Bacillus subtilis ribosomes: regulation of ribosomal RNA biosynthesis and identification of the new ribosomal protein YbxF

1 Abstract The biology of the bacterial ribosome of gram positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis is the central point of this thesis that includes studies of both ribosomal components - ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and one of ribosomal proteins. The first part of the thesis focuses on the regulation of rRNA synthesis and the second part focuses on the identification and characterization of a new ribosomal protein, YbxF. rRNA synthesis is mostly regulated at the level of transcription initiation. Initiating nucleoside triphosphates (iNTPs) are important molecule effectors that regulate this process. Varying iNTP concentration in the cell directly affects RNA polymerase (RNAP) at rRNA promoters as these promoters are sensitive to [iNTP] in vivo. Most of the knowledge about this regulation is derived from Escherichia coli, where the rRNA promoter sequence is key for this regulation. Nevertheless, sequence characteristics of [iNTP]-regulated rRNA promoters from gram positive bacterium B. subtilis do not emulate the sequence characteristics derived from [iNTP]-regulated rRNA promoters from gram negative bacterium E. coli. Using a combination of in vitro and in vivo approaches, we determined promoter DNA elements that are responsible for [iNTP] sensitivity of ribosomal and non ribosomal promoters in B. subtilis. The second...1 Abstrakt Tato disertační práce se zabývá biologií bakteriálního ribosomu u gram pozitivní bakterie Bacillus subtilis a zahrnuje studium obou jeho složek - ribosomální RNA (rRNA) a jednoho z ribosomálních proteinů. První část popisuje studium regulace syntézy rRNA. Druhá část popisuje identifikaci a charakterizaci nového ribosomálního proteinu kódovaného genem ybxF. Hlavním regulačním mechanismem tvorby rRNA v buňce je regulace transkripce na úrovni iniciace. Iniciační nukleosid trifosfáty (iNTP) jsou důležitým regulátorem iniciace transkripce na promotorech pro rRNA. Fyziologicky se měnící koncentrace iNTP ovlivňuje aktivitu RNA polymerázy (RNAP) na těchto promotorech. Takové promotory obecně označujeme jako "senzitivní". Nejvíce znalostí o této regulaci bylo doposud získáno ze studia bakterie Escherichia coli, kde je klíčová pro tuto regulaci promotorová sekvence. Avšak pravidla vztahující se na sekvenční požadavky takto regulovaných promotorů u gram negativní bakterie E. coli nejsou platná pro promotory gram pozitivní bakterie B. subtilis, neboť jejich sekvence se diametrálně liší. V rámci disertační práce jsme u B. subtilis, pomocí in vitro a in vivo přístupů určili promotorové sekvenční elementy zodpovědné za senzitivitu promotorů pro rRNA a další vybrané geny ke koncentraci iNTP. Druhá část práce se...Department of Genetics and MicrobiologyKatedra genetiky a mikrobiologieFaculty of SciencePřírodovědecká fakult

Bacillus subtilis ribosomes: regulation of ribosomal RNA biosynthesis and identification of the new ribosomal protein YbxF

1 Abstract The biology of the bacterial ribosome of gram positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis is the central point of this thesis that includes studies of both ribosomal components - ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and one of ribosomal proteins. The first part of the thesis focuses on the regulation of rRNA synthesis and the second part focuses on the identification and characterization of a new ribosomal protein, YbxF. rRNA synthesis is mostly regulated at the level of transcription initiation. Initiating nucleoside triphosphates (iNTPs) are important molecule effectors that regulate this process. Varying iNTP concentration in the cell directly affects RNA polymerase (RNAP) at rRNA promoters as these promoters are sensitive to [iNTP] in vivo. Most of the knowledge about this regulation is derived from Escherichia coli, where the rRNA promoter sequence is key for this regulation. Nevertheless, sequence characteristics of [iNTP]-regulated rRNA promoters from gram positive bacterium B. subtilis do not emulate the sequence characteristics derived from [iNTP]-regulated rRNA promoters from gram negative bacterium E. coli. Using a combination of in vitro and in vivo approaches, we determined promoter DNA elements that are responsible for [iNTP] sensitivity of ribosomal and non ribosomal promoters in B. subtilis. The second...1 Abstrakt Tato disertační práce se zabývá biologií bakteriálního ribosomu u gram pozitivní bakterie Bacillus subtilis a zahrnuje studium obou jeho složek - ribosomální RNA (rRNA) a jednoho z ribosomálních proteinů. První část popisuje studium regulace syntézy rRNA. Druhá část popisuje identifikaci a charakterizaci nového ribosomálního proteinu kódovaného genem ybxF. Hlavním regulačním mechanismem tvorby rRNA v buňce je regulace transkripce na úrovni iniciace. Iniciační nukleosid trifosfáty (iNTP) jsou důležitým regulátorem iniciace transkripce na promotorech pro rRNA. Fyziologicky se měnící koncentrace iNTP ovlivňuje aktivitu RNA polymerázy (RNAP) na těchto promotorech. Takové promotory obecně označujeme jako "senzitivní". Nejvíce znalostí o této regulaci bylo doposud získáno ze studia bakterie Escherichia coli, kde je klíčová pro tuto regulaci promotorová sekvence. Avšak pravidla vztahující se na sekvenční požadavky takto regulovaných promotorů u gram negativní bakterie E. coli nejsou platná pro promotory gram pozitivní bakterie B. subtilis, neboť jejich sekvence se diametrálně liší. V rámci disertační práce jsme u B. subtilis, pomocí in vitro a in vivo přístupů určili promotorové sekvenční elementy zodpovědné za senzitivitu promotorů pro rRNA a další vybrané geny ke koncentraci iNTP. Druhá část práce se...Department of Genetics and MicrobiologyKatedra genetiky a mikrobiologieFaculty of SciencePřírodovědecká fakult

