Mechanism of chromosome compaction and looping by the Escherichia coli nucleoid protein Fis

The Power Duo: How the Interplay Between Nucleoid-Associated Proteins and Small Noncoding RNAs Orchestrates the Cellular Regulatory Symphony

In bacteria, the regulation of gene expression involves complex networks that integrate both transcriptional and posttranscriptional mechanisms. At the transcriptional level, nucleoid-associated proteins (NAPs) such as H-NS, HU, Lrp, IHF, Fis and Hfq are key players as they not only compact bacterial DNA but also regulate transcription. Small noncoding RNAs (sRNAs), on the other hand, are known to affect bacterial gene expression posttranscriptionally by base pairing with the target mRNA, but they can also be involved in nucleoid condensation. Interestingly, certain NAPs also influence the function of sRNAs and, conversely, sRNAs themselves can modulate the activity of NAPs, creating a complex bidirectional regulatory network. Here, we summarise the current knowledge of the major NAPs, focusing on the specific role of Hfq. Examples of the regulation of NAPs by sRNAs, the regulation of sRNAs by NAPs and the role of sRNAs in nucleoid structuring are also discussed. This review focuses on the cross-talk between NAPs and sRNAs in an attempt to understand how this interplay works to orchestrate the functioning of the cell.

Insights on the effect of macromolecular crowding on transcription and its regulation

Transcription of DNA into RNA is a fundamental cellular process upon which life depends. It is tightly regulated in several different ways, and among the most important mechanisms are protein-induced topological changes in DNA such as looping. In vivo neither transcription, nor protein-induced looping dynamics exhibited by individual molecules are easily monitored. In vitro single-molecule approaches do offer that possibility, but assays are conducted in rarefied, saline buffer conditions which greatly differ from the crowded intracellular environment. In the following, we describe monitoring both transcription and lac repressor-mediated DNA looping of single DNA molecules in the presence of different concentrations of crowders to bridge the gap between in vitro and in vivo experimentation. We found that crowding shifts the preferred orientation of DNA strands in the looped complex. Crowding also attenuates the rate of transcript elongation and enhances readthrough at the terminator. Clearly, the activities of proteins involved in gene regulation are modified in surprising ways by crowding.

Spatio-temporal organization of the E. coli chromosome from base to cellular length scales

Escherichia coli has been a vital model organism for studying chromosomal structure, thanks, in part, to its small and circular genome (4.6 million base pairs) and well-characterized biochemical pathways. Over the last several decades, we have made considerable progress in understanding the intricacies of the structure and subsequent function of the E. coli nucleoid. At the smallest scale, DNA, with no physical constraints, takes on a shape reminiscent of a randomly twisted cable, forming mostly random coils but partly affected by its stiffness. This ball-of-spaghetti-like shape forms a structure several times too large to fit into the cell. Once the physiological constraints of the cell are added, the DNA takes on overtwisted (negatively supercoiled) structures, which are shaped by an intricate interplay of many proteins carrying out essential biological processes. At shorter length scales (up to about 1 kb), nucleoid-associated proteins organize and condense the chromosome by inducing loops, bends, and forming bridges. Zooming out further and including cellular processes, topological domains are formed, which are flanked by supercoiling barriers. At the megabase-scale both large, highly self-interacting regions (macrodomains) and strong contacts between distant but co-regulated genes have been observed. At the largest scale, the nucleoid forms a helical ellipsoid. In this review, we will explore the history and recent advances that pave the way for a better understanding of E. coli chromosome organization and structure, discussing the cellular processes that drive changes in DNA shape, and what contributes to compaction and formation of dynamic structures, and in turn how bacterial chromatin affects key processes such as transcription and replication.

Shedding Light on Bacterial Chromosome Structure: Exploring the Significance of 3C-Based Approaches

The complex architecture of DNA within living organisms is essential for maintaining the genetic information that dictates their functions and characteristics. Among the many complexities of genetic material organization, the folding and arrangement of DNA into chromosomes play a critical role in regulating gene expression, replication, and other essential cellular processes. Bacteria, despite their apparently simple cellular structure, exhibit a remarkable level of chromosomal organization that influences their adaptability and survival in diverse environments. Understanding the three-dimensional arrangement of bacterial chromosomes has long been a challenge due to technical limitations, but the development of Chromosome Conformation Capture (3C) methods revolutionized our ability to explore the hierarchical structure and the dynamics of bacterial genomes. Here, we review the major advances in the field of bacterial chromosome structure using 3C technology over the past decade.

Single-molecule characterization of target search dynamics of DNA-binding proteins in DNA-condensed droplets

Target search models of DNA-binding proteins in cells typically consider search mechanisms that include 3D diffusion and 1D sliding, which can be characterized by single-molecule tracking on DNA. However, the finding of liquid droplets of DNA and nuclear components in cells cast doubt on extrapolation from the behavior in ideal non-condensed DNA conditions to those in cells. In this study, we investigate the target search behavior of DNA-binding proteins in reconstituted DNA-condensed droplets using single-molecule fluorescence microscopy. To mimic nuclear condensates, we reconstituted DNA-condensed droplets using dextran and PEG polymers. In the DNA-condensed droplets, we measured the translational movement of four DNA-binding proteins (p53, Nhp6A, Fis and Cas9) and p53 mutants possessing different structures, sizes, and oligomeric states. Our results demonstrate the presence of fast and slow mobility modes in DNA-condensed droplets for the four DNA-binding proteins. The slow mobility mode capability is correlated strongly to the molecular size and the number of DNA-binding domains on DNA-binding proteins, but only moderately to the affinity to single DNA segments in non-condensed conditions. The slow mobility mode in DNA-condensed droplets is interpreted as a multivalent interaction mode of the DNA-binding protein to multiple DNA segments.

Cryo soft X-ray tomography to explore Escherichia coli nucleoid remodeling by Hfq master regulator

The bacterial chromosomic DNA is packed within a membrane-less structure, the nucleoid, due to the association of DNA with proteins called Nucleoid Associated Proteins (NAPs). Among these NAPs, Hfq is one of the most intriguing as it plays both direct and indirect roles on DNA structure. Indeed, Hfq is best known to mediate post-transcriptional regulation by using small noncoding RNA (sRNA). Although Hfq presence in the nucleoid has been demonstrated for years, its precise role is still unclear. Recently, it has been shown in vitro that Hfq forms amyloid-like structures through its C-terminal region, hence belonging to the bridging family of NAPs. Here, using cryo soft X-ray tomography imaging of native unlabeled cells and using a semi-automatic analysis and segmentation procedure, we show that Hfq significantly remodels the Escherichia coli nucleoid. More specifically, Hfq influences nucleoid density especially during the stationary growth phase when it is more abundant. Our results indicate that Hfq could regulate nucleoid compaction directly via its interaction with DNA, but also at the post-transcriptional level via its interaction with RNAs. Taken together, our findings reveal a new role for this protein in nucleoid remodeling in vivo, that may serve in response to stress conditions and in adapting to changing environments.

