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Walker KT, Li IS, Keane J, Goosens VJ, Song W, Lee KY, Ellis T. Self-pigmenting textiles grown from cellulose-producing bacteria with engineered tyrosinase expression. Nat Biotechnol 2024:10.1038/s41587-024-02194-3. [PMID: 38565971 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-024-02194-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Environmental concerns are driving interest in postpetroleum synthetic textiles produced from microbial and fungal sources. Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a promising sustainable leather alternative, on account of its material properties, low infrastructure needs and biodegradability. However, for alternative textiles like BC to be fully sustainable, alternative ways to dye textiles need to be developed alongside alternative production methods. To address this, we genetically engineer Komagataeibacter rhaeticus to create a bacterial strain that grows self-pigmenting BC. Melanin biosynthesis in the bacteria from recombinant tyrosinase expression achieves dark black coloration robust to material use. Melanated BC production can be scaled up for the construction of prototype fashion products, and we illustrate the potential of combining engineered self-pigmentation with tools from synthetic biology, through the optogenetic patterning of gene expression in cellulose-producing bacteria. With this study, we demonstrate that combining genetic engineering with current and future methods of textile biofabrication has the potential to create a new class of textiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth T Walker
- Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Ivy S Li
- Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | | | - Vivianne J Goosens
- Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Wenzhe Song
- Department of Aeronautics, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Koon-Yang Lee
- Department of Aeronautics, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Tom Ellis
- Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London, UK.
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK.
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Goosens VJ, Walker KT, Aragon SM, Singh A, Senthivel VR, Dekker L, Caro-Astorga J, Buat MLA, Song W, Lee KY, Ellis T. Komagataeibacter Tool Kit (KTK): A Modular Cloning System for Multigene Constructs and Programmed Protein Secretion from Cellulose Producing Bacteria. ACS Synth Biol 2021; 10:3422-3434. [PMID: 34767345 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.1c00358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Bacteria proficient at producing cellulose are an attractive synthetic biology host for the emerging field of Engineered Living Materials (ELMs). Species from the Komagataeibacter genus produce high yields of pure cellulose materials in a short time with minimal resources, and pioneering work has shown that genetic engineering in these strains is possible and can be used to modify the material and its production. To accelerate synthetic biology progress in these bacteria, we introduce here the Komagataeibacter tool kit (KTK), a standardized modular cloning system based on Golden Gate DNA assembly that allows DNA parts to be combined to build complex multigene constructs expressed in bacteria from plasmids. Working in Komagataeibacter rhaeticus, we describe basic parts for this system, including promoters, fusion tags, and reporter proteins, before showcasing how the assembly system enables more complex designs. Specifically, we use KTK cloning to reformat the Escherichia coli curli amyloid fiber system for functional expression in K. rhaeticus, and go on to modify it as a system for programming protein secretion from the cellulose producing bacteria. With this toolkit, we aim to accelerate modular synthetic biology in these bacteria, and enable more rapid progress in the emerging ELMs community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivianne J. Goosens
- Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - Kenneth T. Walker
- Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - Silvia M. Aragon
- Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - Amritpal Singh
- Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - Vivek R. Senthivel
- Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - Linda Dekker
- Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - Joaquin Caro-Astorga
- Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | | | - Wenzhe Song
- Department of Aeronautics, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - Koon-Yang Lee
- Department of Aeronautics, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
| | - Tom Ellis
- Imperial College Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, U.K
