The bacterial nucleoid: a highly organized and dynamic structure

Recent advances in bacterial cell biology have revealed unanticipated structural and functional complexity, reminiscent of eukaryotic cells. Particular progress has been made in understanding the structure, replication, and segregation of the bacterial chromosome. It emerged that multiple mechanisms cooperate to establish a dynamic assembly of supercoiled domains, which are stacked in consecutive order to adopt a defined higher-level organization. The position of genetic loci on the chromosome is thereby linearly correlated with their position in the cell. SMC complexes and histone-like proteins continuously remodel the nucleoid to reconcile chromatin compaction with DNA replication and gene regulation. Moreover, active transport processes ensure the efficient segregation of sister chromosomes and the faithful restoration of nucleoid organization while DNA replication and condensation are in progress.     

In Vivo Kinetics of Segregation and Polar Retention of MS2-GFP-RNA Complexes in Escherichia coli

The cytoplasm of Escherichia coli is a crowded, heterogeneous environment. From single cell live imaging, we investigated the spatial kinetics and heterogeneities of synthetic RNA-protein complexes. First, although their known tendency to accumulate at the cell poles does not appear to introduce asymmetries between older and newer cell poles within a cell lifetime, these emerge with cell divisions. This suggests strong polar retention of the complexes, which we verified in their history of positions and mean escape time from the poles. Next, we show that the polar retention relies on anisotropies in the displacement distribution in the region between midcell and poles, whereas the speed is homogeneous along the major cell axis. Afterward, we establish that these regions are at the border of the nucleoid and shift outward with cell growth, due to the nucleoid’s replication. Overall, the spatiotemporal kinetics of the complexes, which is robust to suboptimal temperatures, suggests that nucleoid occlusion is a source of dynamic heterogeneities of macromolecules in E. coli that ultimately generate phenotypic differences between sister cells.     

Genomewide phenotypic analysis of growth,cell morphogenesis,and cell cycle events in Escherichia coli

Cell size, cell growth, and cell cycle events are necessarily intertwined to achieve robust bacterial replication. Yet, a comprehensive and integrated view of these fundamental processes is lacking. Here, we describe an image‐based quantitative screen of the single‐gene knockout collection of Escherichia coli and identify many new genes involved in cell morphogenesis, population growth, nucleoid (bulk chromosome) dynamics, and cell division. Functional analyses, together with high‐dimensional classification, unveil new associations of morphological and cell cycle phenotypes with specific functions and pathways. Additionally, correlation analysis across ~4,000 genetic perturbations shows that growth rate is surprisingly not predictive of cell size. Growth rate was also uncorrelated with the relative timings of nucleoid separation and cell constriction. Rather, our analysis identifies scaling relationships between cell size and nucleoid size and between nucleoid size and the relative timings of nucleoid separation and cell division. These connections suggest that the nucleoid links cell morphogenesis to the cell cycle.     

An acidic protein, YBAP1, mediates the release of YB-1 from mRNA and relieves the translational repression activity of YB-1

Eukaryotic Y-box proteins are nucleic acid-binding proteins implicated in a wide range of gene regulatory mechanisms. They contain the cold shock domain, which is a nucleic acid-binding structure also found in bacterial cold shock proteins. The Y-box protein YB-1 is known to be a core component of messenger ribonucleoprotein particles (mRNPs) in the cytoplasm. Here we disrupted the YB-1 gene in chicken DT40 cells. Through the immunoprecipitation of an epitope-tagged YB-1 protein, which complemented the slow-growth phenotype of YB-1-depleted cells, we isolated YB-1-associated complexes that likely represented general mRNPs in somatic cells. RNase treatment prior to immunoprecipitation led to the identification of a Y-box protein-associated acidic protein (YBAP1). The specific association of YB-1 with YBAP1 resulted in the release of YB-1 from reconstituted YB-1-mRNA complexes, thereby reducing the translational repression caused by YB-1 in the in vitro system. Our data suggest that YBAP1 induces the remodeling of YB-1-mRNA complexes.     

