scholarly journals A bifunctional ATPase drives tad pilus extension and retraction

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Courtney K. Ellison ◽  
Jingbo Kan ◽  
Jennifer L. Chlebek ◽  
Katherine R. Hummels ◽  
Gaёl Panis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Motors ◽  
Intracellular Transport ◽  
Atp Hydrolysis ◽  
Caulobacter Crescentus ◽  
Dynamic Activity ◽  
Surface Attachment ◽  
Type Iv ◽  
Surface Sensing ◽  
Domains Of Life ◽  
Macromolecular Protein

AbstractMolecular motors convert chemical energy directly into mechanical work1and are found in all domains of life2. These motors are critical to intracellular transport3, motility4,5, macromolecular protein assembly3,6, and many essential processes7. A wide-spread class of related bacterial motors drive the dynamic activity of extracellular fibers, such as type IV pili (T4P), that are extended and retracted using so-called secretion motor ATPases. Among these, the tightadherence (tad) pili are critical for surface sensing, surface attachment, and biofilm formation8–10. How tad pili undergo dynamic cycles of extension and retraction8despite lacking a dedicated retraction motor ATPase has remained a mystery. Here we find that a bifunctional pilus motor ATPase, CpaF, drives both activities through ATP hydrolysis. Specifically, we show that mutations within the ATP hydrolysis active site ofCaulobacter crescentusCpaF result in a correlated reduction in the rates of extension and retraction. Moreover, a decrease in the rate of ATP hydrolysis directly scales with a decrease in the force of retraction and reduced dynamics in these CpaF mutants. This mechanism of motor protein bifunctionality extends to another genus of tad-bearing bacteria. In contrast, the T4aP subclass of pili possess dedicated extension and retraction motor ATPase paralogs. We show that these processes are uncoupled using a slow ATP hydrolysis mutation in the extension ATPase of competence T4aP ofVibrio choleraethat decreases the rate of extension but has no effect on the rate of retraction. Thus, a single motor ATPase is able to drive the bidirectional processes of pilus fiber extension and retraction.

scholarly journals The type IV pilin PilA couples surface attachment and cell cycle initiation in Caulobacter crescentus

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Del Medico ◽  
Dario Cerletti ◽  
Matthias Christen ◽  
Beat Christen
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Cell Cycle Progression ◽  
Caulobacter Crescentus ◽  
Peptide Mimetics ◽  
Cycle Progression ◽  
Surface Attachment ◽  
Type Iv ◽  
Surface Sensing ◽  
Type Iv Pilin

Understanding how bacteria colonize surfaces and regulate cell cycle progression in response to cellular adhesion is of fundamental importance. Here, we used transposon sequencing in conjunction with FRET microscopy to uncover the molecular mechanism how surface sensing drives cell cycle initiation in Caulobacter crescentus. We identified the type IV pilin protein PilA as the primary signaling input that couples surface contact to cell cycle initiation via the second messenger c-di-GMP. Upon retraction of pili filaments, the monomeric pilin reservoir in the inner membrane is sensed by the 17 amino-acid transmembrane helix of PilA to activate the PleC-PleD two component signaling system, increase cellular c-di-GMP levels and signal the onset of the cell cycle. We termed the PilA signaling sequence CIP for cell cycle initiating pilin peptide. Addition of the chemically synthesized CIP peptide initiates cell cycle progression and simultaneously inhibits surface attachment. The broad conservation of the type IV pili and their importance in pathogens for host colonization suggests that CIP peptide mimetics offer new strategies to inhibit surface-sensing, prevent biofilm formation and control persistent infections.Significance StatementPili are hair-like appendages found on the surface of many bacteria to promote adhesion. Here, we provide systems-level findings on a molecular signal transduction pathway that interlinks surface sensing with cell cycle initiation. We propose that surface attachment induces depolymerization of pili filaments. The concomitant increase in pilin sub-units within the inner membrane function as a stimulus to activate the second messenger c-di-GMP and trigger cell cycle initiation. Further-more, we show that the provision of a 17 amino acid synthetic peptide corresponding to the membrane portion of the pilin sub-unit mimics surface sensing, activates cell cycle initiation and inhibits surface attachment. Thus, synthetic peptide mimetics of pilin may represent new chemotypes to control biofilm formation and treat bacterial infections.