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Walker KT, Goosens VJ, Das A, Graham AE, Ellis T. Engineered cell-to-cell signalling within growing bacterial cellulose pellicles. Microb Biotechnol 2019; 12:611-619. [PMID: 30461206 PMCID: PMC6559020 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.13340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2018] [Revised: 10/15/2018] [Accepted: 10/31/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial cellulose is a strong and flexible biomaterial produced at high yields by Acetobacter species and has applications in health care, biotechnology and electronics. Naturally, bacterial cellulose grows as a large unstructured polymer network around the bacteria that produce it, and tools to enable these bacteria to respond to different locations are required to grow more complex structured materials. Here, we introduce engineered cell-to-cell communication into a bacterial cellulose-producing strain of Komagataeibacter rhaeticus to enable different cells to detect their proximity within growing material and trigger differential gene expression in response. Using synthetic biology tools, we engineer Sender and Receiver strains of K. rhaeticus to produce and respond to the diffusible signalling molecule, acyl-homoserine lactone. We demonstrate that communication can occur both within and between growing pellicles and use this in a boundary detection experiment, where spliced and joined pellicles sense and reveal their original boundary. This work sets the basis for synthetic cell-to-cell communication within bacterial cellulose and is an important step forward for pattern formation within engineered living materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth T. Walker
- Department of BioengineeringImperial College LondonLondonSW7 2AZUK
- Centre for Synthetic BiologyImperial College LondonLondonSW7 2AZUK
| | - Vivianne J. Goosens
- Department of BioengineeringImperial College LondonLondonSW7 2AZUK
- Centre for Synthetic BiologyImperial College LondonLondonSW7 2AZUK
| | - Akashaditya Das
- Department of BioengineeringImperial College LondonLondonSW7 2AZUK
| | - Alicia E. Graham
- Centre for Synthetic BiologyImperial College LondonLondonSW7 2AZUK
| | - Tom Ellis
- Department of BioengineeringImperial College LondonLondonSW7 2AZUK
- Centre for Synthetic BiologyImperial College LondonLondonSW7 2AZUK
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4
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Berry JL, Gurung I, Anonsen JH, Spielman I, Harper E, Hall AMJ, Goosens VJ, Raynaud C, Koomey M, Biais N, Matthews S, Pelicic V. Global biochemical and structural analysis of the type IV pilus from the Gram-positive bacterium Streptococcus sanguinis. J Biol Chem 2019; 294:6796-6808. [PMID: 30837269 PMCID: PMC6497953 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra118.006917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Revised: 02/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Type IV pili (Tfp) are functionally versatile filaments, widespread in prokaryotes, that belong to a large class of filamentous nanomachines known as type IV filaments (Tff). Although Tfp have been extensively studied in several Gram-negative pathogens where they function as key virulence factors, many aspects of their biology remain poorly understood. Here, we performed a global biochemical and structural analysis of Tfp in a recently emerged Gram-positive model, Streptococcus sanguinis In particular, we focused on the five pilins and pilin-like proteins involved in Tfp biology in S. sanguinis We found that the two major pilins, PilE1 and PilE2, (i) follow widely conserved principles for processing by the prepilin peptidase PilD and for assembly into filaments; (ii) display only one of the post-translational modifications frequently found in pilins, i.e. a methylated N terminus; (iii) are found in the same heteropolymeric filaments; and (iv) are not functionally equivalent. The 3D structure of PilE1, solved by NMR, revealed a classical pilin-fold with a highly unusual flexible C terminus. Intriguingly, PilE1 more closely resembles pseudopilins forming shorter Tff than bona fide Tfp-forming major pilins, underlining the evolutionary relatedness among different Tff. Finally, we show that S. sanguinis Tfp contain a low abundance of three additional proteins processed by PilD, the minor pilins PilA, PilB, and PilC. These findings provide the first global biochemical and structural picture of a Gram-positive Tfp and have fundamental implications for our understanding of a widespread class of filamentous nanomachines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie-Lee Berry
- From the Medical Research Council Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Ishwori Gurung
- From the Medical Research Council Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Jan Haug Anonsen
- the Department of Biological Sciences, Proteomics and Mass Spectrometry Unit, University of Oslo, 0371 Oslo, Norway.,the Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Integrative Microbial Evolution, University of Oslo, 0371 Oslo, Norway
| | - Ingrid Spielman
- the Department of Biology, Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, New York, New York 11210.,The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, New York 10016, and
| | - Elliot Harper
- From the Medical Research Council Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Alexander M J Hall
- From the Medical Research Council Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Vivianne J Goosens
- From the Medical Research Council Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Claire Raynaud
