Evidence for an active role of the DnaK chaperone system in the degradation of sigma(32)

Relating Translation Efficiency to Protein Networks Provides Evolutionary Insights in Shewanella and Its Implications for Extracellular Electron Transfer

Shewanella species are well-known for their extracellular electron transfer (EET) capacity, by which these microorganisms can transfer the electrons from intracellular environment to extracellular space for the reduction of the extracellular insoluble electron acceptors. Using a time-stamped data for the paired protein-mRNA, we investigate the impact of differential translation on the EET process of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1. Firstly, differentially translated proteins when O₂ levels are switched from high-O₂ to low-O₂ are identified by using a soft clustering method, 629 up-regulated translated proteins and 767 down-regulated translated proteins are considered to reflect the changes from inactivated to activated EET process. Then, we showed that the degrees of connectivity of differentially translated proteins were significantly larger than those of non-differentially translated proteins, and thereby these differentially translated proteins will be more important in the protein networks. After that, we networked these differentially translated proteins to construct the differentially translated sub-networks, and discussed the most important proteins that are involved in the EET process with the help of centralization analysis of these differentially translated networks. Furthermore, we also studied the differentially translated operonic genes. Taking together, this work searches the key proteins that potentially activated the EET process from a translational efficiency viewpoint.

Hierarchical Model for the Role of J-Domain Proteins in Distinct Cellular Functions

In Escherichia coli, the major bacterial Hsp70 system consists of DnaK, three J-domain proteins (JDPs: DnaJ, CbpA, and DjlA), and nucleotide exchange factor GrpE. JDPs determine substrate specificity for the Hsp70 system; however, knowledge on their specific role in bacterial cellular functions is limited. In this study, we demonstrated the role of JDPs in bacterial survival during heat stress and the DnaK-regulated formation of curli-extracellular amyloid fibers involved in biofilm formation. Genetic analysis demonstrate that only DnaJ is essential for survival at high temperature. On the other hand, either DnaJ or CbpA, but not DjlA, is sufficient to activate DnaK in curli production. Additionally, several DnaK mutants with reduced activity are able to complement the loss of curli production in E. coli ΔdnaK, whereas they do not recover the growth defect of the mutant strain at high temperature. Biochemical analyses reveal that DnaJ and CbpA are involved in the expression of the master regulator CsgD through the solubilization of MlrA, a DNA-binding transcriptional activator for the csgD promoter. Furthermore, DnaJ and CbpA also keep CsgA in a translocation-competent state by preventing its aggregation in the cytoplasm. Our findings support a hierarchical model wherein the role of JDPs in the Hsp70 system differs according to individual cellular functions.

Transcriptional regulatory module analysis reveals that bridge proteins reconcile multiple signals in extracellular electron transfer pathways

Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 shows remarkable respiratory versatility with a large variety of extracellular electron acceptors (termed extracellular electron transfer, EET). To utilize the various electron acceptors, the bacterium must employ complex regulatory mechanisms to elicit the relevant EET pathways. To investigate the relevant mechanisms, we integrated EET genes and related transcriptional factors (TFs) into transcriptional regulatory modules (TRMs) and showed that many bridge proteins in these modules were signal proteins, which generally contained one or more signal processing domains (eg, GGDEF, EAL, PAS, etc.). Since Shewanella has to respond to diverse environmental conditions despite encoding few EET-relevant TFs, the overabundant signal proteins involved in the TRMs can help decipher the mechanism by which these microbes elicit a wide range of condition-specific responses. By combining proteomic data and protein bioinformatic analysis, we demonstrated that diverse signal proteins reconciled the different EET pathways, and we discussed the functional roles of signal proteins involved in the well-known MtrCAB pathway. Additionally, we showed that the signal proteins SO_2145 and SO_1417 played central roles in triggering EET pathways in anaerobic environments. Taken together, our results suggest that signal proteins have a profound impact on the transcriptional regulation of EET genes and thus have potential applications in microbial fuel cells.

