The Escherichia coli Protein YfeX Functions as a Porphyrinogen Oxidase, Not a Heme Dechelatase

The protein YfeX from Escherichia coli has been proposed to be essential for the process of iron removal from heme by carrying out a dechelation of heme without cleavage of the porphyrin macrocycle. Since this proposed reaction is unique and would represent the first instance of the biological dechelation of heme, we undertook to characterize YfeX. Our data reveal that YfeX effectively decolorizes the dyes alizarin red and Cibacron blue F3GA and has peroxidase activity with pyrogallal but not guiacol. YfeX oxidizes protoporphyrinogen to protoporphyrin in vitro. However, we were unable to detect any dechelation of heme to free porphyrin with purified YfeX or in cellular extracts of E. coli overexpressing YfeX. Additionally, Vibrio fischeri, an organism that can utilize heme as an iron source when grown under iron limitation, is able to grow with heme as the sole source of iron when its YfeX homolog is absent. Plasmid-driven expression of YfeX in V. fischeri grown with heme did not result in accumulation of protoporphyrin. We propose that YfeX is a typical dye-decolorizing peroxidase (or DyP) and not a dechelatase. The protoporphyrin reported to accumulate when YfeX is overexpressed in E. coli likely arises from the intracellular oxidation of endogenously synthesized protoporphyrinogen and not from dechelation of exogenously supplied heme. Bioinformatic analysis of bacterial YfeX homologs does not identify any connection with iron acquisition but does suggest links to anaerobic-growth-related respiratory pathways. Additionally, some genes encoding homologs of YfeX have tight association with genes encoding a bacterial cytoplasmic encapsulating protein

Complete Genome Sequence of Streptomyces lavendulae subsp. lavendulae CCM 3239 (Formerly “Streptomyces aureofaciens CCM 3239”), a Producer of the Angucycline-Type Antibiotic Auricin

Busche T, Novakova R, Al'Dilaimi A, et al. Complete Genome Sequence of Streptomyces lavendulae subsp. lavendulae CCM 3239 (Formerly “Streptomyces aureofaciens CCM 3239”), a Producer of the Angucycline-Type Antibiotic Auricin. Genome Announcements. 2018;6(9): e00103-18.Streptomyces lavendulae subsp. lavendulae CCM 3239 produces the angucycline antibiotic auricin and was thought to be the type strain of Streptomyces aureofaciens. We report the complete genome sequence of this strain, which consists of a linear chromosome and the linear plasmid pSA3239, and demonstrate it to be S. lavendulae subsp. lavendulae

The σE stress response is required for stress-induced mutation and amplification in Escherichia coli

Pathways of mutagenesis are induced in microbes under adverse conditions controlled by stress responses. Control of mutagenesis by stress responses may accelerate evolution specifically when cells are maladapted to their environments, i.e. are stressed. Stress-induced mutagenesis in the Escherichia coli Lac assay occurs either by ‘point’ mutation or gene amplification. Point mutagenesis is associated with DNA double-strand-break (DSB) repair and requires DinB error-prone DNA polymerase and the SOS DNA-damage- and RpoS general-stress responses. We report that the RpoE envelope-protein-stress response is also required. In a screen for mutagenesis-defective mutants, we isolated a transposon insertion in the rpoE P2 promoter. The insertion prevents rpoE induction during stress, but leaves constitutive expression intact, and allows cell viability. rpoE insertion and suppressed null mutants display reduced point mutagenesis and maintenance of amplified DNA. Furthermore, σE acts independently of stress responses previously implicated: SOS/DinB and RpoS, and of σ32, which was postulated to affect mutagenesis. I-SceI-induced DSBs alleviated much of the rpoE phenotype, implying that σE promoted DSB formation. Thus, a third stress response and stress input regulate DSB-repair-associated stress-induced mutagenesis. This provides the first report of mutagenesis promoted by σE, and implies that extracytoplasmic stressors may affect genome integrity and, potentially, the ability to evolve

Global Analysis of Extracytoplasmic Stress Signaling in Escherichia coli

The Bae, Cpx, Psp, Rcs, and σE pathways constitute the Escherichia coli signaling systems that detect and respond to alterations of the bacterial envelope. Contributions of these systems to stress response have previously been examined individually; however, the possible interconnections between these pathways are unknown. Here we investigate the dynamics between the five stress response pathways by determining the specificities of each system with respect to signal-inducing conditions, and monitoring global transcriptional changes in response to transient overexpression of each of the effectors. Our studies show that different extracytoplasmic stress conditions elicit a combined response of these pathways. Involvement of the five pathways in the various tested stress conditions is explained by our unexpected finding that transcriptional responses induced by the individual systems show little overlap. The extracytoplasmic stress signaling pathways in E. coli thus regulate mainly complementary functions whose discrete contributions are integrated to mount the full adaptive response

Enteric YaiW is a surface-exposed outer membrane lipoprotein that affects sensitivity to an antimicrobial peptide

yaiW is a previously uncharacterized gene found in enteric bacteria that is of particular interest because it is located adjacent to the sbmA gene, whose bacA ortholog is required for Sinorhizobium meliloti symbiosis and Brucella abortus pathogenesis. We show that yaiW is cotranscribed with sbmA in Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi and Typhimurium strains. We present evidence that the YaiW is a palmitate-modified surface exposed outer membrane lipoprotein. Since BacA function affects the very-long-chain fatty acid (VLCFA) modification of S. meliloti and B. abortus lipid A, we tested whether SbmA function might affect either the fatty acid modification of the YaiW lipoprotein or the fatty acid modification of enteric lipid A but found that it did not. Interestingly, we did observe that E. coli SbmA suppresses deficiencies in the VLCFA modification of the lipopolysaccharide of an S. meliloti bacA mutant despite the absence of VLCFA in E. coli. Finally, we found that both YaiW and SbmA positively affect the uptake of proline-rich Bac7 peptides, suggesting a possible connection between their cellular functions

