Structural rearrangement in an RsmA/CsrA ortholog of Pseudomonas aeruginosa creates a dimeric RNA-binding protein, RsmN.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Morris ER
PROVIDER: S-EPMC3791407 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Members of the CsrA family of prokaryotic mRNA-binding proteins alter the translation and/or stability of transcripts needed for numerous global physiological processes. The previously described CsrA family member in Pseudomonas aeruginosa (RsmA) plays a central role in determining infection modality by reciprocally regulating processes associated with acute (type III secretion and motility) and chronic (type VI secretion and biofilm formation) infection. Here we describe a second, structurally distinct RsmA homolog in P. aeruginosa (RsmF) that has an overlapping yet unique regulatory role. RsmF deviates from the canonical 5 ?-strand and carboxyl-terminal ?-helix topology of all other CsrA proteins by having the ?-helix internally positioned. Despite striking changes in topology, RsmF adopts a tertiary structure similar to other CsrA family members and binds a subset of RsmA mRNA targets, suggesting that RsmF activity is mediated through a conserved mechanism of RNA recognition. Whereas deletion of rsmF alone had little effect on RsmA-regulated processes, strains lacking both rsmA and rsmF exhibited enhanced RsmA phenotypes for markers of both type III and type VI secretion systems. In addition, simultaneous deletion of rsmA and rsmF resulted in superior biofilm formation relative to the wild-type or rsmA strains. We show that RsmF translation is derepressed in an rsmA mutant and demonstrate that RsmA specifically binds to rsmF mRNA in vitro, creating a global hierarchical regulatory cascade that operates at the posttranscriptional level.
| S-EPMC3773774 | biostudies-literature
Project description:CsrA/RsmA homologs are an extensive family of ribonucleic acid (RNA)-binding proteins that function as global post-transcriptional regulators controlling important cellular processes such as secondary metabolism, motility, biofilm formation and the production and secretion of virulence factors in diverse bacterial species. While direct messenger RNA binding by CsrA/RsmA has been studied in detail for some genes, it is anticipated that there are numerous additional, as yet undiscovered, direct targets that mediate its global regulation. To assist in the discovery of these targets, we propose a sequence-based approach to predict genes directly regulated by these regulators. In this work, we develop a computer code (CSRA_TARGET) implementing this approach, which leads to predictions for several novel targets in Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The predicted targets in other bacteria, specifically Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, Pectobacterium carotovorum and Legionella pneumophila, also include global regulators that control virulence in these pathogens, unraveling intricate indirect regulatory roles for CsrA/RsmA. We have experimentally validated four predicted RsmA targets in P. aeruginosa. The sequence-based approach developed in this work can thus lead to several testable predictions for direct targets of CsrA homologs, thereby complementing and accelerating efforts to unravel global regulation by this important family of proteins.
| S-EPMC4066749 | biostudies-literature
Project description:In the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, RsmA is an RNA-binding protein that plays critical roles in the control of virulence, interbacterial interactions, and biofilm formation. Although RsmA is thought to exert its regulatory effects by binding full-length transcripts, the extent to which RsmA binds nascent transcripts has not been addressed. Moreover, which transcripts are direct targets of this key posttranscriptional regulator is largely unknown. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with high-throughput DNA sequencing, with cells grown in the presence and absence of the RNA polymerase inhibitor rifampicin, we identify hundreds of nascent transcripts that RsmA associates with in P. aeruginosa We also find that the RNA chaperone Hfq targets a subset of those nascent transcripts that RsmA associates with and that the two RNA-binding proteins can exert regulatory effects on common targets. Our findings establish that RsmA associates with many transcripts as they are being synthesized in P. aeruginosa, identify the transcripts targeted by RsmA, and suggest that RsmA and Hfq may act in a combinatorial fashion on certain transcripts. The binding of posttranscriptional regulators to nascent transcripts may be commonplace in bacteria where distinct regulators can function alone or in concert to achieve control over the translation of transcripts as soon as they emerge from RNA polymerase.
| S-EPMC7229658 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Biofilm development, specifically the fundamentally adaptive switch from acute to chronic infection phenotypes, requires global regulators and small non-coding regulatory RNAs (sRNAs). This work utilized RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) to detect sRNAs differentially expressed in Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm versus planktonic state.A computational algorithm was devised to detect and categorize sRNAs into 5 types: intergenic, intragenic, 5'-UTR, 3'-UTR, and antisense. Here we report a novel RsmY/RsmZ-type sRNA, termed RsmW, in P. aeruginosa up-transcribed in biofilm versus planktonic growth. RNA-Seq, 5'-RACE and Mfold predictions suggest RsmW has a secondary structure with 3 of 7 GGA motifs located on outer stem loops. Northern blot revealed two RsmW binding bands of 400 and 120 bases, suggesting RsmW is derived from the 3'-UTR of the upstream hypothetical gene, PA4570. RsmW expression is elevated in late stationary versus logarithmic growth phase in PB minimal media, at higher temperatures (37 °C versus 28 °C), and in both gacA and rhlR transposon mutants versus wild-type. RsmW specifically binds to RsmA protein in vitro and restores biofilm production and reduces swarming in an rsmY/rsmZ double mutant. PA4570 weakly resembles an RsmA/RsmN homolog having 49 % and 51 % similarity, and 16 % and 17 % identity to RsmA and RsmN amino acid sequences, respectively. PA4570 was unable to restore biofilm and swarming phenotypes in ?rsmA deficient strains.Collectively, our study reveals an interesting theme regarding another sRNA regulator of the Rsm system and further unravels the complexities regulating adaptive responses for Pseudomonas species.