Network-Based Methods for Identifying Key Active Proteins in the Extracellular Electron Transfer Process in Shewanella oneidensis MR-1

Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 can transfer electrons from the intracellular environment to the extracellular space of the cells to reduce the extracellular insoluble electron acceptors (Extracellular Electron Transfer, EET). Benefiting from this EET capability, Shewanella has been widely used in different areas, such as energy production, wastewater treatment, and bioremediation. Genome-wide proteomics data was used to determine the active proteins involved in activating the EET process. We identified 1012 proteins with decreased expression and 811 proteins with increased expression when the EET process changed from inactivation to activation. We then networked these proteins to construct the active protein networks, and identified the top 20 key active proteins by network centralization analysis, including metabolism- and energy-related proteins, signal and transcriptional regulatory proteins, translation-related proteins, and the EET-related proteins. We also constructed the integrated protein interaction and transcriptional regulatory networks for the active proteins, then found three exclusive active network motifs involved in activating the EET process-Bi-feedforward Loop, Regulatory Cascade with a Feedback, and Feedback with a Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI)-and identified the active proteins involved in these motifs. Both enrichment analysis and comparative analysis to the whole-genome data implicated the multiheme c-type cytochromes and multiple signal processing proteins involved in the process. Furthermore, the interactions of these motif-guided active proteins and the involved functional modules were discussed. Collectively, by using network-based methods, this work reported a proteome-wide search for the key active proteins that potentially activate the EET process.

FK506 binding protein 51 integrates pathways of adaptation: FKBP51 shapes the reactivity to environmental change

This review portraits FK506 binding protein (FKBP) 51 as "reactivity protein" and collates recent publications to develop the concept of FKBP51 as contributor to different levels of adaptation. Adaptation is a fundamental process that enables unicellular and multicellular organisms to adjust their molecular circuits and structural conditions in reaction to environmental changes threatening their homeostasis. FKBP51 is known as chaperone and co-chaperone of heat shock protein (HSP) 90, thus involved in processes ensuring correct protein folding in response to proteotoxic stress. In mammals, FKBP51 both shapes the stress response and is calibrated by the stress levels through an ultrashort molecular feedback loop. More recently, it has been linked to several intracellular pathways related to the reactivity to drug exposure and stress. Through its role in autophagy and DNA methylation in particular it influences adaptive pathways, possibly also in a transgenerational fashion. Also see the video abstract here.

Living with Stress: A Lesson from the Enteric Pathogen Salmonella enterica

The ability to sense and respond to the environment is essential for the survival of all living organisms. Bacterial pathogens such as Salmonella enterica are of particular interest due to their ability to sense and adapt to the diverse range of conditions they encounter, both in vivo and in environmental reservoirs. During this cycling from host to non-host environments, Salmonella encounter a variety of environmental insults ranging from temperature fluctuations, nutrient availability and changes in osmolarity, to the presence of antimicrobial peptides and reactive oxygen/nitrogen species. Such fluctuating conditions impact on various areas of bacterial physiology including virulence, growth and antimicrobial resistance. A key component of the success of any bacterial pathogen is the ability to recognize and mount a suitable response to the discrete chemical and physical stresses elicited by the host. Such responses occur through a coordinated and complex programme of gene expression and protein activity, involving a range of transcriptional regulators, sigma factors and two component regulatory systems. This review briefly outlines the various stresses encountered throughout the Salmonella life cycle and the repertoire of regulatory responses with which Salmonella counters. In particular, how these Gram-negative bacteria are able to alleviate disruption in periplasmic envelope homeostasis through a group of stress responses, known collectively as the Envelope Stress Responses, alongside the mechanisms used to overcome nitrosative stress, will be examined in more detail.

