Molecular Microbiology

Items from 1 to 20 out of 4,367 results

article

Homes for the orphans: utilization of multiple substrate‐binding proteins by ABC transporters

Gavin H. Thomas

Acquiring nutrients from the environment is essential for all microbes, and the ATP‐binding cassette (ABC) transporters are one of the major routes by which bacteria achieve it. In this issue of Molecular Microbiology, Chen et al. describe their characterization of what appeared at first glance a simple ABC transporter for acquisition of quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) in Pseudomonas sp., but...

article

Production of clastogenic DNA precursors by the nucleotide metabolism in Escherichia coli

Brian Budke, Andrei Kuzminov

Molecular Microbiology > 75 > 1 > 230 - 245

RdgB is a bacterial dNTPase with a strong in vitro preference for non‐canonical DNA precursors dHapTP, dXTP and dITP that contain deaminated or aminogroup‐modified purines. Utilization of these nucleotides by replisomes in rdgB mutants of Escherichia coli produces modified DNA, on which EndoV nicking near the base analogues initiates excision repair. Some EndoV‐initiated excision events cause chromosomal...

article

Potential role for ESAT6 in dissemination of M. tuberculosis via human lung epithelial cells

Arvind G. Kinhikar, Indu Verma, Dinesh Chandra, Krishna K. Singh, more

Molecular Microbiology > 75 > 1 > 92 - 106

ESAT6 has recently been demonstrated to cause haemolysis and macrophage lysis. Our studies demonstrate that ESAT6 causes cytolysis of type 1 and type 2 pneumocytes. Both types of pneumocytes express membrane laminin, and ESAT6 exhibits dose‐dependent binding to both cell types and to purified human laminin. While minimal ESAT6 was detected on the surface of Mycobacterium tuberculosis grown in vitro...

article

In vivo oxidative protein folding can be facilitated by oxidation–reduction cycling

Stephen R. Shouldice, Seung‐Hyun Cho, Dana Boyd, Begoña Heras, more

Molecular Microbiology > 75 > 1 > 13 - 28

Current dogma dictates that bacterial proteins with misoxidized disulfide bonds are shuffled into correctly oxidized states by DsbC. There are two proposed mechanisms for DsbC activity. The first involves a DsbC‐only model of substrate disulfide rearrangement. The second invokes cycles of reduction and oxidation of substrate disulfide bonds by DsbC and DsbA respectively. Here, we addressed whether...

article

Editing disulphide bonds: error correction using redox currencies

Koreaki Ito

Molecular Microbiology > 75 > 1 > 1 - 5

The disulphide bond‐introducing enzyme of bacteria, DsbA, sometimes oxidizes non‐native cysteine pairs. DsbC should rearrange the resulting incorrect disulphide bonds into those with correct connectivity. DsbA and DsbC receive oxidizing and reducing equivalents, respectively, from respective redox components (quinones and NADPH) of the cell. Two mechanisms of disulphide bond rearrangement have been...

article

3‐Ketosteroid 9α‐hydroxylase is an essential factor in the pathogenesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Yanmin Hu, Robert Van Der Geize, Gurdyal S. Besra, Sudagar S. Gurcha, more

Molecular Microbiology > 75 > 1 > 107 - 121

Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv contains the kshA (Rv3526) and kshB (Rv3571) genes, encoding 3‐ketosteroid 9α‐hydroxylase (KSH). Consistent with their predicted roles, the ΔkshA and ΔkshB deletion mutants of M. tuberculosis H37Rv were unable to use cholesterol and 4‐androstene‐3,17‐dione as primary carbon and energy sources. Interestingly, ΔkshA and ΔkshB mutants were also unable to metabolize the...

article

The ATP‐binding cassette transporter Cbc (choline/betaine/carnitine) recruits multiple substrate‐binding proteins with strong specificity for distinct quaternary ammonium compounds

Chiliang Chen, Adel A. Malek, Matthew J. Wargo, Deborah A. Hogan, more

Molecular Microbiology > 75 > 1 > 29 - 45

We identified a choline, betaine and carnitine transporter, designated Cbc, from Pseudomonas syringae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa that is unusual among members of the ATP‐binding cassette (ABC) transporter family in its use of multiple periplasmic substrate‐binding proteins (SBPs) that are highly specific for their substrates. The SBP encoded by the cbcXWV operon, CbcX, binds choline with a high affinity...

article

Pseudomonas aeruginosa OspR is an oxidative stress sensing regulator that affects pigment production, antibiotic resistance and dissemination during infection

Lefu Lan, Thomas S. Murray, Barbara I. Kazmierczak, Chuan He

Molecular Microbiology > 75 > 1 > 76 - 91

Oxidative stress is one of the main challenges bacteria must cope with during infection. Here, we identify a new oxidative stress sensing and response ospR (oxidative stress response and pigment production Regulator) gene in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Deletion of ospR leads to a significant induction in H₂O₂ resistance. This effect is mediated by de‐repression of PA2826, which lies immediately upstream...