- From the Medical Research Council Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Michael Koomey
- the Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Integrative Microbial Evolution, University of Oslo, 0371 Oslo, Norway
| | - Nicolas Biais
- the Department of Biology, Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, New York, New York 11210.,The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, New York 10016, and
| | - Steve Matthews
- the Centre for Structural Biology, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Vladimir Pelicic
- From the Medical Research Council Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom,
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Neef J, Bongiorni C, Goosens VJ, Schmidt B, van Dijl JM. Intramembrane protease RasP boosts protein production in Bacillus. Microb Cell Fact 2017; 16:57. [PMID: 28376795 PMCID: PMC5381017 DOI: 10.1186/s12934-017-0673-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2016] [Accepted: 03/31/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The microbial cell factory Bacillus subtilis is a popular industrial platform for high-level production of secreted technical enzymes. Nonetheless, the effective secretion of particular heterologous enzymes remains challenging. Over the past decades various studies have tackled this problem, and major improvements were achieved by optimizing signal peptides or removing proteases involved in product degradation. On the other hand, serious bottlenecks in the protein export process per se remained enigmatic, especially for protein secretion at commercially significant levels by cells grown to high density. The aim of our present study was to assess the relevance of the intramembrane protease RasP for high-level protein production in B. subtilis. Results Deletion of the rasP gene resulted in reduced precursor processing and extracellular levels of the overproduced α-amylases AmyE from B. subtilis and AmyL from Bacillus licheniformis. Further, secretion of the overproduced serine protease BPN’ from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens was severely impaired in the absence of RasP. Importantly, overexpression of rasP resulted in threefold increased production of a serine protease from Bacillus clausii, and 2.5- to 10-fold increased production of an AmyAc α-amylase from Paenibacillus curdlanolyticus, depending on the culture conditions. Of note, growth defects due to overproduction of the two latter enzymes were suppressed by rasP-overexpression. Conclusion Here we show that an intramembrane protease, RasP, sets a limit to high-level production of two secreted heterologous enzymes that are difficult to produce in the B. subtilis cell factory. This finding was unexpected and suggests that proteolytic membrane sanitation is key to effective enzyme production in Bacillus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jolanda Neef
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, P.O. Box 30001, 9700 RB, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Cristina Bongiorni
- DuPont Industrial Biosciences, 925 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA
| | - Vivianne J Goosens
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, P.O. Box 30001, 9700 RB, Groningen, The Netherlands.,Department of Bioengineering, Centre for Synthetic Biology, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Brian Schmidt
- DuPont Industrial Biosciences, 925 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA
| | - Jan Maarten van Dijl
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, P.O. Box 30001, 9700 RB, Groningen, The Netherlands.
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Abstract
Twin-arginine protein translocation systems (Tat) translocate fully folded and co-factor-containing proteins across biological membranes. In this review, we focus on the Tat pathway of Gram-positive bacteria. The minimal Tat pathway is composed of two components, namely a TatA and TatC pair, which are often complemented with additional TatA-like proteins. We provide overviews of our current understanding of Tat pathway composition and mechanistic aspects related to Tat-dependent cargo protein translocation. This includes Tat pathway flexibility, requirements for the correct folding and incorporation of co-factors in cargo proteins and the functions of known cargo proteins. Tat pathways of several Gram-positive bacteria are discussed in detail, with emphasis on the Tat pathway of Bacillus subtilis. We discuss both shared and unique features of the different Gram-positive bacterial Tat pathways. Lastly, we highlight topics for future research on Tat, including the development of this protein transport pathway for the biotechnological secretion of high-value proteins and its potential applicability as an antimicrobial drug target in pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivianne J Goosens
- MRC Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, Section of Microbiology, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Jan Maarten van Dijl
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, P.O. Box 30001, 9700, RB, Groningen, The Netherlands.
