scholarly journals Identical, Independent, and Opposing Roles of ppGpp and DksA in Escherichia coli

2007 ◽  
Vol 189 (14) ◽  
pp. 5193-5202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa U. Magnusson ◽  
Bertil Gummesson ◽  
Predrag Joksimović ◽  
Anne Farewell ◽  
Thomas Nyström
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Stationary Phase ◽  
Cell Aggregation ◽  
Phase Morphology ◽  
Deficient Mutant ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
Opposing Effects ◽  
Cell Cell

ABSTRACT The recent discovery that the protein DksA acts as a coregulator of genes controlled by ppGpp led us to investigate the similarities and differences between the relaxed phenotype of a ppGpp-deficient mutant and the phenotype of a strain lacking DksA. We demonstrate that the absence of DksA and ppGpp has similar effects on many of the observed phenotypes but that DksA and ppGpp also have independent and sometimes opposing roles in the cell. Specifically, we show that overexpression of DksA can compensate for the loss of ppGpp with respect to transcription of the promoters P uspA , P livJ , and P rrnBP1 as well as amino acid auxotrophy, cell-cell aggregation, motility, filamentation, and stationary phase morphology, suggesting that DksA can function without ppGpp in regulating gene expression. In addition, ppGpp and DksA have opposing effects on adhesion. In the course of our analysis, we also discovered new features of the relaxed mutant, namely, defects in cell-cell aggregation and motility.

scholarly journals Bacterial Two-Hybrid Analysis of Interactions between Region 4 of the ς70 Subunit of RNA Polymerase and the Transcriptional Regulators Rsd from Escherichia coli and AlgQ from Pseudomonas aeruginosa

2001 ◽  
Vol 183 (21) ◽  
pp. 6413-6421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon L. Dove ◽  
Ann Hochschild
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Rna Polymerase ◽  
Amino Acid Substitution ◽  
Transcriptional Regulators ◽  
Binding Motif ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Two Hybrid

ABSTRACT A number of transcriptional regulators mediate their effects through direct contact with the ς70 subunit ofEscherichia coli RNA polymerase (RNAP). In particular, several regulators have been shown to contact a C-terminal portion of ς70 that harbors conserved region 4. This region of ς contains a putative helix-turn-helix DNA-binding motif that contacts the −35 element of ς70-dependent promoters directly. Here we report the use of a recently developed bacterial two-hybrid system to study the interaction between the putative anti-ς factor Rsd and the ς70 subunit of E. coli RNAP. Using this system, we found that Rsd can interact with an 86-amino-acid C-terminal fragment of ς70 and also that amino acid substitution R596H, within region 4 of ς70, weakens this interaction. We demonstrated the specificity of this effect by showing that substitution R596H does not weaken the interaction between ς and two other regulators shown previously to contact region 4 of ς70. We also demonstrated that AlgQ, a homolog of Rsd that positively regulates virulence gene expression inPseudomonas aeruginosa, can contact the C-terminal region of the ς70 subunit of RNAP from this organism. We found that amino acid substitution R600H in ς70 fromP. aeruginosa, corresponding to the R596H substitution in E. coli ς70, specifically weakens the interaction between AlgQ and ς70. Taken together, our findings suggest that Rsd and AlgQ contact similar surfaces of RNAP present in region 4 of ς70 and probably regulate gene expression through this contact.

scholarly journals Phosphate-Enhanced Stationary-Phase Fitness of Escherichia coli Is Related to Inorganic Polyphosphate Level

2009 ◽  
Vol 191 (13) ◽  
pp. 4478-4481 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lici A. Schurig-Briccio ◽  
Ricardo N. Farías ◽  
María R. Rintoul ◽  
Viviana A. Rapisarda
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Stationary Phase ◽  
Enzyme Activities ◽  
Late Stationary Phase ◽  
Inorganic Polyphosphate

ABSTRACT We found that Escherichia coli grown in media with >37 mM phosphate maintained a high polyphosphate level in late stationary phase, which could account for changes in gene expression and enzyme activities that enhance stationary-phase fitness.

scholarly journals Mutagenesis of the Rns regulator of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli reveals roles for a linker sequence and two helix–turn–helix motifs