In?Vivo Kinetics of Segregation and Polar Retention of MS2-GFP-RNA Complexes in Escherichia coli

The cytoplasm of Escherichia coli is a crowded, heterogeneous environment. From single cell live imaging, we investigated the spatial kinetics and heterogeneities of synthetic RNA-protein complexes. First, although their known tendency to accumulate at the cell poles does not appear to introduce asymmetries between older and newer cell poles within a cell lifetime, these emerge with cell divisions. This suggests strong polar retention of the complexes, which we verified in their history of positions and mean escape time from the poles. Next, we show that the polar retention relies on anisotropies in the displacement distribution in the region between midcell and poles, whereas the speed is homogeneous along the major cell axis. Afterward, we establish that these regions are at the border of the nucleoid and shift outward with cell growth, due to the nucleoid’s replication. Overall, the spatiotemporal kinetics of the complexes, which is robust to suboptimal temperatures, suggests that nucleoid occlusion is a source of dynamic heterogeneities of macromolecules in E. coli that ultimately generate phenotypic differences between sister cells.     

Optimizing Size Exclusion Chromatography for Extracellular Vesicle Enrichment and Proteomic Analysis from Clinically Relevant Samples

The field of extracellular vesicle (EV) research has rapidly expanded in recent years, with particular interest in their potential as circulating biomarkers. Proteomic analysis of EVs from clinical samples is complicated by the low abundance of EV proteins relative to highly abundant circulating proteins such as albumin and apolipoproteins. To overcome this, size exclusion chromatography (SEC) has been proposed as a method to enrich EVs whilst depleting protein contaminants; however, the optimal SEC parameters for EV proteomics have not been thoroughly investigated. Here, quantitative evaluation and optimization of SEC are reported for separating EVs from contaminating proteins. Using a synthetic model system followed by cell line‐derived EVs, it is found that a 10 mL Sepharose 4B column in PBS produces optimal resolution of EVs from background protein. By spiking‐in cancer cell‐derived EVs to healthy plasma, it is shown that some cancer EV‐associated proteins are detectable by nano‐LC‐MS/MS when as little as 1% of the total plasma EV number are derived from a cancer cell line. These results suggest that an optimized SEC and nanoLC‐MS/MS workflow may be sufficiently sensitive for disease EV protein biomarker discovery from patient‐derived clinical samples.     

A Systematic In Vitro Study of Nucleoprotein Complexes Formed by Bacterial Nucleoid-Associated Proteins Revealing Novel Types of DNA Organization

Bacterial nucleoid is a dynamic entity that changes its three-dimensional shape and compaction depending on cellular physiology. While these changes are tightly associated with compositional alterations of abundant nucleoid-associated proteins implicated in reshaping the nucleoid, their cooperation in regular long-range DNA organization is poorly understood. In this study, we reconstitute a novel nucleoprotein structure in vitro, which is stabilized by cooperative effects of major bacterial DNA architectural proteins. While, individually, these proteins stabilize alternative DNA architectures consistent with either plectonemic or toroidal coiling of DNA, the combination of histone-like protein, histone-like nucleoid structuring protein, and integration host factor produces a conspicuous semiperiodic structure. By employing a bottom-up in vitro approach, we thus characterize a minimum set of bacterial proteins cooperating in organizing a regular DNA structure. Visualized structures suggest a mechanism for nucleation of topological transitions underlying the reshaping of DNA by bacterial nucleoid-associated proteins.     

Principles of macromolecular organization and cell function in bacteria and archaea

Structural organization of the cytoplasm by compartmentation is a well established fact for the eukaryotic cell. In prokaryotes, compartmentation is less obvious. Most prokaryotes do not need intracytoplasmic membranes to maintain their vital functions. This review, especially dealing with prokaryotes, will point out that compartmentation in prokaryotes is present, but not only achieved by membranes. Besides membranes, the nucleoid, multienzyme complexes and metabolons, storage granules, and cytoskeletal elements are involved in compartmentation. In this respect, the organization of the cytoplasm of prokaryotes is similar to that in the eukaryotic cell. Compartmentation influences properties of water in cells.     

The bacterial nucleoid revisited.