Rapid changes in gene expression: DNA determinants of promoter regulation by the concentration of the transcription initiating NTP in Bacillus subtilis

In bacteria, rapid changes in gene expression can be achieved by affecting the activity of RNA polymerase with small molecule effectors during transcription initiation. An important small molecule effector is the initiating nucleoside triphosphate (iNTP). At some promoters, an increasing iNTP concentration stimulates promoter activity, while a decreasing concentration has the opposite effect. Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) promoters from Gram-positive Bacillus subtilis are regulated by the concentration of their iNTP. Yet, the sequences of these promoters do not emulate the sequence characteristics of [iNTP]-regulated rRNA promoters of Gram-negative Escherichia coli. Here, we identified the 3′-promoter region, corresponding to the transcription bubble, as key for B. subtilis rRNA promoter regulation via the concentration of the iNTP. Within this region, the conserved −5T (3 bp downstream from the −10 hexamer) is required for this regulation. Moreover, we identified a second class of [iNTP]-regulated promoters in B. subtilis where the sequence determinants are not limited to the transcription bubble region. Overall, it seems that various sequence combinations can result in promoter regulation by [iNTP] in B. subtilis. Finally, this study demonstrates how the same type of regulation can be achieved with strikingly different promoter sequences in phylogenetically distant species

Bacillus subtilis ribosomes: regulation of ribosomal RNA biosynthesis and identification of the new ribosomal protein YbxF

1 Abstract The biology of the bacterial ribosome of gram positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis is the central point of this thesis that includes studies of both ribosomal components - ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and one of ribosomal proteins. The first part of the thesis focuses on the regulation of rRNA synthesis and the second part focuses on the identification and characterization of a new ribosomal protein, YbxF. rRNA synthesis is mostly regulated at the level of transcription initiation. Initiating nucleoside triphosphates (iNTPs) are important molecule effectors that regulate this process. Varying iNTP concentration in the cell directly affects RNA polymerase (RNAP) at rRNA promoters as these promoters are sensitive to [iNTP] in vivo. Most of the knowledge about this regulation is derived from Escherichia coli, where the rRNA promoter sequence is key for this regulation. Nevertheless, sequence characteristics of [iNTP]-regulated rRNA promoters from gram positive bacterium B. subtilis do not emulate the sequence characteristics derived from [iNTP]-regulated rRNA promoters from gram negative bacterium E. coli. Using a combination of in vitro and in vivo approaches, we determined promoter DNA elements that are responsible for [iNTP] sensitivity of ribosomal and non ribosomal promoters in B. subtilis. The second..

Bacillus subtilis ribosomes: regulation of ribosomal RNA biosynthesis and identification of the new ribosomal protein YbxF

1 Abstract The biology of the bacterial ribosome of gram positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis is the central point of this thesis that includes studies of both ribosomal components - ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and one of ribosomal proteins. The first part of the thesis focuses on the regulation of rRNA synthesis and the second part focuses on the identification and characterization of a new ribosomal protein, YbxF. rRNA synthesis is mostly regulated at the level of transcription initiation. Initiating nucleoside triphosphates (iNTPs) are important molecule effectors that regulate this process. Varying iNTP concentration in the cell directly affects RNA polymerase (RNAP) at rRNA promoters as these promoters are sensitive to [iNTP] in vivo. Most of the knowledge about this regulation is derived from Escherichia coli, where the rRNA promoter sequence is key for this regulation. Nevertheless, sequence characteristics of [iNTP]-regulated rRNA promoters from gram positive bacterium B. subtilis do not emulate the sequence characteristics derived from [iNTP]-regulated rRNA promoters from gram negative bacterium E. coli. Using a combination of in vitro and in vivo approaches, we determined promoter DNA elements that are responsible for [iNTP] sensitivity of ribosomal and non ribosomal promoters in B. subtilis. The second..

YbxF, a Protein Associated with Exponential-Phase Ribosomes in Bacillus subtilis▿

The ybxF gene is a member of the streptomycin operon in a wide range of gram-positive bacteria. In Bacillus subtilis, it codes for a small basic protein (82 amino acids, pI 9.51) of unknown function. We demonstrate that, in B. subtilis, YbxF localizes to the ribosome, primarily to the 50S subunit, with dependence on growth phase. Based on three-dimensional structures of YbxF generated by homology modeling, we identified helix 2 as important for the interaction with the ribosome. Subsequent mutational analysis of helix 2 revealed Lys24 as crucial for the interaction. Neither the B. subtilis ybxF gene nor its paralogue, the ymxC gene, is essential, as shown by probing ΔybxF, ΔymxC, or ΔybxF ΔymxC double deletion strains in several functional assays