Coarse-grained modeling reveals the impact of supercoiling and loop length in DNA looping kinetics

Measurements of protein-mediated DNA looping reveal that in vivo conditions favor the formation of loops shorter than those that occur in vitro, yet the precise physical mechanisms underlying this shift remain unclear. To understand the extent to which in vivo supercoiling may explain these shifts, we develop a theoretical model based on coarse-grained molecular simulation and analytical transition state theory, enabling us to map out looping energetics and kinetics as a function of two key biophysical parameters: superhelical density and loop length. We show that loops on the scale of a persistence length respond to supercoiling over a much wider range of superhelical densities and to a larger extent than longer loops. This effect arises from a tendency for loops to be centered on the plectonemic end region, which bends progressively more tightly with superhelical density. This trend reveals a mechanism by which supercoiling favors shorter loop lengths. In addition, our model predicts a complex kinetic response to supercoiling for a given loop length, governed by a competition between an enhanced rate of looping due to torsional buckling and a reduction in looping rate due to chain straightening as the plectoneme tightens at higher superhelical densities. Together, these effects lead to a flattening of the kinetic response to supercoiling within the physiological range for all but the shortest loops. Using experimental estimates for in vivo superhelical densities, we discuss our model's ability to explain available looping data, highlighting both the importance of supercoiling as a regulatory force in genetics and the additional complexities of looping phenomena in vivo.

Facilitated Dissociation of Nucleoid Associated Proteins from DNA in the Bacterial Confinement

Transcription machinery depends on the temporal formation of protein-DNA complexes. Recent experiments demonstrated that not only the formation but also the lifetime of such complexes can affect the transcriptional machinery. In parallel, in vitro single-molecule studies showed that nucleoid-associated proteins (NAPs) leave the DNA rapidly as the bulk concentration of the protein increases via facilitated dissociation (FD). Nevertheless, whether such a concentration-dependent mechanism is functional in a bacterial cell, in which NAP levels and the 3d chromosomal structure are often coupled, is not clear a priori. Here, by using extensive coarse-grained molecular simulations, we model the unbinding of specific and nonspecific dimeric NAPs from a high-molecular-weight circular DNA molecule in a cylindrical structure mimicking the cellular confinement of a bacterial chromosome. Our simulations confirm that physiologically relevant peak protein levels (tens of micromolar) lead to highly compact chromosomal structures. This compaction results in rapid off rates (shorter DNA residence times) for specifically DNA-binding NAPs, such as the factor for inversion stimulation, which mostly dissociate via a segmental jump mechanism. Contrarily, for nonspecific NAPs, which are more prone to leave their binding sites via 1d sliding, the off rates decrease as the protein levels increase. The simulations with restrained chromosome models reveal that chromosome compaction is in favor of faster dissociation but only for specific proteins, and nonspecific proteins are not affected by the chromosome compaction. Overall, our results suggest that the cellular concentration level of a structural DNA-binding protein can be highly intermingled with its DNA residence time.

The Dynamics of Mycoplasma gallisepticum Nucleoid Structure at the Exponential and Stationary Growth Phases

The structure and dynamics of bacterial nucleoids play important roles in regulating gene expression. Bacteria of class Mollicutes and, in particular, mycoplasmas feature extremely reduced genomes. They lack multiple structural proteins of the nucleoid, as well as regulators of gene expression. We studied the organization of Mycoplasma gallisepticum nucleoids in the stationary and exponential growth phases at the structural and protein levels. The growth phase transition results in the structural reorganization of M. gallisepticum nucleoid. In particular, it undergoes condensation and changes in the protein content. The observed changes corroborate with the previously identified global rearrangement of the transcriptional landscape in this bacterium during the growth phase transition. In addition, we identified that the glycolytic enzyme enolase functions as a nucleoid structural protein in this bacterium. It is capable of non-specific DNA binding and can form fibril-like complexes with DNA.

Fis Connects Two Sensory Pathways, Quorum Sensing and Surface Sensing, to Control Motility in Vibrio parahaemolyticus

Factor for inversion stimulation (Fis) is a global regulator that is highly expressed during exponential phase growth and undetectable in stationary phase growth. Quorum sensing (QS) is a global regulatory mechanism that controls gene expression in response to changes in cell density and growth phase. In Vibrio parahaemolyticus, a marine species and a significant human pathogen, the QS regulatory sRNAs, Qrr1 to Qrr5, are expressed during exponential growth and negatively regulate the high cell density QS master regulator OpaR. OpaR is a positive regulator of capsule polysaccharide (CPS) formation, which is required for biofilm formation, and is a repressor of lateral flagella required for swarming motility. In V. parahaemolyticus, we show that Fis is a positive regulator of the qrr sRNAs expression. In an in-frame fis deletion mutant, qrr expression was repressed and opaR expression was induced. The Δfis mutant produced CPS and biofilm, but swarming motility was abolished. Also, the fis deletion mutant was more sensitive to polymyxin B. Swarming motility requires expression of both the surface sensing scrABC operon and lateral flagella laf operon. Our data showed that in the Δfis mutant both laf and scrABC genes were repressed. Fis controlled swarming motility indirectly through the QS pathway and directly through the surface sensing pathway. To determine the effects of Fis on cellular metabolism, we performed in vitro growth competition assays, and found that Δfis was outcompeted by wild type in minimal media supplemented with intestinal mucus as a sole nutrient source. The data showed that Fis positively modulated mucus components L-arabinose, D-gluconate and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine catabolism gene expression. In an in vivo colonization competition assay, Δfis was outcompeted by wild type, indicating Fis is required for fitness. Overall, these data demonstrate a global regulatory role for Fis in V. parahaemolyticus that includes QS, motility, and metabolism.

Direct visualization of the effect of DNA structure and ionic conditions on HU-DNA interactions

Architectural DNA–binding proteins are involved in many important DNA transactions by virtue of their ability to change DNA conformation. Histone-like protein from E. coli strain U93, HU, is one of the most studied bacterial architectural DNA–binding proteins. Nevertheless, there is still a limited understanding of how the interactions between HU and DNA are affected by ionic conditions and the structure of DNA. Here, using optical tweezers in combination with fluorescent confocal imaging, we investigated how ionic conditions affect the interaction between HU and DNA. We directly visualized the binding and the diffusion of fluorescently labelled HU dimers on DNA. HU binds with high affinity and exhibits low mobility on the DNA in the absence of Mg²⁺; it moves 30-times faster and stays shorter on the DNA with 8 mM Mg²⁺ in solution. Additionally, we investigated the effect of DNA tension on HU–DNA complexes. On the one hand, our studies show that binding of HU enhances DNA helix stability. On the other hand, we note that the binding affinity of HU for DNA in the presence of Mg²⁺ increases at tensions above 50 pN, which we attribute to force-induced structural changes in the DNA. The observation that HU diffuses faster along DNA in presence of Mg²⁺ compared to without Mg²⁺ suggests that the free energy barrier for rotational diffusion along DNA is reduced, which can be interpreted in terms of reduced electrostatic interaction between HU and DNA, possibly coinciding with reduced DNA bending.

Testing mechanisms of DNA sliding by architectural DNA-binding proteins: dynamics of single wild-type and mutant protein molecules in vitro and in vivo

Architectural DNA-binding proteins (ADBPs) are abundant constituents of eukaryotic or bacterial chromosomes that bind DNA promiscuously and function in diverse DNA reactions. They generate large conformational changes in DNA upon binding yet can slide along DNA when searching for functional binding sites. Here we investigate the mechanism by which ADBPs diffuse on DNA by single-molecule analyses of mutant proteins rationally chosen to distinguish between rotation-coupled diffusion and DNA surface sliding after transient unbinding from the groove(s). The properties of yeast Nhp6A mutant proteins, combined with molecular dynamics simulations, suggest Nhp6A switches between two binding modes: a static state, in which the HMGB domain is bound within the minor groove with the DNA highly bent, and a mobile state, where the protein is traveling along the DNA surface by means of its flexible N-terminal basic arm. The behaviors of Fis mutants, a bacterial nucleoid-associated helix-turn-helix dimer, are best explained by mobile proteins unbinding from the major groove and diffusing along the DNA surface. Nhp6A, Fis, and bacterial HU are all near exclusively associated with the chromosome, as packaged within the bacterial nucleoid, and can be modeled by three diffusion modes where HU exhibits the fastest and Fis the slowest diffusion.