Nonnative disulfide bond formation activates the σ32-dependent heat shock response in Escherichia coli

Formation of nonnative disulfide bonds in the cytoplasm, so-called disulfide stress, is an integral component of oxidative stress. Quantification of the extent of disulfide bond formation in the cytoplasm of Escherichia coli revealed that disulfide stress is associated with oxidative stress caused by hydrogen peroxide, paraquat, and cadmium. To separate the impact of disulfide bond formation from unrelated effects of these oxidative stressors in subsequent experiments, we worked with two complementary approaches. We triggered disulfide stress either chemically by diamide treatment of cells or genetically in a mutant strain lacking the major disulfide-reducing systems TrxB and Gor. Studying the proteomic response of E. coli exposed to disulfide stress, we found that intracellular disulfide bond formation is a particularly strong inducer of the heat shock response. Real-time quantitative PCR experiments showed that disulfide stress induces the heat shock response in E. coli σ(32) dependently. However, unlike heat shock treatment, which induces these genes transiently, transcripts of σ(32)-dependent genes accumulated over time in disulfide stress-treated cells. Analyzing the stability of σ(32), we found that this constant induction can be attributed to an increase of the half-life of σ(32) upon disulfide stress. This is concomitant with aggregation of E. coli proteins treated with diamide. We conclude that oxidative stress triggers the heat shock response in E. coli σ(32) dependently. The component of oxidative stress responsible for the induction of heat shock genes is disulfide stress. Nonnative disulfide bond formation in the cytoplasm causes protein unfolding. This stabilizes σ(32) by preventing its DnaK- and FtsH-dependent degradation.

Regulated proteolysis in Gram-negative bacteria--how and when?

Most bacteria live in a dynamic environment where temperature, availability of nutrients and the presence of various chemicals vary, which requires rapid adaptation. Many of the adaptive changes are determined by changes in the transcription of global regulatory networks, but this response is slow because most bacterial proteins are stable and their concentration remains high even after transcription slows down. To respond rapidly, an additional level of regulation has evolved: the degradation of key proteins. However, as proteolysis is an irreversible process, it is subject to tight regulation of substrate binding and degradation. Here we review the roles of the proteolytic enzymes in Gram-negative bacteria and how these enzymes can be regulated to target only a subset of proteins.

Convergence of molecular, modeling, and systems approaches for an understanding of the Escherichia coli heat shock response

The heat shock response (HSR) is a homeostatic response that maintains the proper protein-folding environment in the cell. This response is universal, and many of its components are well conserved from bacteria to humans. In this review, we focus on the regulation of one of the most well-characterized HSRs, that of Escherichia coli. We show that even for this simple model organism, we still do not fully understand the central component of heat shock regulation, a chaperone-mediated negative feedback loop. In addition, we review other components that contribute to the regulation of the HSR in E. coli and discuss how these additional components contribute to regulation. Finally, we discuss recent genomic experiments that reveal additional functional aspects of the HSR.

Direct CIII-HflB interaction is responsible for the inhibition of the HflB (FtsH)-mediated proteolysis of Escherichia coli sigma(32) by lambdaCIII

The CIII protein of bacteriophage lambda exhibits antiproteolytic activity against the ubiquitous metalloprotease HflB (FtsH) of Escherichia coli, thereby stabilizing the lambdaCII protein and promoting lysogenic development of the phage. CIII also protects E.coli sigma(32), another substrate of HflB. We have recently shown that the protection of CII from HflB by CIII involves direct CIII-HflB binding, without any interaction between CII and CIII [HalderS, DattaAB & Parrack P (2007) J Bacteriol189, 8130-8138]. Such a mode of action for lambdaCIII would be independent of the HflB substrate. In this study, we tested the ability of CIII to protect sigma(32) from HflB digestion. The inhibition of HflB-mediated proteolysis of sigma(32) by CIII is very similar to that of lambdaCII, characterized by an enhanced protection by the core CIII peptide CIIIC (amino acids 14-41 of lambdaCIII) and a lack of interaction between sigma(32) and CIII.

Reverse engineering: the architecture of biological networks

We adopt a control theory approach to reverse engineer the complexity of a known system--the bacterial heat shock response. Using a computational dynamic model, we explore the organization of the heat shock system and elucidate its various regulation strategies. We show that these strategies are behind much of the complexity of the network. We propose that complexity is a necessary outcome of robustness and performance requirements that are achieved by the heat shock system's exquisite regulation modules. The techniques we use rely on dynamic computational models and principles from the field of control theory.