This review compares the results of different methods of investigating the morphology of nucleoids of bacteria grown under conditions favoring short generation times. We consider the evidence from fixed and stained specimens, from phase-contrast and fluorescence microscopy of growing bacteria, and from electron microscopy of whole as well as thinly sectioned ones. It is concluded that the nucleoid of growing cells is in a dynamic state: part of the chromatin is "pulled out" of the bulk of the nucleoid in order to be transcribed. This activity is performed by excrescences which extend far into the cytoplasm so as to reach the maximum of available ribosomes. Different means of fixation provide markedly different views of the texture of the DNA-containing plasm of the bulk of the nucleoid. Conventional chemical fixatives stabilize the cytoplasm of bacteria but not their protein-low chromatin. Uranyl acetate does cross-link the latter well but only if the cytoplasm has first been fixed conventionally. In the interval between the two fixations, the DNA arranges itself in liquid-crystalline form, supposedly because of loss of supercoiling. In stark contrast, cryofixation preserves bacterial chromatin in a finely granular form, believed to reflect its native strongly negatively supercoiled state. In dinoflagellates the DNA of their permanently visible chromosomes (also low in histone-like protein) is natively present as a liquid crystal. The arrangement of chromatin in Epulocystis fishelsoni, one of the largest known prokaryotes, is briefly described.     

Increased cytoplasm viscosity hampers aggregate polar segregation in Escherichia coli

In Escherichia coli, under optimal conditions, protein aggregates associated with cellular aging are excluded from midcell by the nucleoid. We study the functionality of this process under sub‐optimal temperatures from population and time lapse images of individual cells and aggregates and nucleoids within. We show that, as temperature decreases, aggregates become homogeneously distributed and uncorrelated with nucleoid size and location. We present evidence that this is due to increased cytoplasm viscosity, which weakens the anisotropy in aggregate displacements at the nucleoid borders that is responsible for their preference for polar localisation. Next, we show that in plasmolysed cells, which have increased cytoplasm viscosity, aggregates are also not preferentially located at the poles. Finally, we show that the inability of cells with increased viscosity to exclude aggregates from midcell results in enhanced aggregate concentration in between the nucleoids in cells close to dividing. This weakens the asymmetries in aggregate numbers between sister cells of subsequent generations required for rejuvenating cell lineages. We conclude that the process of exclusion of protein aggregates from midcell is not immune to stress conditions affecting the cytoplasm viscosity. The findings contribute to our understanding of E. coli's internal organisation and functioning, and its fragility to stressful conditions.     

A possible role for L24 of Bacillus subtilis in nucleoid organization and segregation

The condensation of DNA in bacterial nucleoids during cell cycle is a complex and dynamic process. Proteins displaying the physico-chemical properties of histones are known to contribute to this process. During a search for B. subtilis nucleoid associated proteins, HBsu and L24 were identified as the most abundant proteins in nucleoid containing fractions. Purified L24 binds and condenses DNA in vitro. In this paper we describe immunofluorescence studies that demonstrated that L24 is located at the poles of the nucleoids in exponentially growing cells. In contrast, the protein is dispersed in the cytoplasm during stationary phase. Moreover, overexpression of the rplX gene encoding L24 disrupts nucleoid segregation and positioning.     

Development of the bacteroid in the root nodule of barrel medic (Medicago tribuloides Desr.) and subterraneum clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.)

Summary The development of the bacteriod is traced from thin sections of slices of nodules fixed in KMnO₄ and OsO₄. While in the infection thread the Rhizobium cell has the ultrastructure characteristic of gram-negative bacteria, with two unit membranes bounding a granular cytoplasm containing dense bodies, a nucleoid area and inclusion granules. A 10–12 fold increase in size, a loss of inclusion granules and the formation of a membrane envelope around each Rhizobium cell follows the dispersal of the rhizobia through the host cytoplasm. As the bacteriods develop there is a loss of fibrillar material from the nucleoid region and changes occur in the distribution of ribosome-like particles in both host and bacterial cells. When fully differentiated and presumably fixing nitrogen the bacteroids from the red zone of subterraneum clover nodules but not barrel medic have a well developed intra-cytoplasmic membrane system.     