Integration host factor bends and bridges DNA in a multiplicity of binding modes with varying specificity

Nucleoid-associated proteins (NAPs) are crucial in organizing prokaryotic DNA and regulating genes. Vital to these activities are complex nucleoprotein structures, however, how these form remains unclear. Integration host factor (IHF) is an Escherichia coli NAP that creates very sharp bends in DNA at sequences relevant to several functions including transcription and recombination, and is also responsible for general DNA compaction when bound non-specifically. We show that IHF–DNA structural multimodality is more elaborate than previously thought, and provide insights into how this drives mechanical switching towards strongly bent DNA. Using single-molecule atomic force microscopy and atomic molecular dynamics simulations we find three binding modes in roughly equal proportions: ‘associated’ (73° of DNA bend), ‘half-wrapped’ (107°) and ‘fully-wrapped’ (147°), only the latter occurring with sequence specificity. We show IHF bridges two DNA double helices through non-specific recognition that gives IHF a stoichiometry greater than one and enables DNA mesh assembly. We observe that IHF-DNA structural multiplicity is driven through non-specific electrostatic interactions that we anticipate to be a general NAP feature for physical organization of chromosomes.

Multiscale Dynamic Structuring of Bacterial Chromosomes

Since the nucleoid was isolated from bacteria in the 1970s, two fundamental questions emerged and are still in the spotlight: how bacteria organize their chromosomes to fit inside the cell and how nucleoid organization enables essential biological processes. During the last decades, knowledge of bacterial chromosome organization has advanced considerably, and today, such chromosomes are considered to be highly organized and dynamic structures that are shaped by multiple factors in a multiscale manner. Here we review not only the classical well-known factors involved in chromosome organization but also novel components that have recently been shown to dynamically shape the 3D structuring of the bacterial genome. We focus on the different functional elements that control short-range organization and describe how they collaborate in the establishment of the higher-order folding and disposition of the chromosome. Recent advances have opened new avenues for a deeper understanding of the principles and mechanisms of chromosome organization in bacteria. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Microbiology, Volume 75 is October 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

Nucleoid-associated proteins shape chromatin structure and transcriptional regulation across the bacterial kingdom

Genome architecture has proven to be critical in determining gene regulation across almost all domains of life. While many of the key components and mechanisms of eukaryotic genome organization have been described, the interplay between bacterial DNA organization and gene regulation is only now being fully appreciated. An increasing pool of evidence has demonstrated that the bacterial chromosome can reasonably be thought of as chromatin, and that bacterial chromosomes contain transcriptionally silent and transcriptionally active regions analogous to heterochromatin and euchromatin, respectively. The roles played by histones in eukaryotic systems appear to be shared across a range of nucleoid-associated proteins (NAPs) in bacteria, which function to compact, structure, and regulate large portions of bacterial chromosomes. The broad range of extant NAPs, and the extent to which they differ from species to species, has raised additional challenges in identifying and characterizing their roles in all but a handful of model bacteria. Here we review the regulatory roles played by NAPs in several well-studied bacteria and use the resulting state of knowledge to provide a working definition for NAPs, based on their function, binding pattern, and expression levels. We present a screening procedure which can be applied to any species for which transcriptomic data are available. Finally, we note that NAPs tend to play two major regulatory roles - xenogeneic silencers and developmental regulators - and that many unrecognized potential NAPs exist in each bacterial species examined.

DNA sequence-directed cooperation between nucleoid-associated proteins

Nucleoid-associated proteins (NAPs) are a class of highly abundant DNA-binding proteins in bacteria and archaea. While both the composition and relative abundance of the NAPs change during the bacterial growth cycle, surprisingly little is known about their crosstalk in mutually binding and stabilizing higher-order nucleoprotein complexes in the bacterial chromosome. Here, we use atomic force microscopy and solid-state nanopores to investigate long-range nucleoprotein structures formed by the binding of two major NAPs, FIS and H-NS, to DNA molecules with distinct binding site arrangements. We find that spatial organization of the protein binding sites can govern the higher-order architecture of the nucleoprotein complexes. Based on sequence arrangement the complexes differed in their global shape and compaction as well as the extent of FIS and H-NS binding. Our observations highlight the important role the DNA sequence plays in driving structural differentiation within the bacterial chromosome.

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The location of protein binding sites along DNA is important for 3D organization

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FIS protein forms DNA loops while H-NS forms compact DNA plectonemes

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FIS DNA loops inhibit H-NS from spreading over the DNA

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FIS and H-NS competition creates regions of ‘open’ and ‘closed’ DNA

Identification and characterization of the Hfq bacterial amyloid region DNA interactions

Nucleic acid amyloid proteins interactions have been observed in the past few years. These interactions often promote protein aggregation. Nevertheless, molecular basis and physiological consequences of these interactions are still poorly understood. Additionally, it is unknown whether the nucleic acid promotes the formation of self-assembly due to direct interactions or indirectly via sequences surrounding the amyloid region. Here we focus our attention on a bacterial amyloid, Hfq. This protein is a pleiotropic bacterial regulator that mediates many aspects of nucleic acids metabolism. The protein notably mediates mRNA stability and translation efficiency by using stress-related small non coding regulatory RNA. In addition, Hfq, thanks to its amyloid C-terminal region, binds and compacts DNA. A combination of experimental methodologies, including synchrotron radiation circular dichroism (SRCD), gel shift assay and infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy have been used to probe the interaction of Hfq C-terminal region with DNA. We clearly identify important amino acids in this region involved in DNA binding and polymerization properties. This allows to understand better how this bacterial amyloid interacts with DNA. Possible functional consequence to answer to stresses are discussed.

The Smc5/6 Core Complex Is a Structure-Specific DNA Binding and Compacting Machine

The structural organization of chromosomes is a crucial feature that defines the functional state of genes and genomes. The extent of structural changes experienced by genomes of eukaryotic cells can be dramatic and spans several orders of magnitude. At the core of these changes lies a unique group of ATPases-the SMC proteins-that act as major effectors of chromosome behavior in cells. The Smc5/6 proteins play essential roles in the maintenance of genome stability, yet their mode of action is not fully understood. Here we show that the human Smc5/6 complex recognizes unusual DNA configurations and uses the energy of ATP hydrolysis to promote their compaction. Structural analyses reveal subunit interfaces responsible for the functionality of the Smc5/6 complex and how mutations in these regions may lead to chromosome breakage syndromes in humans. Collectively, our results suggest that the Smc5/6 complex promotes genome stability as a DNA micro-compaction machine.

