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Zeng Y, Guo L, Gao Y, Cui L, Wang M, Huang L, Jiang M, Liu Y, Zhu Y, Xiang H, Li DF, Zheng Y. Formation of NifA-P II complex represses ammonium-sensitive nitrogen fixation in diazotrophic proteobacteria lacking NifL. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114476. [PMID: 38985671 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2024] [Revised: 05/24/2024] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Biological nitrogen fixation catalyzed by nitrogenase contributes greatly to the global nitrogen cycle. Nitrogenase expression is subject to regulation in response to nitrogen availability. However, the mechanism through which the transcriptional activator NifA regulates nitrogenase expression by interacting with PII nitrogen regulatory proteins remains unclear in diazotrophic proteobacteria lacking NifL. Here, we demonstrate that in Rhodopseudomonas palustris grown with ammonium, NifA bound deuridylylated PII proteins to form an inactive NifA-PII complex, thereby inhibiting the expression of nitrogenase. Upon nitrogen limitation, the dissociation of uridylylated PII proteins from NifA resulted in the full restoration of NifA activity, and, simultaneously, uridylylation of the significantly up-regulated PII protein GlnK2 led to the increased expression of NifA in R. palustris. This insight into how NifA interacts with PII proteins and controls nitrogenase expression sets the stage for creating highly efficient diazotrophs, reducing the need for energy-intensive chemical fertilizers and helping to diminish carbon emissions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Lu Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Yongqiang Gao
- Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Lingwei Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Mengmei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Lu Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Mingyue Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Ying Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Yaxin Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Hua Xiang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - De-Feng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yanning Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
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2
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Zhan J, Zeher A, Huang R, Tang WK, Jenkins LM, Xia D. Conformations of Bcs1L undergoing ATP hydrolysis suggest a concerted translocation mechanism for folded iron-sulfur protein substrate. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4655. [PMID: 38821922 PMCID: PMC11143374 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49029-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024] Open
Abstract
The human AAA-ATPase Bcs1L translocates the fully assembled Rieske iron-sulfur protein (ISP) precursor across the mitochondrial inner membrane, enabling respiratory Complex III assembly. Exactly how the folded substrate is bound to and released from Bcs1L has been unclear, and there has been ongoing debate as to whether subunits of Bcs1L act in sequence or in unison hydrolyzing ATP when moving the protein cargo. Here, we captured Bcs1L conformations by cryo-EM during active ATP hydrolysis in the presence or absence of ISP substrate. In contrast to the threading mechanism widely employed by AAA proteins in substrate translocation, subunits of Bcs1L alternate uniformly between ATP and ADP conformations without detectable intermediates that have different, co-existing nucleotide states, indicating that the subunits act in concert. We further show that the ISP can be trapped by Bcs1 when its subunits are all in the ADP-bound state, which we propose to be released in the apo form.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingyu Zhan
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Allison Zeher
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
- NIH Intramural Cryo-EM Consortium (NICE), Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Rick Huang
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
- NIH Intramural Cryo-EM Consortium (NICE), Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Wai Kwan Tang
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Lisa M Jenkins
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Di Xia
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
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3
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Kompaniiets D, Wang D, Yang Y, Hu Y, Liu B. Structure and molecular mechanism of bacterial transcription activation. Trends Microbiol 2024; 32:379-397. [PMID: 37903670 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2023.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Revised: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/01/2023]
Abstract
Transcription activation is an important checkpoint of regulation of gene expression which occurs in response to different intracellular and extracellular signals. The key elements in this signal transduction process are transcription activators, which determine when and how gene expression is activated. Recent structural studies on a considerable number of new transcription activation complexes (TACs) revealed the remarkable mechanistic diversity of transcription activation mediated by different factors, necessitating a review and re-evaluation of the transcription activation mechanisms. In this review, we present a comprehensive summary of transcription activation mechanisms and propose a new, elaborate, and systematic classification of transcription activation mechanisms, primarily based on the structural features of diverse TAC components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dmytro Kompaniiets
- Section of Transcription and Gene Regulation, The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, MN 55912, USA
| | - Dong Wang
- Section of Transcription and Gene Regulation, The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, MN 55912, USA
| | - Yang Yang
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Yangbo Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China.
| | - Bin Liu
- Section of Transcription and Gene Regulation, The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, MN 55912, USA.
