Dataset Information

Role of RcsF in signaling to the Rcs phosphorelay pathway in Escherichia coli.

ABSTRACT: The rcs phosphorelay pathway components were originally identified as regulators of capsule synthesis. In addition to the transmembrane sensor kinase RcsC, the RcsA coregulator, and the response regulator RcsB, two new components have been characterized, RcsD and RcsF. RcsD, the product of the yojN gene, now renamed rcsD, acts as a phosphorelay between RcsC and RcsB. Transcription of genes for capsule synthesis (cps) requires both RcsA and RcsB; transcription of other promoters, including that for the small RNA RprA, requires only RcsB. RcsF was described as an alternative sensor kinase for RcsB. We have examined the role of RcsF in the activation of both the rprA and cps promoters. We find that a number of signals that lead to activation of the phosphorelay require both RcsF and RcsC; epistasis experiments place RcsF upstream of RcsC. The RcsF sequence is characteristic of lipoproteins, consistent with a role in sensing cell surface perturbation and transmitting this signal to RcsC. Activation of RcsF does not require increased transcription of the gene, suggesting that modification of the RcsF protein may act as an activating signal. Signals from RcsC require RcsD to activate RcsB. Sequencing of an rcsC allele, rcsC137, that leads to high-level constitutive expression of both cps and rprA suggests that the response regulator domain of RcsC plays a role in negatively regulating the kinase activity of RcsC. The phosphorelay and the variation in the activation mechanism (dependent upon or independent of RcsA) provide multiple steps for modulating the output from this system.

SUBMITTER: Majdalani N

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1251585 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Role of RcsF in signaling to the Rcs phosphorelay pathway in Escherichia coli.

Majdalani Nadim N Heck Michael M Stout Valerie V Gottesman Susan S

Journal of bacteriology 20051001 19

The rcs phosphorelay pathway components were originally identified as regulators of capsule synthesis. In addition to the transmembrane sensor kinase RcsC, the RcsA coregulator, and the response regulator RcsB, two new components have been characterized, RcsD and RcsF. RcsD, the product of the yojN gene, now renamed rcsD, acts as a phosphorelay between RcsC and RcsB. Transcription of genes for capsule synthesis (cps) requires both RcsA and RcsB; transcription of other promoters, including that f ...[more]

PMID: 16166540

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Project description:Biofilm formation is a complex process that requires a number of transcriptional, proteomic, and physiological changes to enable bacterial survival. The lipid membrane presents a barrier to communication between the machinery within bacteria and the physical and chemical features of their extracellular environment, and yet little is known about how the membrane influences biofilm development. We found that depleting the anionic phospholipid cardiolipin reduces biofilm formation in Escherichia coli cells by as much as 50%. The absence of cardiolipin activates the regulation of colanic acid synthesis (Rcs) envelope stress response, which represses the production of flagella, disrupts initial biofilm attachment, and reduces biofilm growth. We demonstrate that a reduction in the concentration of cardiolipin impairs translocation of proteins across the inner membrane, which we hypothesize activates the Rcs pathway through the outer membrane lipoprotein RcsF. Our study demonstrates a molecular connection between the composition of membrane phospholipids and biofilm formation in E. coli and suggests that altering lipid biosynthesis may be a viable approach for altering biofilm formation and possibly other multicellular phenotypes related to bacterial adaptation and survival.IMPORTANCE There is a growing interest in the role of lipid membrane composition in the physiology and adaptation of bacteria. We demonstrate that a reduction in the anionic phospholipid cardiolipin impairs biofilm formation in Escherichia coli cells. Depleting cardiolipin reduced protein translocation across the inner membrane and activated the Rcs envelope stress response. Consequently, cardiolipin depletion produced cells lacking assembled flagella, which impacted their ability to attach to surfaces and seed the earliest stage in biofilm formation. This study provides empirical evidence for the role of anionic phospholipid homeostasis in protein translocation and its effect on biofilm development and highlights modulation of the membrane composition as a potential method of altering bacterial phenotypes related to adaptation and survival.

Dataset Information

Role of RcsF in signaling to the Rcs phosphorelay pathway in Escherichia coli.

Publications

Role of RcsF in signaling to the Rcs phosphorelay pathway in Escherichia coli.

Similar Datasets

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