A bacteriophage mimic of the bacterial nucleoid-associated protein Fis

We report the identification and characterization of a bacteriophage λ-encoded protein, NinH. Sequence homology suggests similarity between NinH and Fis, a bacterial nucleoid-associated protein (NAP) involved in numerous DNA topology manipulations, including chromosome condensation, transcriptional regulation and phage site-specific recombination. We find that NinH functions as a homodimer and is able to bind and bend double-stranded DNA in vitro. Furthermore, NinH shows a preference for a 15 bp signature sequence related to the degenerate consensus favored by Fis. Structural studies reinforced the proposed similarity to Fis and supported the identification of residues involved in DNA binding which were demonstrated experimentally. Overexpression of NinH proved toxic and this correlated with its capacity to associate with DNA. NinH is the first example of a phage-encoded Fis-like NAP that likely influences phage excision-integration reactions or bacterial gene expression.

Requirements for DNA-Bridging Proteins to Act as Topological Barriers of the Bacterial Genome

Bacterial genomes have been shown to be partitioned into several-kilobase-long chromosomal domains that are topologically independent from each other, meaning that change of DNA superhelicity in one domain does not propagate to neighbors. Both in vivo and in vitro experiments have been performed to question the nature of the topological barriers at play, leading to several predictions on possible molecular actors. Here, we address the question of topological barriers using polymer models of supercoiled DNA chains that are constrained such as to mimic the action of predicted molecular actors. More specifically, we determine under which conditions DNA-bridging proteins may act as topological barriers. To this end, we developed a coarse-grained bead-and-spring model and investigated its properties through Brownian dynamics simulations. As a result, we find that DNA-bridging proteins must exert rather strong constraints on their binding sites; they must block the diffusion of the excess of twist through the two binding sites on the DNA molecule and, simultaneously, prevent the rotation of one DNA segment relative to the other one. Importantly, not all DNA-bridging proteins satisfy this second condition. For example, single bridges formed by proteins that bind DNA nonspecifically, like H-NS dimers, are expected to fail with this respect. Our findings might also explain, in the case of specific DNA-bridging proteins like LacI, why multiple bridges are required to create stable independent topological domains. Strikingly, when the relative rotation of the DNA segments is not prevented, relaxation results in complex intrication of the two domains. Moreover, although the value of the torsional stress in each domain may vary, their differential is preserved. Our work also predicts that nucleoid-associated proteins known to wrap DNA must form higher protein-DNA complexes to efficiently work as topological barriers.

Interactions between DNA and the Hfq Amyloid-like Region Trigger a Viscoelastic Response

Molecular transport of biomolecules plays a pivotal role in the machinery of life. Yet, this role is poorly understood due the lack of quantitative information. Here, the role and properties of the C-terminal region of Escherichia coli Hfq is reported, involved in controlling the flow of a DNA solution. A combination of experimental methodologies has been used to probe the interaction of Hfq with DNA and to measure the rheological properties of the complex. A physical gel with a temperature reversible elasticity modulus is formed due to the formation of noncovalent cross-links. The mechanical response of the complexes shows that they are inhomogeneous soft solids. Our experiments indicate that the Hfq C-terminal region could contribute to the genome's mechanical response. The reported viscoelasticity of the DNA-protein complex might have implications for cellular processes involving molecular transport of DNA or segments thereof.

Different Proteins Mediate Step-Wise Chromosome Architectures in Thermoplasma acidophilum and Pyrobaculum calidifontis

Archaeal species encode a variety of distinct lineage-specific chromosomal proteins. We have previously shown that in Thermococcus kodakarensis, histone, Alba, and TrmBL2 play distinct roles in chromosome organization. Although our understanding of individual archaeal chromosomal proteins has been advancing, how archaeal chromosomes are folded into higher-order structures and how they are regulated are largely unknown. Here, we investigated the primary and higher-order structures of archaeal chromosomes from different archaeal lineages. Atomic force microscopy of chromosome spreads out of Thermoplasma acidophilum and Pyrobaculum calidifontis cells revealed 10-nm fibers and 30–40-nm globular structures, suggesting the occurrence of higher-order chromosomal folding. Our results also indicated that chromosome compaction occurs toward the stationary phase. Micrococcal nuclease digestion indicated that fundamental structural units of the chromosome exist in T. acidophilum and T. kodakarensis but not in P. calidifontis or Sulfolobus solfataricus. In vitro reconstitution showed that, in T. acidophilum, the bacterial HU protein homolog HTa formed a 6-nm fiber by wrapping DNA, and that Alba was responsible for the formation of the 10-nm fiber by binding along the DNA without wrapping. Remarkably, Alba could form different higher-order complexes with histone or HTa on DNA in vitro. Mass spectrometry detected HTa and Rad50 in the T. acidophilum chromosome but not in other species. A putative transcriptional regulator of the AsnC/Lrp family (Pcal_1183) was detected on the P. calidifontis chromosome, but not on that of other species studied. Putative membrane-associated proteins were detected in the chromosomes of the three archaeal species studied, including T. acidophilum, P. calidifontis, and T. kodakarensis. Collectively, our data show that Archaea use different combinations of proteins to achieve chromosomal architecture and functional regulation.

Fis Contributes to Resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to Ciprofloxacin by Regulating Pyocin Synthesis

Factor for inversion stimulation (Fis) is a versatile DNA binding protein that plays an important role in coordinating bacterial global gene expression in response to growth phases and environmental stresses. Previously, we demonstrated that Fis regulates the type III secretion system (T3SS) in Pseudomonas aeruginosa In this study, we explored the role of Fis in the antibiotic resistance of P. aeruginosa and found that mutation of the fis gene increases the bacterial susceptibility to ciprofloxacin. We further demonstrated that genes related to pyocin biosynthesis are upregulated in the fis mutant. The pyocins are produced in response to genotoxic agents, including ciprofloxacin, and the release of pyocins results in lysis of the producer cell. Thus, pyocin biosynthesis genes sensitize P. aeruginosa to ciprofloxacin. We found that PrtN, the positive regulator of the pyocin biosynthesis genes, is upregulated in the fis mutant. Genetic experiments and electrophoretic mobility shift assays revealed that Fis directly binds to the promoter region of prtN and represses its expression. Therefore, our results revealed novel Fis-mediated regulation on pyocin production and bacterial resistance to ciprofloxacin in P. aeruginosa IMPORTANCE Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important opportunistic pathogenic bacterium that causes various acute and chronic infections in human, especially in patients with compromised immunity, cystic fibrosis (CF), and/or severe burn wounds. About 60% of cystic fibrosis patients have a chronic respiratory infection caused by P. aeruginosa The bacterium is intrinsically highly resistant to antibiotics, which greatly increases difficulties in clinical treatment. Therefore, it is critical to understand the mechanisms and the regulatory pathways that are involved in antibiotic resistance. In this study, we elucidated a novel regulatory pathway that controls the bacterial resistance to fluoroquinolone antibiotics, which enhances our understanding of how P. aeruginosa responds to ciprofloxacin.

Bacterial Nucleoid: Interplay of DNA Demixing and Supercoiling

This work addresses the question of the interplay of DNA demixing and supercoiling in bacterial cells. Demixing of DNA from other globular macromolecules results from the overall repulsion between all components of the system and leads to the formation of the nucleoid, which is the region of the cell that contains the genomic DNA in a rather compact form. Supercoiling describes the coiling of the axis of the DNA double helix to accommodate the torsional stress injected in the molecule by topoisomerases. Supercoiling is able to induce some compaction of the bacterial DNA, although to a lesser extent than demixing. In this work, we investigate the interplay of these two mechanisms with the goal of determining whether the total compaction ratio of the DNA is the mere sum or some more complex function of the compaction ratios due to each mechanism. To this end, we developed a coarse-grained bead-and-spring model and investigated its properties through Brownian dynamics simulations. This work reveals that there actually exist different regimes, depending on the crowder volume ratio and the DNA superhelical density. In particular, a regime in which the effects of DNA demixing and supercoiling on the compaction of the DNA coil simply add up is shown to exist up to moderate values of the superhelical density. In contrast, the mean radius of the DNA coil no longer decreases above this threshold and may even increase again for sufficiently large crowder concentrations. Finally, the model predicts that the DNA coil may depart from the spherical geometry very close to the jamming threshold as a trade-off between the need to minimize both the bending energy of the stiff plectonemes and the volume of the DNA coil to accommodate demixing.

