Arabinogalactan proteins occur in the free-living cyanobacterium genus Nostoc and in plant-Nostoc symbioses

Arabinogalactan proteins (AGP) are a diverse family of proteoglycans associated with the cell surfaces of plants. AGP have been implicated in a wide variety of plant cell processes, including signaling in symbioses. This study investigates the existence of putative AGP in free-living cyanobacterial cultures of the nitrogen-fixing, filamentous cyanobacteria Nostoc punctiforme and Nostoc sp. strain LBG1 and at the symbiotic interface in the symbioses between Nostoc spp. and two host plants, the angiosperm Gunnera manicata (in which the cyanobacterium is intracellular) and the liverwort Blasia pusilla (in which the cyanobacterium is extracellular). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, immunoblotting, and immunofluorescence analyses demonstrated that three AGP glycan epitopes (recognized by monoclonal antibodies LM14, MAC207, and LM2) are present in free-living Nostoc cyanobacterial species. The same three AGP glycan epitopes are present at the Gunnera-Nostoc symbiotic interface and the LM2 epitope is detected during the establishment of the Blasia-Nostoc symbiosis. Bioinformatic analysis of the N. punctiforme genome identified five putative AGP core proteins that are representative of AGP classes found in plants. These results suggest a possible involvement of AGP in cyanobacterial-plant symbioses and are also suggestive of a cyanobacterial origin of AGP.     

Characterization of a fasciclin I-like protein with cell attachment activity from sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus intermedius) ovaries

Fasciclin I, a neuronal cell adhesion molecule, was first identified in the grasshopper. To date, various fasciclin I-like proteins have been identified but their biological functions have not been well characterized. Here, we have purified a fasciclin I-like protein with a molecular weight of 33kDa from sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus intermedius) ovaries using hydrophobic chromatography and gel filtration. The protein was not N-glycosylated. Partial amino acid sequences of cyanogen bromide (CNBr)-cleaved fragments were highly conserved to other sea urchin fasciclin I-like proteins identified previously. The circular dichroism (CD) spectrum analysis demonstrated that the 33kDa protein contained high content of alpha-helical structure. These results suggest that the 33kDa protein is a fasciclin I-like family. Additionally, the fasciclin I-like protein promoted HT1080 human fibrosarcoma cell attachment. Further, a synthetic peptide (P1: GLREAANIAEQVDLRQVLRDVDL) of the protein corresponding to a highly conserved region of the fasciclin I-like family promoted heparin-dependent HT1080 cell attachment. Moreover, the peptide inhibited HT1080 cell attachment to the fasciclin I-like protein. These results suggest that the 33kDa protein from sea urchin ovaries isolated here is a member of the fasciclin I family and that the N-terminal region of the protein is important for cell attachment activity. The protein has a potential to be involved in biological functions in sea urchin as a cell adhesive molecule.     

Protein expression profiles in an endosymbiotic cyanobacterium revealed by a proteomic approach

Molecular mechanisms behind adaptations in the cyanobacterium (Nostoc sp.) to a life in endosymbiosis with plants are still not clarified, nor are the interactions between the partners. To get further insights, the proteome of a Nostoc strain, freshly isolated from the symbiotic gland tissue of the angiosperm Gunnera manicata Linden, was analyzed and compared with the proteome of the same strain when free-living. Extracted proteins were separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry combined with tandem mass spectrometry. Even when the higher percentage of differentiated cells (heterocysts) in symbiosis was compensated for, the majority of the proteins detected in the symbiotic cyanobacteria were present in the free-living counterpart, indicating that most cellular processes were common for both stages. However, differential expression profiling revealed a significant number of proteins to be down-regulated or missing in the symbiotic stage, while others were more abundant or only expressed in symbiosis. The differential protein expression was primarily connected to i) cell envelope-associated processes, including proteins involved in exopolysaccharide synthesis and surface and membrane associated proteins, ii) to changes in growth and metabolic activities (C and N), including upregulation of nitrogenase and proteins involved in the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway and downregulation of Calvin cycle enzymes, and iii) to the dark, microaerobic conditions offered inside the Gunnera gland cells, including changes in relative phycobiliprotein concentrations. This is the first comprehensive analysis of proteins in the symbiotic state.     

