Project description:In Escherichia coli, the endonuclease RNase E can access internal cleavage sites in mRNA either directly or by a 5' end-dependent mechanism in which cleavage is facilitated by prior RppH-catalysed conversion of the 5'-terminal triphosphate to a monophosphate, to which RNase E can bind. The characteristics of transcripts that determine which of these two pathways is primarily responsible for their decay are poorly understood. Here we report the influence of ribosome binding and translocation on each pathway, using yeiP and trxB as model transcripts. Ribosome binding to the translation initiation site impedes degradation by both mechanisms. However, because the effect on the rate of 5' end-independent decay is greater, poor ribosome binding favours degradation by that pathway. Arresting translation elongation with chloramphenicol quickly inhibits RNase E cleavage downstream of the initiation codon but has little or no immediate effect on cleavage upstream of the ribosome binding site. RNase E binding to a monophosphorylated 5' end appears to increase the likelihood of cleavage at sites within the 5' untranslated region. These findings indicate that ribosome binding and translocation can have a major impact on 5' end-dependent mRNA degradation in E. coli and suggest a possible sequence of events that follow pyrophosphate removal.
Project description:The rod-shaped Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli multiplies by elongation followed by binary fission. Longitudinal growth of the cell envelope and synthesis of the new poles are organized by two protein complexes called elongasome and divisome, respectively. We have analyzed the spatio-temporal localization patterns of many of these morphogenetic proteins by immunolabeling the wild type strain MC4100 grown to steady state in minimal glucose medium at 28°C. This allowed the direct comparison of morphogenetic protein localization patterns as a function of cell age as imaged by phase contrast and fluorescence wide field microscopy. Under steady state conditions the age distribution of the cells is constant and is directly correlated to cell length. To quantify cell size and protein localization parameters in 1000s of labeled cells, we developed 'Coli-Inspector,' which is a project running under ImageJ with the plugin 'ObjectJ.' ObjectJ organizes image-analysis tasks using an integrated approach with the flexibility to produce different output formats from existing markers such as intensity data and geometrical parameters. ObjectJ supports the combination of automatic and interactive methods giving the user complete control over the method of image analysis and data collection, with visual inspection tools for quick elimination of artifacts. Coli-inspector was used to sort the cells according to division cycle cell age and to analyze the spatio-temporal localization pattern of each protein. A unique dataset has been created on the concentration and position of the proteins during the cell cycle. We show for the first time that a subset of morphogenetic proteins have a constant cellular concentration during the cell division cycle whereas another set exhibits a cell division cycle dependent concentration variation. Using the number of proteins present at midcell, the stoichiometry of the divisome is discussed.
Project description:Evolution of bacteria under sublethal concentrations of antibiotics represents a trade-off between growth and resistance to the antibiotic. To understand this trade-off, we performed in vitro evolution of laboratory Escherichia coli under sublethal concentrations of the aminoglycoside kanamycin over short time durations. We report that fixation of less costly kanamycin-resistant mutants occurred earlier in populations growing at lower sublethal concentration of the antibiotic, compared with those growing at higher sublethal concentrations; in the latter, resistant mutants with a significant growth defect persisted longer. Using deep sequencing, we identified kanamycin resistance-conferring mutations, which were costly or not in terms of growth in the absence of the antibiotic. Multiple mutations in the C-terminal end of domain IV of the translation elongation factor EF-G provided low-cost resistance to kanamycin. Despite targeting the same or adjacent residues of the protein, these mutants differed from each other in the levels of resistance they provided. Analysis of one of these mutations showed that it has little defect in growth or in synthesis of green fluorescent protein (GFP) from an inducible plasmid in the absence of the antibiotic. A second class of mutations, recovered only during evolution in higher sublethal concentrations of the antibiotic, deleted the C-terminal end of the ATP synthase shaft. This mutation confers basal-level resistance to kanamycin while showing a strong growth defect in the absence of the antibiotic. In conclusion, the early dynamics of the development of resistance to an aminoglycoside antibiotic is dependent on the levels of stress (concentration) imposed by the antibiotic, with the evolution of less costly variants only a matter of time.