Crystal structure of the nucleoid-associated protein Fis (PA4853) from Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Factor for inversion stimulation (Fis) is a versatile bacterial nucleoid-associated protein that can directly bind and bend DNA to influence DNA topology. It also plays crucial roles in regulating bacterial virulence factors and in optimizing bacterial adaptation to various environments. Fis from Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA4853, referred to as PaFis) has recently been found to be required for virulence by regulating the expression of type III secretion system (T3SS) genes. PaFis can specifically bind to the promoter region of exsA, which functions as a T3SS master regulator, to regulate its expression and plays an essential role in transcription elongation from exsB to exsA. Here, the crystal structure of PaFis, which is composed of a four-helix bundle and forms a homodimer, is reported. PaFis shows remarkable structural similarities to the well studied Escherichia coli Fis (EcFis), including an N-terminal flexible loop and a C-terminal helix-turn-helix (HTH) motif. However, the critical residues for Hin-catalyzed DNA inversion in the N-terminal loop of EcFis are not conserved in PaFis and further studies are required to investigate its exact role. A gel-electrophoresis mobility-shift assay showed that PaFis can efficiently bind to the promoter region of exsA. Structure-based mutagenesis revealed that several conserved basic residues in the HTH motif play essential roles in DNA binding. These structural and biochemical studies may help in understanding the role of PaFis in the regulation of T3SS expression and in virulence.

Physics and Biology (of Chromosomes)

Advances in molecular biology, optics, genetics, and bioinformatics have opened the door to mapping, in molecular detail, processes inside living cells. With the ability to observe the individual moving parts of cellular machinery, concepts formerly confined to physics are entering mainstream biology. This article discusses a few ideas of this sort related to chromosome biology, to illustrate what kinds of insights physics might yet bring to our understanding of living systems.

Architecture of the Escherichia coli nucleoid

How genomes are organized within cells and how the 3D architecture of a genome influences cellular functions are significant questions in biology. A bacterial genomic DNA resides inside cells in a highly condensed and functionally organized form called nucleoid (nucleus-like structure without a nuclear membrane). The Escherichia coli chromosome or nucleoid is composed of the genomic DNA, RNA, and protein. The nucleoid forms by condensation and functional arrangement of a single chromosomal DNA with the help of chromosomal architectural proteins and RNA molecules as well as DNA supercoiling. Although a high-resolution structure of a bacterial nucleoid is yet to come, five decades of research has established the following salient features of the E. coli nucleoid elaborated below: 1) The chromosomal DNA is on the average a negatively supercoiled molecule that is folded as plectonemic loops, which are confined into many independent topological domains due to supercoiling diffusion barriers; 2) The loops spatially organize into megabase size regions called macrodomains, which are defined by more frequent physical interactions among DNA sites within the same macrodomain than between different macrodomains; 3) The condensed and spatially organized DNA takes the form of a helical ellipsoid radially confined in the cell; and 4) The DNA in the chromosome appears to have a condition-dependent 3-D structure that is linked to gene expression so that the nucleoid architecture and gene transcription are tightly interdependent, influencing each other reciprocally. Current advents of high-resolution microscopy, single-molecule analysis and molecular structure determination of the components are expected to reveal the total structure and function of the bacterial nucleoid.

Influence of Nucleoid-Associated Proteins on DNA Supercoiling

DNA supercoiling, where the DNA strand forms a writhe to relieve torsional stress, plays a vital role in packaging the genetic material in cells. Experiment, simulation, and theory have all demonstrated how supercoiling emerges due to the over- or underwinding of the DNA strand. Nucleoid-associated proteins (NAPs) help structure DNA in prokaryotes, yet the role that they play in the supercoiling process has not been as thoroughly investigated. We develop a coarse-grained simulation to model DNA supercoiling in the presence of proteins, providing a rigorous physical understanding of how NAPs affect supercoiling behavior. Specifically, we demonstrate how the force and torque necessary to form supercoils are affected by the presence of NAPs. NAPs that bend DNA stabilize the supercoil, thus shifting the transition between extended and supercoiled DNAs. We develop a theory to explain how NAP binding affects DNA supercoiling. This provides insight into how NAPs modulate DNA compaction via a combination of supercoiling and local protein-dependent deformations.

Force-Dependent Facilitated Dissociation Can Generate Protein-DNA Catch Bonds

Cellular structures are continually subjected to forces, which may serve as mechanical signals for cells through their effects on biomolecule interaction kinetics. Typically, molecular complexes interact via "slip bonds," so applied forces accelerate off rates by reducing transition energy barriers. However, biomolecules with multiple dissociation pathways may have considerably more complicated force dependencies. This is the case for DNA-binding proteins that undergo "facilitated dissociation," in which competitor biomolecules from solution enhance molecular dissociation in a concentration-dependent manner. Using simulations and theory, we develop a generic model that shows that proteins undergoing facilitated dissociation can form an alternative type of molecular bond, known as a "catch bond," for which applied forces suppress protein dissociation. This occurs because the binding by protein competitors responsible for the facilitated dissociation pathway can be inhibited by applied forces. Within the model, we explore how the force dependence of dissociation is regulated by intrinsic factors, including molecular sensitivity to force and binding geometry and the extrinsic factor of competitor protein concentration. We find that catch bonds generically emerge when the force dependence of the facilitated unbinding pathway is stronger than that of the spontaneous unbinding pathway. The sharpness of the transition between slip- and catch-bond kinetics depends on the degree to which the protein bends its DNA substrate. This force-dependent kinetics is broadly regulated by the concentration of competitor biomolecules in solution. Thus, the observed catch bond is mechanistically distinct from other known physiological catch bonds because it requires an extrinsic factor-competitor proteins-rather than a specific intrinsic molecular structure. We hypothesize that this mechanism for regulating force-dependent protein dissociation may be used by cells to modulate protein exchange, regulate transcription, and facilitate diffusive search processes.

Diversity, versatility and complexity of bacterial gene regulation mechanisms: opportunities and drawbacks for applications in synthetic biology

Gene expression occurs in two essential steps: transcription and translation. In bacteria, the two processes are tightly coupled in time and space, and highly regulated. Tight regulation of gene expression is crucial. It limits wasteful consumption of resources and energy, prevents accumulation of potentially growth inhibiting reaction intermediates, and sustains the fitness and potential virulence of the organism in a fluctuating, competitive and frequently stressful environment. Since the onset of studies on regulation of enzyme synthesis, numerous distinct regulatory mechanisms modulating transcription and/or translation have been discovered. Mostly, various regulatory mechanisms operating at different levels in the flow of genetic information are used in combination to control and modulate the expression of a single gene or operon. Here, we provide an extensive overview of the very diverse and versatile bacterial gene regulatory mechanisms with major emphasis on their combined occurrence, intricate intertwinement and versatility. Furthermore, we discuss the potential of well-characterized basal expression and regulatory elements in synthetic biology applications, where they may ensure orthogonal, predictable and tunable expression of (heterologous) target genes and pathways, aiming at a minimal burden for the host.

