Changes in the electrical characteristics of the internal surface of cytoplasmic membrane of bacteria Escherichia coli after the binding of microdoses of copper ions by its external surface

The effect of microdoses of copper ions bound with the external surface of the cytoplasmic membrane of Escherichia coli spheroplasts on the charge density of its superficial structures was investigated by the ESR method. Positively charged spin probes of KAT(n)-type and the newly synthesized KAT15 were used. The experimental data were analyzed using the formalism of Gouy-Chapman theory. The binding of microdoses of copper ions by the external surface of the cytoplasmic membrane changed the value of charge density on the membrane internal surface.     

大肠杆菌外膜蛋白酶T及其突变体的表达、复性及生物活性分析

外膜蛋白酶T(Outer-membrane protease T,OmpT)是定位于大肠杆菌外膜,具有高度底物特异性的蛋白水解酶。本文旨在建立克隆表达膜蛋白OmpT和体外复性的方法,考察其蛋白酶活性。首先以大肠杆菌基因组DNA为模板,PCR扩增ompT基因,连接至pET28a(pET-ompT),引入点突变Asp85Ala,构建表达质粒pET-ompT85。然后将两种重组质粒转化入BL21(DE3),均以包涵体形式大量表达。纯化后的蛋白经稀释法复性,并加入粗制脂多糖(Lipopolysaccharide,LPS)恢复蛋白酶活性。通过SDS-PAGE、鱼精蛋白水解试验及生长曲线观察表明,重组蛋白OmpT在体外能水解抗菌肽鱼精蛋白和兔肌肉肌酸激酶,而OmpT突变体则无上述功能。上述结果表明本文获得了具有蛋白水解酶功能的重组蛋白OmpT,该蛋白在体外可保护大肠杆菌抵抗鱼精蛋白的杀菌作用。     

Changes in Escherichia coli outer membrane subproteome under environmental conditions inducing the viable but nonculturable state

Changes in the outer membrane subproteome of Escherichia coli along the transition to the viable but nonculturable state (VBNC) were studied. The VBNC state was triggered by exposure of E. coli cells to adverse conditions such as aquatic systems, starvation, suboptimal temperature, visible light irradiation and seawater. The subproteome, obtained according to Molloy et al ., was analysed at the beginning of exposure (inoculum, phase 1), after a variable exposure time (95% of population culturable, phase 2) and when populations were mainly in the VBNC state (95% of cells VBNC, phase 3). Proteome changes were dependent on adverse conditions inducing the transition and were detected mainly in phase 2. The permanence of E. coli cells in seawater under illumination conditions entailed a dramatic rearrangement of the outer membrane subproteome involving 106 new spots, some of which could be identified by peptide fingerprinting. However, proteins exclusive to the VBNC state were not detected.     

EnvC, a new lipoprotein of the cytoplasmic membrane of Escherichia coli

Abstract A gene product with an apparent molecular mass of approximately 39000 Da can be identified in the cytoplasmic membrane of Escherichia coli upon expression of cloned envC . In this communication we report that the product was labelled with [³H]glycerol and [³H]palmitic acid, and a precursor molecule of increased molecular mass was accumulated when cells were treated with globomycin, a specific inhibitor for the prolipoprotein signal peptidase. The same precursor molecule was encoded by an envC mutant gene, in which the cysteine residue in a pentapeptide sequence, Leu-Ile-Ala-Gly-Cys²⁴ within the amino terminal region of EnvC, was replaced by tryptophane (Trp²⁴). This protein was not labelled with [³H]glycerol. The results demonstrate that the envC gene product represents a new lipoprotein of the cytoplasmic membrane of E. coli .     

Identification of EaeA protein in the outer membrane of attaching and effacing Escherichia coli O45 from pigs

Abstract We have previously reported that the production of attaching and effacing lesions by Escherichia coli O45 isolates from pigs is associated with the eaeA ( E. coli attaching and effacing) gene. In the present study, expression of the EaeA protein, the eaeA gene product, among swine O45 E. coli isolates was examined. The majority (20/22) of attaching and effacing positive, eaeA⁺ E. coli O45 isolates, but none of ten attaching and effacing negative, eaeA⁻ or eaeA⁺ isolates, expressed a 97-kDa outer membrane protein as revealed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Western blot analysis. Amino-terminal amino acid sequencing demonstrated a high homology between this 97-kDa protein of swine E. coli O45 and the EaeA protein (intimin) of human enteropathogenic E. coli and enterohemorrhagic E. coli . In addition, a serological relationship between the EaeA proteins of swine O45, rabbit (RDEC-1) and human (E2348/69) attaching and effacing E. coli strains was observed. Our results indicate an association between expression of the EaeA protein and attaching and efficacing activity among O45 E. coli isolates. The data also suggest an antigenic relatedness of the EaeA proteins of swine, rabbit, and human attaching and effacing E. coli .     

