Posttranscriptional repression of the cel gene of the ColE7 operon by the RNA-binding protein CsrA of Escherichia coli

Carbon storage regulator (CsrA) is a eubacterial RNA-binding protein that acts as a global regulator of many functionally diverse chromosomal genes. Here, we reveal that CsrA represses expression from an extrachromosomal element of Escherichia coli, the lysis gene (cel) of the ColE7 operon (cea-cei-cel). This operon and colicin expression are activated upon SOS response. Disruption of csrA caused ∼5-fold increase of the lysis protein. Gel mobility shift assays established that both the single-stranded loop of the T1 stem–loop distal to cei, and the putative CsrA binding site overlapping the Shine–Dalgarno sequence (SD) of the cel gene are important for CsrA binding. Substitution mutations at SD relieved CsrA-dependent repression of the cel gene in vivo. Steady-state levels and half-life of the cel mRNA were not affected by CsrA, implying that regulation is mediated at the translational level. Levels of CsrB and CsrC sRNAs, which bind to and antagonize CsrA, were drastically reduced upon induction of the SOS response, while the CsrA protein itself remained unaffected. Thus, CsrA is a trans-acting modulator that downregulates the expression of lysis protein, which may confer a survival advantage on colicinogenic E. coli under environment stress conditions.     

The critical roles of polyamines in regulating ColE7 production and restricting ColE7 uptake of the colicin-producing Escherichia coli

The ColE7 operon is an SOS response regulon, which encodes bacteriocin ColE7 to kill susceptible Escherichia coli and its related enterobacteria under conditions of stress. We have observed for the first time that polyamines confer limited resistance against ColE7 on E. coli cells. Thus, this study aims to investigate the role of polyamines in modulating the protective effect of the E. coli cells against colicin. In the experiments, we surprisingly found that endogenous polyamines are also essential for ColE7 production, and the rate of polyamine synthesis is directly related to the SOS response. Our experimental results further indicated that exogenous polyamines suppress the expression of TolA, BtuB, OmpF, and OmpC proteins that are responsible for ColE7 uptake. Moreover, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis revealed that the production of two periplasmic proteins, PotD and OppA, is increased in E. coli cells under ColE7 exposure. Based on these observations, we propose that endogenous polyamines may play a dual role in the ColE7 system. Polyamines may participate in initiating the expression of the SOS response of the ColE7 operon and simultaneously down-regulate proteins that are essential for colicin uptake, thus conferring a survival advantage on colicin-producing E. coli under stress conditions in the natural environment.     

Detection of induced synthesis of colicin E9 using ColE9p::gfpmut2 based reporter system

The majority of colicin operons are regulated by an SOS response inducible promoter (SOS promoter), located at upstream of the colicin operons. Therefore, colicin synthesis is induced by DNA damaging agents like mitomycin C (MMC) because the resulting DNA damage switches on the SOS response in bacteria. In this study, we have described the strategy for fusion of the SOS promoter of the colicin E9 operon (ColE9p) with a promoterless green fluorescent reporter gene (gfpmut2). We observed that the ColE9p–gfpmut2 is inducible by MMC which confirmed that the ColE9p–gfpmut2 is sensitive to SOS response inducing agents. The data implies that the ColE9p–gfpmut2 based reporter system is suitable for monitoring the ColE9 synthesis induced by SOS response inducing agents including antibiotics. Using green fluorescent protein expression from the ColE9p–gfpmut2 as an indicator of ColE9 synthesis; we have investigated, first time, the inducing effects of cephalexin antibiotic on ColE9 synthesis. Our data demonstrated that the cephalexin has potential to induce ColE9 synthesis from E. coli JM83 host cells albeit the level of this induction is very low hence its detection required a highly sensitive method.     

CRP-Mediated Carbon Catabolite Regulation of Yersinia pestis Biofilm Formation Is Enhanced by the Carbon Storage Regulator Protein,CsrA

The natural transmission of Yersinia pestis is reliant upon biofilm blockage of the flea vector. However, the environmentally-responsive adaptive regulators which facilitate Y. pestis biofilm production in accordance with the flea midgut milieu are not well understood. We seek to establish the impact of available carbon source metabolism and storage upon Y. pestis biofilm production. Our findings demonstrate that Y. pestis biofilm production is subject to carbon catabolite regulation in which the presence of glucose impairs biofilm production; whereas, the sole metabolism of alternate carbon sources promotes robust biofilm formation. This observation is facilitated by the cAMP receptor protein, CRP. In accordance with a stark growth defect, deletion of crp in both CO92 and KIM6+ Y. pestis strains significantly impaired biofilm production when solely utilizing alternate carbon sources. Media supplementation with cAMP, a small-molecule activator of CRP, did not significantly alter Y. pestis biofilm production. Furthermore, CRP did not alter mRNA abundance of previously-characterized hms biofilm synthesis and regulation factors. Therefore, our findings indicate CRP does not confer a direct stimulatory effect, but may indirectly promote Y. pestis biofilm production by facilitating the alternate carbon source expression profile. Additionally, we assessed the impact of the carbon storage regulator protein, CsrA, upon Y. pestis biofilm production. Contrary to what has been described for E. coli, Y. pestis biofilm formation was found to be enhanced by CsrA. Regardless of media composition and available carbon source, deletion of csrA significantly impaired Y. pestis biofilm production. CsrA was found to promote Y. pestis biofilm production independent of glycogen regulation. Loss of csrA did not significantly alter relative hmsH, hmsP, or hmsT mRNA abundance. However, deletion of hmsP in the csrA-deficient mutant enabled excessive biofilm production, suggesting CsrA enables potent Y. pestis biofilm production through cyclic diguanylate regulation.     