article

The red‐ox status of a penicillin‐binding protein is an on/off switch for spore peptidoglycan synthesis in Bacillus subtilis

Patrick Eichenberger

Molecular Microbiology > 75 > 1 > 10 - 12

Thiol‐disulphide oxidoreductases catalyse the formation or breakage of disulphide bonds to control the red‐ox status of a variety of proteins. Their activity is compartmentalized, as exemplified by the distinct roles these enzymes play in the cytoplasm and periplasm of Gram‐negative bacteria. In this issue of Molecular Microbiology, an article from Lars Hederstedt and collaborators at Lund University...

article

The Ustilago maydis b mating type locus controls hyphal proliferation and expression of secreted virulence factors in planta

Ramon Wahl, Alexander Zahiri, Jörg Kämper

Molecular Microbiology > 75 > 1 > 208 - 220

Sexual development in fungi is controlled by mating type loci that prevent self‐fertilization. In the phytopathogenic fungus Ustilago maydis, the b mating type locus encodes two homeodomain proteins, termed bE and bW. After cell fusion, a heterodimeric bE/bW complex is formed if the proteins are derived from different alleles. The bE/bW complex is required and sufficient to initiate pathogenic development...

article

Comparison of Staphopain A (ScpA) and B (SspB) precursor activation mechanisms reveals unique secretion kinetics of proSspB (Staphopain B), and a different interaction with its cognate Staphostatin, SspC

Nicholas Nickerson, Jessica Ip, Daniel T. Passos, Martin J. McGavin

Molecular Microbiology > 75 > 1 > 161 - 177

The scpAB and sspABC operons of Staphylococcus aureus encode Staphopain cysteine proteases ScpA and SspB, and their respective Staphostatins ScpB and SspC, which are thought to protect against premature activation of Staphopain precursors during protein export. However, we found that the proSspB precursor was secreted and activated without detriment to S. aureus in the absence of SspC function. Our...

article

Penicillin‐binding protein SpoVD disulphide is a target for StoA in Bacillus subtilis forespores

Yiming Liu, Mirja Carlsson Möller, Lise Petersen, Christopher A. G. Söderberg, more

Molecular Microbiology > 75 > 1 > 46 - 60

The bacterial endospore is a dormant and heat‐resistant form of life. StoA (SpoIVH) in Bacillus subtilis is a membrane‐bound thioredoxin‐like protein involved in endospore cortex synthesis. It is proposed to reduce disulphide bonds in hitherto unknown proteins in the intermembrane compartment of developing forespores. Starting with a bioinformatic analysis combined with mutant studies we identified...

article

The giant extracellular matrix‐binding protein of Staphylococcus epidermidis mediates biofilm accumulation and attachment to fibronectin

Martin Christner, Gefion C. Franke, Nina N. Schommer, Ulrike Wendt, more

Molecular Microbiology > 75 > 1 > 187 - 207

Virulence of nosocomial pathogen Staphylococcus epidermidis is essentially related to formation of adherent biofilms, assembled by bacterial attachment to an artificial surface and subsequent production of a matrix that mediates interbacterial adhesion. Growing evidence supports the idea that proteins are functionally involved in S. epidermidis biofilm accumulation. We found that in S. epidermidis...

article

Oligonucleotide recombination in Gram‐negative bacteria

Bryan Swingle, Eric Markel, Nina Costantino, Mikhail G. Bubunenko, more

Molecular Microbiology > 75 > 1 > 138 - 148

This report describes several key aspects of a novel form of RecA‐independent homologous recombination. We found that synthetic single‐stranded DNA oligonucleotides (oligos) introduced into bacteria by transformation can site‐specifically recombine with bacterial chromosomes in the absence of any additional phage‐encoded functions. Oligo recombination was tested in four genera of Gram‐negative bacteria...

article

Substrate specificity of three cytochrome c haem lyase isoenzymes from Wolinella succinogenes: unconventional haem c binding motifs are not sufficient for haem c attachment by NrfI and CcsA1

Melanie Kern, Florian Eisel, Juliane Scheithauer, Robert G. Kranz, more

Molecular Microbiology > 75 > 1 > 122 - 137

Bacterial c‐type cytochrome maturation is dependent on a complex enzymic machinery. The key reaction is catalysed by cytochrome c haem lyase (CCHL) that usually forms two thioether bonds to attach haem b to the cysteine residues of a haem c binding motif (HBM) which is, in most cases, a CX₂CH sequence. Here, the HBM specificity of three distinct CCHL isoenzymes (NrfI, CcsA1 and CcsA2) from the Epsilonproteobacterium...

article

YopR impacts type III needle polymerization in Yersinia species

Bill Blaylock, Bryan J. Berube, Olaf Schneewind

Molecular Microbiology > 75 > 1 > 221 - 229

A hallmark of Yersinia type III machines is the presence of needles extending from the bacterial surface. Needles perform two functions, serving as the conduits for the transport of effectors into immune cells but also acting as a sensor. The polymerized needle protein, YscF, is thought to perceive threshold levels of environmental calcium ions to trigger secretion. yopR (yscH) is a gene downstream...

