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Ceyssens PJ, De Smet J, Wagemans J, Akulenko N, Klimuk E, Hedge S, Voet M, Hendrix H, Paeshuyse J, Landuyt B, Xu H, Blanchard J, Severinov K, Lavigne R. The Phage-Encoded N-Acetyltransferase Rac Mediates Inactivation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Transcription by Cleavage of the RNA Polymerase Alpha Subunit. Viruses 2020; 12:v12090976. [PMID: 32887488 PMCID: PMC7552054 DOI: 10.3390/v12090976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Revised: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, we describe the biological function of the phage-encoded protein RNA polymerase alpha subunit cleavage protein (Rac), a predicted Gcn5-related acetyltransferase encoded by phiKMV-like viruses. These phages encode a single-subunit RNA polymerase for transcription of their late (structure- and lysis-associated) genes, whereas the bacterial RNA polymerase is used at the earlier stages of infection. Rac mediates the inactivation of bacterial transcription by introducing a specific cleavage in the α subunit of the bacterial RNA polymerase. This cleavage occurs within the flexible linker sequence and disconnects the C-terminal domain, required for transcription initiation from most highly active cellular promoters. To achieve this, Rac likely taps into a novel post-translational modification (PTM) mechanism within the host Pseudomonas aeruginosa. From an evolutionary perspective, this novel phage-encoded regulation mechanism confirms the importance of PTMs in the prokaryotic metabolism and represents a new way by which phages can hijack the bacterial host metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pieter-Jan Ceyssens
- Department of Biosystems, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (P.-J.C.); (J.D.S.); (J.W.); (M.V.); (H.H.); (J.P.)
| | - Jeroen De Smet
- Department of Biosystems, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (P.-J.C.); (J.D.S.); (J.W.); (M.V.); (H.H.); (J.P.)
| | - Jeroen Wagemans
- Department of Biosystems, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (P.-J.C.); (J.D.S.); (J.W.); (M.V.); (H.H.); (J.P.)
| | - Natalia Akulenko
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119334 Moscow, Russia; (N.A.); (E.K.); (K.S.)
| | - Evgeny Klimuk
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119334 Moscow, Russia; (N.A.); (E.K.); (K.S.)
| | - Subray Hedge
- Department of Biochemistry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA; (S.H.); (H.X.); (J.B.)
| | - Marleen Voet
- Department of Biosystems, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (P.-J.C.); (J.D.S.); (J.W.); (M.V.); (H.H.); (J.P.)
| | - Hanne Hendrix
- Department of Biosystems, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (P.-J.C.); (J.D.S.); (J.W.); (M.V.); (H.H.); (J.P.)
| | - Jan Paeshuyse
- Department of Biosystems, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (P.-J.C.); (J.D.S.); (J.W.); (M.V.); (H.H.); (J.P.)
| | - Bart Landuyt
- Department of Biology, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium;
| | - Hua Xu
- Department of Biochemistry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA; (S.H.); (H.X.); (J.B.)
| | - John Blanchard
- Department of Biochemistry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA; (S.H.); (H.X.); (J.B.)
| | - Konstantin Severinov
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119334 Moscow, Russia; (N.A.); (E.K.); (K.S.)