Proteomic analysis of the cyanobacterium of the Azolla symbiosis: identity, adaptation, and NifH modification

Cyanobacteria are able to form stable nitrogen-fixing symbioseswith diverse eukaryotes. To extend our understanding of adaptationsimposed by plant hosts, two-dimensional gel electrophoresisand mass spectrometry (MS) were used for comparative proteinexpression profiling of a cyanobacterium (cyanobiont) dwellingin leaf cavities of the water-fern Azolla filiculoides. Homology-basedprotein identification using peptide mass fingerprinting [matrix-assistedlaser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF-MS)],tandem MS analyses, and sequence homology searches resultedin an identification success rate of 79% of proteins analysedin the unsequenced cyanobiont. Compared with a free-living strain,processes related to energy production, nitrogen and carbonmetabolism, and stress-related functions were up-regulated inthe cyanobiont while photosynthesis and metabolic turnover rateswere down-regulated, stressing a slow heterotrophic mode ofgrowth, as well as high heterocyst frequencies and nitrogen-fixingcapacities. The first molecular data set on the nature of theNifH post-translational modification in cyanobacteria was alsoobtained: peptide mass spectra of the protein demonstrated thepresence of a 300–400 Da protein modification localizedto a specific 13 amino acid sequence, within the part of theprotein that is ADP-ribosylated in other bacteria and closeto the active site of nitrogenase. Furthermore, the distributionof the highest scoring database hits for the identified proteinspoints to the possibility of using proteomic data in taxonomy. Key words: Azolla, cyanobacteria, NifH modification, proteomics, symbiosis, taxonomy Received 24 June 2007; Revised 21 October 2007 Accepted 22 October 2007     

A soluble 3D LC/MS/MS proteome of the filamentous cyanobacterium Nostoc punctiforme

Nostoc punctiforme is an oxygenic photoautotrophic cyanobacterium with multiple developmental states, which can form nitrogen-fixing symbioses with a variety of terrestrial plants. 3D LC/MS/MS shotgun peptide sequencing was used to analyze the proteome when N. punctiforme is grown in continuous moderate light with ammonia as the nitrogen source. The soluble proteome includes 1575 proteins, 50% of which can be assigned to core metabolic and transport functions. Another 39% are assigned to proteins with no known function, a substantially higher fraction than in the Escherichia coli proteome. Many expressed proteins protect against oxidative and light stress. Seventy-one sensor histidine kinases, response regulators, and serine/threonine kinases, individually and as hybrid, multidomain proteins, were identified, reflecting a substantial capacity to sense and respond to environmental change. Proteins encoded by each of the five N. punctiforme plasmids were identified, as were 10 transposases, reflecting the plasticity of the N. punctiforme genome. This core proteome sets the stage for comparison with that of other developmental states.     

Molecular analysis of some genes from plasmid p19 of the soil strain Bacillus subtilis 19 involved in conjugation

Two fragments of conjugative plasmid p19 (95 kb) from the soil strain Bacillus subtilis 19 were cloned and sequenced; these fragments carry genes, products of which are indispensable for the conjugative transfer. One of the fragments 4518 bp in size carries five open reading frames and their fragments (ORF1-ORF5). The protein corresponding to ORF4 is homologous to proteins from the family VirD4. Inactivation of ORF4 and ORF1 by insertional mutagenesis caused a three-to-fivefold decrease in the frequency of plasmid p19 conjugative transfer. Another 2932-bp fragment of p19 was shown to possess a rep region homologous to the rep region of plasmid pBS72 from the soil strain B. subtilis 72 and a novel ORF (ORF6); the protein corresponding to this ORF contains the HTH motif typical for DNA-binding proteins.     