Project description:Metabolic cofactors such as NADH and ATP play important roles in a large number of cellular reactions and it is of great interest to dissect the role of these cofactors in different aspects of metabolism. Towards this goal, we overexpressed NADH oxidase and the soluble F1-ATPase in Escherichia coli to lower the level of NADH and ATP, respectively. We used a systems biology approach to study the response to these perturbations by measuring global transcription profiles, metabolic fluxes and the metabolite levels. We integrated information from the different measurements using network-based methods to identify high-scoring networks in a global interaction map that included protein interactions, transcriptional regulation and metabolism. The results revealed that the action of many global transcription factors such as ArcA, Fnr, CRP and IHF commonly involved both NADH and ATP while others were influential only in one of the pertubations. In general, overexpressing NADH oxidase invokes response in widespread aspects of metabolism involving the redox cofactors (NADH and NADPH) while ATPase has a more focused response to restore ATP level by enhancing proton translocation mechanisms and repressing biosynthesis. Interestingly, NADPH played a key role in restoring redox homeostasis through the concerted activity of isocitrate dehydrogenase and UdhA transhydrogenase. We present a reconciled network of regulation that illustrates the overlapping and distinct aspects of metabolism controlled by NADH and ATP. Our study contributes to the general understanding of redox and energy metabolism and should help in developing metabolic engineering strategies in E. coli. The experimental design involves measuring transcriptome in three strains (in triplicates) of E. coli during mid-exponential phase of growth on MOPS media supplemented with glucose. The three strains are: 1. REF: MG1655/pAK80 (MG1655 transformed with a plasmid with no insert) 2. NOX: MG1655/pAC06 (MG1655 transformed with a plasmid containing NADH oxidase) 3. ATPase: MG1655/pCP41 (MG1655 transformed with a plasmid containing soluble ATPase) RNA was extracted using Qiagen RNeasy kit and processes according to Affymetrix® guidelines. The quality of RNA was verified using BioAnalyzer (Agilent BioSystems) and the electropherograms are shown in the file âRNA quality.pdfâ. Samples 1-3 are REF, Samples 4-6 are NOX and Samples 7-9 are ATPase. The fragmented cRNA was hybridized to E. coli Genome 2.0 chips.
Project description:YdiV is a negative regulator of cell motility. It interacts with FlhD(4)C(2) complex, a product of flagellar master operon, which works as the transcription activator of all other flagellar operons. Here, we report the crystal structures of YdiV and YdiV(2)-FlhD(2) complex at 1.9 Å and 2.9 Å resolutions, respectively. Interestingly, YdiV formed multiple types of complexes with FlhD(4)C(2). YdiV(1)-FlhD(4)C(2) and YdiV(2)-FlhD(4)C(2) still bound to DNA, while YdiV(3)-FlhD(4)C(2) and YdiV(4)-FlhD(4)C(2) did not. DNA bound FlhD(4)C(2) through wrapping around the FlhC subunit rather than the FlhD subunit. Structural analysis showed that only two peripheral FlhD subunits were accessible for YdiV binding, forming the YdiV(2)-FlhD(4)C(2) complex without affecting the integrity of ring-like structure. YdiV(2)-FlhD(2) structure and the negative staining electron microscopy reconstruction of YdiV(4)-FlhD(4)C(2) suggested that the third and fourth YdiV molecule bound to the FlhD(4)C(2) complex through squeezing into the ring-like structure of FlhD(4)C(2) between the two internal D subunits. Consequently, the ring-like structure opened up, and the complex lost DNA-binding ability. Thus, YdiV inhibits FlhD(4)C(2) only at relatively high concentrations.