Microbiology ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 156 (9) ◽  
pp. 2796-2806 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vivienne Mahon ◽  
Cyril J. Smyth ◽  
Stephen G. J. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Amino Acid Sequence ◽  
Protein A ◽  
Diarrhoeal Disease ◽  
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia Coli ◽  
Insertion Mutagenesis

The pathogenesis of diarrhoeal disease due to human enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli absolutely requires the expression of fimbriae. The expression of CS1 fimbriae is positively regulated by the AraC-like protein Rns. AraC-like proteins are DNA-binding proteins that typically contain two helix–turn–helix (HTH) motifs. A program of pentapeptide insertion mutagenesis of the Rns protein was performed, and this revealed that both HTH motifs are required by Rns to positively regulate CS1 fimbrial gene expression. Intriguingly, a pentapeptide insertion after amino acid C102 reduced the ability of Rns to transactivate CS1 fimbrial expression. The structure of Rns in this vicinity (NACRS) was predicted to be disordered and thus might act as a flexible linker. This hypothesis was confirmed by deletion of this amino acid sequence from the Rns protein; a truncated protein that lacked this sequence was no longer functional. Strikingly, this sequence could be functionally substituted in vivo and in vitro by a flexible seven amino acid sequence from another E. coli AraC-like protein RhaS. Our data indicate that HTH motifs and a flexible sequence are required by Rns for maximal activation of fimbrial gene expression.

scholarly journals Mutations Enhancing Amino Acid Catabolism Confer a Growth Advantage in Stationary Phase

1999 ◽  
Vol 181 (18) ◽  
pp. 5800-5807 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik R. Zinser ◽  
Roberto Kolter
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Amino Acids ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Stationary Phase ◽  
Carbon Starvation ◽  
Amino Acid Catabolism ◽  
Rich Media ◽  
Dying Cells

ABSTRACT Starved cultures of Escherichia coli undergo successive rounds of population takeovers by mutants of increasing fitness. These mutants express the growth advantage in stationary phase (GASP) phenotype. Previous work identified the rpoS819 allele as a GASP mutation allowing cells to take over stationary-phase cultures after growth in rich media (M. M. Zambrano, D. A. Siegele, M. A. Almirón, A. Tormo, and R. Kolter, Science 259:1757–1760, 1993). Here we have identified three new GASP loci from an aged rpoS819 strain: sgaA, sgaB, and sgaC. Each locus is capable of conferring GASP on therpoS819 parent, and they can provide successively higher fitnesses for the bacteria in the starved cultures. All four GASP mutations isolated thus far allow for faster growth on both individual and mixtures of amino acids. Each mutation confers a growth advantage on a different subset of amino acids, and these mutations act in concert to increase the overall catabolic capacity of the cell. We present a model whereby this enhanced ability to catabolize amino acids is responsible for the fitness gain during carbon starvation, as it may allow GASP mutants to outcompete the parental cells when growing on the amino acids released by dying cells.

scholarly journals Complex Physiology and Compound Stress Responses during Fermentation of Alkali-Pretreated Corn Stover Hydrolysate by an Escherichia coli Ethanologen

2012 ◽  
Vol 78 (9) ◽  
pp. 3442-3457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael S. Schwalbach ◽  
David H. Keating ◽  
Mary Tremaine ◽  
Wesley D. Marner ◽  
Yaoping Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Amino Acids ◽  
Stationary Phase ◽  
Gene Expression Profiling ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Expression Profiling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Cell Maintenance

ABSTRACTThe physiology of ethanologenicEscherichia coligrown anaerobically in alkali-pretreated plant hydrolysates is complex and not well studied. To gain insight into howE. coliresponds to such hydrolysates, we studied anE. coliK-12 ethanologen fermenting a hydrolysate prepared from corn stover pretreated by ammonia fiber expansion. Despite the high sugar content (∼6% glucose, 3% xylose) and relatively low toxicity of this hydrolysate,E. coliceased growth long before glucose was depleted. Nevertheless, the cells remained metabolically active and continued conversion of glucose to ethanol until all glucose was consumed. Gene expression profiling revealed complex and changing patterns of metabolic physiology and cellular stress responses during an exponential growth phase, a transition phase, and the glycolytically active stationary phase. During the exponential and transition phases, high cell maintenance and stress response costs were mitigated, in part, by free amino acids available in the hydrolysate. However, after the majority of amino acids were depleted, the cells entered stationary phase, and ATP derived from glucose fermentation was consumed entirely by the demands of cell maintenance in the hydrolysate. Comparative gene expression profiling and metabolic modeling of the ethanologen suggested that the high energetic cost of mitigating osmotic, lignotoxin, and ethanol stress collectively limits growth, sugar utilization rates, and ethanol yields in alkali-pretreated lignocellulosic hydrolysates.