Macromolecular crowding and the mandatory condensation of DNA in bacteria

Cellular DNA in bacteria is localized into nucleoids enclosed by cytoplasm. The forces which cause condensation of the DNA into nucleoids are poorly understood. We suggest that direct and indirect macromolecular crowding forces from the surrounding cytoplasm are critical factors for nucleoid condensation, and that within a bacterial cell these crowding forces are always present at such high levels that the DNA is maintained in a condensed state. The DNA affected includes not only the preexisting genomic DNA but also DNA that is newly introduced by viral infection, replication or other means.     

The Bacillus subtilis DnaD and DnaB proteins exhibit different DNA remodelling activities

Primosomal protein cascades load the replicative helicase onto DNA. In Bacillus subtilis a putative primosomal cascade involving the DnaD-DnaB-DnaI proteins has been suggested to participate in both the DnaA and PriA-dependent loading of the replicative helicase DnaC onto the DNA. Recently we discovered that DnaD has a global remodelling DNA activity suggesting a more widespread role in bacterial nucleoid architecture. Here, we show that DnaB forms a "square-like" tetramer with a hole in the centre and suggest a model for its interaction with DNA. It has a global DNA remodelling activity that is different from that of DnaD. Whereas DnaD opens up supercoiled DNA, DnaB acts as a lateral compaction protein. The two competing activities can act together on a supercoiled plasmid forming two topologically distinct poles; one compacted with DnaB and the other open with DnaD. We propose that the primary roles of DnaB and DnaD are in bacterial nucleoid architecture control and modulation, and their effects on the initiation of DNA replication are a secondary role resulting from architectural perturbations of chromosomal DNA.     

An early cytoplasmic step of peptidoglycan synthesis is associated to MreB in Bacillus subtilis

MreB proteins play a major role during morphogenesis of rod‐shaped bacteria by organizing biosynthesis of the peptidoglycan cell wall. However, the mechanisms underlying this process are not well understood. In Bacillus subtilis, membrane‐associated MreB polymers have been shown to be associated to elongation‐specific complexes containing transmembrane morphogenetic factors and extracellular cell wall assembly proteins. We have now found that an early intracellular step of cell wall synthesis is also associated to MreB. We show that the previously uncharacterized protein YkuR (renamed DapI) is required for synthesis of meso‐diaminopimelate (m‐DAP), an essential constituent of the peptidoglycan precursor, and that it physically interacts with MreB. Highly inclined laminated optical sheet microscopy revealed that YkuR forms uniformly distributed foci that exhibit fast motion in the cytoplasm, and are not detected in cells lacking MreB. We propose a model in which soluble MreB organizes intracellular steps of peptidoglycan synthesis in the cytoplasm to feed the membrane‐associated cell wall synthesizing machineries.     

Spiral architecture of the nucleoid in Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus

We present a cryo-electron tomographic analysis of the three-dimensional architecture of a strain of the Gram-negative bacterium Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus in which endogenous MreB2 was replaced with monomeric teal fluorescent protein (mTFP)-labeled MreB2. In contrast to wild-type Bdellovibrio cells that predominantly displayed a compact nucleoid region, cells expressing mTFP-labeled MreB2 displayed a twisted spiral organization of the nucleoid. The more open structure of the MreB2-mTFP nucleoids enabled clear in situ visualization of ribosomes decorating the periphery of the nucleoid. Ribosomes also bordered the edges of more compact nucleoids from both wild-type cells and mutant cells. Surprisingly, MreB2-mTFP localized to the interface between the spiral nucleoid and the cytoplasm, suggesting an intimate connection between nucleoid architecture and MreB arrangement. Further, in contrast to wild-type cells, where a single tight chemoreceptor cluster localizes close to the single polar flagellum, MreB2-mTFP cells often displayed extended chemoreceptor arrays present at one or both poles and displayed multiple or inaccurately positioned flagella. Our findings provide direct structural evidence for spiral organization of the bacterial nucleoid and suggest a possible role for MreB in regulation of nucleoid architecture and localization of the chemotaxis apparatus.