An online monitoring system based on a synthetic sigma32-dependent tandem promoter for visualization of insoluble proteins in the cytoplasm of Escherichia coli

The expression of heterologous proteins in the cytoplasm of Escherichia coli is often accompanied by limitations resulting in uncontrollable fermentation processes, increased rates of cell lysis, and thus limited yields of target protein. To deal with these problems, reporter tools are required to improve the folding properties of recombinant protein. In this work, the well-known sigma(32)-dependent promoters ibpAB and fxsA were linked in a tandem promoter (ibpfxs), fused with the luciferase reporter gene lucA to allow enhanced monitoring of the formation of misfolded proteins and their aggregates in E. coli cells. Overexpression of MalE31, a folding-defective variant of the maltose-binding protein, and other partially insoluble heterologous proteins showed that the lucA reporter gene was activated in the presence of these misfolded proteins. Contrary to this, the absence of damaged proteins or overexpression of mostly soluble proteins led to a reduced level of luciferase induction. Through performing expression of aggregation-prone proteins, we were able to demonstrate that the ibpfxs::lucA reporter unit is 2.5-4.5 times stronger than the single reporter units ibp::lucA and fxs::lucA. Data of misfolding studies showed that this reporter system provides an adequate tool for in vivo folding studies in E. coli from microtiter up to fermentation scales.

The C-terminal end of LpxC is required for degradation by the FtsH protease

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) biosynthesis is essential in Gram negative bacteria. LpxC, the key enzyme in LPS formation, catalyses the limiting reaction and controls the ratio between LPS and phospholipids. As overproduction of LPS is toxic, the cellular amount of LpxC must be regulated carefully. The membrane-bound protease FtsH controls the level of LpxC via proteolysis making FtsH the only essential protease of Escherichia coli. We found that the chaperones DnaK and DnaJ co-purified with LpxC. However, degradation of LpxC was DnaK/J-independent in contrast to turnover of the heat shock sigma factor sigma32 (RpoH). The stability of LpxC in a bacterial one-hybrid system suggested that a terminus of LpxC might be important for degradation. Different LpxC truncations and extensions were constructed. Removal of at least five amino acids from the C-terminus abolished degradation by FtsH in vivo. While addition of two aspartic acids to LpxC did not alter its half-life, the exchange of the last two residues against aspartic acids resulted in stabilization. All stable LpxC enzymes were active in vivo as assayed by their high toxicity. Our data demonstrate that the C-terminus of LpxC contains a signal sequence necessary for FtsH-dependent degradation.

The rpoH gene encoding heat shock sigma factor sigma32 of psychrophilic bacterium Colwellia maris

The rpoH gene encoding a heat shock sigma factor, sigma(32), was cloned from the psychrophilic bacterium Colwellia maris. The deduced amino acid sequence of sigma(32) from C. maris is more than 60% homologous to that of sigma(32) from mesophilic bacteria. The RpoH box, a 9-amino-acid sequence region (QRKLFFNLR) specific to sigma(32), and two downstream box sequences complementary to a part of 16S rRNA were identified. Primer extension analysis showed that the C. maris rpoH is expressed from only one sigma(70)-type promoter. Northern blot analysis showed that the level of rpoH mRNA was clearly increased at 20 degrees C, a temperature that induces heat shock in this organism. In the presence of an inhibitor of transcriptional initiation, the degradation of rpoH mRNA was much slower at 20 degrees C than at 10 degrees C. Thus, increased stability of the rpoH mRNA might be responsible for the rpoH mRNA accumulation. The predicted secondary structure of the 5'-region of C. maris rpoH mRNA was different from the conserved patterns reported for most mesophilic bacteria, and the base pairing of the downstream boxes appeared to be less stable than that of Escherichia coli rpoH mRNA. Thus, essential features that ensure the HSP expression at a relatively low temperature are embedded in the rpoH gene of psychrophiles.