Two overlapping SOS-boxes in ColE operons are responsible for the viability of cells harboring the Col plasmid

In this study, oligonucleotide-directed site-specific mutagenesis was used to change the consensus sequences of the LexA binding motifs in either one of the two SOS-boxes of the ColE7 operon. The results indicated that both mutants produced larger amounts of colicin than cells harboring the wild-type ColE7 plasmid. This finding would imply that two biologically functional SOS boxes exist in the ColE7 operon. In the non-induced state, no lysis of cells harboring wild-type plasmids occurred at 37°C, whereas, cells harboring recombinant plasmids containing either one of the mutated SOS boxes underwent lysis within 100 min under the same conditions. This result indicated that adaptation of two SOS boxes of the ColE operon would obviously tightly control the expression of ColE operons. In such a way that it may prevent excessive expression of the lysis (cel) gene, thus safeguard the host cells from being lysed in ordinary living conditions.     

Regulation of the AbrA1/A2 Two-Component System in Streptomyces coelicolor and the Potential of Its Deletion Strain as a Heterologous Host for Antibiotic Production

The Two-Component System (TCS) AbrA1/A2 from Streptomyces coelicolor M145 is a negative regulator of antibiotic production and morphological differentiation. In this work we show that it is able to auto-regulate its expression, exerting a positive induction of its own operon promoter, and that its activation is dependent on the presence of iron. The overexpression of the abrA2 response regulator (RR) gene in the mutant ΔabrA1/A2 results in a toxic phenotype. The reason is an excess of phosphorylated AbrA2, as shown by phosphoablative and phosphomimetic AbrA2 mutants. Therefore, non-cognate histidine kinases (HKs) or small phospho-donors may be responsible for AbrA2 phosphorylation in vivo. The results suggest that in the parent strain S. coelicolor M145 the correct amount of phosphorylated AbrA2 is adjusted through the phosphorylation-dephosphorylation activity rate of the HK AbrA1. Furthermore, the ABC transporter system, which is part of the four-gene operon comprising AbrA1/A2, is necessary to de-repress antibiotic production in the TCS null mutant. Finally, in order to test the possible biotechnological applications of the ΔabrA1/A2 strain, we demonstrate that the production of the antitumoral antibiotic oviedomycin is duplicated in this strain as compared with the production obtained in the wild type, showing that this strain is a good host for heterologous antibiotic production. Thus, this genetically modified strain could be interesting for the biotechnology industry.     

基于代谢流量分布信息理解大肠杆菌中异柠檬酸裂解酶调节因子的代谢调控作用

基因的表达受不同的转录调节因子调节。大肠杆菌中的异柠檬酸裂解酶调节因子(IclR)能够抑制编码乙醛酸支路酶的aceBAK操纵子的表达。本研究基于代谢物的13C同位体物质分布来定量解析代谢反应,主要研究了iclR基因在大肠杆菌生理和代谢中的作用。大肠杆菌iclR基因缺失突变株的生长速率、糖耗速率和乙酸的产量相对于原始菌株都有所降低,但菌体得率略有增加。通过代谢途径的流量比率分析发现基因缺失株的乙醛酸支路得到了激活,33%的异柠檬酸流经了乙醛酸支路;戊糖磷酸途径的流量变小,使得CO2的生成量减少。同时,乙醛酸支路激活,但草酰乙酸形成磷酸烯醇式丙酮酸的流量基本不变,说明磷酸烯醇式丙酮酸-乙醛酸循环没有激活,没有过多的碳原子在磷酸烯醇式丙酮酸羧化激酶反应中以CO2形式排出,从而确保了菌体得率。葡萄糖利用速率的降低、乙酰辅酶A的代谢效率提高等使得iclR基因敲除菌的乙酸分泌较原始菌株有所降低。     

Characterization of E. coli MG1655 and frdA and sdhC mutants at various aerobiosis levels

Depending on the availability of oxygen, Escherichia coli is able to switch between aerobic respiratory metabolism and anaerobic mixed acid fermentation. An important, yet understudied, metabolic mode is the micro-aerobic metabolism at intermediate oxygen availabilities. The relationship between oxygen input, physiology and gene expression of E. coli MG1655 and two isogenic mutants lacking succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) and fumarate reductase (FRD) activities was analyzed at different aerobiosis levels. Growth rate and cell yield were very similar to the parent strain. By-product formation was altered in the sdhC mutant to higher acetic acid and glutamate production in batch cultures. In continuous cultures with defined oxygen input gene expression analysis revealed a dependency of many catabolic genes to aerobiosis. Acetate excretion was still detectable under aerobic conditions in the sdhC mutant; the frdA mutant lacked anaerobic succinate excretion. Anaerobic repression of the sdh operon was diminished in the frdA strain, possibly to allow SDH to partially replace FRD. The experiments illustrate the remarkable adaptability of E. coli physiology—to compensate for the absence of important metabolic genes by altering carbon flux and/or gene expression such that there are only minor changes in growth capability across the aerobiosis range.