Project description:Archaea of the order Sulfolobales execute a well-structured cell cycle program similar to that of eukaryotic cells. However, the mechanism of cell cycle regulation remains enigmatic. Here, we show that three essential ribbon-helix-helix domain transcription factors, aCcr1, aCcr2, and aCcr3, play pivotal roles in controlling the cell cycle progression in the thermoacidophilic archaeon Saccharolobus islandicus by licensing the timely transcription of the key genes that define the cell cycle phases. The three transcription factors act as repressors and recognize similar regulatory sequences. However, their expression timing during the cell cycle differs: aCcr1 is expressed immediately after the cell division, aCcr3 during the transition between the G1 and genome replication (S) phase, whereas aCcr2 is expressed throughout the cell cycle. The disengagement of aCcr2 from the recognized promoters prior to the M phase is controlled through its phosphorylation by the cyclically-expressed eukaryotic-like kinase aCcrK (archaea cell cycle regulatory kinase). The synergy between aCcr1, aCcr2, and aCcr3 is also achieved through their differential affinities for the promoters and the levels of protein expression. The global regulation of the Sulfolobales cell cycle may be achieved not through transcriptional activation, but rather by repression of the key genes during strategic moments of the cell cycle. We propose a phosphorylation-assisted braking point model for the cell cycle control in Sulfolobales, which may represent a simple evolutionary intermediate on the way to the more complex cell cycle regulation in eukaryotes.
Project description:The order Sulfolobales includes thermoacidophilic archaea that thrive in acidic geothermal environments. A novel Sulfolobales archaeon strain, HS-7, which may represent a novel genus, was isolated from an acidic hot spring in Japan. We report the 2.15-Mb complete genome sequence of strain HS-7.
Project description:Archaea of the order Sulfolobales execute a well-structured cell cycle program similar to that of eukaryotic cells. However, the mechanism of cell cycle regulation remains enigmatic. Here, we show that three essential ribbon-helix-helix domain transcription factors, aCcr1, aCcr2, and aCcr3, play pivotal roles in controlling the cell cycle progression in the thermoacidophilic archaeon Saccharolobus islandicus by licensing the timely transcription of the key genes that define the cell cycle phases. The three transcription factors act as repressors and recognize similar regulatory sequences. However, their expression timing during the cell cycle differs: aCcr1 is expressed immediately after the cell division, aCcr3 during the transition between the G1 and genome replication (S) phase, whereas aCcr2 is expressed throughout the cell cycle. The disengagement of aCcr2 from the recognized promoters prior to the M phase is controlled through its phosphorylation by the cyclically-expressed eukaryotic-like kinase aCcrK (archaea cell cycle regulatory kinase). The synergy between aCcr1, aCcr2, and aCcr3 is also achieved through their differential affinities for the promoters and the levels of protein expression. The global regulation of the Sulfolobales cell cycle may be achieved not through transcriptional activation, but rather by repression of the key genes during strategic moments of the cell cycle. We propose a phosphorylation-assisted braking point model for the cell cycle control in Sulfolobales, which may represent a simple evolutionary intermediate on the way to the more complex cell cycle regulation in eukaryotes.
Project description:This project is a proteomic comparison of Hyphomicrobium sp. MC8b grown with dichloromethane or with methanol. The datasets were obtained using the annotated genome of Hyphomicrobium sp. MC8b.
Project description:Investigation of whole genome gene expression level in motile strain of Sphingomonas. sp A1 All flagellar genes in motile strain of Sphingomonas. sp A1 are highly transcribed.
Project description:A Type II VapB14 Antitoxin regulates biofilm dispersal in the archaeal thermoacidophile Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, not only through traditional Toxin neutralization but also through noncanonical transcriptional regulation. Type II VapC Toxins are ribonucleases that are neutralized by their proteinaceous cognate Type II VapB Antitoxin. VapB Antitoxins have a flexible tail at their C-terminus that covers the Toxin’s active site neutralizing its activity. VapB Antitoxins also have a DNA binding domain at their N-terminus that allows them to not only auto-repress their own promoters but also distal targets. VapB14 Antitoxin gene deletion in S. acidocaldarius stunted biofilm and planktonic growth and increased motility structures (archaella). Conversely, planktonic cells were devoid of archaella in the ΔvapC14 cognate Toxin mutant. VapB14 is highly conserved at both the nucleotide and amino acid levels across the Sulfolobales, extremely unusual for Type II Antitoxins that are typically acquired through horizontal gene transfer. Furthermore, homologs of VapB14 are found across the Crenarchaeota, in some Euryarchaeota, and even bacteria. S. acidocaldarius vapB14 and its homolog in the thermoacidophile Metallosphaera sedula (Msed_0871) were both up-regulated in biofilm cells, supporting the role of the Antitoxin in biofilm regulation. The findings here suggest that a stand-alone VapB-type Antitoxin was the product of selective evolutionary pressure to influence biofilm formation in these archaea, a vital microbial community behavior.