DNA Mechanics and Topology

We review the current understanding of the mechanics of DNA and DNA-protein complexes, from scales of base pairs up to whole chromosomes. Mechanics of the double helix as revealed by single-molecule experiments will be described, with an emphasis on the role of polymer statistical mechanics. We will then discuss how topological constraints- entanglement and supercoiling-impact physical and mechanical responses. Models for protein-DNA interactions, including effects on polymer properties of DNA of DNA-bending proteins will be described, relevant to behavior of protein-DNA complexes in vivo. We also discuss control of DNA entanglement topology by DNA-lengthwise-compaction machinery acting in concert with topoisomerases. Finally, the chapter will conclude with a discussion of relevance of several aspects of physical properties of DNA and chromatin to oncology.

Force-extension behavior of DNA in the presence of DNA-bending nucleoid associated proteins

Interactions between nucleoid associated proteins (NAPs) and DNA affect DNA polymer conformation, leading to phenomena such as concentration dependent force-extension behavior. These effects, in turn, also impact the local binding behavior of the protein, such as high forces causing proteins to unbind, or proteins binding favorably to locally bent DNA. We develop a coarse-grained NAP-DNA simulation model that incorporates both force- and concentration-dependent behaviors, in order to study the interplay between NAP binding and DNA conformation. This model system includes multi-state protein binding and unbinding, motivated by prior work, but is now dependent on the local structure of the DNA, which is related to external forces acting on the DNA strand. We observe the expected qualitative binding behavior, where more proteins are bound at lower forces than at higher forces. Our model also includes NAP-induced DNA bending, which affects DNA elasticity. We see semi-quantitative matching of our simulated force-extension behavior to the reported experimental data. By using a coarse-grained simulation, we are also able to look at non-equilibrium behaviors, such as dynamic extension of a DNA strand. We stretch a DNA strand at different rates and at different NAP concentrations to observe how the time scales of the system (such as pulling time and unbinding time) work in concert. When these time scales are similar, we observe measurable rate-dependent changes in the system, which include the number of proteins bound and the force required to extend the DNA molecule. This suggests that the relative time scales of different dynamic processes play an important role in the behavior of NAP-DNA systems.

Physical properties of DNA may direct the binding of nucleoid-associated proteins along the E. coli genome

Nucleoid-associated proteins (NAPs) play important roles in both chromosome packaging and gene regulation in bacteria. The underlying mechanisms, however, remain elusive particularly for how NAPs contribute to chromosome packaging. We report here a characterization of the binding sites for several major NAPs in E. coli, namely HNS, IHF, Fis, Dps and a non-NAP protein, FNR, in terms of the physical properties of their binding DNA. Our study shows that (i) as compared with flanking regions, the binding sites for IHF, Fis and FNR tend to have high intrinsic curvature, while no characterized pattern of intrinsic curvature distribution around those of HNS and Dps; (ii) all the binding sites analyzed in this study except those of HNS are characterized by high structural flexibility; (iii) the intrinsic curvature and flexibility at the binding sites for Fis and IHF are found to be coupled with the sequence specificity required in their binding, while the physical properties of the binding regions for both Dps and FNR are independent of sequence specificity. Our data suggest that physical properties of DNA sequence may contribute to binding of NAPs and mediate genome packaging and transcriptional regulation of the downstream genes. Our results should be informative for prediction of NAPs binding sites and understanding of the bacterial chromosome packaging.

Multiscale Structuring of the E. coli Chromosome by Nucleoid-Associated and Condensin Proteins

As in eukaryotes, bacterial genomes are not randomly folded. Bacterial genetic information is generally carried on a circular chromosome with a single origin of replication from which two replication forks proceed bidirectionally toward the opposite terminus region. Here, we investigate the higher-order architecture of the Escherichia coli genome, showing its partition into two structurally distinct entities by a complex and intertwined network of contacts: the replication terminus (ter) region and the rest of the chromosome. Outside of ter, the condensin MukBEF and the ubiquitous nucleoid-associated protein (NAP) HU promote DNA contacts in the megabase range. Within ter, the MatP protein prevents MukBEF activity, and contacts are restricted to ∼280 kb, creating a domain with distinct structural properties. We also show how other NAPs contribute to nucleoid organization, such as H-NS, which restricts short-range interactions. Combined, these results reveal the contributions of major evolutionarily conserved proteins in a bacterial chromosome organization.

High Free-Energy Barrier of 1D Diffusion Along DNA by Architectural DNA-Binding Proteins

Architectural DNA-binding proteins function to regulate diverse DNA reactions and have the defining property of significantly changing DNA conformation. Although the 1D movement along DNA by other types of DNA-binding proteins has been visualized, the mobility of architectural DNA-binding proteins on DNA remains unknown. Here, we applied single-molecule fluorescence imaging on arrays of extended DNA molecules to probe the binding dynamics of three structurally distinct architectural DNA-binding proteins: Nhp6A, HU, and Fis. Each of these proteins was observed to move along DNA, and the salt concentration independence of the 1D diffusion implies sliding with continuous contact to DNA. Nhp6A and HU exhibit a single sliding mode, whereas Fis exhibits two sliding modes. Based on comparison of the diffusion coefficients and sizes of many DNA binding proteins, the architectural proteins are categorized into a new group distinguished by an unusually high free-energy barrier for 1D diffusion. The higher free-energy barrier for 1D diffusion by architectural proteins can be attributed to the large DNA conformational changes that accompany binding and impede rotation-coupled movement along the DNA grooves.

Charged residues in the H-NS linker drive DNA binding and gene silencing in single cells

Nucleoid-associated proteins (NAPs) facilitate chromosome organization in bacteria, but the precise mechanism remains elusive. H-NS is a NAP that also plays a major role in silencing pathogen genes. We used genetics, single-particle tracking in live cells, superresolution microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and molecular dynamics simulations to examine H-NS/DNA interactions in single cells. We discovered a role for the unstructured linker region connecting the N-terminal oligomerization and C-terminal DNA binding domains. In the present work we demonstrate that linker amino acids promote engagement with DNA. In the absence of linker contacts, H-NS binding is significantly reduced, although no change in chromosome compaction is observed. H-NS is not localized to two distinct foci; rather, it is scattered all around the nucleoid. The linker makes DNA contacts that are required for gene silencing, while chromosome compaction does not appear to be an important H-NS function.

Oligomerization and ATP stimulate condensin-mediated DNA compaction

Large-scale chromatin remodeling during mitosis is catalyzed by a heteropentameric enzyme known as condensin. The DNA-organizing mechanism of condensin depends on the energy of ATP hydrolysis but how this activity specifically promotes proper compaction and segregation of chromosomes during mitosis remains poorly understood. Purification of budding yeast condensin reveals that it occurs not only in the classical heteropentameric "monomer" form, but that it also adopts much larger configurations consistent with oligomerization. We use a single-DNA magnetic tweezers assay to study compaction of DNA by yeast condensin, with the result that only the multimer shows ATP-enhanced DNA-compaction. The compaction reaction involves step-like events of 200 nm (600 bp) size and is strongly suppressed by forces above 1 pN, consistent with a loop-capture mechanism for initial binding and compaction. The compaction reactions are largely insensitive to DNA torsional stress. Our results suggest a physiological role for oligomerized condensin in driving gradual chromatin compaction by step-like and slow "creeping" dynamics consistent with a loop-extrusion mechanism.

