the deduced amino acid (aa) sequence were aligned with comparable sequences from other organisms and the resulting data bases were used to infer phylogenies. Phylogenetic trees based on aa sequences and nt sequences are similar, but not completely congruent with rRNA gene-based phylogenies. Both the nt and aa sequence trees concur on the early divergence of Thermotoga and Chlamydia from the bacterial root. The aa alignment highlights the presence of four unique Cys residues in the chlamydial sequence which are found at strictly conserved positions in other sequences. Further peculiarities of the chlamydial and eubacterial sequences have been mapped to the X-ray crystallographic structure of the protein.

Comparison of the complete sequence of the str operon in Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli

The nucleotide (nt) sequences of the str operon in Escherichia coli K-12 and Salmonella typhimurium LT2 were completed and compared at the nt and amino acid (aa) level. The order of conservation at the nt and aa level is rpsL greater than tufA greater than rpsG greater than f usA. A striking difference is that the rpsG-encoded ribosomal protein, S7, in E. coli K-12 is 23 aa longer than in S. typhimurium. The very low (0.18) codon adaptation index of this part of the E. coli K-12-encoding gene and the unusual stop codon (UGA) suggest that this is a relatively recent extension. A trend towards a higher G+C content in fusA (gene encoding elongation factor (EF)-G) and tufA (gene encoding EF-Tu) in S. typhimurium is noted. In fusA, nt substitutions at all three positions in a codon occur at a much higher frequency than expected from the number of nt substitutions in the gene, assuming they are random and independent events. An analysis of substitutions in this and other genes suggests that the triple substitutions in fusA, and some other genes, are the result of the sequential accumulation of individual mutations, probably driven by selection pressure for particular codons or aa.

Elongation factor Tu: a molecular switch in protein biosynthesis

Elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu), the most abundant protein in Escherichia coli, is a guanine nucleotide-binding protein that in the 'on' state acts as a carrier of amino acyl-tRNA to the ribosome. Our knowledge of this essential component of translation has brought substantial progress in the past decade thanks to the co-ordinated application of biochemical, physico-chemical and genetic methods. Crystallographic analysis at 2.6 A resolution and site-directed mutagenesis have revealed structural and functional similarities between the guanine nucleotide-binding domains of EF-Tu and human H-ras p21 protein. The regulation of the expression of the two EF-Tu-encoding genes in E. coli, particularly that of tufB, has been shown to involve diverse mechanisms. Several aspects of the functions of EF-Tu in the elongation cycle have been reinvestigated, leading to new insights. These studies have emphasized the manifold aspects of the mechanisms regulating the activity of EF-Tu in the bacterial cell.

Missense substitutions lethal to essential functions of EF-Tu

We have used a simple selection and screening method to isolate function defective mutants of EF-Tu. From 28 mutants tested, 12 different missense substitutions, individually lethal to some essential function of EF-Tu, were identified by sequencing. In addition we found a new non-lethal missense mutation. The frequency of isolation of unique mutations suggests that this method can be used to easily isolate many more. The lethal mutations occur in all three structural domains of EF-Tu, but most are in domain II. We aim to use these mutants to define functional domains on EF-Tu.

Determinants of DNA sequence divergence between Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium: codon usage, map position, and concerted evolution

The nature and extent of DNA sequence divergence between homologous protein-coding genes from Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium have been examined. The degree of divergence varies greatly among genes at both synonymous (silent) and nonsynonymous sites. Much of the variation in silent substitution rates can be explained by natural selection on synonymous codon usage, varying in intensity with gene expression level. Silent substitution rates also vary significantly with chromosomal location, with genes near oriC having lower divergence. Certain genes have been examined in more detail. In particular, the duplicate genes encoding elongation factor Tu, tufA and tufB, from S. typhimurium have been compared to their E. coli homologues. As expected these very highly expressed genes have high codon usage bias and have diverged very little between the two species. Interestingly, these genes, which are widely spaced on the bacterial chromosome, also appear to be undergoing concerted evolution, i.e., there has been exchange between the loci subsequent to the divergence of the two species.

Mutant ribosomes can generate dominant kirromycin resistance

Mutations in the two genes for EF-Tu in Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli, tufA and tufB, can confer resistance to the antibiotic kirromycin. Kirromycin resistance is a recessive phenotype expressed when both tuf genes are mutant. We describe a new kirromycin-resistant phenotype dominant to the effect of wild-type EF-Tu. Strains carrying a single kirromycin-resistant tuf mutation and an error-restrictive, streptomycin-resistant rpsL mutation are resistant to high levels of kirromycin, even when the other tuf gene is wild type. This phenotype is dependent on error-restrictive mutations and is not expressed with nonrestrictive streptomycin-resistant mutations. Kirromycin resistance is also expressed at a low level in the absence of any mutant EF-Tu. These novel phenotypes exist as a result of differences in the interactions of mutant and wild-type EF-Tu with the mutant ribosomes. The restrictive ribosomes have a relatively poor interaction with wild-type EF-Tu and are thus more easily saturated with mutant kirromycin-resistant EF-Tu. In addition, the mutant ribosomes are inherently kirromycin resistant and support a significantly faster EF-Tu cycle time in the presence of the antibiotic than do wild-type ribosomes. A second phenotype associated with combinations of rpsL and error-prone tuf mutations is a reduction in the level of resistance to streptomycin.

Error-prone EF-Tu reduces in vivo enzyme activity and cellular growth rate

Mutations in Salmonella typhimurium encoding error-prone EF-Tu (tufA8, tufB103) enhance translational error levels and also cause a reduced growth rate. The relative changes in error level and growth rate are inversely related and dependent on the status of the two tuf genes. Possible causes of the reduced growth rate were investigated. Several important parameters with the potential to alter growth rate (the EF-Tu-ribosome interaction, the in vivo elongation rate and the processivity of translation), are all relatively unaffected by the tuf mutations. The small reduction in processivity observed in some strains is not quantitatively related to the growth rate reduction. Instead, the error-enhancing mutations are associated with a large reduction in the specific activity of a test protein, beta-galactosidase, suggesting by inference that the reduced growth rate is a consequence of the synthesis of error-containing proteins.