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4
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Kompaniiets D, He L, Wang D, Zhou W, Yang Y, Hu Y, Liu B. Structural basis for transcription activation by the nitrate-responsive regulator NarL. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:1471-1482. [PMID: 38197271 PMCID: PMC10853779 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad1231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 12/10/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Transcription activation is a crucial step of regulation during transcription initiation and a classic check point in response to different stimuli and stress factors. The Escherichia coli NarL is a nitrate-responsive global transcription factor that controls the expression of nearly 100 genes. However, the molecular mechanism of NarL-mediated transcription activation is not well defined. Here we present a cryo-EM structure of NarL-dependent transcription activation complex (TAC) assembled on the yeaR promoter at 3.2 Å resolution. Our structure shows that the NarL dimer binds at the -43.5 site of the promoter DNA with its C-terminal domain (CTD) not only binding to the DNA but also making interactions with RNA polymerase subunit alpha CTD (αCTD). The key role of these NarL-mediated interactions in transcription activation was further confirmed by in vivo and in vitro transcription assays. Additionally, the NarL dimer binds DNA in a different plane from that observed in the structure of class II TACs. Unlike the canonical class II activation mechanism, NarL does not interact with σ4, while RNAP αCTD is bound to DNA on the opposite side of NarL. Our findings provide a structural basis for detailed mechanistic understanding of NarL-dependent transcription activation on yeaR promoter and reveal a potentially novel mechanism of transcription activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dmytro Kompaniiets
- Section of Transcription & Gene Regulation, The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, MN 55912, USA
| | - Lina He
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Dong Wang
- Section of Transcription & Gene Regulation, The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, MN 55912, USA
| | - Wei Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Yang Yang
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Yangbo Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
- Hubei JiangXia Laboratory, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Bin Liu
- Section of Transcription & Gene Regulation, The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, MN 55912, USA
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5
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Gao F, Ye F, Zhang B, Cronin N, Buck M, Zhang X. Structural basis of σ 54 displacement and promoter escape in bacterial transcription. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2309670120. [PMID: 38170755 PMCID: PMC10786286 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2309670120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Gene transcription is a fundamental cellular process carried out by RNA polymerase (RNAP). Transcription initiation is highly regulated, and in bacteria, transcription initiation is mediated by sigma (σ) factors. σ recruits RNAP to the promoter DNA region, located upstream of the transcription start site (TSS) and facilitates open complex formation, where double-stranded DNA is opened up into a transcription bubble and template strand DNA is positioned inside RNAP for initial RNA synthesis. During initial transcription, RNAP remains bound to σ and upstream DNA, presumably with an enlarging transcription bubble. The release of RNAP from upstream DNA is required for promoter escape and processive transcription elongation. Bacteria sigma factors can be broadly separated into two classes with the majority belonging to the σ70 class, represented by the σ70 that regulates housekeeping genes. σ54 forms a class on its own and regulates stress response genes. Extensive studies on σ70 have revealed the molecular mechanisms of the σ70 dependent process while how σ54 transitions from initial transcription to elongation is currently unknown. Here, we present a series of cryo-electron microscopy structures of the RNAP-σ54 initial transcribing complexes with progressively longer RNA, which reveal structural changes that lead to promoter escape. Our data show that initially, the transcription bubble enlarges, DNA strands scrunch, reducing the interactions between σ54 and DNA strands in the transcription bubble. RNA extension and further DNA scrunching help to release RNAP from σ54 and upstream DNA, enabling the transition to elongation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Forson Gao
- Section of Structural and Synthetic Biology, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, LondonSW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Fuzhou Ye
- Section of Structural and Synthetic Biology, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, LondonSW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Bowen Zhang
- Section of Structural and Synthetic Biology, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, LondonSW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Nora Cronin
- London Consortium for High Resolution cryoEM, the Francis Crick Institute, LondonNW1 1AT, United Kingdom
| | - Martin Buck
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, LondonSW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Xiaodong Zhang
- Section of Structural and Synthetic Biology, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, LondonSW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
- DNA processing machines laboratory, the Francis Crick Institute, LondonNW1 1AT, United Kingdom