Evidence for a net-like organization of lipopolysaccharide particles in the Escherichia coli outer membrane

Cell wall LPS of Escherichia coli are organized as particles which are visible in the electron microscope, after treatment of the wall with alkali. We now describe alkali treated walls of three E. coli strains with differences in susceptibility to the T4 phage infection. Strain CR63, a usual host for the T4 phage, shows the LPS particles on the murein layer. These particles are absent in alkali treated cell walls of the strain W. Walls of this strain are broken during T4 infection and phages can be seen bearing pieces of membrane attached to their long as well as their short tail fibers. Strain AS19 which is hypersensitive to the lysis from without caused by T4 shows murein layers with no LPS particles on their surface, and networks of LPS particles with bacterial shape. This suggested that LPS are organized in a network of particles which may serve as the skeleton of the cell wall.     

Immunological cross-reactivity between outer membrane pore proteins of Campylobacter jejuni and Escherichia coli

Immunocrossreactivity between the major outer membrane protein (MOMP) of Campylobacter jejuni 85H and the OmpC porin of Escherichia coli K-12 was observed. These results indicate that a common antigenic domain is conserved in both MOMP and OmpC. This antigenic region is detected only after a 96 degrees C treatment suggesting that it is buried in the native conformation of the respective porins. In addition, differences were observed between the major outer membrane proteins from various C. jejuni strains. About 60% of the C. jejuni pathogenic strains tested contained a protein exhibiting a similar electrophoretic profile to the 85H porin.     

On-line fluorescence determination of pressure mediated outer membrane damage in Escherichia coli

The outer membrane (OM) of Gram-negative bacteria provides a protective barrier for natural occurring inhibitors. Pressure mediated OM permeabilisation therefore contributes to the elimination of Escherichia coli and Salmonella by pressure preservation processes. Pressure mediated inactivation, sublethal injury, and membrane permeabilisation of E. coli were determined using two strains differing in their barotolerance. Pressure treatment of E. coli TMW 2.427 at 300, 500 and 600 MPa for 40 min resulted in a 0, 1, and greater 6 log decrease of viable cell counts, respectively. The kinetics of OM and cytoplasmic membrane permeabilisation after pressure treatment were determined by staining of pressure treated cells with the fluorescent dyes propidium iodide (PI) and 1-N-phenylnaphtylamine (NPN), respectively. A slight increase of PI fluorescence was observed at conditions resulting in a greater 6 log decrease of viable cell counts only. In contrast, increased NPN fluorescence indicating OM permeabilisation was observed prior to cell death and sublethal injury. An on-line assay for determination of pressure mediated OM damage based on NPN fluorescence was established to distinguish between reversible and irreversible OM damage. Generally, the same degree of outer membrane damage was observed by either on line or off line determinations. However, whereas reversible membrane damage occurred fast and in thermodynamic equilibrium with pressure conditions, irreversible outer membrane damage was a time dependent process.     

The binding of colonization factor antigens of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli to intestinal cell membrane proteins

We examined the binding of colonization factor antigens (CFAs) of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli to electrophoretically separated membrane components of rabbit intestinal brush borders or human intestinal (and non-intestinal) cell lines using an immunoblotting technique. Both CFA/I and CFA/II bound to distinct membrane components which seemed to be identical in rabbit brush borders and in a human intestinal cell line; these binding structures were mainly missing in membranes from epithelial cell lines of non-intestinal origin. Both shared and specific binding components were identified for CFA/I and the different subcomponents of CFA/II (CS1, CS2 and CS3), respectively. Chloroform-methanol extraction of lipids from the cell membranes did not change the binding pattern for either CFA/I or CFA/II suggesting that the binding occurred to (glyco)proteins rather than to (glyco)lipids.     

Three phosphatidylglycerol-phosphate phosphatases in the inner membrane of Escherichia coli

The phospholipids of Escherichia coli consist mainly of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol (PG), and cardiolipin. PG makes up ～25% of the cellular phospholipid and is essential for growth in wild-type cells. PG is synthesized on the inner surface of the inner membrane from cytidine diphosphate-diacylglycerol and glycerol 3-phosphate, generating the precursor phosphatidylglycerol-phosphate (PGP). This compound is present at low levels (～0.1% of the total lipid). Dephosphorylation of PGP to PG is catalyzed by several PGP-phosphatases. The pgpA and pgpB genes, which encode structurally distinct PGP-phosphatases, were identified previously. Double deletion mutants lacking pgpA and pgpB are viable and still make PG, suggesting the presence of additional phosphatase(s). We have identified a third PGP-phosphatase gene (previously annotated as yfhB but renamed pgpC) using an expression cloning strategy. A mutant with deletions in all three phosphatase genes is not viable unless covered by a plasmid expressing either pgpA, pgpB, or pgpC. When the triple mutant is covered with the temperature-sensitive plasmid pMAK705 expressing any one of the three pgp genes, the cells grow at 30 but not 42 °C. As growth slows at 42 °C, PGP accumulates to high levels, and the PG content declines. PgpC orthologs are present in many other bacteria.     

