Regulation of ykrL (htpX) by Rok and YkrK, a novel type of regulator in Bacillus subtilis

Expression of ykrL of Bacillus subtilis, encoding a close homologue of the Escherichia coli membrane protein quality control protease HtpX, was shown to be upregulated under membrane protein overproduction stress. Using DNA affinity chromatography, two proteins were found to bind to the promoter region of ykrL: Rok, known as a repressor of competence and genes for extracytoplasmic functions, and YkrK, a novel type of regulator encoded by the gene adjacent to ykrL but divergently transcribed. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays showed Rok and YkrK binding to the ykrL promoter region as well as YkrK binding to the ykrK promoter region. Comparative bioinformatic analysis of the ykrL promoter regions in related Bacillus species revealed a consensus motif, which was demonstrated to be the binding site of YkrK. Deletion of rok and ykrK in a PykrL-gfp reporter strain showed that both proteins are repressors of ykrL expression. In addition, conditions which activated PykrL (membrane protein overproduction, dissipation of the membrane potential, and salt and phenol stress) point to the involvement of YkrL in membrane protein quality control.     

The ftsH Gene of the Wine Bacterium Oenococcus oeni Is Involved in Protection against Environmental Stress

The wine bacterium Oenococcus oeni has to cope with harsh environmental conditions, including an acidic pH, a high alcoholic content, nonoptimal growth temperatures, and growth-inhibitory compounds such as fatty acids, phenolic acids, and tannins. We describe the characterization and cloning of the O. oeni ftsH gene, encoding a protease belonging to the ATP binding cassette protein superfamily. The O. oeni FtsH protein is closest in sequence similarity to the FtsH homologue of Lactococcus lactis. The O. oeni ftsH gene proved to be stress-responsive, since its expression increased at high temperatures or under osmotic shock. O. oeni FtsH protein function was tested in an Escherichia coli ftsH mutant strain, and consistent with the O. oeni ftsH gene expression pattern, the O. oeni FtsH protein provided protection for the E. coli ftsH mutant against heat shock. O. oeni and Bradyrhizobium japonicum FtsH proteins also triggered E. coli resistance to wine toxicity. Genes homologous to O. oeni ftsH were detected in many other lactic acid bacteria found in wine, suggesting that this type of gene constitutes a well-conserved stress-protective molecular device.     

Proteolytic activity of HtpX, a membrane-bound and stress-controlled protease from Escherichia coli

Escherichia coli HtpX is a putative membrane-bound zinc metalloprotease that has been suggested to participate in the proteolytic quality control of membrane proteins in conjunction with FtsH, a membrane-bound and ATP-dependent protease. Here, we biochemically characterized HtpX and confirmed its proteolytic activities against membrane and soluble proteins. HtpX underwent self-degradation upon cell disruption or membrane solubilization. Consequently, we purified HtpX under denaturing conditions and then refolded it in the presence of a zinc chelator. When supplemented with Zn2+, the purified enzyme exhibited self-cleavage activity. In the presence of zinc, it also degraded casein and cleaved a solubilized membrane protein, SecY. We verified its ability to cleave SecY in vivo by overproducing both HtpX and SecY. These results showed that HtpX is a zinc-dependent endoprotease member of the membrane-localized proteolytic system in E. coli.     