The mechanics of DNA loops bridged by proteins unveiled by single-molecule experiments

Protein-induced DNA bridging and looping is a common mechanism for various and essential processes in bacterial chromosomes. This mechanism is preserved despite the very different bacterial conditions and their expected influence on the thermodynamic and kinetic characteristics of the bridge formation and stability. Over the last two decades, single-molecule techniques carried out on in vitro DNA systems have yielded valuable results which, in combination with theoretical works, have clarified the effects of different parameters of nucleoprotein complexes on the protein-induced DNA bridging and looping process. In this review, I will outline the features that can be measured for such processes with various single-molecule techniques in use in the field. I will then describe both the experimental results and the theoretical models that illuminate the contribution of the DNA molecule itself as well as that of the bridging proteins in the DNA looping mechanism at play in the nucleoid of E. coli.

Colocalization of distant chromosomal loci in space in E. coli: a bacterial nucleolus

Gaal et al. examined the relative positions of the ribosomal RNA operons in space. The results show that E. coli bacterial chromosome folding in three dimensions is not dictated entirely by genetic position but rather includes functionally related, genetically distant loci that come into close proximity, with rRNA operons forming a structure reminiscent of the eukaryotic nucleolus.

The spatial organization of DNA within the bacterial nucleoid remains unclear. To investigate chromosome organization in Escherichia coli, we examined the relative positions of the ribosomal RNA (rRNA) operons in space. The seven rRNA operons are nearly identical and separated from each other by as much as 180° on the circular genetic map, a distance of ≥2 million base pairs. By inserting binding sites for fluorescent proteins adjacent to the rRNA operons and then examining their positions pairwise in live cells by epifluorescence microscopy, we found that all but rrnC are in close proximity. Colocalization of the rRNA operons required the rrn P1 promoter region but not the rrn P2 promoter or the rRNA structural genes and occurred with and without active transcription. Non-rRNA operon pairs did not colocalize, and the magnitude of their physical separation generally correlated with that of their genetic separation. Our results show that E. coli bacterial chromosome folding in three dimensions is not dictated entirely by genetic position but rather includes functionally related, genetically distant loci that come into close proximity, with rRNA operons forming a structure reminiscent of the eukaryotic nucleolus.

Fis Regulates Type III Secretion System by Influencing the Transcription of exsA in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Strain PA14

Fis is a versatile DNA binding protein in bacteria. It has been demonstrated in multiple bacteria that Fis plays crucial roles in regulating bacterial virulence factors and optimizing bacterial adaptation to various environments. However, the role of Fis in Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence as well as gene regulation remains largely unknown. Here, we found that Fis was required for the virulence of P. aeruginosa in a murine acute pneumonia model. Transcriptome analysis revealed that expression of T3SS genes, including master regulator ExsA, was defective in a fis::Tn mutant. We further demonstrate that the continuous transcription of exsC, exsE, exsB, and exsA driven by the exsC promoter was required for the activation of T3SS. Fis was found to specifically bind to the exsB-exsA intergenic region and plays an essential role in the transcription elongation from exsB to exsA. Therefore, we found a novel role of Fis in the regulation of exsA expression.

Facilitated dissociation of transcription factors from single DNA binding sites

The binding of transcription factors (TFs) to DNA controls most aspects of cellular function, making the understanding of their binding kinetics imperative. The standard description of bimolecular interactions posits that TF off rates are independent of TF concentration in solution. However, recent observations have revealed that proteins in solution can accelerate the dissociation of DNA-bound proteins. To study the molecular basis of facilitated dissociation (FD), we have used single-molecule imaging to measure dissociation kinetics of Fis, a key Escherichia coli TF and major bacterial nucleoid protein, from single dsDNA binding sites. We observe a strong FD effect characterized by an exchange rate [Formula: see text], establishing that FD of Fis occurs at the single-binding site level, and we find that the off rate saturates at large Fis concentrations in solution. Although spontaneous (i.e., competitor-free) dissociation shows a strong salt dependence, we find that FD depends only weakly on salt. These results are quantitatively explained by a model in which partially dissociated bound proteins are susceptible to invasion by competitor proteins in solution. We also report FD of NHP6A, a yeast TF with structure that differs significantly from Fis. We further perform molecular dynamics simulations, which indicate that FD can occur for molecules that interact far more weakly than those that we have studied. Taken together, our results indicate that FD is a general mechanism assisting in the local removal of TFs from their binding sites and does not necessarily require cooperativity, clustering, or binding site overlap.

The Arginine Pairs and C-Termini of the Sso7c4 from Sulfolobus solfataricus Participate in Binding and Bending DNA

The Sso7c4 from Sulfolobus solfataricus forms a dimer, which is believed to function as a chromosomal protein involved in genomic DNA compaction and gene regulation. Here, we present the crystal structure of wild-type Sso7c4 at a high resolution of 1.63 Å, showing that the two basic C-termini are disordered. Based on the fluorescence polarization (FP) binding assay, two arginine pairs, R11/R22' and R11'/R22, on the top surface participate in binding DNA. As shown in electron microscopy (EM) images, wild-type Sso7c4 compacts DNA through bridging and bending interactions, whereas the binding of C-terminally truncated proteins rigidifies and opens DNA molecules, and no compaction of the DNA occurs. Moreover, the FP, EM and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) data indicated that the two basic and flexible C-terminal arms of the Sso7c4 dimer play a crucial role in binding and bending DNA. Sso7c4 has been classified as a repressor-like protein because of its similarity to Escherichia coli Ecrep 6.8 and Ecrep 7.3 as well as Agrobacterium tumefaciens ACCR in amino acid sequence. Based on these data, we proposed a model of the Sso7c4-DNA complex using a curved DNA molecule in the catabolite activator protein-DNA complex. The DNA end-to-end distance measured with FRET upon wild-type Sso7c4 binding is almost equal to the distance measured in the model, which supports the fidelity of the proposed model. The FRET data also confirm the EM observation showing that the binding of wild-type Sso7c4 reduces the DNA length while the C-terminal truncation does not. A functional role for Sso7c4 in the organization of chromosomal DNA and/or the regulation of gene expression through bridging and bending interactions is suggested.

Facilitated Dissociation Kinetics of Dimeric Nucleoid-Associated Proteins Follow a Universal Curve

Recent experimental work has demonstrated facilitated dissociation of certain nucleoid-associated proteins that exhibit an unbinding rate that depends on the concentration of freely diffusing proteins or DNA in solution. This concentration dependence arises due to binding competition with these other proteins or DNA. The identity of the binding competitor leads to different qualitative trends, motivating an investigation to understand observed differences in facilitated dissociation. We use a coarse-grained simulation that takes into account the dimeric nature of many nucleoid-associated proteins by allowing an intermediate binding state. The addition of this partially bound state allows the protein to be unbound, partially bound, or fully bound to a DNA strand, leaving opportunities for other molecules in solution to participate in the unbinding mechanism. Previous models postulated symmetric binding energies for each state of the coarse-grained protein corresponding to the symmetry of the dimeric protein; this model relaxes this assumption by assigning different energies for the different steps in the unbinding process. Allowing different unbinding energies not only has equilibrium effects on the system, but kinetic effects as well. We were able to reproduce the unbinding trends seen experimentally for both DNA and protein competitors. All trends collapse to a universal curve regardless of the unbinding energies used or the identity of the dissociation facilitator, suggesting that facilitated dissociation can be described with a single set of scaling parameters that are related to the energy landscape and geometric nature of the competitors.

