Physiological and transcriptomic characterization of a fliA mutant of Pseudomonas putida KT2440

Pseudomonas putida KT2440 encodes 23 alternative sigma factors. The fliA gene, which encodes σ28, is in a cluster with other genes involved in flagella biosynthesis and chemotaxis. Reverse transcriptase-PCR revealed that this cluster is comprised of four independent transcriptional units: flhAF, fleNfliA, cheYZA and cheBmotAB. We generated a nonpolar fliA mutant by homologous recombination and tested its motility, adhesion to biotic and abiotic surfaces, and responses to various stress conditions. The mutant strain was nonmotile and exhibited decreased capacity to bind to corn seeds, although its ability to colonize the rhizosphere of plants was unaffected. The mutant was also affected in binding to abiotic surfaces and its ability to form biofilms decreased by almost threefold. In the fliA mutant background expression of 25 genes was affected: two genes were upregulated and 23 genes were downregulated. In addition to a number of motility and chemotaxis genes, the fliA gene product is also necessary for the expression of some genes potentially involved in amino acid utilization or stress responses; however, we were unable to assign specific phenotypes linked to these genes since the fliA mutant used the same range of amino acids as the parental strain, and was as tolerant as the wild type to stress imposed by heat, antibiotics, NaCl, sodium dodecyl sulfate, H2O2 and benzoate. Based on the sequence alignment of promoters recognized by FliA and genome in silico analysis, we propose that P. putidaσ28 recognizes a TCAAG-t-N12-GCCGATA consensus sequence located between −34 and −8 and that this sequence is preferentially associated with an AT-rich upstream region

A hyper-mutant of the unusual σ70-Pr promoter bypasses synergistic ppGpp/DksA co-stimulation

The activities of promoters can be temporally and conditionally regulated by mechanisms other than classical DNA-binding repressors and activators. One example is the inherently weak σ70-dependent Pr promoter that ultimately controls catabolism of phenolic compounds. The activity of Pr is up-regulated through the joint action of ppGpp and DksA that enhance the performance of RNA polymerase at this promoter. Here, we report a mutagenesis analysis that revealed substantial differences between Pr and other ppGpp/DksA co-stimulated promoters. In vitro transcription and RNA polymerase binding assays show that it is the T at the −11 position of the extremely suboptimal −10 element of Pr that underlies both poor binding of σ70-RNAP and a slow rate of open complex formation—the process that is accelerated by ppGpp and DksA. Our findings support the idea that collaborative action of ppGpp and DksA lowers the rate-limiting transition energy required for conversion between intermediates on the road to open complex formation

The development and validation of a scoring tool to predict the operative duration of elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Background: The ability to accurately predict operative duration has the potential to optimise theatre efficiency and utilisation, thus reducing costs and increasing staff and patient satisfaction. With laparoscopic cholecystectomy being one of the most commonly performed procedures worldwide, a tool to predict operative duration could be extremely beneficial to healthcare organisations. Methods: Data collected from the CholeS study on patients undergoing cholecystectomy in UK and Irish hospitals between 04/2014 and 05/2014 were used to study operative duration. A multivariable binary logistic regression model was produced in order to identify significant independent predictors of long (> 90 min) operations. The resulting model was converted to a risk score, which was subsequently validated on second cohort of patients using ROC curves. Results: After exclusions, data were available for 7227 patients in the derivation (CholeS) cohort. The median operative duration was 60 min (interquartile range 45–85), with 17.7% of operations lasting longer than 90 min. Ten factors were found to be significant independent predictors of operative durations > 90 min, including ASA, age, previous surgical admissions, BMI, gallbladder wall thickness and CBD diameter. A risk score was then produced from these factors, and applied to a cohort of 2405 patients from a tertiary centre for external validation. This returned an area under the ROC curve of 0.708 (SE = 0.013, p  90 min increasing more than eightfold from 5.1 to 41.8% in the extremes of the score. Conclusion: The scoring tool produced in this study was found to be significantly predictive of long operative durations on validation in an external cohort. As such, the tool may have the potential to enable organisations to better organise theatre lists and deliver greater efficiencies in care

AccR is a master regulator involved in carbon catabolite repression of the anaerobic catabolism of aromatic compounds in azoarcus sp. CIB

14 p.-9 fig.-2 tab.Background: Mechanisms underlying carbon catabolite repression (CCR) control of the anaerobic degradation of aromatic compounds have previously remained elusive. Results: Phosphorylated AccR was identified as a transcriptional repressor of aromatic degradation operons expressed under anaerobic conditions. Conclusion: The response regulator AccR controls the succinate-dependent CCR in Azoarcus sp. CIB. Significance: AccR is a master regulator that controls anaerobic CCR in bacteria. © 2014 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.This work was supported by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of Spain (BIO2009-10438, CSD2007-00005, BIO2012-39501), EU FP7 Grant 311815, and The Swedish Research Council (Grant 621-2011-4791).Peer Reviewe

Inter-sigmulon communication through topological promoter coupling

Divergent transcription from within bacterial intergenic regions frequently involves promoters dependent on alternative sigma-factors. This is the case for the non-overlapping sigma(70)- and sigma(54)-dependent promoters that control production of the substrate-responsive regulator and enzymes for (methyl) phenol catabolism. Here, using an array of in vivo and in vitro assays, we identify transcription-driven supercoiling arising from the sigma(54)-promoter as the mechanism underlying inter-promoter communication that results in stimulation of the activity of the sigma(70)-promoter. The non-overlapping 'back-to-back' configuration of a powerful sigma(54)-promoter and weak sigma(70)-promoter within this system offers a previously unknown means of inter-sigmulon communication that renders the sigma(70)-promoter subservient to signals that elicit sigma(54)-dependent transcription without it possessing a cognate binding site for the sigma(54)-RNA polymerase holoenzyme. This mode of control has the potential to be a prevalent, but hitherto unappreciated, mechanism by which bacteria adjust promoter activity to gain appropriate transcriptional control

An active role for a structured B-linker in effector control of the σ(54)-dependent regulator DmpR

The activities of many prokaryotic σ(54)-dependent transcriptional activators are controlled by the N-terminal A-domain of the protein, which is linked to the central transcriptional activation domain via a short B-linker. It used to be thought that these B-linkers simply serve as flexible tethers. Here we show that the B-linker of the aromatic-responsive regulator DmpR and many other regulators of the family contain signature heptad repeats with regularly spaced hydrophobic amino acids. Mutant analysis of this region of DmpR demonstrates that B-linker function is dependent on the heptad repeats and is critical for activation of the protein by aromatic effectors. The phenotypes of DmpR mutants refute the existing model that the level of ATPase activity directly controls the level of transcription it promotes. The mutant analysis also shows that the B-linker is involved in repression of ATPase activity and that allosteric changes upon effector binding are transduced to alleviate both B-linker repression of ATP hydrolysis and A-domain repression of transcriptional activation. The mechanistic implications of these findings for DmpR and other family members are discussed

Nystrom T: Regulation of or factor competition by the alarmone ppGpp

. Similarly, an in vivo competition assay showed that the ability of both 32 and S to compete with 70 is diminished in cells lacking ppGpp. Consistently, the fraction of S and 32 bound to core was drastically reduced in ppGpp-deficient cells. Thus, the stringent response encompasses a mechanism that alters the relative competitiveness of factors in accordance with cellular demands during physiological stress