The Anti-Anti-Sigma Factor BldG Is Involved in Activation of the Stress Response Sigma Factor σH in Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) ▿

The alternative stress response sigma factor σH has a role in regulation of the osmotic stress response and in morphological differentiation in Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2). Its gene, sigH, is located in an operon with the gene that encodes its anti-sigma factor UshX (PrsH). However, no gene with similarity to an anti-anti-sigma factor which may have a role in σH activation by a “partner-switching” mechanism is located in the operon. By using a combination of several approaches, including pull-down and bacterial two-hybrid assays and visualization of the complex by native polyacrylamide electrophoresis, we demonstrated a direct interaction between UshX and the pleiotropic sporulation-specific anti-anti-sigma factor BldG. Osmotic induction of transcription of the sigHp2 promoter that is specifically recognized by RNA polymerase containing σH was absent in an S. coelicolor bldG mutant, indicating a role of BldG in σH activation by a partner-switching-like mechanism

Characterization of the σ^E-dependent <i>rpoEp3</i> promoter of <i>Salmonella enteric</i> serovar Typhimurium

Using a two-plasmid system, we recently identified σ&lt;sup&gt;E&lt;/sup&gt;-dependent promoters directing expression of the σ&lt;sup&gt;E&lt;/sup&gt; regulon genes in &lt;i&gt;Salmonella enteric&lt;/i&gt; serovar Typhimurium (&lt;i&gt;S&lt;/i&gt;. Typhimurium). Comparison of the promoters revealed a consensus sequence almost identical to the σ&lt;sup&gt;E&lt;/sup&gt;-dependent &lt;i&gt;rpoEp3&lt;/i&gt; promoter directing expression of &lt;i&gt;rpoE&lt;/i&gt;. This two-plasmid system was previously optimized to identify nucleotides critical for the &lt;i&gt;rpoEp3&lt;/i&gt; promoter activity. However, two highly conserved nucleotides in the σ&lt;sup&gt;E&lt;/sup&gt; consensus sequence were not identified by this screening. In the present study, we have improved the two-plasmid screening system using a new optimized error-prone PCR mutagenesis. Together with site-directed mutagenesis, we further identified nucleotides critical for activity of the &lt;i&gt;rpoEp3&lt;/i&gt; promoter and quantified the effect of the particular mutation upon promoter activity. All the identified critical nucleotides of the &lt;i&gt;rpoEp3&lt;/i&gt; promoter (in capital) were located in the −35 (ggAACtt) and −10 (gTCtaA) regions and corresponded to the most conserved nucleotides in the σ&lt;sup&gt;E&lt;/sup&gt; consensus sequence. The expression of the wild-type and mutated &lt;i&gt;rpoEp3&lt;/i&gt; promoters was confirmed in &lt;i&gt;S&lt;/i&gt;. Typhimurium and was found to exhibit a different pattern of σ&lt;sup&gt;E&lt;/sup&gt; activation compared with &lt;i&gt;Escherichia coli&lt;/i&gt;, with a peak &lt;i&gt;rpoEp3&lt;/i&gt; promoter activity in early stationary phase followed by a decrease in late stationary phase

A mutant of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium RNA polymerase extracytoplasmic stress response sigma factor σE with altered promoter specificity

The alternative sigma factor σE is critical for envelope stress response and plays a role in pathogenicity of a variety of different bacteria. We previously identified several critical nucleotides in the Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) σE-dependent rpoEp3 promoter that corresponded to the most conserved nucleotides in the σE consensus sequence of the −10 and −35 promoter elements. In the present study, we exploited a previously established Escherichia coli (E. coli) two-plasmid system with an error-prone PCR mutagenesis to identify mutants in the rpoE gene that suppress the mutation of the most conserved residue A-30G of the rpoEp3 promoter. This analysis identified amino-acid changes in the conserved arginine residue (R171G, R171C) located in the conserved region 4.2 of σE that enabled efficient recognition of the mutated rpoEp3 promoter. However, the change of this conserved arginine to alanine (R171A) resulted in an almost complete loss of σE activity. The activity of the mutant σE factors in directing transcription of the wild-type (WT) and the A-30G mutated rpoEp3 promoters was investigated by S1-nuclease mapping using RNA isolated from the E. coli two-plasmid system. In addition to suppression of the A-30G mutated rpoEp3 promoter, both mutant sigma factors (R171G, R171C) also efficiently directed transcription from the WT rpoEp3 promoter and from the rpoEp3 promoter with other mutations in the −35 element, indicating relaxed recognition of the σE-dependent promoters by both mutants. The activity of both mutant σE factors was confirmed in vivo in S. Typhimurium. In conclusion, replacement of the conserved R171 residue in σE by different amino-acid residues exhibited intriguingly different phenotypes; R171A almost completely abolished sigma factor activity, whereas R171G and R171C impart a relaxed recognition phenotype to σE