Gene Regulation by the LiaSR Two-Component System in Streptococcus mutans

The LiaSR two-component signal transduction system regulates cellular responses to several environmental stresses, including those that induce cell envelope damages. Downstream regulons of the LiaSR system have been implicated in tolerance to acid, antibiotics and detergents. In the dental pathogen Streptococcus mutans, the LiaSR system is necessary for tolerance against acid, antibiotics, and cell wall damaging stresses during growth in the oral cavity. To understand the molecular mechanisms by which LiaSR regulates gene expression, we created a mutant LiaR in which the conserved aspartic acid residue (the phosphorylation site), was changed to alanine residue (D58A). As expected, the LiaR-D58A variant was unable to acquire the phosphate group and bind to target promoters. We also noted that the predicted LiaR-binding motif upstream of the lia operon does not appear to be well conserved. Consistent with this observation, we found that LiaR was unable to bind to the promoter region of lia; however, we showed that LiaR was able to bind to the promoters of SMU.753, SMU.2084 and SMU.1727. Based on sequence analysis and DNA binding studies we proposed a new 25-bp conserved motif essential for LiaR binding. Introducing alterations at fully conserved positions in the 25-bp motif affected LiaR binding, and the binding was dependent on the combination of positions that were altered. By scanning the S. mutans genome for the occurrence of the newly defined LiaR binding motif, we identified the promoter of hrcA (encoding a key regulator of the heat shock response) that contains a LiaR binding motif, and we showed that hrcA is negatively regulated by the LiaSR system. Taken together our results suggest a putative role of the LiaSR system in heat shock responses of S. mutans.     

Deletion of the sigB Gene in Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579 Leads to Hydrogen Peroxide Hyperresistance

The sigB gene of Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579 encodes the alternative sigma factor σ^B. Deletion of sigB in B. cereus leads to hyperresistance to hydrogen peroxide. The expression of katA, which encodes one of the catalases of B. cereus, is upregulated in the sigB deletion mutant, and this may contribute to the hydrogen peroxide-resistant phenotype.     

Role of ςB in Heat, Ethanol, Acid, and Oxidative Stress Resistance and during Carbon Starvation in Listeria monocytogenes

To determine the contribution of sigma B (ς^B) to survival of stationary-phase Listeria monocytogenes cells following exposure to environmental stresses, we compared the viability of strain 10403S with that of an isogenic nonpolar sigB null mutant strain after exposure to heat (50°C), ethanol (16.5%), or acid (pH 2.5). Strain viabilities were also determined under the same conditions in cultures that had been previously exposed to sublethal levels of the same stresses (45°C, 5% ethanol, or pH 4.5). The ΔsigB and wild-type strains had similar viabilities following exposure to ethanol and heat, but the ΔsigB strain was almost 10,000-fold more susceptible to lethal acid stress than its parent strain. However, a 1-h preexposure to pH 4.5 yielded a 1,000-fold improvement in viability for the ΔsigB strain. These results suggest the existence in L. monocytogenes of both a ς^B-dependent mechanism and a pH-dependent mechanism for acid resistance in the stationary phase. ς^B contributed to resistance to both oxidative stress and carbon starvation in L. monocytogenes. The ΔsigB strain was 100-fold more sensitive to 13.8 mM cumene hydroperoxide than the wild-type strain. Following glucose depletion, the ΔsigB strain lost viability more rapidly than the parent strain. ς^B contributions to viability during carbon starvation and to acid resistance and oxidative stress resistance support the hypothesis that ς^B plays a role in protecting L. monocytogenes against environmental adversities.     

Nineteen Baculovirus Open Reading Frames, Including LEF-12, Support Late Gene Expression

A set of 18 plasmid subclones of the Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus genome, each containing an identified late expression factor gene (lef), supports expression from a late viral promoter in transient expression assays in the SF-21 cell line derived from Spodoptera frugiperda. We have constructed a further set of plasmids in which each lef open reading frame (ORF) is controlled by the Drosophila melanogaster heat shock protein 70 (hsp70) promoter and epitope tagged. Failure of this set of plasmids to support transient late gene expression, and the inability of the p47 ORF to replace the p47-containing plasmid supplied in the lef plasmid library, led to the identification of a 19th late expression factor gene (lef-12) located adjacent to the p47 gene. The sequence of lef-12 is predicted to encode a protein of 21 kDa with no homology to any previously identified protein. The set of 19 hsp70-controlled lef ORFs (HSEpiHis lef library) supports transient expression from a late viral promoter. lef-12 did not affect expression from an early baculovirus promoter. In TN-368 cells, which are also permissive for virus replication, lef-12 provided a stimulatory effect but did not appear to be essential.