Biosynthetic requirements for the repair of sublethal membrane damage in Escherichia coli cells after pulsed electric fields

AIMS: The aim was to evaluate the biosynthetic requirements for the repair of sublethal membrane damages in Escherichia coli cells after exposure to pulsed electric fields (PEF). METHODS AND RESULTS: The partial loss of the barrier and homeostatic functions of the cytoplasmic membrane was examined by adding sodium chloride to the recovery media. More than 4 log10 cycles of survivors were sublethally injured after PEF. Repair of such sublethal membrane damages occurred when survivors to PEF were incubated in peptone water for 2 h. Two different types of sublethally injured cells were detected. Whereas a small proportion (<5%) repaired after PEF in less than 2 min, the repair of the remaining 95% injured cells lasted 2 h and was dependent on biosynthetic requirements. The addition of inhibitors such as chloramphenicol, cerulenin, penicillin G, rifampicin and sodium azide to the liquid repair medium showed that the repair required energy and lipid synthesis, and was not dependent on protein, peptidoglican or RNA synthesis. CONCLUSIONS: Cell survival after PEF is dependent on the repair of the cytoplasmic membrane. Requirement of lipid synthesis for the repair of sublethally injured cells confirms that the cytoplasmic membrane is a target directly involved in the mechanism of inactivation by PEF. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Knowledge about the damages inflicted by PEF might help in the design of more efficient treatments.     

Proteomic analysis of outer membrane vesicles from the probiotic strain Escherichia coli Nissle 1917

Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (EcN) is a probiotic used for the treatment of intestinal disorders. EcN improves gastrointestinal homeostasis and microbiota balance; however, little is known about how this probiotic delivers effector molecules to the host. Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) are constitutively produced by Gram‐negative bacteria and have a relevant role in bacteria–host interactions. Using 1D SDS–PAGE and highly sensitive LC–MS/MS analysis we identified in this study 192 EcN vesicular proteins with high confidence in three independent biological replicates. Of these proteins, 18 were encoded by strain‐linked genes and 57 were common to pathogen‐derived OMVs. These proteins may contribute to the ability of this probiotic to colonize the human gut as they fulfil functions related to adhesion, immune modulation or bacterial survival in host niches. This study describes the first global OMV proteome of a probiotic strain and provides evidence that probiotic‐derived OMVs contain proteins that can target these vesicles to the host and mediate their beneficial effects on intestinal function. All MS data have been deposited in the ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD000367 ( http://proteomecentral.proteomexchange.org/dataset/PXD000367 ).     

酸马奶提取Kluyveromyces marxianus代谢抗菌复合物对致病性大肠杆菌的抑菌和细胞表面特性的影响

【目的】探究酸马奶提取马克斯克鲁维酵母(Kluyveromyces marxianus)代谢产生的抗菌复合物K.marxianus p H 2.0和K.marxianus p H 8.0(简称为K2和K8)对致病性大肠杆菌Escherichia coli O8的抑菌效果和细胞表面特性的影响。【方法】乙酸乙酯萃取法制备K2和K8,牛津杯法测定其对E.coli O8的抑菌圈,高效液相色谱法测定其有机酸的组成,试剂盒测定其毒素蛋白浓度,肉汤稀释法测定其对E.coli O8的最小抑菌浓度(MIC)和最小杀菌浓度(MBC),酶标比浊法测定其对E.coli O8生长曲线的影响,微生物粘附法测定其对E.coli O8细胞表面疏水性的影响,邻硝基苯β-D-半乳吡喃糖苷(ONPG)法测定其对E.coli O8细胞膜渗透性的影响。【结果】乙酸乙酯萃取法获得抗菌复合物溶液,其中p H 2.0水相与p H 8.0水相抑菌圈最大,冻干得K2和K8,主要组分为丙酸等有机酸和毒素蛋白。K2和K8对E.coli O8的MIC分别为0.025 g/m L和0.100 g/m L,MBC分别为0.100 g/m L和0.200 g/m L。K2和K8能影响E.coli O8的生长曲线,增加E.coli O8的疏水性和渗透性,且K2优于K8。【结论】酸马奶提取K.marxianus代谢抗菌复合物K2和K8能抑制致病性E.coli O8生长,影响其细胞表面特性。     

The EnvZ protein of Salmonella typhimurium LT-2 and Escherichia coli K-12 is located in the cytoplasmic membrane

Abstract The osmoregulated expression of the porin proteins OmpC and OmpF in S. typhimurium and E. coli is dependent on the regulatory proteins OmpR and EnvZ. The function of the EnvZ protein is not clear. In order to establish the cellular location of EnvZ two different methods of buoyant sucrose density centrifugation was employed. The presence of EnvZ in the different fractions was visualised by immunoblotting. It was conclusively shown that the EnvZ protein is located in the cytoplasmic membrane fraction. The result is in agreement with the available sequence data which shows that the EnvZ polypeptide contains two long hydrophobic stretches.     

