Adaptations to Submarine Hydrothermal Environments Exemplified by the Genome of Nautilia profundicola

Submarine hydrothermal vents are model systems for the Archaean Earth environment, and some sites maintain conditions that may have favored the formation and evolution of cellular life. Vents are typified by rapid fluctuations in temperature and redox potential that impose a strong selective pressure on resident microbial communities. Nautilia profundicola strain Am-H is a moderately thermophilic, deeply-branching Epsilonproteobacterium found free-living at hydrothermal vents and is a member of the microbial mass on the dorsal surface of vent polychaete, Alvinella pompejana. Analysis of the 1.7-Mbp genome of N. profundicola uncovered adaptations to the vent environment—some unique and some shared with other Epsilonproteobacterial genomes. The major findings included: (1) a diverse suite of hydrogenases coupled to a relatively simple electron transport chain, (2) numerous stress response systems, (3) a novel predicted nitrate assimilation pathway with hydroxylamine as a key intermediate, and (4) a gene (rgy) encoding the hallmark protein for hyperthermophilic growth, reverse gyrase. Additional experiments indicated that expression of rgy in strain Am-H was induced over 100-fold with a 20°C increase above the optimal growth temperature of this bacterium and that closely related rgy genes are present and expressed in bacterial communities residing in geographically distinct thermophilic environments. N. profundicola, therefore, is a model Epsilonproteobacterium that contains all the genes necessary for life in the extreme conditions widely believed to reflect those in the Archaean biosphere—anaerobic, sulfur, H2- and CO2-rich, with fluctuating redox potentials and temperatures. In addition, reverse gyrase appears to be an important and common adaptation for mesophiles and moderate thermophiles that inhabit ecological niches characterized by rapid and frequent temperature fluctuations and, as such, can no longer be considered a unique feature of hyperthermophiles

Deinococcus radiodurans' SRA-HNH domain containing protein Shp (Dr1533) is involved in faithful genome inheritance maintenance following DNA damage

Background: Deinococcus radiodurans R1 (DR) survives conditions of extreme desiccation, irradiation and exposure to genotoxic chemicals, due to efficient DNA breaks repair, also through Mn2+ protection of DNA repair enzymes. Methods: Possible annotated domains of the DR1533 locus protein (Shp) were searched by bioinformatic analysis. The gene was cloned and expressed as fusion protein. Band-shift assays of Shp or the SRA and HNH domains were performed on oligonucleotides, genomic DNA from E. coif and DR. slip knock-out mutant was generated by homologous recombination with a kanamycin resistance cassette. Results: DR1533 contains an N-terminal SRA domain and a C-terminal HNH motif (SRA-HNH Protein, Shp). Through its SRA domain, Shp binds double-strand oligonucleotides containing 5mC and 5hmC, but also unmethylated and mismatched cytosines in presence of Mn2+. Shp also binds to Escherichia coli dcm(+) genomic DNA, and to cytosine unmethylated DR and E. coli dcm(-) genomic DNAs, but only in presence of Mn2+. Under these binding conditions, Shp displays DNAse activity through its HNH domain. Shp KO enhanced > 100 fold the number of spontaneous mutants, whilst the treatment with DNA double strand break inducing agents enhanced up to 3-log the number of survivors. Conclusions: The SRA-HNH containing protein Shp binds to and cuts 5mC DNA, and unmethylated DNA in a Mn2+ dependent manner, and might be involved in faithful genome inheritance maintenance following DNA damage. General significance: Our results provide evidence for a potential role of DR Shp protein for genome integrity maintenance, following DNA double strand breaks induced by genotoxic agents

Deinococcus radiodurans' SRA-HNH domain containing protein Shp (Dr1533) is involved in faithful genome inheritance maintenance following DNA damage

Background: Deinococcus radiodurans R1 (DR) survives conditions of extreme desiccation, irradiation and exposure to genotoxic chemicals, due to efficient DNA breaks repair, also through Mn2+protection of DNA repair enzymes. Methods: Possible annotated domains of the DR1533 locus protein (Shp) were searched by bioinformatic analysis. The gene was cloned and expressed as fusion protein. Band-shift assays of Shp or the SRA and HNH domains were performed on oligonucleotides, genomic DNA from E. coli and DR. shp knock-out mutant was generated by homologous recombination with a kanamycin resistance cassette. Results: DR1533 contains an N-terminal SRA domain and a C-terminal HNH motif (SRA-HNH Protein, Shp). Through its SRA domain, Shp binds double-strand oligonucleotides containing 5mC and 5hmC, but also unmethylated and mismatched cytosines in presence of Mn2+. Shp also binds to Escherichia coli dcm+genomic DNA, and to cytosine unmethylated DR and E. coli dcm 12genomic DNAs, but only in presence of Mn2+. Under these binding conditions, Shp displays DNAse activity through its HNH domain. Shp KO enhanced >100 fold the number of spontaneous mutants, whilst the treatment with DNA double strand break inducing agents enhanced up to 3-log the number of survivors. Conclusions: The SRA-HNH containing protein Shp binds to and cuts 5mC DNA, and unmethylated DNA in a Mn2+dependent manner, and might be involved in faithful genome inheritance maintenance following DNA damage. General significance: Our results provide evidence for a potential role of DR Shp protein for genome integrity maintenance, following DNA double strand breaks induced by genotoxic agents