Isolation and characterization of thylakoid membranes from the filamentous cyanobacterium Nostoc punctiforme

Nostoc   punctiforme strain Pasteur Culture Collection (PCC) 73102, a sequenced filamentous cyanobacterium capable of nitrogen fixation, is used as a model organism for characterization of bioenergetic processes during nitrogen fixation in Nostoc . A protocol for isolating thylakoid membranes was developed to examine the biochemical and biophysical aspects of photosynthetic electron transfer. Thylakoids were isolated from filaments of N.   punctiforme by pneumatic pressure-drop lysis. The activity of photosynthetic enzymes in the isolated thylakoids was analysed by measuring oxygen evolution activity, fluorescence spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. Electron transfer was found functional in both PSII and PSI. Electron transfer measurements in PSII, using diphenylcarbazide as electron donor and 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol as electron acceptor, showed that 80% of the PSII centres were active in water oxidation in the final membrane preparation. Analysis of the membrane protein complexes was made by 2D gel electrophoresis, and identification of representative proteins was made by mass spectrometry. The ATP synthase, several oligomers of PSI, PSII and the NAD(P)H dehydrogenase (NDH)-1L and NDH-1M complexes, were all found in the gels. Some differences were noted compared with previous results from Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Two oligomers of PSII were found, monomeric and dimeric forms, but no CP43-less complexes. Both dimeric and monomeric forms of Cyt b ₆/ f could be observed. In all, 28 different proteins were identified, of which 25 are transmembrane proteins or membrane associated ones.     

Molecular analysis of some genes from plasmid p19 of the Bacillus subtilis 19 soil strain involved in conjugation

Two fragments of conjugative plasmid p19 (95 kb) from the Bacillus subtilis 19 soil strain were cloned and sequenced; these fragments carry genes, products of which are indispensable for the conjugative transfer. One of the fragments 4518 bp in size carries five open reading frames and their fragments (ORF1–ORF5). The protein corresponding to ORF4 is homologous to proteins from the family VirD4. Inactivation of ORF4 and ORF1 by insertional mutagenesis caused a three-to-fivefold decrease in the frequency of plasmid p19 conjugative transfer. Another 2932-bp fragment of p19 was shown to possess a rep region homologous to the rep region of plasmid pBS72 from the B. subtilis 72 soil strain and a novel ORF (ORF6); the protein corresponding to this ORF contains the HTH motif typical for DNA-binding proteins.     

The α-amylase inhibitor of bean seed: two-step proteolytic maturation in the protein storage vacuoles of the developing cotyledon

In the nitrogen fixing symbiosis between Nostoc and the angiosperm Gunnera , the cyanobiont is found in stem glands and is thought to have a heterotrophic mode of nutrition. To investigate whether the photosynthetic machinery in the cyanobiont is down-regulated in the symbiosis, the presence of the phycobiliproteins, phycoerythrin and phycocyanin, and ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase oxygenase (Rubisco, EC 4.1.1.39) in cyanobionts of Gunnera magellanica Lam. and in a free-living (cultured) isolate of the cyanobacterium was studied by immunoelectron microscopy. Carboxysomes were numerous in all vegetative cells (ca 3.5 per cell section), and on an area basis they showed a high Rubisco label compared to the cytoplasm; but recalculation on a volume basis demonstrated that the carboxysomal fraction of Rubisco decreased in the cyanobiont along the plant stem. Along the whole Gunnera stem both types of phycobiliproteins were present in the symbiotic Nostoc and in amounts equivalent to or above those detected in the free-living isolate. As the symbiotic Nostoc is located intracellularly, out of reach of light in the plant stem, the findings indicate a lack of regulation of the photosynthetic protein synthesis in the symbiotic state.     

Nitrogenase in free-living and symbiotic cyanobacteria: Immunoelectron microscopic localization

Abstract Nitrogenase (Fe-protein) was localized in the free-living cyanobacterium Anabaena cylindrica and in the cyanobionts of Cycas revoluta and Peltigera aphthosa , using colloidal gold as an immunocytochemical marker. The Fe-protein was found to be evenly distributed throughout the heterocyst cytoplasma in A. cylindrica and in both the cyanobionts, including multiple heterocysts of the C. revoluta cyanobiont. No label was observed in the vegetative cells of free-living A. cylindrica or of the cyanobionts, although the cyanobionts apparently live under microaerobic conditions.     

