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Legionella pneumophila regulates the small GTPase Rab1 activity by reversible phosphorylcholination.

ABSTRACT: Effectors delivered into host cells by the Legionella pneumophila Dot/Icm type IV transporter are essential for the biogenesis of the specialized vacuole that permits its intracellular growth. The biochemical function of most of these effectors is unknown, making it difficult to assign their roles in the establishment of successful infection. We found that several yeast genes involved in membrane trafficking, including the small GTPase Ypt1, strongly suppress the cytotoxicity of Lpg0695(AnkX), a protein known to interfere severely with host vesicle trafficking when overexpressed. Mass spectrometry analysis of Rab1 purified from a yeast strain inducibly expressing AnkX revealed that this small GTPase is modified posttranslationally at Ser(76) by a phosphorylcholine moiety. Using cytidine diphosphate-choline as the donor for phosphorylcholine, AnkX catalyzes the transfer of phosphorylcholine to Rab1 in a filamentation-induced by cAMP(Fic) domain-dependent manner. Further, we found that the activity of AnkX is regulated by the Dot/Icm substrate Lpg0696(Lem3), which functions as a dephosphorylcholinase to reverse AnkX-mediated modification on Rab1. Phosphorylcholination interfered with Rab1 activity by making it less accessible to the bacterial GTPase activation protein LepB; this interference can be alleviated fully by Lem3. Our results reveal reversible phosphorylcholination as a mechanism for balanced modulation of host cellular processes by a bacterial pathogen.

SUBMITTER: Tan Y

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3248503 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Legionella pneumophila regulates the small GTPase Rab1 activity by reversible phosphorylcholination.

Tan Yunhao Y Arnold Randy J RJ Luo Zhao-Qing ZQ

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20111207 52

Effectors delivered into host cells by the Legionella pneumophila Dot/Icm type IV transporter are essential for the biogenesis of the specialized vacuole that permits its intracellular growth. The biochemical function of most of these effectors is unknown, making it difficult to assign their roles in the establishment of successful infection. We found that several yeast genes involved in membrane trafficking, including the small GTPase Ypt1, strongly suppress the cytotoxicity of Lpg0695(AnkX), a ...[more]

PMID: 22158903

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Project description:UnlabelledLegionella pneumophila is an intracellular pathogen that resides within a membrane-bound compartment that is derived from vesicles exiting the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). To create this compartment, these bacteria use a type IV secretion system to deliver effector proteins that subvert host cell functions. Several Legionella effector proteins modulate the function of the host protein Rab1, which is a GTPase that is recruited to the Legionella-containing vacuole (LCV). Here, we examined which of the Rab1-directed enzymatic activities displayed by Legionella effectors are important for localizing the Rab1 protein to the LCV membrane. The guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) domain in the effector protein DrrA (SidM) was essential for Rab1 recruitment to the LCV and Rab1 AMPylation by the nucleotidyltransferase domain in DrrA was important for Rab1 retention. Legionella organisms producing mutant DrrA proteins that were severely attenuated for GEF activity in vitro retained the ability to localize Rab1 to the LCV. Rab1 localization to the LCV mediated by these GEF-defective mutants required AMPylation. Importantly, we found that efficient localization of Rab1 to the LCV occurred when Rab1 GEF activity and Rab1 AMPylation activity were provided by separate proteins. Rab1 phosphocholination (PCylation) by the effector protein AnkX, however, was unable to substitute for Rab1 AMPylation. Lastly, the defect in Rab1 localization to the LCV in AMPylation-deficient strains of Legionella was partially suppressed if the GTPase-activating protein (GAP) LepB was eliminated. Thus, our data indicate that AMPylation of Rab1 is an effective strategy to maintain this GTPase on the LCV membrane.ImportanceActivities that enable the intracellular pathogen Legionella pneumophila to subvert the function of the host protein Rab1 were investigated. Our data show that a posttranslational modification called AMPylation is critical for maintaining a pool of Rab1 on the LCV membrane. AMPylation of Rab1 led to the accumulation of GTP-bound Rab1 on the LCV membrane by protecting the protein from inactivation by GAPs. Importantly, PCylation of Rab1 by the Legionella effector protein AnkX was neither necessary nor sufficient to maintain Rab1 on the LCV, indicating that AMPylation and PCylation represent functionally distinct activities. We conclude that modification of Rab1 by AMPylation is an effective strategy to spatially and temporally regulate the function of this GTPase on a membrane-bound organelle.

Dataset Information

Legionella pneumophila regulates the small GTPase Rab1 activity by reversible phosphorylcholination.

Publications

Legionella pneumophila regulates the small GTPase Rab1 activity by reversible phosphorylcholination.

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