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Goosens VJ, Monteferrante CG, van Dijl JM. Co-factor insertion and disulfide bond requirements for twin-arginine translocase-dependent export of the Bacillus subtilis Rieske protein QcrA. J Biol Chem 2014; 289:13124-31. [PMID: 24652282 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m113.529677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The twin-arginine translocation (Tat) pathway can transport folded and co-factor-containing cargo proteins over bacterial cytoplasmic membranes. Functional Tat machinery components, a folded state of the cargo protein and correct co-factor insertion in the cargo protein are generally considered as prerequisites for successful translocation. The present studies were aimed at a dissection of these requirements with regard to the Rieske iron-sulfur protein QcrA of Bacillus subtilis. Notably, QcrA is a component of the cytochrome bc1 complex, which is conserved from bacteria to man. Single amino acid substitutions were introduced into the Rieske domain of QcrA to prevent either co-factor binding or disulfide bond formation. Both types of mutations precluded QcrA translocation. Importantly, a proofreading hierarchy was uncovered, where a QcrA mutant defective in disulfide bonding was quickly degraded, whereas mutant QcrA proteins defective in co-factor binding accumulated in the cytoplasm and membrane. Altogether, these are the first studies on Tat-dependent protein translocation where both oxidative folding and co-factor attachment have been addressed in a single native molecule.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivianne J Goosens
- From the Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, P. O. Box 30001, 9700 RB, Groningen, The Netherlands
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Goosens VJ, Monteferrante CG, van Dijl JM. The Tat system of Gram-positive bacteria. Biochim Biophys Acta 2013; 1843:1698-706. [PMID: 24140208 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2013.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2013] [Revised: 10/08/2013] [Accepted: 10/08/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The twin-arginine protein translocation (Tat) system has a unique ability to translocate folded and co-factor-containing proteins across lipid bilayers. The Tat pathway is present in bacteria, archaea and in the thylakoid membranes of chloroplasts and, depending on the organism and environmental conditions, it can be deemed important for cell survival, virulence or bioproduction. This review provides an overview of the current understanding of the Tat system with specific focus on Gram-positive bacteria. The 'universal minimal Tat system' is composed of a TatA and a TatC protein. However, this pathway is more commonly composed of two TatA-like proteins and one TatC protein. Often the TatA-like proteins have diverged to have two different functions and, in this case, the second TatA-like protein is usually referred to as TatB. The correct folding and/or incorporation of co-factors are requirements for translocation, and the known quality control mechanisms are examined in this review. A number of examples of crosstalk between the Tat system and other protein transport systems, such as the Sec-YidC translocon and signal peptidases or sheddases are also discussed. Further, an overview of specific Gram-positive bacterial Tat systems found in monoderm and diderm species is detailed. Altogether, this review highlights the unique features of Gram-positive bacterial Tat systems and pinpoints key questions that remain to be addressed in future research. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Protein trafficking and secretion in bacteria. Guest Editors: Anastassios Economou and Ross Dalbey.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivianne J Goosens
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, P.O. Box 30001, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Carmine G Monteferrante
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, P.O. Box 30001, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jan Maarten van Dijl
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, P.O. Box 30001, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands.
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Krishnappa L, Dreisbach A, Otto A, Goosens VJ, Cranenburgh RM, Harwood CR, Becher D, van Dijl JM. Extracytoplasmic proteases determining the cleavage and release of secreted proteins, lipoproteins, and membrane proteins in Bacillus subtilis. J Proteome Res 2013; 12:4101-10. [PMID: 23937099 DOI: 10.1021/pr400433h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Gram-positive bacteria are known to export many proteins to the cell wall and growth medium, and accordingly, many studies have addressed the respective protein export mechanisms. In contrast, very little is known about the subsequent fate of these proteins. The present studies were therefore aimed at determining the fate of native exported proteins in the model organism Bacillus subtilis. Specifically, we employed a gel electrophoresis-based liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry approach to distinguish the roles of the membrane-associated quality control proteases HtrA and HtrB from those of eight other proteases that are present in the cell wall and/or growth medium of B. subtilis. Notably, HtrA and HtrB were previously shown to counteract potentially detrimental "protein export stresses" upon overproduction of membrane or secreted proteins. Our results show that many secreted proteins, lipoproteins, and membrane proteins of B. subtilis are potential substrates of extracytoplasmic proteases. Moreover, potentially important roles of HtrA and HtrB in the folding of native secreted proteins into a protease-resistant conformation, the liberation of lipoproteins from the membrane-cell wall interface, and the degradation of membrane proteins are uncovered. Altogether, our observations show that HtrA and HtrB are crucial for maintaining the integrity of the B. subtilis cell even under nonstress conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laxmi Krishnappa
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, P.O. Box 30001, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands
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Goosens VJ, Mars RAT, Akeroyd M, Vente A, Dreisbach A, Denham EL, Kouwen TRHM, van Rij T, Olsthoorn M, van Dijl JM. Is proteomics a reliable tool to probe the oxidative folding of bacterial membrane proteins? Antioxid Redox Signal 2013; 18:1159-64. [PMID: 22540663 DOI: 10.1089/ars.2012.4664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