scholarly journals Obstruction of pilus retraction stimulates bacterial surface sensing

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Courtney K. Ellison ◽  
Jingbo Kan ◽  
Rebecca S. Dillard ◽  
David T. Kysela ◽  
Cheri M. Hampton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Modification ◽  
Caulobacter Crescentus ◽  
Physiological Changes ◽  
Type Iv Pilus ◽  
Dynamic Nature ◽  
Surface Attachment ◽  
Bacterial Surface ◽  
Type Iv ◽  
Surface Sensing ◽  
Surface Contact

AbstractSurface association provides numerous fitness advantages to bacteria. Thus, it is critical for bacteria to recognize surface contact and to consequently initiate physiological changes required for a surface-associated lifestyle (1). Ubiquitous microbial appendages called pili are involved in sensing surfaces and mediating downstream surface-associated behaviors (2–6). The mechanism by which pili mediate surface sensing remains unknown, largely due to the difficulty to visualize their dynamic nature and to directly modulate their activity without genetic modification. Here, we show thatCaulobacter crescentuspili undergo dynamic cycles of extension and retraction that cease within seconds of surface contact, and this arrest of pilus activity coincides with surface-stimulated holdfast synthesis. By physically blocking pili, we show that imposing resistance to pilus retraction is sufficient to stimulate holdfast synthesis in the absence of surface contact. Thus, resistance to type IV pilus retraction upon surface attachment is used for surface sensing.One Sentence SummaryBacteria use the tension imparted on retracting pilus fibers upon their binding to a surface for surface sensing.

scholarly journals The type IV pilin PilA couples surface attachment and cell-cycle initiation in Caulobacter crescentus

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (17) ◽  
pp. 9546-9553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Del Medico ◽  
Dario Cerletti ◽  
Philipp Schächle ◽  
Matthias Christen ◽  
Beat Christen
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Cell Cycle Progression ◽  
Caulobacter Crescentus ◽  
Resonance Energy ◽  
Cellular Adhesion ◽  
Cycle Progression ◽  
Surface Attachment ◽  
Type Iv ◽  
Surface Sensing ◽  
Type Iv Pilin

Understanding how bacteria colonize surfaces and regulate cell-cycle progression in response to cellular adhesion is of fundamental importance. Here, we use transposon sequencing in conjunction with fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) microscopy to uncover the molecular mechanism for how surface sensing drives cell-cycle initiation in Caulobacter crescentus. We identify the type IV pilin protein PilA as the primary signaling input that couples surface contact to cell-cycle initiation via the second messenger cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP). Upon retraction of pili filaments, the monomeric pilin reservoir in the inner membrane is sensed by the 17-amino acid transmembrane helix of PilA to activate the PleC-PleD two-component signaling system, increase cellular c-di-GMP levels, and signal the onset of the cell cycle. We termed the PilA signaling sequence CIP for “cell-cycle initiating pilin” peptide. Addition of the chemically synthesized CIP peptide initiates cell-cycle progression and simultaneously inhibits surface attachment. The broad conservation of the type IV pili and their importance in pathogens for host colonization suggests that CIP peptide mimetics offer strategies to inhibit surface sensing, prevent biofilm formation and control persistent infections.

scholarly journals More than a feeling: microscopy approaches to understanding surface-sensing mechanisms

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine J. Graham ◽  
Lori L. Burrows
Keyword(s):  
Live Cells ◽  
Surface Attachment ◽  
Bacterial Surface ◽  
Structural Modifications ◽  
Structure And Dynamics ◽  
Type Iv ◽  
Surface Sensing ◽  
Two Component Signal Transduction ◽  
Sense And Respond