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Sahoo PK, Sheenu, Jain D. REC domain stabilizes the active heptamer of σ 54-dependent transcription factor, FleR from Pseudomonas aeruginosa. iScience 2023; 26:108397. [PMID: 38058307 PMCID: PMC10696123 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Motility in Pseudomonas aeruginosa is mediated through a single, polar flagellum, which is essential for virulence, colonization, and biofilm formation. FleSR, a two-component system (TCS), serves as a critical checkpoint in flagellar assembly. FleR is a σ54-dependent response regulator that undergoes phosphorylation via cognate sensor kinase FleS for the assembly of the functionally active form. The active form remodels the σ54-RNAP complex to initiate transcription. Small-angle X-ray scattering, crystallography, and negative staining electron microscopy reconstructions of FleR revealed that it exists predominantly as a dimer in the inactive form with low ATPase activity and assembles into heptamers upon phosphorylation with amplified ATPase activity. We establish that receiver (REC) domain stabilizes the heptamers and is indispensable for assembly of the functional phosphorylated form of FleR. The structural, biochemical, and in vivo complementation assays provide details of the phosphorylation-mediated assembly of FleR to regulate the expression of flagellar genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pankaj Kumar Sahoo
- Transcription Regulation Lab, Regional Centre for Biotechnology, NCR Biotech Science Cluster, 3rd Milestone, Faridabad-Gurgaon Expressway, Faridabad 121001, India
| | - Sheenu
- Transcription Regulation Lab, Regional Centre for Biotechnology, NCR Biotech Science Cluster, 3rd Milestone, Faridabad-Gurgaon Expressway, Faridabad 121001, India
| | - Deepti Jain
- Transcription Regulation Lab, Regional Centre for Biotechnology, NCR Biotech Science Cluster, 3rd Milestone, Faridabad-Gurgaon Expressway, Faridabad 121001, India
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7
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Torres-Sánchez L, Sana TG, Decossas M, Hashem Y, Krasteva PV. Structures of the P. aeruginosa FleQ-FleN master regulators reveal large-scale conformational switching in motility and biofilm control. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2312276120. [PMID: 38051770 PMCID: PMC10723142 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2312276120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa can cause a wide array of chronic and acute infections associated with its ability to rapidly switch between planktonic, biofilm, and dispersed lifestyles, each with a specific arsenal for bacterial survival and virulence. At the cellular level, many of the physiological transitions are orchestrated by the intracellular second messenger c-di-GMP and its receptor-effector FleQ. A bacterial enhancer binding protein, FleQ acts as a master regulator of both flagellar motility and adherence factor secretion and uses remarkably different transcription activation mechanisms depending on its dinucleotide loading state, adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) activity, interactions with polymerase sigma (σ) factors, and complexation with a second ATPase, FleN. How the FleQ-FleN tandem can exert diverse effects through recognition of a conserved FleQ binding consensus has remained enigmatic. Here, we provide cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of both c-di-GMP-bound and c-di-GMP-free FleQ-FleN complexes which deepen our understanding of the proteins' (di)nucleotide-dependent conformational switching and fine-tuned roles in gene expression regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucía Torres-Sánchez
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, CBMN, UMR 5248, PessacF-33600, France
- Structural Biology of Biofilms Group, European Institute of Chemistry and Biology, PessacF-33600, France
- Doctoral School of Therapeutic Innovation (ITFA), Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-YvetteF-91190, France
| | - Thibault Géry Sana
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, CBMN, UMR 5248, PessacF-33600, France
- Structural Biology of Biofilms Group, European Institute of Chemistry and Biology, PessacF-33600, France
| | - Marion Decossas
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, CBMN, UMR 5248, PessacF-33600, France
- Structural Biology of Biofilms Group, European Institute of Chemistry and Biology, PessacF-33600, France
| | - Yaser Hashem
- ARNA Laboratory, European Institute of Chemistry and Biology, U1212 INSERM, UMR5320 CNRS, Université de Bordeaux, PessacF-33600, France
| | - Petya Violinova Krasteva
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, CBMN, UMR 5248, PessacF-33600, France
- Structural Biology of Biofilms Group, European Institute of Chemistry and Biology, PessacF-33600, France
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8
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Mueller AU, Chen J, Wu M, Chiu C, Nixon BT, Campbell EA, Darst SA. A general mechanism for transcription bubble nucleation in bacteria. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2220874120. [PMID: 36972428 PMCID: PMC10083551 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2220874120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacterial transcription initiation requires σ factors for nucleation of the transcription bubble. The canonical housekeeping σ factor, σ70, nucleates DNA melting via recognition of conserved bases of the promoter -10 motif, which are unstacked and captured in pockets of σ70. By contrast, the mechanism of transcription bubble nucleation and formation during the unrelated σN-mediated transcription initiation is poorly understood. Herein, we combine structural and biochemical approaches to establish that σN, like σ70, captures a flipped, unstacked base in a pocket formed between its N-terminal region I (RI) and extra-long helix features. Strikingly, RI inserts into the nascent bubble to stabilize the nucleated bubble prior to engagement of the obligate ATPase activator. Our data suggest a general paradigm of transcription initiation that requires σ factors to nucleate an early melted intermediate prior to productive RNA synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas U. Mueller
- Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY10065
| | - James Chen
- Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY10065
| | - Mengyu Wu
- Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY10065
| | - Courtney Chiu
- Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY10065
| | - B. Tracy Nixon
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Penn State University, University Park, PA16802
| | | | - Seth A. Darst
- Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY10065
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