Evidence for synthesis of alkaline phosphatase on membrane-bound polysomes in Escherichia coli.

Polysomes containing nascent chains of alkaline phosphatase have been isolated from a membrane-bound polysome preparation. Indirect immunoprecipitation using conformation-specific antibodies has been employed. This technique provides a good enrichment of these polyribosomes since routinely no more than than 10--15% of non-specific immunoprecipitation was observed. The yield of the procedure is generally 40% but can be increased if higher non-specific immunoprecipitation is tolerated. Antibodies, previously described, directed against uncoiled or folded monomers of alkaline phosphatase can be used as primary antibody to recognize the nascent chains contained in membrane-bound polysomes which suggests that these chains are partially folded.     

Translational control of exported proteins in Escherichia coli

We recently described the suppression of export of a class of periplasmic proteins of Escherichia coli caused by overproduction of a C-terminal truncated periplasmic enzyme (GlpQ'). This truncated protein was not released into the periplasm but remained attached to the inner membrane and was accessible from the periplasm. The presence of GlpQ' in the membrane strongly reduced the appearance in the periplasm of some periplasmic proteins, including the maltose-binding protein (MBP), but did not affect outer membrane proteins, including the lambda receptor (LamB) (R. Hengge and W. Boos, J. Bacteriol., 162:972-978, 1985). To investigate this phenomenon further we examined the fate of MBP in comparison with the outer membrane protein LamB. We found that not only localization but also synthesis of MBP was impaired, indicating a coupling of translation and export. Synthesis and secretion of LamB were not affected. The possibility that this influence was exerted via the level of cyclic AMP could be excluded. Synthesis of MBP with altered signal sequences was also reduced, demonstrating that export-defective MBP which ultimately remains in the cytoplasm abortively enters the export pathway. When GlpQ' was expressed in a secA51(Ts) strain, the inhibition of MBP synthesis caused by GlpQ' was dominant over the precursor accumulation usually caused by secA51(Ts) at 41 degrees C. Therefore, GlpQ' acts before or at the level of recognition by SecA. For LamB the usual secA51(Ts) phenotype was observed. We propose a mechanism by which GlpQ' blocks an yet unknown membrane protein, the function of which is to couple translation and export of a subclass of periplasmic proteins.     

Identification and localization of two membrane-bound esterases from Escherichia coli.

Hydrolytic activities of isolated membrane fractions of Escherichia coli against chromogenic substrates, p-nitrophenyl ester and beta-naphthyl ester derivatives of N-substituted amino acids, were investigated by spectrophotometric and electrophoretic methods. Although detergents were absolutely necessary for the solubilization of enzymes, the amount of solubilized activities was increased by adding salt, such as NaCl or KCl. Two esterases were identified and separated by PAGE and by chromatography of the solubilized proteins in the presence of detergent. One hydrolyzed the alanine derivatives preferentially, whereas the other was mainly active on phenylalanine derivatives. Only the first was inactivated by diisopropyl fluorophosphate, a serine hydrolase inhibitor. Whereas the chymotrypsin-like enzyme was equally distributed between the inner and the outer membrane, the alanine activity was only detected in the inner membrane. They were both resistant to extraction with high salt concentrations, indicating their integral association with membranes. A study of the accessibility of these enzymes to their substrate in membrane vesicles with known polarity suggests that both alanine and phenylalanine activities are localized near the external surface of the cytoplasmic (inner) membrane. However, the phenylalanine activity (chymotrypsin-like enzyme) appears to be deeply buried inside the outer membrane. Because of its insensitivity to diisopropyl fluorophosphate, this last esterase seems to be distinct from the previously isolated periplasmic endopeptidase, protease I, which is also a chymotrypsin-like enzyme.     

Characterization of an exported protease from Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli

The gene for a novel, high molecular weight protein secreted by Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) has been cloned, sequenced and characterized with respect to its activity. This gene, designated pssA , is localized on the large plasmid that also harbours the STEC haemolysin operon. Sequencing of a region comprising 10 630 nt revealed that the sequences flanking the pssA gene are composed of several remnants of different insertion elements. The PssA protein is produced as a 142 kDa precursor molecule that, after N- and C-terminal processing, is released into the culture supernatant as a mature polypeptide of approximately 104 kDa. The primary sequence of PssA is highly related to a family of autonomously transported putative virulence factors from different Gram-negative pathogens, which includes the Tsh protein of an avian-pathogenic E . coli strain, the SepA protein from Shigella flexneri and the EspC protein from enteropathogenic E . coli . A common motif present in all four proteins is reminiscent of the catalytic centre of certain serine proteases. PssA (protease secreted by STEC) indeed shows serine protease activity in a casein-based assay and is moreover cytotoxic for Vero cells. This activity of PssA and probably of other proteins of the Tsh family may be of functional importance during infection of the mucosal cell layer by the bacterial pathogen.     