CELLULAR FUNCTIONS, MECHANISM OF ACTION, AND REGULATION OF FTSH PROTEASE

FtsH is a cytoplasmic membrane protein that has N-terminally located transmembrane segments and a main cytosolic region consisting of AAA-ATPase and Zn2+-metalloprotease domains. It forms a homo-hexamer, which is further complexed with an oligomer of the membrane-bound modulating factor HflKC. FtsH degrades a set of short-lived proteins, enabling cellular regulation at the level of protein stability. FtsH also degrades some misassembled membrane proteins, contributing to their quality maintenance. It is an energy-utilizing and processive endopeptidase with a special ability to dislocate membrane protein substrates out of the membrane, for which its own membrane-embedded nature is essential. We discuss structure-function relationships of this intriguing enzyme, including the way it recognizes the soluble and membrane-integrated substrates differentially, on the basis of the solved structure of the ATPase domain as well as extensive biochemical and genetic information accumulated in the past decade on this enzyme.

Approaches to the isolation and characterization of molecular chaperones

Molecular chaperones are integral components of the cellular machinery involved in ensuring correct protein folding and the continued maintenance of protein structure. An understanding of these ubiquitous molecules is key to finding cures to protein misfolding diseases such as Alzheimer's and Creutzfeldt-Jacob diseases. In addition, further understanding of chaperones will enhance our comprehension of the way the body copes with the environmental stresses that humans encounter daily. Our laboratory and our collaborators specialize in the production and characterization of chaperones from a wide variety of sources in order to gain a fuller understanding of how chaperones function in the cell. In this review, we primarily use the Hsp70/Hsp40 chaperone pair as an example to discuss recent advances in technology and reductions in cost that lend themselves to chaperone purification from both native and recombinant sources. Common assays to assess purified chaperone activity are also discussed.

Surviving heat shock: control strategies for robustness and performance

Molecular biology studies the cause-and-effect relationships among microscopic processes initiated by individual molecules within a cell and observes their macroscopic phenotypic effects on cells and organisms. These studies provide a wealth of information about the underlying networks and pathways responsible for the basic functionality and robustness of biological systems. At the same time, these studies create exciting opportunities for the development of quantitative and predictive models that connect the mechanism to its phenotype then examine various modular structures and the range of their dynamical behavior. The use of such models enables a deeper understanding of the design principles underlying biological organization and makes their reverse engineering and manipulation both possible and tractable The heat shock response presents an interesting mechanism where such an endeavor is possible. Using a model of heat shock, we extract the design motifs in the system and justify their existence in terms of various performance objectives. We also offer a modular decomposition that parallels that of traditional engineering control architectures.

Conserved region 2.1 of Escherichia coli heat shock transcription factor sigma32 is required for modulating both metabolic stability and transcriptional activity

Escherichia coli heat shock transcription factor sigma32 is rapidly degraded in vivo, with a half-life of about 1 min. A set of proteins that includes the DnaK chaperone team (DnaK, DnaJ, GrpE) and ATP-dependent proteases (FtsH, HslUV, etc.) are involved in degradation of sigma32. To gain further insight into the regulation of sigma32 stability, we isolated sigma32 mutants that were markedly stabilized. Many of the mutants had amino acid substitutions in the N-terminal half (residues 47 to 55) of region 2.1, a region highly conserved among bacterial sigma factors. The half-lives ranged from about 2-fold to more than 10-fold longer than that of the wild-type protein. Besides greater stability, the levels of heat shock proteins, such as DnaK and GroEL, increased in cells producing stable sigma32. Detailed analysis showed that some stable sigma32 mutants have higher transcriptional activity than the wild type. These results indicate that the N-terminal half of region 2.1 is required for modulating both metabolic stability and the activity of sigma32. The evidence suggests that sigma32 stabilization does not result from an elevated affinity for core RNA polymerase. Region 2.1 may, therefore, be involved in interactions with the proteolytic machinery, including molecular chaperones.