| | - Rob Lavigne
- Department of Biosystems, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (P.-J.C.); (J.D.S.); (J.W.); (M.V.); (H.H.); (J.P.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +32-16-379-524
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Carroll SM, Chubiz LM, Agashe D, Marx CJ. Parallel and Divergent Evolutionary Solutions for the Optimization of an Engineered Central Metabolism in Methylobacterium extorquens AM1. Microorganisms 2015; 3:152-74. [PMID: 27682084 PMCID: PMC5023240 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms3020152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2015] [Revised: 03/30/2015] [Accepted: 04/01/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Bioengineering holds great promise to provide fast and efficient biocatalysts for methanol-based biotechnology, but necessitates proven methods to optimize physiology in engineered strains. Here, we highlight experimental evolution as an effective means for optimizing an engineered Methylobacterium extorquens AM1. Replacement of the native formaldehyde oxidation pathway with a functional analog substantially decreased growth in an engineered Methylobacterium, but growth rapidly recovered after six hundred generations of evolution on methanol. We used whole-genome sequencing to identify the basis of adaptation in eight replicate evolved strains, and examined genomic changes in light of other growth and physiological data. We observed great variety in the numbers and types of mutations that occurred, including instances of parallel mutations at targets that may have been "rationalized" by the bioengineer, plus other "illogical" mutations that demonstrate the ability of evolution to expose unforeseen optimization solutions. Notably, we investigated mutations to RNA polymerase, which provided a massive growth benefit but are linked to highly aberrant transcriptional profiles. Overall, we highlight the power of experimental evolution to present genetic and physiological solutions for strain optimization, particularly in systems where the challenges of engineering are too many or too difficult to overcome via traditional engineering methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean Michael Carroll
- Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
| | - Lon M Chubiz
- Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
- Department of Biology, University of Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63103, USA.
| | - Deepa Agashe
- Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore 560065, India.
| | - Christopher J Marx
- Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
- Faculty of Arts and Sciences Center for Systems Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute for Bioinformatics and Evolutionary Studies, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83843, USA.
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Twist KA, Husnain SI, Franke JD, Jain D, Campbell EA, Nickels BE, Thomas MS, Darst SA, Westblade LF. A novel method for the production of in vivo-assembled, recombinant Escherichia coli RNA polymerase lacking the α C-terminal domain. Protein Sci 2011; 20:986-95. [PMID: 21416542 DOI: 10.1002/pro.622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2011] [Revised: 02/22/2011] [Accepted: 03/02/2011] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The biochemical characterization of the bacterial transcription cycle has been greatly facilitated by the production and characterization of targeted RNA polymerase (RNAP) mutants. Traditionally, RNAP preparations containing mutant subunits have been produced by reconstitution of denatured RNAP subunits, a process that is undesirable for biophysical and structural studies. Although schemes that afford the production of in vivo-assembled, recombinant RNAP containing amino acid substitutions, insertions, or deletions in either the monomeric β or β' subunits have been developed, there is no such system for the production of in vivo-assembled, recombinant RNAP with mutations in the homodimeric α-subunits. Here, we demonstrate a strategy to generate in vivo-assembled, recombinant RNAP preparations free of the α C-terminal domain. Furthermore, we describe a modification of this approach that would permit the purification of in vivo-assembled, recombinant RNAP containing any α-subunit variant, including those variants that are lethal. Finally, we propose that these related approaches can be extended to generate in vivo-assembled, recombinant variants of other protein complexes containing homomultimers for biochemical, biophysical, and structural analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly-Anne Twist
- The Rockefeller University, Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, 1230 York Avenue, New York, New York 10065, USA
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Kedzierska B, Szambowska A, Herman-Antosiewicz A, Lee DJ, Busby SJ, Wegrzyn G, Thomas MS. The C-terminal domain of the Escherichia coli RNA polymerase alpha subunit plays a role in the CI-dependent activation of the bacteriophage lambda pM promoter. Nucleic Acids Res 2007; 35:2311-20. [PMID: 17389649 PMCID: PMC1874639 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkm123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2007] [Revised: 02/14/2007] [Accepted: 02/14/2007] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The bacteriophage lambda p(M) promoter is required for maintenance of the lambda prophage in Escherichia coli, as it facilitates transcription of the cI gene, encoding the lambda repressor (CI). CI levels are maintained through a transcriptional feedback mechanism whereby CI can serve as an activator or a repressor of p(M). CI activates p(M) through cooperative binding to the O(R)1 and O(R)2 sites within the O(R) operator, with the O(R)2-bound CI dimer making contact with domain 4 of the RNA polymerase sigma subunit (sigma(4)). Here we demonstrate that the 261 and 287 determinants of the C-terminal domain of the RNA polymerase alpha subunit (alphaCTD), as well as the DNA-binding determinant, are important for CI-dependent activation of p(M). We also show that the location of alphaCTD at the p(M) promoter changes in the presence of CI. Thus, in the absence of CI, one alphaCTD is located on the DNA at position -44 relative to the transcription start site, whereas in the presence of CI, alphaCTD is located at position -54, between the CI-binding sites at O(R)1 and O(R)2. These results suggest that contacts between CI and both alphaCTD and sigma are required for efficient CI-dependent activation of p(M).
