Kinetic analysis of mutations affecting the cII activation site at the PRE promoter of bacteriophage lambda

Structural basis of λCII-dependent transcription activation

The CII protein of bacteriophage λ activates transcription from the phage promoters PRE, PI, and PAQ by binding to two direct repeats that straddle the promoter -35 element. Although genetic, biochemical, and structural studies have elucidated many aspects of λCII-mediated transcription activation, no precise structure of the transcription machinery in the process is available. Here, we report a 3.1-Å cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of an intact λCII-dependent transcription activation complex (TAC-λCII), which comprises λCII, E. coli RNAP-σ70 holoenzyme, and the phage promoter PRE. The structure reveals the interactions between λCII and the direct repeats responsible for promoter specificity and the interactions between λCII and RNAP α subunit C-terminal domain responsible for transcription activation. We also determined a 3.4-Å cryo-EM structure of an RNAP-promoter open complex (RPo-PRE) from the same dataset. Structural comparison between TAC-λCII and RPo-PRE provides new insights into λCII-dependent transcription activation.

Cooperative DNA binding by CI repressor is dispensable in a phage lambda variant

Complex gene regulatory circuits contain many interacting components. In principle, all of these components and interactions may be essential to the function of the circuit. Alternatively, some of them may be refinements to a simpler version of the circuit that improve its fitness. In this work, we have tested whether a particular property of a critical regulatory protein, CI, is essential to the behavior of the phage lambda regulatory circuit. In the lysogenic state, CI represses the expression of the lytic genes, allowing a stable lysogenic state, by binding cooperatively to six operators. A mutant phage lacking cooperativity because of a change in cI could not form stable lysogens; however, this defect could be suppressed by the addition of mutations that altered two cis-acting sites but did not restore cooperativity. The resulting triple mutant was able to grow lytically, form stable single lysogens, and switch to lytic growth upon prophage induction, showing a threshold response in switching similar to that of wild-type lambda. We conclude that cooperative DNA binding by CI is not essential for these properties of the lambda circuitry, provided that suppressors increase the level of CI. Unlike wild-type lysogens, mutant lysogens were somewhat unstable under certain growth conditions. We surmise that cooperativity is a refinement to a more basic circuit, and that it affords increased stability to the lysogenic state in response to environmental variations.

Crystal structure of bacteriophage lambda cII and its DNA complex

The tetrameric cII protein from bacteriophage lambda activates transcription from the phage promoters P(RE), P(I), and P(AQ) by binding to two direct repeats that flank the promoter -35 element. Here, we present the X-ray crystal structure of cII alone (2.8 A resolution) and in complex with its DNA operator from P(RE) (1.7 A resolution). The structures provide a basis for modeling of the activation complex with the RNA polymerase holoenzyme, and point to the key role for the RNA polymerase alpha subunit C-terminal domain (alphaCTD) in cII-dependent activation, which forms a bridge of protein/protein interactions between cII and the RNA polymerase sigma subunit. The model makes specific predictions for protein/protein interactions between cII and alphaCTD, and between alphaCTD and sigma, which are supported by previous genetic studies.

Structure of lambda CII: implications for recognition of direct-repeat DNA by an unusual tetrameric organization

The temperate coliphage lambda, after infecting its host bacterium Escherichia coli, can develop either along the lytic or the lysogenic pathway. Crucial to the lysis/lysogeny decision is the homotetrameric transcription-activator protein CII (4 x 11 kDa) of the phage that binds to a unique direct-repeat sequence T-T-G-C-N6-T-T-G-C at each of the three phage promoters it activates: p(E), p(I), and p(aQ). Several regions of CII have been identified for its various functions (DNA binding, oligomerization, and susceptibility to host protease), but the crystal structure of the protein long remained elusive. Here, we present the three-dimensional structure of CII at 2.6-angstroms resolution. The CII monomer is comprised of four alpha helices and a disordered C terminus. The first three helices (alpha1-alpha3) form a compact domain, whereas the fourth helix (alpha4) protrudes in different orientations in each subunit. A four-helix bundle, formed by alpha4 from each subunit, holds the tetramer. The quaternary structure can be described as a dimer of dimers, but the tetramer does not exhibit a closed symmetry. This unusual quaternary arrangement allows the placement of the helix-turn-helix motifs of two of the four CII subunits for interaction with successive major grooves of B-DNA, from one face of DNA. This structure provides a simple explanation for how a homotetrameric protein may recognize a direct-repeat DNA sequence rather than the inverted-repeat sequences of most prokaryotic activators.