The mechanisms by which bacteria sense and respond to surface attachment have long been a mystery. Our understanding of the structure and dynamics of bacterial appendages, notably type IV pili (T4P), provided new insights into the potential ways that bacteria sense surfaces. T4P are ubiquitous, retractable hair-like adhesins that until recently were difficult to image in the absence of fixation due to their nanoscale size. This review focuses on recent microscopy innovations used to visualize T4P in live cells to reveal the dynamics of their retraction and extension. We discuss recently proposed mechanisms by which T4P facilitate bacterial surface sensing, including the role of surface-exposed PilY1, two-component signal transduction pathways, force-induced structural modifications of the major pilin, and altered dynamics of the T4P motor complex.

scholarly journals A bifunctional ATPase drives tad pilus extension and retraction

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (12) ◽  
pp. eaay2591 ◽  
Author(s):  
Courtney K. Ellison ◽  
Jingbo Kan ◽  
Jennifer L. Chlebek ◽  
Katherine R. Hummels ◽  
Gaёl Panis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Atp Hydrolysis ◽  
Type Iv Pili ◽  
Single Motor ◽  
Type Iv ◽  
Adenosine Triphosphatases ◽  
Surface Sensing ◽  
Retraction Force

A widespread class of prokaryotic motors powered by secretion motor adenosine triphosphatases (ATPases) drives the dynamic extension and retraction of extracellular fibers, such as type IV pili (T4P). Among these, the tight adherence (tad) pili are critical for surface sensing and biofilm formation. As for most other motors belonging to this class, how tad pili retract despite lacking a dedicated retraction motor ATPase has remained a mystery. Here, we find that a bifunctional pilus motor ATPase, CpaF, drives both activities through adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) hydrolysis. We show that mutations within CpaF result in a correlated reduction in the rates of extension and retraction that directly scales with decreased ATP hydrolysis and retraction force. Thus, a single motor ATPase drives the bidirectional processes of pilus fiber extension and retraction.

scholarly journals Temperature-Dependent Activity of Motor Proteins: Energetics and Their Implications for Collective Behavior

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saumya Yadav ◽  
Ambarish Kunwar
Keyword(s):  
Single Molecule ◽  
Molecular Motors ◽  
Intracellular Transport ◽  
Motor Proteins ◽  
Atp Hydrolysis ◽  
Molecular Motor ◽  
Surrounding Medium ◽  
Biochemical Properties ◽  
Cellular Transport ◽  
Temperature Dependent

Molecular motor proteins are an extremely important component of the cellular transport system that harness chemical energy derived from ATP hydrolysis to carry out directed mechanical motion inside the cells. Transport properties of these motors such as processivity, velocity, and their load dependence have been well established through single-molecule experiments. Temperature dependent biophysical properties of molecular motors are now being probed using single-molecule experiments. Additionally, the temperature dependent biochemical properties of motors (ATPase activity) are probed to understand the underlying mechanisms and their possible implications on the enzymatic activity of motor proteins. These experiments in turn have revealed their activation energies and how they compare with the thermal energy available from the surrounding medium. In this review, we summarize such temperature dependent biophysical and biochemical properties of linear and rotary motor proteins and their implications for collective function during intracellular transport and cellular movement, respectively.

scholarly journals Self-repair protects microtubules from their destruction by molecular motors:

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Triclin ◽  
Daisuke Inoue ◽  
Jeremie Gaillard ◽  
Zaw Min Htet ◽  
Morgan De Santis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chromosome Segregation ◽  
Molecular Motors ◽  
Intracellular Transport ◽  
Atp Hydrolysis ◽  
Low Energy ◽  
Mechanical Work ◽  
Repair Mechanism ◽  
Tubulin Dimer ◽  
Self Repair