Gene structure and transcriptional regulation of dnaK and dnaJ genes from a psychrophilic bacterium, Colwellia maris

The dnaK and dnaJ genes, encoding heat shock proteins, were cloned from a psychrophilic bacterium, Colwellia maris. Significant homology was evident comparing DnaK and DnaJ of the psychrophilile with the counterparts of mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria. In the DnaJ protein, three conserved regions of the Hsp40 family were observed. A putative promoter similar to the sigma32 consensus sequence was found upstream of the dnaK gene. The G+C content in the 5'-untranslated region of the dnaK gene was much lower than that in the corresponding region of mesophilic bacteria. Northern-blot analysis and primer-extension analysis showed that both genes were transcribed separately as monocistronic mRNAs. Following several temperature upshifts from 10 to 26 degrees C, maximum induction of the dnaK and dnaJ mRNAs was detected at 20 degrees C, suggesting that this temperature induces the heat shock response in this bacterium. In addition, the level of the induction of the dnaJ gene was much lower than that of the dnaK gene. These findings together revealed several specific features of the heat shock response at a relatively low temperature in psychrophiles.

Mapping temperature-induced conformational changes in the Escherichia coli heat shock transcription factor sigma 32 by amide hydrogen exchange

Stress conditions such as heat shock alter the transcriptional profile in all organisms. In Escherichia coli the heat shock transcription factor, sigma 32, out-competes upon temperature up-shift the housekeeping sigma-factor, sigma 70, for binding to core RNA polymerase and initiates heat shock gene transcription. To investigate possible heat-induced conformational changes in sigma 32 we performed amide hydrogen (H/D) exchange experiments under optimal growth and heat shock conditions combined with mass spectrometry. We found a rapid exchange of around 220 of the 294 amide hydrogens at 37 degrees C, indicating that sigma 32 adopts a highly flexible structure. At 42 degrees C we observed a slow correlated exchange of 30 additional amide hydrogens and localized it to a helix-loop-helix motif within domain sigma 2 that is responsible for the recognition of the -10 region in heat shock promoters. The correlated exchange is shown to constitute a reversible unfolding with a half-life of about 30 min due to a temperature-dependent decrease in stabilization energy. We propose that this gradual decrease in stabilization energy of domain sigma 2 with increasing temperatures facilitates the unfolding of sigma 32 by the AAA+ protease FtsH thereby decreasing its half-life. Taken together our data show that the sigma 2 domain of sigma 32 can act as a thermosensor, which might be important for the heat shock regulation.

Downregulation of the heat shock response is independent of DnaK and sigma32 levels in Caulobacter crescentus

Expression of heat shock genes in Gram-negative proteobacteria is positively modulated by the transcriptional regulator RpoH, the sigma(32) subunit of RNA polymerase (RNAP). In this study we investigated the chaperones DnaK/DnaJ and GroES/GroEL as possible modulators of the heat response in Caulobacter crescentus. We have shown that cells overexpressing DnaK show poor induction of heat shock protein (HSP) synthesis, even though sigma(32) levels present a normal transient increase upon heat stress. On the other hand, depletion of DnaK led to higher levels of sigma(32) and increased transcription of HSP genes, at normal growth temperature. In contrast, changes in the amount of GroES/EL had little effect on sigma(32) levels and HSP gene transcription. Despite the strong effect of DnaK levels on the induction phase of the heat shock response, downregulation of HSP synthesis was not affected by changes in the amount this chaperone. Thus, we propose that competition between sigma(32) and sigma(73), the major sigma factor, for the core RNAP could be the most important factor controlling the shut-off of HSP synthesis during recovery phase. In agreement with this hypothesis, we have shown that expression of sigma(73) gene is heat shock inducible.