Project description:Cell size proteomics in E. coli. See the manuscript titled - Genome concentration limits cell growth and modulates proteome composition in Escherichia coli - for more information on the project
Project description:The biological production of hydrogen is an appealing approach to mitigating the environmental problems caused by the diminishing supply of fossil fuels and the need for greener energy. Escherichia coli is one of the best-characterized microorganisms capable of consuming glycerol-a waste product of the biodiesel industry-and producing H2 and ethanol. However, the natural capacity of E. coli to generate these compounds is insufficient for commercial or industrial purposes. Metabolic engineering allows for the rewiring of the carbon source towards H2 production, although the strategies for achieving this aim are difficult to foresee. In this work, we use metabolomics platforms through GC-MS and FT-IR techniques to detect metabolic bottlenecks in the engineered ΔldhΔgndΔfrdBC::kan (M4) and ΔldhΔgndΔfrdBCΔtdcE::kan (M5) E. coli strains, previously reported as improved H2 and ethanol producers. In the M5 strain, increased intracellular citrate and malate were detected by GC-MS. These metabolites can be redirected towards acetyl-CoA and formate by the overexpression of the citrate lyase (CIT) enzyme and by co-overexpressing the anaplerotic human phosphoenol pyruvate carboxykinase (hPEPCK) or malic (MaeA) enzymes using inducible promoter vectors. These strategies enhanced specific H2 production by up to 1.25- and 1.49-fold, respectively, compared to the reference strains. Other parameters, such as ethanol and H2 yields, were also enhanced. However, these vectors may provoke metabolic burden in anaerobic conditions. Therefore, alternative strategies for a tighter control of protein expression should be addressed in order to avoid undesirable effects in the metabolic network.
Project description:IntroductionGlycerol is a byproduct from the biodiesel industry that can be biotransformed by Escherichia coli to high added-value products such as succinate under aerobic conditions. The main genetic engineering strategies to achieve this aim involve the mutation of succinate dehydrogenase (sdhA) gene and also those responsible for acetate synthesis including acetate kinase, phosphate acetyl transferase and pyruvate oxidase encoded by ackA, pta and pox genes respectively in the ΔsdhAΔack-ptaΔpox (M4) mutant. Other genetic manipulations to rewire the metabolism toward succinate consist on the activation of the glyoxylate shunt or blockage the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) by deletion of isocitrate lyase repressor (iclR) or gluconate dehydrogenase (gnd) genes on M4-ΔiclR and M4-Δgnd mutants respectively.ObjectiveTo deeply understand the effect of the blocking of the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) or the activation of the glyoxylate shunt, metabolite profiles were analyzed on M4-Δgnd, M4-ΔiclR and M4 mutants.MethodsMetabolomics was performed by FT-IR and GC-MS for metabolite fingerprinting and HPLC for quantification of succinate and glycerol.ResultsMost of the 65 identified metabolites showed lower relative levels in the M4-ΔiclR and M4-Δgnd mutants than those of the M4. However, fructose 1,6-biphosphate, trehalose, isovaleric acid and mannitol relative concentrations were increased in M4-ΔiclR and M4-Δgnd mutants. To further improve succinate production, the synthesis of mannitol was suppressed by deletion of mannitol dehydrogenase (mtlD) on M4-ΔgndΔmtlD mutant that increase ~ 20% respect to M4-Δgnd.ConclusionMetabolomics can serve as a holistic tool to identify bottlenecks in metabolic pathways by a non-rational design. Genetic manipulation to release these restrictions could increase the production of succinate.
Project description:Investigation of whole genome gene expression level in E. coli K-12 MG1655 in glucose M9 minimal media with/without heatshock A six chip study using total RNA recovered from E. coli K-12 MG1655 grown up to OD600nm 0.6 (mid-exponential phase) in M9 minimal media supplemented with 0.2% glucose with/without heatshock in 42oC. The high-density oligonucleotide tiling arrays used were consisted of 371,034 oligonucleotide probes with 50-bp length that are spaced 25 bp apart across the E. coli genome (NimbleGen). Experiments were performed with three biological replicates.