Microtubules are dynamic polymers that are used for intracellular transport and chromosome segregation during cell division. Their instability stems from the low energy of tubulin dimer interactions, which sets the growing polymer close to its disassembly conditions. Microtubules function in coordination with kinesin and dynein molecular motors, which use ATP hydrolysis to produce mechanical work and move on microtubules. This raises the possibility that the forces produced by walking motors can break dimer interactions and trigger microtubule disassembly. We tested this hypothesis by studying the interplay between microtubules and moving molecular motors in vitro. Our results show that the mechanical work of molecular motors can remove tubulin dimers from the lattice and rapidly destroy microtubules. This effect was not observed when free tubulin dimers were present in the assay. Using fluorescently labelled tubulin dimers we found that dimer removal by motors was compensated for by the insertion of free tubulin dimers into the microtubule lattice. This self-repair mechanism allows microtubules to survive the damage induced by molecular motors as they move along their tracks. Our study reveals the existence of coupling between the motion of kinesin and dynein motors and the renewal of the microtubule lattice.

Molecular motors--a paradigm for mutant analysis

2000 ◽  
Vol 113 (8) ◽  
pp. 1311-1318 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.A. Endow
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Motors ◽  
Protein Function ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Atp Hydrolysis ◽  
Unique Property ◽  
Genetic Screens ◽  
Nucleotide Hydrolysis ◽  
Mutant Analysis ◽  
Motor Activities ◽  
Natural Variants

Molecular motors perform essential functions in the cell and have the potential to provide insights into the basis of many important processes. A unique property of molecular motors is their ability to convert energy from ATP hydrolysis into work, enabling the motors to bind to and move along cytoskeletal filaments. The mechanism of energy conversion by molecular motors is not yet understood and may lead to the discovery of new biophysical principles. Mutant analysis could provide valuable information, but it is not obvious how to obtain mutants that are informative for study. The analysis presented here points out several strategies for obtaining mutants by selection from molecular or genetic screens, or by rational design. Mutants that are expected to provide important information about the motor mechanism include ATPase mutants, which interfere with the nucleotide hydrolysis cycle, and uncoupling mutants, which unlink basic motor activities and reveal their interdependence. Natural variants can also be exploited to provide unexpected information about motor function. This general approach to uncovering protein function by analysis of informative mutants is applicable not only to molecular motors, but to other proteins of interest.

scholarly journals Bacterial Microtubules Exhibit Polarized Growth, Mixed-Polarity Bundling, and Destabilization by GTP Hydrolysis

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
César Díaz-Celis ◽  
Viviana I. Risca ◽  
Felipe Hurtado ◽  
Jessica K. Polka ◽  
Scott D. Hansen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Motors ◽  
Intracellular Transport ◽  
Complex Dynamics ◽  
Critical Concentration ◽  
Polarized Growth ◽  
Gtp Hydrolysis ◽  
Filament Dynamics ◽  
Mixed Polarity ◽  
Self Association