scholarly journals Human Body Temperature (37°C) Increases the Expression of Iron, Carbohydrate, and Amino Acid Utilization Genes in Escherichia coli K-12

2007 ◽  
Vol 189 (15) ◽  
pp. 5429-5440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine A. White-Ziegler ◽  
Amy J. Malhowski ◽  
Sarah Young
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Body Temperature ◽  
Human Body ◽  
Iron Acquisition ◽  
Positive Role ◽  
Amino Acid Utilization ◽  
Human Body Temperature ◽  
K 12

ABSTRACT Using DNA microarrays, we identified 126 genes in Escherichia coli K-12 whose expression is increased at human body temperature (37°C) compared to growth at 23°C. Genes involved in the uptake and utilization of amino acids, carbohydrates, and iron dominated the list, supporting a model in which temperature serves as a host cue to increase expression of bacterial genes needed for growth. Using quantitative real-time PCR, we investigated the thermoregulatory response for representative genes in each of these three categories (hisJ, cysP, srlE, garP, fes, and cirA), along with the fimbrial gene papB. Increased expression at 37°C compared to 23°C was retained in both exponential and stationary phases for all of the genes and in most of the various media tested, supporting the relative importance of this cue in adapting to changing environments. Because iron acquisition is important for both growth and virulence, we analyzed the regulation of the iron utilization genes cirA and fes and found that growth in iron-depleted medium abrogated the thermoregulatory effect, with high-level expression at both temperatures, contrasting with papB thermoregulation, which was not greatly altered by limiting iron levels. A positive role for the environmental regulator H-NS was found for fes, cirA, hisJ, and srlE transcription, whereas it had a primarily negative effect on cysP and garP expression. Together, these studies indicate that temperature is a broadly used cue for regulating gene expression in E. coli and that H-NS regulates iron, carbohydrate, and amino acid utilization gene expression.

scholarly journals Biofilm Formation-Gene Expression Relay System in Escherichia coli: Modulation of σS-Dependent Gene Expression by the CsgD Regulatory Protein via σS Protein Stabilization

2007 ◽  
Vol 189 (22) ◽  
pp. 8034-8043 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luciana Gualdi ◽  
Letizia Tagliabue ◽  
Paolo Landini
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Protein Pattern ◽  
Regulatory Protein ◽  
Protein A ◽  
Cell Aggregation ◽  
Protein Stabilization ◽  
Surface Adhesion ◽  
Gene Transcription Level

ABSTRACT Bacteria can switch from a single-cell (planktonic) mode to a multicellular community (biofilm) mode via production of cell-cell aggregation and surface adhesion factors. In this report, we present evidence that the CsgD protein, a transcription regulator involved in biofilm formation in Escherichia coli, modulates the expression of the rpoS (σS) regulon. Protein pattern analysis of E. coli cells in stationary phase shows that CsgD affects the expression of several proteins encoded by σS-dependent genes. CsgD regulation of σS-dependent genes takes place at gene transcription level, does not bypass the need for rpoS, and is abolished in an rpoS-null mutant. Consistent with these results, we find that CsgD expression leads to an increase in σS intracellular concentration. Increase in σS cellular amount is mediated by CsgD-dependent transcription activation of iraP, encoding a factor involved in σS protein stabilization. Our results strongly suggest that the CsgD regulatory protein plays a major role as a relay between adhesion factors production and σS-dependent gene expression via σS protein stabilization. Direct coordination between biofilm formation and expression of the rpoS regulon could positively impact important biological processes, such as host colonization or response to environmental stresses.

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