| S-EPMC4950607 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The Gram-negative opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa has distinct genetic programs that favor either acute or chronic virulence gene expression. Acute virulence is associated with twitching and swimming motility, expression of a type III secretion system (T3SS), and the absence of alginate, Psl, or Pel polysaccharide production. Traits associated with chronic infection include growth as a biofilm, reduced motility, and expression of a type VI secretion system (T6SS). The Rsm posttranscriptional regulatory system plays important roles in the inverse control of phenotypes associated with acute and chronic virulence. RsmA and RsmF are RNA-binding proteins that interact with target mRNAs to control gene expression at the posttranscriptional level. Previous work found that RsmA activity is controlled by at least three small, noncoding regulatory RNAs (RsmW, RsmY, and RsmZ). In this study, we took an in silico approach to identify additional small RNAs (sRNAs) that might function in the sequestration of RsmA and/or RsmF (RsmA/RsmF) and identified RsmV, a 192-nucleotide (nt) transcript with four predicted RsmA/RsmF consensus binding sites. RsmV is capable of sequestering RsmA and RsmF in vivo to activate translation of tssA1, a component of the T6SS, and to inhibit T3SS gene expression. Each of the predicted RsmA/RsmF consensus binding sites contributes to RsmV activity. Electrophoretic mobility shifts assays show that RsmF binds RsmV with >10-fold higher affinity than RsmY and RsmZ. Gene expression studies revealed that the temporal expression pattern of RsmV differs from those of RsmW, RsmY, and RsmZ. These findings suggest that each sRNA may play a distinct role in controlling RsmA and RsmF activity.IMPORTANCE The members of the CsrA/RsmA family of RNA-binding proteins play important roles in posttranscriptional control of gene expression. The activity of CsrA/RsmA proteins is controlled by small noncoding RNAs that function as decoys to sequester CsrA/RsmA from target mRNAs. Pseudomonas aeruginosa has two CsrA family proteins (RsmA and RsmF) and at least four sequestering sRNAs (RsmV [identified in this study], RsmW, RsmY, and RsmZ) that control RsmA/RsmF activity. RsmY and RsmZ are the primary sRNAs that sequester RsmA/RsmF, and RsmV and RsmW appear to play smaller roles. Differences in the temporal and absolute expression levels of the sRNAs and in their binding affinities for RsmA/RsmF may provide a mechanism of fine-tuning the output of the Rsm system in response to environmental cues.
| S-EPMC6060366 | biostudies-literature
Project description:In the Gac/Rsm signal transduction pathway of Pseudomonas fluorescens CHA0, the dimeric RNA-binding proteins RsmA and RsmE, which belong to the vast bacterial RsmA/CsrA family, effectively repress translation of target mRNAs containing a typical recognition sequence near the translation start site. Three small RNAs (RsmX, RsmY, RsmZ) with clustered recognition sequences can sequester RsmA and RsmE and thereby relieve translational repression. According to a previously established structural model, the RsmE protein makes optimal contacts with an RNA sequence 5'- (A)/(U)CANGGANG(U)/(A)-3', in which the central ribonucleotides form a hexaloop. Here, we questioned the relevance of the hexaloop structure in target RNAs. We found that two predicted pentaloop structures, AGGGA (in pltA mRNA encoding a pyoluteorin biosynthetic enzyme) and AAGGA (in mutated pltA mRNA), allowed effective interaction with the RsmE protein in vivo. By contrast, ACGGA and AUGGA were poor targets. Isothermal titration calorimetry measurements confirmed the strong binding of RsmE to the AGGGA pentaloop structure in an RNA oligomer. Modeling studies highlighted the crucial role of the second ribonucleotide in the loop structure. In conclusion, a refined structural model of RsmE-RNA interaction accommodates certain pentaloop RNAs among the preferred hexaloop RNAs.