Sub-Cellular Element Analysis of a Cyanobacterium (Nostoc sp.) in Symbiosis with Gunnera manicata by ESI and EELS

Element analysis using electron spectroscopic imaging (ESI) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) was performed in a symbiotic Nostoc sp. strain found in the upper stem tissue of Gunnera manicata, and in Nostoc PCC 9229, a free-living heterocyst-forming cyanobacterium able to enter into symbiosis with the angiosperm Gunnera in reconstitution experiments. ESI and EELS unequivocally identified the four elements nitrogen (N), sulphur (S), phosphorus (P) and oxygen (O) in different inclusion bodies of these biological specimens. High amounts of nitrogen were solely detected in huge cyanophycin granules in vegetative cells of the symbiotic Nostoc strain, whereas large polyphosphate bodies, containing high amounts of phosphorus, sulphur and oxygen, could be seen in the free-living Nostoc PCC 9229. The latter were usually not present or, when found, very small in vegetative cells of the cyanobiont.     

Oxylipin formation in Nostoc punctiforme (PCC73102)

The dioxygenation of polyunsaturated fatty acids is mainly catalyzed by members of the lipoxygenase enzyme family in flowering plants and mosses. Lipoxygenase products can be metabolized further and are known as signalling substances that play a role in plant development as well as in plant responses to wounding and pathogen attack. Apart from accumulating data in mammals, flowering and non-flowering plants, information on the relevance of lipid peroxide metabolism in prokaryotic organisms is scarce. Thus we aimed to isolate and analyze lipoxygenases and oxylipin patterns from cyanobacterial origin. DNA isolated from Nostoc punctiforme strain PCC73102 yielded sequences for at least two different lipoxygenases. These have been cloned as cDNAs and named NpLOX1 and NpLOX2. Both proteins were identified as linoleate 13-lipoxygenases by expression in E. coli. NpLOX1 was characterized in more detail: It showed a broad pH optimum ranging from pH 4.5 to pH 8.5 with a maximum at pH 8.0 and alpha-linolenic acid was the preferred substrate. Bacterial extracts contain more 13-lipoxygenase-derived hydroperoxides in wounded than in non-wounded cells with a 30-fold excess of non-esterified over esterified oxylipins. 9-Lipoxygenase-derived derivatives were not detectable. 13-Lipoxygenase-derived hydroperoxides in esterified lipids were present at almost equal amounts compared to non-esterified hydroperoxides in non-wounded cells. These results suggest that 13-lipoxygenases acting on free fatty acids dominate in N. punctiforme strain PCC73102 upon wounding.     

Characterization of the nitrate-nitrite transporter of the major facilitator superfamily (the nrtP gene product) from the cyanobacterium Nostoc punctiforme strain ATCC 29133

The products of the NpR1527 and NpR1526 genes of the filamentous, diazotrophic, fresh-water cyanobacterium Nostoc punctiforme strain ATCC 29133 were identified as a nitrate transporter (NRT) and nitrate reductase (NR) respectively, by complementation of nitrate assimilation mutants of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus strain PCC 7942. While other fresh-water cyanobacteria, including S. elongatus, have an ATP-binding cassette (ABC)-type NRT, the NRT of N. punctiforme belongs to the major facilitator superfamily, being orthologous to the one found in marine cyanobacteria (NrtP). Unlike the ABC-type NRT, which transports both nitrate and nitrite with high affinity, Nostoc NrtP transported nitrate preferentially over nitrite. NrtP was distinct from ABC-type NRT also in its insensitivity to ammonium-promoted regulation at the post-translational level. The nitrate reductase of N. punctiforme was, on the other hand, inhibited upon addition of ammonium to medium, lending ammonium sensitivity to nitrate assimilation.     