Genome-Wide Transcriptional Regulation and Chromosome Structural Arrangement by GalR in E. coli

The regulatory protein, GalR, is known for controlling transcription of genes related to D-galactose metabolism in Escherichia coli. Here, using a combination of experimental and bioinformatic approaches, we identify novel GalR binding sites upstream of several genes whose function is not directly related to D-galactose metabolism. Moreover, we do not observe regulation of these genes by GalR under standard growth conditions. Thus, our data indicate a broader regulatory role for GalR, and suggest that regulation by GalR is modulated by other factors. Surprisingly, we detect regulation of 158 transcripts by GalR, with few regulated genes being associated with a nearby GalR binding site. Based on our earlier observation of long-range interactions between distally bound GalR dimers, we propose that GalR indirectly regulates the transcription of many genes by inducing large-scale restructuring of the chromosome.

Molecular Mechanism of Facilitated Dissociation of Fis Protein from DNA

Fis protein is a nucleoid-associated protein that plays many roles in transcriptional regulation and DNA site-specific recombination. In contrast to the naïve expectation based on stoichiometry, recent single-molecule studies have shown that the dissociation of Fis protein from DNA is accelerated by increasing the concentration of the Fis protein. Because the detailed molecular mechanism of facilitated dissociation is still not clear, in this study, we employ computational methods to explore the binding landscapes of Fis:DNA complexes with various stoichiometries. When two Fis molecules are present, simulations uncover a ternary complex, where the originally bound Fis protein is partially dissociated from DNA. The simulations support a three-state sequential kinetic model (N ⇄ I → D) for facilitated dissociation, thus explaining the concentration-dependent dissociation.

Cell cycle progression in Caulobacter requires a nucleoid-associated protein with high AT sequence recognition

Faithful cell cycle progression in the dimorphic bacterium Caulobacter crescentus requires spatiotemporal regulation of gene expression and cell pole differentiation. We discovered an essential DNA-associated protein, GapR, that is required for Caulobacter growth and asymmetric division. GapR interacts with adenine and thymine (AT)-rich chromosomal loci, associates with the promoter regions of cell cycle-regulated genes, and shares hundreds of recognition sites in common with known master regulators of cell cycle-dependent gene expression. GapR target loci are especially enriched in binding sites for the transcription factors GcrA and CtrA and overlap with nearly all of the binding sites for MucR1, a regulator that controls the establishment of swarmer cell fate. Despite constitutive synthesis, GapR accumulates preferentially in the swarmer compartment of the predivisional cell. Homologs of GapR, which are ubiquitous among the α-proteobacteria and are encoded on multiple bacteriophage genomes, also accumulate in the predivisional cell swarmer compartment when expressed in Caulobacter The Escherichia coli nucleoid-associated protein H-NS, like GapR, selectively associates with AT-rich DNA, yet it does not localize preferentially to the swarmer compartment when expressed exogenously in Caulobacter, suggesting that recognition of AT-rich DNA is not sufficient for the asymmetric accumulation of GapR. Further, GapR does not silence the expression of H-NS target genes when expressed in E. coli, suggesting that GapR and H-NS have distinct functions. We propose that Caulobacter has co-opted a nucleoid-associated protein with high AT recognition to serve as a mediator of cell cycle progression.

Temporal control of Dickeya dadantii main virulence gene expression by growth phase-dependent alteration of regulatory nucleoprotein complexes

In bacteria, important genes are often controlled at the transcriptional level by several factors, forming a complex and intertwined web of interactions. Yet, transcriptional regulators are often studied separately and little information is available concerning their interactions. In this work, we dissect the regulation of the major virulence gene pelD in D. dadantii by taking into account the effects of individual binding sites for regulatory proteins FIS and CRP, and the impact of a newly discovered divergent promoter div. Using a combination of biochemistry and genetics approaches we provide an unprecedented level of detail on the multifactorial regulation of bacterial transcription. We show that the growth phase dependent regulation of pelD is under the control of changing composition of higher-order nucleoprotein complexes between FIS, CRP, div and pelD during the growth cycle that allow sequential expression of div and pelD in the early and late exponential growth phases, respectively. This work highlights the importance of "orphan" promoters in gene regulation and that the individual binding sites for a regulator can serve several purposes and have different effects on transcription, adding a new level of complexity to bacterial transcriptional regulation.

The λ Integrase Site-specific Recombination Pathway

The site-specific recombinase encoded by bacteriophage λ (Int) is responsible for integrating and excising the viral chromosome into and out of the chromosome of its Escherichia coli host. Int carries out a reaction that is highly directional, tightly regulated, and depends upon an ensemble of accessory DNA bending proteins acting on 240 bp of DNA encoding 16 protein binding sites. This additional complexity enables two pathways, integrative and excisive recombination, whose opposite, and effectively irreversible, directions are dictated by different physiological and environmental signals. Int recombinase is a heterobivalent DNA binding protein and each of the four Int protomers, within a multiprotein 400 kDa recombinogenic complex, is thought to bind and, with the aid of DNA bending proteins, bridge one arm- and one core-type DNA site. In the 12 years since the publication of the last review focused solely on the λ site-specific recombination pathway in Mobile DNA II, there has been a great deal of progress in elucidating the molecular details of this pathway. The most dramatic advances in our understanding of the reaction have been in the area of X-ray crystallography where protein-DNA structures have now been determined for of all of the DNA-protein interfaces driving the Int pathway. Building on this foundation of structures, it has been possible to derive models for the assembly of components that determine the regulatory apparatus in the P-arm, and for the overall architectures that define excisive and integrative recombinogenic complexes. The most fundamental additional mechanistic insights derive from the application of hexapeptide inhibitors and single molecule kinetics.

DNA Sequence Determinants Controlling Affinity, Stability and Shape of DNA Complexes Bound by the Nucleoid Protein Fis

The abundant Fis nucleoid protein selectively binds poorly related DNA sequences with high affinities to regulate diverse DNA reactions. Fis binds DNA primarily through DNA backbone contacts and selects target sites by reading conformational properties of DNA sequences, most prominently intrinsic minor groove widths. High-affinity binding requires Fis-stabilized DNA conformational changes that vary depending on DNA sequence. In order to better understand the molecular basis for high affinity site recognition, we analyzed the effects of DNA sequence within and flanking the core Fis binding site on binding affinity and DNA structure. X-ray crystal structures of Fis-DNA complexes containing variable sequences in the noncontacted center of the binding site or variations within the major groove interfaces show that the DNA can adapt to the Fis dimer surface asymmetrically. We show that the presence and position of pyrimidine-purine base steps within the major groove interfaces affect both local DNA bending and minor groove compression to modulate affinities and lifetimes of Fis-DNA complexes. Sequences flanking the core binding site also modulate complex affinities, lifetimes, and the degree of local and global Fis-induced DNA bending. In particular, a G immediately upstream of the 15 bp core sequence inhibits binding and bending, and A-tracts within the flanking base pairs increase both complex lifetimes and global DNA curvatures. Taken together, our observations support a revised DNA motif specifying high-affinity Fis binding and highlight the range of conformations that Fis-bound DNA can adopt. The affinities and DNA conformations of individual Fis-DNA complexes are likely to be tailored to their context-specific biological functions.