AbstractBacteria of the genusProsthecobacterexpress homologs of eukaryotic α-and β-tubulin, called BtubA and BtubB, that have been observed to assemble into bacterial microtubules (bMTs). ThebtubABgenes likely entered theProsthecobacterlineage via horizontal gene transfer and may derive from an early ancestor of the modern eukaryotic microtubule (MT). Previous biochemical studies revealed that BtubA/B polymerization is GTP-dependent and reversible and that BtubA/B folding does not require chaperones. To better understand bMT behavior and gain insight into the evolution of microtubule dynamics, we characterizedin vitrobMT assembly using a combination of polymerization kinetics assays, and microscopy. Like eukaryotic microtubules, bMTs exhibit polarized growth with different assembly rates at each end. GTP hydrolysis stimulated by bMT polymerization drives a stochastic mechanism of bMT disassembly that occurs via polymer breakage. We also observed treadmilling (continuous addition and loss of subunits at opposite ends) of bMT fragments. Unlike MTs, polymerization of bMTs requires KCl, which reduces the critical concentration for BtubA/B assembly and induces bMTs to form stable mixed-orientation bundles in the absence of any additional bMT-binding proteins. Our results suggest that at potassium concentrations resembling that inside the cytoplasm ofProsthecobacter, bMT stabilization through self-association may be a default behavior. The complex dynamics we observe in both stabilized and unstabilized bMTs may reflect common properties of an ancestral eukaryotic tubulin polymer.ImportanceMicrotubules are polymers within all eukaryotic cells that perform critical functions: they segregate chromosomes in cell division, organize intracellular transport by serving as tracks for molecular motors, and support the flagella that allow sperm to swim. These functions rely on microtubules remarkable range of tunable dynamic behaviors. Recently discovered bacterial microtubules composed of an evolutionarily related protein are evolved from a missing link in microtubule evolution, the ancestral eukaryotic tubulin polymer. Using microscopy and biochemical approaches to characterize bacterial microtubules, we observed that they exhibit complex and structurally polarized dynamic behavior like eukaryotic microtubules, but differ in how they self-associate into bundles and become destabilized. Our results demonstrate the diversity of mechanisms that microtubule-like filaments employ to promote filament dynamics and monomer turnover.

scholarly journals Fresh extension of Vibrio cholerae competence type IV pili predisposes them for motor-independent retraction

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Chlebek ◽  
Triana N. Dalia ◽  
Nicolas Biais ◽  
Ankur B. Dalia
Keyword(s):  
Cell Surface ◽  
Vibrio Cholerae ◽  
Conformational Changes ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Ectopic Expression ◽  
Type Iv Pili ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Dynamic Activity ◽  
Type Iv ◽  
Additional Support

ABSTRACTBacteria utilize dynamic appendages called type IV pili (T4P) to interact with their environment and mediate a wide variety of functions. Pilus extension is mediated by an extension ATPase motor, commonly called PilB, in all T4P. Pilus retraction, however, can either occur with the aid of an ATPase motor, or in the absence of a retraction motor. While much effort has been devoted to studying motor-dependent retraction, the mechanism and regulation of motor-independent retraction remains poorly characterized. We have previously demonstrated that Vibrio cholerae competence T4P undergo motor-independent retraction in the absence of the dedicated retraction ATPases PilT and PilU. Here, we utilize this model system to characterize the factors that influence motor-independent retraction. We find that freshly extended pili frequently undergo motor-independent retraction, but if these pili fail to retract immediately, they remain statically extended on the cell surface. Importantly, we show that these static pili can still undergo motor-dependent retraction via tightly regulated ectopic expression of PilT, suggesting that these T4P are not broken, but simply cannot undergo motor-independent retraction. Through additional genetic and biophysical characterization of pili, we suggest that pilus filaments undergo conformational changes during dynamic extension and retraction. We propose that only some conformations, like those adopted by freshly extended pili, are capable of undergoing motor-independent retraction. Together, these data highlight the versatile mechanisms that regulate T4P dynamic activity and provide additional support for the long-standing hypothesis that motor-independent retraction occurs via spontaneous depolymerization.SIGNIFICANCEExtracellular pilus fibers are critical to the virulence and persistence of many pathogenic bacteria. A crucial function for most pili is the dynamic ability to extend and retract from the cell surface. Inhibiting this dynamic pilus activity represents an attractive approach for therapeutic interventions, however, a detailed mechanistic understanding of this process is currently lacking. Here, we use the competence pilus of Vibrio cholerae to study how pili retract in the absence of dedicated retraction motors. Our results reveal a novel regulatory mechanism of pilus retraction that is an inherent property of the external pilus filament. Thus, understanding the conformational changes that pili adopt under different conditions may be critical for the development of novel therapeutics that aim to target the dynamic activity of these structures.

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