The oxidative folding of proteins involves disulfide bond formation, which is usually catalyzed by thiol-disulfide oxidoreductases (TDORs). In bacteria, this process takes place in the cytoplasmic membrane and other extracytoplasmic compartments. While it is relatively easy to study oxidative folding of water-soluble proteins on a proteome-wide scale, this has remained a major challenge for membrane proteins due to their high hydrophobicity. Here, we have assessed whether proteomic techniques can be applied to probe the oxidative folding of membrane proteins using the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis as a model organism. Specifically, we investigated the membrane proteome of a B. subtilis bdbCD mutant strain, which lacks the primary TDOR pair BdbC and BdbD, by gel-free mass spectrometry. In total, 18 membrane-associated proteins showed differing behavior in the bdbCD mutant and the parental strain. These included the ProA protein involved in osmoprotection. Consistent with the absence of ProA, the bdbCD mutant was found to be sensitive to osmotic shock. We hypothesize that membrane proteomics is a potentially effective approach to profile oxidative folding of bacterial membrane proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivianne J Goosens
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
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11
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Goosens VJ, Otto A, Glasner C, Monteferrante CC, van der Ploeg R, Hecker M, Becher D, van Dijl JM. Novel Twin-Arginine Translocation Pathway-Dependent Phenotypes of Bacillus subtilis Unveiled by Quantitative Proteomics. J Proteome Res 2013; 12:796-807. [DOI: 10.1021/pr300866f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Vivianne J. Goosens
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center
Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, P.O. Box 30001, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Andreas Otto
- Institut für Mikrobiologie, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt Universität Greifswald, Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Str.
15, D-17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Corinna Glasner
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center
Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, P.O. Box 30001, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Carmine C. Monteferrante
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center
Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, P.O. Box 30001, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - René van der Ploeg
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center
Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, P.O. Box 30001, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Michael Hecker
- Institut für Mikrobiologie, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt Universität Greifswald, Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Str.
15, D-17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Dörte Becher
- Institut für Mikrobiologie, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt Universität Greifswald, Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Str.
15, D-17489 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Jan Maarten van Dijl
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center
Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, P.O. Box 30001, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands
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12
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van der Ploeg R, Barnett JP, Vasisht N, Goosens VJ, Pöther DC, Robinson C, van Dijl JM. Salt sensitivity of minimal twin arginine translocases. J Biol Chem 2011; 286:43759-43770. [PMID: 22041895 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m111.243824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial twin arginine translocation (Tat) pathways have evolved to facilitate transport of folded proteins across membranes. Gram-negative bacteria contain a TatABC translocase composed of three subunits named TatA, TatB, and TatC. In contrast, the Tat translocases of most Gram-positive bacteria consist of only TatA and TatC subunits. In these minimal TatAC translocases, a bifunctional TatA subunit fulfils the roles of both TatA and TatB. Here we have probed the importance of conserved residues in the bifunctional TatAy subunit of Bacillus subtilis by site-specific mutagenesis. A set of engineered TatAy proteins with mutations in the cytoplasmic hinge and amphipathic helix regions were found to be inactive in protein translocation under standard growth conditions for B. subtilis or when heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli. Nevertheless, these mutated TatAy proteins did assemble into TatAy and TatAyCy complexes, and they facilitated membrane association of twin arginine precursor proteins in E. coli. Interestingly, most of the mutated TatAyCy translocases were salt-sensitive in B. subtilis. Similarly, the TatAC translocases of Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus were salt-sensitive when expressed in B. subtilis. Taken together, our present observations imply that salt-sensitive electrostatic interactions have critical roles in the preprotein translocation activity of certain TatAC type translocases from Gram-positive bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- René van der Ploeg
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Groningen and University of Groningen, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - James P Barnett
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, United Kingdom
| | - Nishi Vasisht
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, United Kingdom
| | - Vivianne J Goosens
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Groningen and University of Groningen, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Dierk C Pöther
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Groningen and University of Groningen, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Colin Robinson
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, United Kingdom
| | - Jan Maarten van Dijl
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Groningen and University of Groningen, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands.
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