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Deal C, De Wannemaeker L, De Mey M. Towards a rational approach to promoter engineering: understanding the complexity of transcription initiation in prokaryotes. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2024; 48:fuae004. [PMID: 38383636 PMCID: PMC10911233 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuae004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Promoter sequences are important genetic control elements. Through their interaction with RNA polymerase they determine transcription strength and specificity, thereby regulating the first step in gene expression. Consequently, they can be targeted as elements to control predictability and tuneability of a genetic circuit, which is essential in applications such as the development of robust microbial cell factories. This review considers the promoter elements implicated in the three stages of transcription initiation, detailing the complex interplay of sequence-specific interactions that are involved, and highlighting that DNA sequence features beyond the core promoter elements work in a combinatorial manner to determine transcriptional strength. In particular, we emphasize that, aside from promoter recognition, transcription initiation is also defined by the kinetics of open complex formation and promoter escape, which are also known to be highly sequence specific. Significantly, we focus on how insights into these interactions can be manipulated to lay the foundation for a more rational approach to promoter engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cara Deal
- Centre for Synthetic Biology, Ghent University. Coupure Links 653, BE-9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Lien De Wannemaeker
- Centre for Synthetic Biology, Ghent University. Coupure Links 653, BE-9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Marjan De Mey
- Centre for Synthetic Biology, Ghent University. Coupure Links 653, BE-9000 Ghent, Belgium
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Dash S, Palma CSD, Baptista ISC, Almeida BLB, Bahrudeen MNM, Chauhan V, Jagadeesan R, Ribeiro AS. Alteration of DNA supercoiling serves as a trigger of short-term cold shock repressed genes of E. coli. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:8512-8528. [PMID: 35920318 PMCID: PMC9410904 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Cold shock adaptability is a key survival skill of gut bacteria of warm-blooded animals. Escherichia coli cold shock responses are controlled by a complex multi-gene, timely-ordered transcriptional program. We investigated its underlying mechanisms. Having identified short-term, cold shock repressed genes, we show that their responsiveness is unrelated to their transcription factors or global regulators, while their single-cell protein numbers' variability increases after cold shock. We hypothesized that some cold shock repressed genes could be triggered by high propensity for transcription locking due to changes in DNA supercoiling (likely due to DNA relaxation caused by an overall reduction in negative supercoiling). Concomitantly, we found that nearly half of cold shock repressed genes are also highly responsive to gyrase inhibition (albeit most genes responsive to gyrase inhibition are not cold shock responsive). Further, their response strengths to cold shock and gyrase inhibition correlate. Meanwhile, under cold shock, nucleoid density increases, and gyrases and nucleoid become more colocalized. Moreover, the cellular energy decreases, which may hinder positive supercoils resolution. Overall, we conclude that sensitivity to diminished negative supercoiling is a core feature of E. coli's short-term, cold shock transcriptional program, and could be used to regulate the temperature sensitivity of synthetic circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suchintak Dash
- Laboratory of Biosystem Dynamics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere 33520, Finland
| | - Cristina S D Palma
- Laboratory of Biosystem Dynamics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere 33520, Finland
| | - Ines S C Baptista
- Laboratory of Biosystem Dynamics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere 33520, Finland
| | - Bilena L B Almeida
- Laboratory of Biosystem Dynamics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere 33520, Finland
| | - Mohamed N M Bahrudeen
- Laboratory of Biosystem Dynamics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere 33520, Finland
| | - Vatsala Chauhan
- Laboratory of Biosystem Dynamics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere 33520, Finland
| | - Rahul Jagadeesan
- Laboratory of Biosystem Dynamics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere 33520, Finland
| | - Andre S Ribeiro
- Laboratory of Biosystem Dynamics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere 33520, Finland.,Center of Technology and Systems (CTS-Uninova), NOVA University of Lisbon 2829-516, Monte de Caparica, Portugal
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Bera SC, America PPB, Maatsola S, Seifert M, Ostrofet E, Cnossen J, Spermann M, Papini FS, Depken M, Malinen AM, Dulin D. Quantitative parameters of bacterial RNA polymerase open-complex formation, stabilization and disruption on a consensus promoter. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:7511-7528. [PMID: 35819191 PMCID: PMC9303404 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Revised: 06/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcription initiation is the first step in gene expression, and is therefore strongly regulated in all domains of life. The RNA polymerase (RNAP) first associates with the initiation factor \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$\sigma$\end{document} to form a holoenzyme, which binds, bends and opens the promoter in a succession of reversible states. These states are critical for transcription regulation, but remain poorly understood. Here, we addressed the mechanism of open complex formation by monitoring its assembly/disassembly kinetics on individual consensus lacUV5 promoters using high-throughput single-molecule magnetic tweezers. We probed the key protein–DNA interactions governing the open-complex formation and dissociation pathway by modulating the dynamics at different concentrations of monovalent salts and varying temperatures. Consistent with ensemble studies, we observed that RNAP-promoter open (RPO) complex is a stable, slowly reversible state that is preceded by a kinetically significant open intermediate (RPI), from which the holoenzyme dissociates. A strong anion concentration and type dependence indicates that the RPO stabilization may involve sequence-independent interactions between the DNA and the holoenzyme, driven by a non-Coulombic effect consistent with the non-template DNA strand interacting with \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$\sigma$\end{document} and the RNAP \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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}{}$\beta$\end{document} subunit. The temperature dependence provides the energy scale of open-complex formation and further supports the existence of additional intermediates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Subhas C Bera
- Junior Research Group 2, Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Cauerstr. 3, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Pim P B America
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, and LaserLaB Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1081, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Santeri Maatsola
- Department of Life Technologies, University of Turku, Tykistökatu 6A, 6th floor, 20520 Turku, Finland
| | - Mona Seifert
- Junior Research Group 2, Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Cauerstr. 3, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Eugeniu Ostrofet
- Junior Research Group 2, Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Cauerstr. 3, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Jelmer Cnossen
- Delft Center for Systems and Control, Delft University of Technology, Delft, the Netherlands
| | - Monika Spermann
- Junior Research Group 2, Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Cauerstr. 3, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Flávia S Papini
- Junior Research Group 2, Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Cauerstr. 3, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Martin Depken
- Department of Bionanoscience, Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Anssi M Malinen
- Department of Life Technologies, University of Turku, Tykistökatu 6A, 6th floor, 20520 Turku, Finland
| | - David Dulin
- Junior Research Group 2, Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Cauerstr. 3, 91058 Erlangen, Germany.,Department of Physics and Astronomy, and LaserLaB Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1081, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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