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Kedzierska
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Gdansk, Kladki 24, 80-822 Gdansk, Poland, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK and School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Sheffield, Beech Hill Road, Sheffield S10 2RX, UK
| | - Anna Szambowska
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Gdansk, Kladki 24, 80-822 Gdansk, Poland, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK and School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Sheffield, Beech Hill Road, Sheffield S10 2RX, UK
| | - Anna Herman-Antosiewicz
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Gdansk, Kladki 24, 80-822 Gdansk, Poland, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK and School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Sheffield, Beech Hill Road, Sheffield S10 2RX, UK
| | - David J. Lee
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Gdansk, Kladki 24, 80-822 Gdansk, Poland, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK and School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Sheffield, Beech Hill Road, Sheffield S10 2RX, UK
| | - Stephen J.W. Busby
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Gdansk, Kladki 24, 80-822 Gdansk, Poland, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK and School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Sheffield, Beech Hill Road, Sheffield S10 2RX, UK
| | - Grzegorz Wegrzyn
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Gdansk, Kladki 24, 80-822 Gdansk, Poland, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK and School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Sheffield, Beech Hill Road, Sheffield S10 2RX, UK
| | - Mark S. Thomas
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Gdansk, Kladki 24, 80-822 Gdansk, Poland, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK and School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Sheffield, Beech Hill Road, Sheffield S10 2RX, UK
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Braun F, Marhuenda FB, Morin A, Guevel L, Fleury F, Takahashi M, Sakanyan V. Similarity and divergence between the RNA polymerase α subunits from hyperthermophilic Thermotoga maritima and mesophilic Escherichia coli bacteria. Gene 2006; 380:120-6. [PMID: 16859838 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2006.05.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2006] [Revised: 05/12/2006] [Accepted: 05/16/2006] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The alpha subunit (alphaTm) of Thermotoga maritima RNA polymerase has been characterized to investigate its role in transcriptional regulation in one of the few known anaerobic hyperthermophilic bacteria. The highly thermostable alphaTm shares 54% similarity with its Escherichia coli analogue (alphaEc). The T. maritima rpoA gene coding the alpha subunit does not complement the thermosensitive rpoA112 mutation of E. coli. However, alphaTm and alphaEc show similar folding patterns as determined by circular dichroism. Purified alphaTm binds to the T. maritima PargGo promoter region (probably to a UP-element) and Arg282 appears to be crucial for DNA binding. The thermostable protein is also able to interact with transcription regulatory proteins, like ArgR from T. neapolitana or CRP from E. coli. These data indicate that the RNA polymerase alpha subunit might play a crucial role in the modulation of gene expression in hyperthermophiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederique Braun
- Unité Biotechnologie, Biocatalyse et Biorégulation, CNRS UMR 6204, Faculté des Sciences et des Techniques, Université de Nantes, 2 rue de la Houssinière, 44322 Nantes cedex 03, France.
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Abstract
Ribosomal RNA transcription is the rate-limiting step in ribosome synthesis in bacteria and has been investigated intensely for over half a century. Multiple mechanisms ensure that rRNA synthesis rates are appropriate for the cell's particular growth condition. Recently, important advances have been made in our understanding of rRNA transcription initiation in Escherichia coli. These include (a) a model at the atomic level of the network of protein-DNA and protein-protein interactions that recruit RNA polymerase to rRNA promoters, accounting for their extraordinary strength; (b) discovery of the nonredundant roles of two small molecule effectors, ppGpp and the initiating NTP, in regulation of rRNA transcription initiation; and (c) identification of a new component of the transcription machinery, DksA, that is absolutely required for regulation of rRNA promoter activity. Together, these advances provide clues important for our molecular understanding not only of rRNA transcription, but also of transcription in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian J Paul
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA.
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