汉坦病毒HTN261株S基因片段的核苷酸序列测定及分析

黑龙江省是肾综合征出血热(HFRS)的重疫区。近年来HFRS年的发病人数曾超过万人。流行病学和血清学研究表明黑龙江省HFRS疫区主要是姬鼠型,但目前尚缺乏病毒的分子生物学资料。我们对从疫区捕获的宿主动物-黑线姬鼠肺中分离的汉坦病毒HTN261株的S基因片段的全基因序列进行了测定和初步分析。结果如下,HTN261株的S基因片段的全序列长为1697nt。只有一个主要的编码N蛋白的ORF,起始位置为第37nt,终止于1326nt,编码的蛋白长为429aa。没有发现存在ORF2。HTN261株的S基因片段核苷酸序列与HTN型中的病毒株的同源性很高,而与汉坦病毒其他型的同源性较差。从种系发生树分析来看,HTN261株归结于汉坦病毒的HTN型。在HTN型之内,HTN261株和HTN76-118株在一个分枝内。就其核苷酸和蛋白的同源性来说,HTN261株和HTN76-118株的同源性分别是89%(全S基因)和98%(蛋白)。而与中国境内发现的其他汉坦病毒株Z10,HU,Chen4,NC167等基因和蛋白的同源性相对较差。汉坦病毒除具有其宿主的依赖性外,还具有其地理的簇集性。HTN261株和HTN76-118株之间S基因和N蛋白序列的变异性的差异分别为11%和2%,表明HTN261株和HTN76-118株还有不同,可能是不同的亚型。不过,尚有待于进一步研究证明。     

汉坦病毒HTN261株S基因片段的核苷酸序列测定及分析

黑龙江省是肾综合征因热（HFRS）的重疫区。近年来HFRS年的发病人数曾超过万人。流行病学和血清学研究表明黑龙江省HFRS疫区主要是姬鼠型,但目前尚缺乏病毒的分子生物学资料。我们对从疫区捕获的宿主动物－黑线姬鼠肺中分离的汉坦病毒HTN261株的S基因片段的全基因序列进测定和初步分析。结果如下,HTN261株的S基因片段的全序列长为1697nt。只有一个主要的编码N蛋白的ORF,起始位置为第37nt,终止于1326nt,编码的蛋白长为429aa。没有发现存在ORF2。HTN261株的S基因片段核苷酸序列与HGTN型中的病毒株的同源性很高,而与汉坦病毒其他型的同源民生较差,从种系发生树分析来看,HNT261株归结于汉坦病毒的HTN型。在HTN型之内,HTN261株和HTN76－118株在一个分枝内,就其核苷酸和蛋白的同源性说,HT N261株和HTN76－118株的同源性分别是89％（全S基因）和98％（蛋白）。而与中国境内发现的其他汉坦病毒株Z10,HU,Chen4,NC167等基因和蛋白的同源性相对较差,汉坦病毒除具有其宿主的依赖性外,还具有其地理的簇集性。HTN261株和HTN76－118株之间S基因和N蛋白序列的变异性的差异分别为11％和2％,表明HTN261株和HTN76－118株还有不同,可能是不同的亚型。不过,尚有待于进一步研究证明。     

Nucleotide sequence of the gene and features of the major outer membrane protein of a virulent Rickettsia prowazekii strain.

We have determined the nucleotide sequence of the gene for a major outer membrane protein (MOMP) of apparent molecular weight 29.5 kD of the virulent Breinl strain of Rickettsia prowazekii. The gene contains an open reading frame (ORF) that encodes a 282-amino-acid polypeptide with a calculated molecular mass of 31549 daltons. A signal-like peptide sequence is found at the deduced N terminus. A heterologous 29.5-kD antigen expressed in Escherichia coli was shown to be secreted into the periplasm. A database search for similar protein sequences revealed considerable homology of the polypeptide with the E. coli peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerase and related proteins of the parvulin family. The genes for MOMP of the virulent Breinl and EVir strains and the vaccine Madrid E strain were amplified using specific primers and cloned into expression vector pQE-30. We found that the polypeptides encoded by the recombinant DNAs do not differ in SDS-PAGE mobility, while the native MOMP of the Breinl strain is known to be different from the corresponding proteins of the Madrid E and EVir strains. Furthermore, no differences within the ORF for the 29.5-kD proteins of the three strains were found by restriction endonuclease analysis of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products. A possible role of parvulin-like protein (Plp) in the virulence of epidemic typhus agent and the nature of interstrain differences are discussed. Near the plp gene on the opposite strand, an origin of the gene that codes for the SecA subunit of a preprotein translocase was found.