Hexameric ring structure of the ATPase domain of the membrane-integrated metalloprotease FtsH from Thermus thermophilus HB8

FtsH is a cytoplasmic membrane-integrated, ATP-dependent metalloprotease, which processively degrades both cytoplasmic and membrane proteins in concert with unfolding. The FtsH protein is divided into the N-terminal transmembrane region and the larger C-terminal cytoplasmic region, which consists of an ATPase domain and a protease domain. We have determined the crystal structures of the Thermus thermophilus FtsH ATPase domain in the nucleotide-free and AMP-PNP- and ADP-bound states, in addition to the domain with the extra preceding segment. Combined with the mapping of the putative substrate binding region, these structures suggest that FtsH internally forms a hexameric ring structure, in which ATP binding could cause a conformational change to facilitate transport of substrates into the protease domain through the central pore.

DnaK-Sigma 32 Interaction Is Temperature-dependent

The heat shock response in bacteria is a complex phenomenon in which sigma 32 plays the central role. The DnaK/J chaperone system binds and promotes degradation of sigma 32 at lower temperatures. At heat shock temperatures, the DnaK/J-mediated degradation of sigma 32 is largely abolished by a mechanism, which is not yet fully understood. In this article we have shown that interaction of DnaK with sigma 32 is highly temperature-dependent. This interaction is completely abolished at 42 degrees C. To investigate the origin of such strong temperature dependence, we have monitored the structural changes that occur in the sigma 32 protein upon upshift of temperature and attempted to elucidate its functional roles. Upon a shift of temperature from 30 to 42 degrees C, the CD spectrum of sigma 32 becomes significantly more positive without significant change in either tryptophan fluorescence spectra or quenchability to external quenchers. 1,8-Anilinonaphthalene sulfonic acid binding at 42 degrees C is not significantly affected. The equilibrium guanidine hydrochloride denaturation of sigma 32 is biphasic. The first phase shifts to even lower guanidine hydrochloride concentrations at 42 degrees C, whereas the major phase remains largely unchanged. The sigma 32-core interaction remains unchanged as a function of temperature. This suggests that increased temperature destabilizes a structural element. We discuss the possible location of this temperature-sensitive structural element.

The C terminus of sigma(32) is not essential for degradation by FtsH

A key step in the regulation of heat shock genes in Escherichia coli is the stress-dependent degradation of the heat shock promoter-specific sigma(32) subunit of RNA polymerase by the AAA protease, FtsH. Previous studies implicated the C termini of protein substrates, including sigma(32), as degradation signals for AAA proteases. We investigated the role of the C terminus of sigma(32) in FtsH-dependent degradation by analysis of C-terminally truncated sigma(32) mutant proteins. Deletion of the 5, 11, 15, and 21 C-terminal residues of sigma(32) did not affect degradation in vivo or in vitro. Furthermore, a peptide comprising the C-terminal 21 residues of sigma(32) was not degraded by FtsH in vitro and thus did not serve as a recognition sequence for the protease, while an unrelated peptide of similar length was efficiently degraded. The truncated sigma(32) mutant proteins remained capable of associating with DnaK and DnaJ in vitro but showed intermediate (5-amino-acid deletion) and strong (11-, 15-, and 21-amino-acid deletions) defects in association with RNA polymerase in vitro and biological activity in vivo. These results indicate an important role for the C terminus of sigma(32) in RNA polymerase binding but no essential role for FtsH-dependent degradation and association of chaperones.

An internal region of the RpoH heat shock transcription factor is critical for rapid degradation by the FtsH protease

The proteolysis of regulatory proteins plays an important role in the control of gene expression. The Escherichia coli heat shock sigma factor RpoH (sigma(32)) is highly unstable. Its instability is determined by interactions with the DnaK chaperone machine, RNA polymerase and the ATP-dependent protease FtsH. Bradyrhizobium japonicum expresses three RpoH proteins of which RpoH(1) is highly stable. To determine which regions of E. coli RpoH determine protein lability, we generated a number of truncated versions and hybrid proteins. Truncation of N-terminal amino acids had no, and deletion of C-terminal amino acids only a minor effect on stability of RpoH. A major determinant of RpoH lability was mapped to a region of about 85 amino acids (residues 36-122) roughly comprising the sigma factor region 2. This is the first demonstration of an internal RpoH region being responsible for FtsH-mediated degradation.