| S-EPMC4111731 | biostudies-literature
Project description:In the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa RsmA is an RNA-binding protein that plays critical roles in the control of virulence, interbacterial interactions and biofilm formation. Although RsmA is thought to exert its regulatory effects by binding full-length transcripts, the extent to which RsmA binds nascent transcripts has not been addressed. Moreover, which transcripts are direct targets of this key post-transcriptional regulator is largely unknown. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with high-throughput DNA sequencing, with cells grown in the presence and absence of the RNA polymerase inhibitor rifampicin, we identify hundreds of nascent transcripts that RsmA associates with in P. aeruginosa. We also find that the RNA chaperone Hfq targets a subset of the RsmA-associated nascent transcripts and that the two RNA-binding proteins can exert regulatory effects on common targets. Our findings establish that RsmA associates with many transcripts as they are being synthesized in P. aeruginosa, identify the direct targets of RsmA, and suggest that RsmA and Hfq may act in a combinatorial fashion on certain target transcripts. More broadly, our data suggest that the binding of post-transcriptional regulators to nascent transcripts may be commonplace in bacteria where distinct regulators can function alone or in concert to achieve control over the translation of transcripts as soon as they emerge from RNA polymerase.
2020-04-20 | GSE138338 | GEO
Project description:In bacteria, RNA-binding proteins of the RsmA/CsrA family act as post-transcriptional regulators that modulate translation initiation at target transcripts. The Pseudomonas aeruginosa genome contains two phenazine biosynthetic (phz) gene clusters, phzA1-G1 (phz1) and phzA2-G2 (phz2), each of which is responsible for phenazine-1-carboxylic acid (PCA) biosynthesis. In the present study, we show that RsmA exhibits differential gene regulation on two phz clusters in P. aeruginosa M18 at the post-transcriptional level. Based on the sequence analysis, four GGA motifs, the potential RsmA binding sites, are found on the 5'-untranslated region (UTR) of the phz2 transcript. Studies with a series of lacZ reporter fusions, and gel mobility shift assays suggest that the third GGA motif (S3), located 21 nucleotides upstream of the Shine-Dalgarno (SD) sequence, is involved in direct RsmA-mediated activation of phz2 expression. We therefore propose a novel model in which the binding of RsmA to the target S3 results in the destabilization of the stem-loop structure and the enhancement of ribosome access. This model could be fully supported by RNA structure prediction, free energy calculations, and nucleotide replacement studies. In contrast, various RsmA-mediated translation repression mechanisms have been identified in which RsmA binds near the SD sequence of target transcripts, thereby blocking ribosome access. Similarly, RsmA is shown to negatively regulate phz1 expression. Our new findings suggest that the differential regulation exerted by RsmA on the two phz clusters may confer an advantage to P. aeruginosa over other pseudomonads containing only a single phz cluster in their genomes.
| S-EPMC3933668 | biostudies-literature
Project description:To appropriately switch between sessile and motile lifestyles, bacteria control expression of biofilm-associated genes through multiple regulatory elements. In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the post-transcriptional regulator RsmA has been implicated in the control of various genes including those related to biofilms, but much of the evidence for these links is limited to transcriptomic and phenotypic studies. RsmA binds to target mRNAs to modulate translation by affecting ribosomal access and/or mRNA stability. Here, we trace a global regulatory role of RsmA to inhibition of the expression of Vfr-a transcription factor that inhibits transcriptional regulator FleQ. FleQ directly controls biofilm-associated genes that encode the PEL polysaccharide biosynthesis machinery. Furthermore, we show that RsmA alone cannot bind vfr mRNA but requires the assistance of RNA chaperone protein Hfq. This is the first example where a RsmA protein family member requires another protein for binding to its target RNA.
| S-EPMC7705225 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Expression of cfcR, encoding the only GGDEF/EAL response regulator in Pseudomonas putida, is transcriptionally regulated by RpoS, ANR and FleQ, and the functionality of CfcR as a diguanylate cyclase requires the multisensor CHASE3/GAF hybrid histidine kinase named CfcA. Here an additional level of cfcR control, operating post-transcriptionally via the RNA-binding proteins RsmA, RsmE and RsmI, is unraveled. Specific binding of the three proteins to an Rsm-binding motif (5'CANGGANG3') encompassing the translational start codon of cfcR was confirmed. Although RsmA exhibited the highest binding affinity to the cfcR transcript, single deletions of rsmA, rsmE or rsmI caused minor derepression in CfcR translation compared to a ?rsmIEA triple mutant. RsmA also showed a negative impact on c-di-GMP levels in a double mutant ?rsmIE through the control of cfcR, which is responsible for most of the free c-di-GMP during stationary phase in static conditions. In addition, a CfcR-dependent c-di-GMP boost was observed during this stage in ?rsmIEA confirming the negative effect of Rsm proteins on CfcR translation and explaining the increased biofilm formation in this mutant compared to the wild type. Overall, these results suggest that CfcR is a key player in biofilm formation regulation by the Rsm proteins in P. putida.
| S-EPMC6849547 | biostudies-literature