The cytoplasmic phosphate level has a central regulatory role in the phosphate starvation response of Caulobacter crescentus

ABSTRACT: In bacteria, the availability of environmental inorganic phosphate is typically sensed by the conserved PhoRB two-component signaling pathway, which uses the flux through the Pst phosphate trans­porter as a readout of the extracellular phosphate level to control a variety of phosphate-responsive genes. While the sensing of environmental phosphate is well-established, the regulatory effects of cyto­plas­mic phos­phate are still unclear. Here, we disentangle the physiological and transcriptional responses of Caulo­bacter crescentus to chan­­ges in the environmental and cyto­plasmic phos­phate levels. To this end, we are uncoupling phosphate uptake from the activity of the Pst system by producing an additional, hetero­logous phosphate transporter. This approach reveals a bi-pronged response of C.crescentus to phos­phate limitation, in which the PhoRB signaling mostly facilitates the utilization of alternative phosphate sour­ces, whereas the cyto­plasmic phosphate level controls the morphological and physiological adap­tation of cells to growth in conditions of global phosphate limitation. These findings open the door to a more comprehensive under­standing of phosphate signaling in bacteria.

ORGANISM(S): Caulobacter vibrioides NA1000

PROVIDER: GSE244776 | GEO | 2023/10/20

REPOSITORIES: GEO