Release of 70 S ribosomes from polysomes in Escherichia coli

In order to determine whether ribosomes are released from messenger RNA as intact particles or as subunits, polysomes of Escherichia coli labeled with heavy isotopes were allowed to run off together with “light” polysomes. The normally rapid post-run-off exchange of subunits by free ribosomes was virtually eliminated by two means: the use of purified polysomes (relatively free of initiation factors), and incubation at a lower temperature (25 °C), or at a somewhat higher Mg²⁺ concentration (12 to 14 mm), than is conventional. Under these conditions ribosomes released by run-off or by puromycin accumulated without subunit exchange. Hence, even though the ribosome normally initiates via subunits, it is released from RNA by a conformational change in the intact 70 S particle, rather than by dissociation.     

Solubilization of Escherichia coli nitrate reductase by a membrane-bound protease.

Nitrate reductase extracted from the membrane of Escherichia coli by alkaline heat treatment was purified to homogeneity and used to prepare specific antibody. Nitrate reductase, precipitated by this antibody from Triton extracts of the membrane, contained a third subunit not present in the purified enzyme used to prepare the antibody. Nitrate reductase precipitated by antibody from alkaline heat extracts was composed of peptide fragments of various sizes. These fragments were produced by a membrane-bound protease which was activated by alkaline pH and heat. It is the action of this protease that releases the enzyme from the membrane, as shown by the observations that protease inhibitors decreased the amount of solubilization of the enzyme, and the enzyme remaining in the membrane after heating showed much less proteolytic cleavage than that which was released.     

Escherichia coli membrane-bound polyphosphatase]

A complex of polyphosphatase with E. coli membranes has been isolated and studied. It is shown by gel-filtration through G-200 Sephadex and centrifugation in sucrose concentration gradient that about 5% of polyphosphatase total content in cells is bound with the heterogenous fraction containing smooth membranes and the ribosome-membrane complex. On the basis of the data obtained it is suggested that the formation of a complex of polyphosphatase with membranes is a stage of synthesis and secretion of this enzyme to protoplasm.     

The morphogenetic MreBCD proteins of Escherichia coli form an essential membrane-bound complex

MreB proteins of Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Caulobacter crescentus form actin-like cables lying beneath the cell surface. The cables are required to guide longitudinal cell wall synthesis and their absence leads to merodiploid spherical and inflated cells prone to cell lysis. In B. subtilis and C. crescentus, the mreB gene is essential. However, in E. coli, mreB was inferred not to be essential. Using a tight, conditional gene depletion system, we systematically investigated whether the E. coli mreBCD-encoded components were essential. We found that cells depleted of mreBCD became spherical, enlarged and finally lysed. Depletion of each mre gene separately conferred similar gross changes in cell morphology and viability. Thus, the three proteins encoded by mreBCD are all essential and function in the same morphogenetic pathway. Interestingly, the presence of a multicopy plasmid carrying the ftsQAZ genes suppressed the lethality of deletions in the mre operon. Using GFP and cell fractionation methods, we showed that the MreC and MreD proteins were associated with the cell membrane. Using a bacterial two-hybrid system, we found that MreC interacted with both MreB and MreD. In contrast, MreB and MreD did not interact in this assay. Thus, we conclude that the E. coli MreBCD form an essential membrane-bound complex. Curiously, MreB did not form cables in cell depleted for MreC, MreD or RodA, indicating a mutual interdependency between MreB filament morphology and cell shape. Based on these and other observations we propose a model in which the membrane-associated MreBCD complex directs longitudinal cell wall synthesis in a process essential to maintain cell morphology.     

Purification and properties of a membrane-bound lytic transglycosylase from Escherichia coli.

A membrane-bound lytic transglycosylase (Mlt) has been solubilized in the presence of 2% Triton X-100 containing 0.5 M NaCl from membranes of an Escherichia coli mutant that carries a deletion in the slt gene coding for a 70-kDa soluble lytic transglycosylase (Slt70). The enzyme was purified by a four-step procedure including anion-exchange (HiLoad SP-Sepharose and MonoS), heparin-Sepharose, and poly(U)-Sepharose 4B column chromatography. The purified protein that migrated during denaturing sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis as a single band corresponding to an apparent molecular mass of about 38 kDa is referred to as Mlt38. Optimal activity was found in buffers with a pH between 4.0 and 4.5. The enzyme is stimulated by a factor of 2.5 in the presence of Mg2+ at a concentration of 10 mM and loses its activity rapidly at temperatures above 30 degrees C. Besides insoluble murein sacculi, the enzyme was able to degrade glycan strands isolated from murein by amidase treatment. The enzymatic reaction occurred with a maximal velocity of about 2.2 mg/liter/min with murein sacculi as a substrate. The amino acid sequences of four proteolytic peptides showed no identity with known sequences in the data bank. With Mlt38, the number of proteins in E. coli showing lytic transglycosylase activity rises to three.