Conformation of Escherichia coli outer membrane protein OmpA produced in Bacillus subtilis: Influence of lipopolysaccharide

Abstract The conformation of the outer membrane protein OmpA of Escherichia coli produced in Bacillus subtilis and solubilized in Sarkosyl was studied by measuring its ability to bind OmpA-specific phage K3 and to inhibit F-mediated conjugation. The partially purified protein was inactive in both these assays. Refolding of the protein in the presence of lipopolysaccharide resulted in preparations with full phage-binding and conjugation-inhibiting capacity, indicating the formation of surface-exposed loops of OmpA of native conformation. The finding is of importance for the potential use of outer membrane proteins of Gram-negative bacteria as vaccines.     

Role of the carboxy-terminal region of the outer membrane protein AatA in the export of dispersin from enteroaggregative Escherichia coli

Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) is an emerging enteric pathogen in both developing and industrialized countries. AatA, an outer-membrane protein that is a homolog of E. coli TolC, facilitates the export of the dispersin protein Aap across the outer membrane in EAEC. To identify which amino acids are important for this export activity, site-directed mutagenesis of the carboxy terminus was performed. An insertional mutant of aatA was complemented with each of several deletion mutants, and was examined for Aap secretion. The results showed that three nonpolar amino acids at positions 381-383 (Phe-Leu-Leu) were required for the activity, and these residues were located at the base of carboxy-terminal elongation in the equatorial domain of AatA.     

The role of the 6 lysines and the terminal amine of Escherichia coli single-strand binding protein in its binding of single-stranded DNA

Differential chemical modification of the lysines and amino-terminus of Escherichia coli single-strand binding (SSB) protein was used to determine their roles in the binding of SSB to single-stranded DNA (ssDNA). A combination of isotope labeling and mass spectrometry was used to determine the rates at which SSB was acetylated by acetic anhydride. First, SSB was labeled by deuterated acetic anhydride for given lengths of time in the presence or absence of single-stranded ssDNA. Then, the protein was denatured and completely acetylated by nondeuterated acetic anhydride. Enzymatic digests of the completely acetylated, isotopically labeled SSB were analyzed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The intensities of the deuterated and nondeuterated forms of acetylated peptides provided accurate quantification of the reactivity of the amines in native SSB, either free or bound to ssDNA. Acetylation rate constants were determined from time course measurements. In the absence of ssDNA, the terminal alpha-amine of SSB was 10-fold more reactive than Lys residues at positions 43, 62, 73, and 87. The reactivities of Lys 7 and 49 were much lower yet, suggesting that they have very limited access to solution under any condition. In the presence of ssDNA, the reactivities of the amino-terminus and Lys residues 43, 62, 73, and 87 were reduced by factors of 3.7-25, indicating that the environments around all of these amines is substantially altered by binding of SSB to ssDNA. Three of these residues are located near putative ssDNA binding sites, whereas Lys 87 is located at the monomer-monomer interface.     

Characterization of inner membrane protein YciB in Escherichia coli: YciB interacts with cell elongation and division proteins

The function of inner membrane protein YciB in Escherichia coli has not been identified. In this study, the membrane topology of the protein that contains five transmembrane domains was clarified. YciB was found to interact with various proteins involved in cell elongation and cell division using a bacterial two‐hybrid system. It was also found that the deletion mutant of yciB is susceptible to the low osmolarity. These observations together with previous reports indicate that YciB is involved in synthesis of the cell envelope by interacting with cell elongation and cell division complexes.     

The outer membrane protein of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli, described as the ''localised adherence factor'', is OmpF and probably not involved in adhesion to HEp-2 cells

Strains of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) were examined for a factor, described as an outer membrane protein (OMP) of 32 kilodaltons (kDa) and reported to be involved in the adhesion of EPEC to HeLa cells. A comparable OMP of 35 kDa was detected in strains of EPEC, although expression of this protein was not related to the ability of strains to adhere to HEp-2 cells. The 35 kDa OMP was found to be heat-modifiable and peptidoglycan associated, and considered to be the porin protein OmpF.