Stochastic kinetic analysis of developmental pathway bifurcation in phage lambda-infected Escherichia coli cells

Fluctuations in rates of gene expression can produce highly erratic time patterns of protein production in individual cells and wide diversity in instantaneous protein concentrations across cell populations. When two independently produced regulatory proteins acting at low cellular concentrations competitively control a switch point in a pathway, stochastic variations in their concentrations can produce probabilistic pathway selection, so that an initially homogeneous cell population partitions into distinct phenotypic subpopulations. Many pathogenic organisms, for example, use this mechanism to randomly switch surface features to evade host responses. This coupling between molecular-level fluctuations and macroscopic phenotype selection is analyzed using the phage lambda lysis-lysogeny decision circuit as a model system. The fraction of infected cells selecting the lysogenic pathway at different phage:cell ratios, predicted using a molecular-level stochastic kinetic model of the genetic regulatory circuit, is consistent with experimental observations. The kinetic model of the decision circuit uses the stochastic formulation of chemical kinetics, stochastic mechanisms of gene expression, and a statistical-thermodynamic model of promoter regulation. Conventional deterministic kinetics cannot be used to predict statistics of regulatory systems that produce probabilistic outcomes. Rather, a stochastic kinetic analysis must be used to predict statistics of regulatory outcomes for such stochastically regulated systems.

Characterization of a second MetR-binding site in the metE metR regulatory region of Salmonella typhimurium

Transcription of the metE gene in Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli is positively regulated by the MetR protein, with homocysteine serving as a coactivator. It was shown previously that MetR binds to and protects from DNase I digestion a 24-bp sequence in the metE metR regulatory region from nucleotides -48 to -71 relative to the metE transcription initiation site (designated as site 1). In this study, we show that purified MetR protein also binds to and protects a second 24-bp sequence adjacent to the original site, from nucleotides -24 to -47 relative to the metE transcription initiation site (designated as site 2). Single and multiple base changes were introduced into sites 1 and 2 in a metE-lacZ fusion. Base pair changes in site 1 or site 2 away from the MetR consensus binding sequence resulted in decreased metE-lacZ expression, suggesting that both sites are necessary for expression. DNase I footprint analysis showed that MetR bound at the high-affinity site 1 enhances MetR binding at the low-affinity site 2. A 2-bp change in site 2 toward the MetR consensus binding sequence resulted in high metE-lacZ expression; the increased expression was MetR dependent but homocysteine independent.

Cross-specificities between cII-like proteins and pRE-like promoters of lambdoid bacteriophages

We have investigated the activation of transcription from the pRE promoters of phages lambda, 21 and P22 by the lambda and 21 cII proteins and the P22 c1 (cII-like) protein, using an in vivo system in which cII protein from a derepressed prophage activates transcription from a pRE DNA fragment on a multicopy plasmid. We find that each protein is highly specific for its own cognate pRE promoter, although measureable cross-reactions are observed. The primary recognition sequence for cII protein on lambda pRE is a pair of TTGC repeat sequences in the sequence 5'-TTGCN6TTGC-3' at the -35 region of the promoter. This same sequence is found in 21 pRE, while P22 pRE has the sequence 5'-TTGCN6TTGT-3', which is the same as that of lambda ctr1, a pRE+ variant of lambda. lambda ctr1 pRE is half as active as lambda + pRE when assayed with either the lambda cII or the P22 c1 proteins. Therefore, the single base change in the P22 repeat sequence cannot explain why the P22 c1 protein is much more active with P22 pRE than lambda pRE. The dya5 mutation, a G----A change at position -43 of pRE, makes pRE a stronger promoter when assayed with either the lambda or 21 cII proteins or the P22 c1 protein. We conclude that efficient activation of a cII-dependent promoter by a cII protein requires sequence information in addition to the TTGC repeat sequences. We do not know the characteristics of the proteins which are responsible for the specificity of each protein for its own cognate promoter.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

A cII-dependent promoter is located within the Q gene of bacteriophage lambda

We have found a cII-dependent promoter, PaQ, within the Q gene of bacteriophage lambda. Transcription experiments and abortive initiation assays performed in vitro showed that the promoter strength and the cII affinity of PaQ were comparable to the other cII-dependent lambda promoters, PE and PI. The location and leftward direction of PaQ suggests a possible role in the delay of lambda late-gene expression by cII protein, a phenomenon that has been called cII-dependent inhibition. We have constructed a promoter down mutation, paq-1, by changing a single base pair in the putative cII binding site of the promoter by oligonucleotide site-directed mutagenesis. The paq-1 mutant promoter required about 4-fold higher cII concentrations for maximal activation compared to the wild-type PaQ. We tested the hypothesis that PaQ is responsible in part for the delay of lambda late-gene expression by recombining the paq-1 mutation into a phage showing severe cII-dependent inhibition. We found that the paq-1 mutation relieved the cII-dependent growth defect of this phage. The paq-1 mutation (in combination with lambda cI857) resulted in a clear-plaque phenotype at the permissive temperature of 32 degrees C. The role of the PaQ-initiated antisense transcript in the control of lambda development is discussed.