article

EtfA catalyses the formation of dipicolinic acid in Clostridium perfringens

Benjamin C. Orsburn, Stephen B. Melville, David L. Popham

Molecular Microbiology > 75 > 1 > 178 - 186

Dipicolinic acid (DPA) is a major component of bacterial endospores, comprising 5–15% of the spore dry weight, and is important for spore stability and resistance properties. The biosynthetic precursor to DPA, dihydro‐dipicolinic acid (DHDPA), is produced by DHDPA synthase within the lysine biosynthesis pathway. In Bacillus subtilis, and most other bacilli and clostridia, DHDPA is oxidized to DPA...

article

In vivo requirement of selenophosphate for selenoprotein synthesis in archaea

Tilmann Stock, Mirjam Selzer, Michael Rother

Molecular Microbiology > 75 > 1 > 149 - 160

Biosynthesis of selenocysteine, the 21st proteinogenic amino acid, occurs bound to a dedicated tRNA in all three domains of life, Bacteria, Eukarya and Archaea, but differences exist between the mechanism employed by bacteria and eukaryotes/archaea. The role of selenophosphate and the enzyme providing it, selenophosphate synthetase, in archaeal selenoprotein synthesis was addressed by mutational analysis...

article

Transport‐dependent endocytosis and turnover of a uric acid‐xanthine permease

Christos Gournas, Sotiris Amillis, Anna Vlanti, George Diallinas

Molecular Microbiology > 75 > 1 > 246 - 260

In this work we unmask a novel downregulation mechanism of the uric acid/xanthine transporter UapA, the prototype member of the ubiquitous Nucleobase‐Ascorbate Transporter family, directly related to its function. In the presence of substrates, UapA is endocytosed, sorted into the multivesicular body pathway and degraded in vacuoles. Substrate‐induced endocytosis, unlike ammonium‐induced turnover,...

article

Quaternary structure changes in a second Per‐Arnt‐Sim domain mediate intramolecular redox signal relay in the NifL regulatory protein

Peter Slavny, Richard Little, Paloma Salinas, Thomas A. Clarke, more

Molecular Microbiology > 75 > 1 > 61 - 75

Per‐Arnt‐Sim (PAS) domains play a critical role in signal transduction in multidomain proteins by sensing diverse environmental signals and regulating the activity of output domains. Multiple PAS domains are often found within a single protein. The NifL regulatory protein from Azotobacter vinelandii contains tandem PAS domains, the most N‐terminal of which, PAS1, contains a FAD cofactor and is responsible...

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Molecular Microbiology

Homes for the orphans: utilization of multiple substrate‐binding proteins by ABC transporters

Production of clastogenic DNA precursors by the nucleotide metabolism in Escherichia coli

Potential role for ESAT6 in dissemination of M. tuberculosis via human lung epithelial cells

In vivo oxidative protein folding can be facilitated by oxidation–reduction cycling

Editing disulphide bonds: error correction using redox currencies

3‐Ketosteroid 9α‐hydroxylase is an essential factor in the pathogenesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

The ATP‐binding cassette transporter Cbc (choline/betaine/carnitine) recruits multiple substrate‐binding proteins with strong specificity for distinct quaternary ammonium compounds

Pseudomonas aeruginosa OspR is an oxidative stress sensing regulator that affects pigment production, antibiotic resistance and dissemination during infection

The red‐ox status of a penicillin‐binding protein is an on/off switch for spore peptidoglycan synthesis in Bacillus subtilis

The Ustilago maydis b mating type locus controls hyphal proliferation and expression of secreted virulence factors in planta

Comparison of Staphopain A (ScpA) and B (SspB) precursor activation mechanisms reveals unique secretion kinetics of proSspB (Staphopain B), and a different interaction with its cognate Staphostatin, SspC

Penicillin‐binding protein SpoVD disulphide is a target for StoA in Bacillus subtilis forespores

The giant extracellular matrix‐binding protein of Staphylococcus epidermidis mediates biofilm accumulation and attachment to fibronectin

Oligonucleotide recombination in Gram‐negative bacteria

Substrate specificity of three cytochrome c haem lyase isoenzymes from Wolinella succinogenes: unconventional haem c binding motifs are not sufficient for haem c attachment by NrfI and CcsA1

YopR impacts type III needle polymerization in Yersinia species

EtfA catalyses the formation of dipicolinic acid in Clostridium perfringens

In vivo requirement of selenophosphate for selenoprotein synthesis in archaea

Transport‐dependent endocytosis and turnover of a uric acid‐xanthine permease

Quaternary structure changes in a second Per‐Arnt‐Sim domain mediate intramolecular redox signal relay in the NifL regulatory protein

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