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Biophysical characterization of Chlamydia trachomatis CT584 supports its potential role as a type III secretion needle tip protein.

ABSTRACT: Chlamydia are obligate intracellular bacterial pathogens that cause a variety of diseases. Like many Gram-negative bacteria, they employ type III secretion systems (T3SS) for invasion, establishing and maintaining their unique intracellular niche, and possibly cellular exit. Computational structure prediction indicated that ORF CT584 is homologous to other T3SS needle tip proteins. Tip proteins have been shown to be localized to the extracellular end of the T3SS needle and play a key role in controlling secretion of effector proteins. We have previously demonstrated that T3SS needle tip proteins from different bacteria share many biophysical characteristics. To support the hypothesis that CT584 is a T3SS needle tip protein, biophysical properties of CT584 were explored as a function of pH and temperature, using spectroscopic techniques. Far-UV circular dichroism, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, UV absorbance spectroscopy, ANS extrinsic fluorescence, turbidity, right angle static light scattering, and analytical ultracentrifugation were all employed to monitor the secondary, tertiary, quaternary, and aggregation behavior of this protein. An empirical phase diagram approach is also employed to facilitate such comparisons. These analyses demonstrate that CT584 shares many biophysical characteristics with other T3SS needle tip proteins. These data support the hypothesis that CT584 is a member of the same functional family, although future biologic analyses are required.

SUBMITTER: Markham AP

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4285778 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Biophysical characterization of Chlamydia trachomatis CT584 supports its potential role as a type III secretion needle tip protein.

Markham Aaron P AP Jaafar Zane A ZA Kemege Kyle E KE Middaugh C Russell CR Hefty P Scott PS

Biochemistry 20091101 43

Chlamydia are obligate intracellular bacterial pathogens that cause a variety of diseases. Like many Gram-negative bacteria, they employ type III secretion systems (T3SS) for invasion, establishing and maintaining their unique intracellular niche, and possibly cellular exit. Computational structure prediction indicated that ORF CT584 is homologous to other T3SS needle tip proteins. Tip proteins have been shown to be localized to the extracellular end of the T3SS needle and play a key role in con ...[more]

PMID: 19769366

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Project description:UnlabelledThe Scc4 protein (CT663) of the pathogenic bacterium Chlamydia has been described as a type III secretion (T3S) chaperone as well as an inhibitor of RNA polymerase. To examine if these roles are connected, we first investigated physical interactions between Chlamydia trachomatis Scc4 and the T3S chaperone Scc1 and a T3S substrate, CopN. In a yeast 3-hybrid assay, Scc4, Scc1, and CopN were all required to detect an interaction, which suggests that these proteins form a trimolecular complex. We also detected interactions between any two of these three T3S proteins in a pulldown assay using only recombinant proteins. We next determined whether these interactions affected the function of Scc4 as an inhibitor of RNA transcription. Using Escherichia coli as a heterologous in vivo system, we demonstrated that expression of C. trachomatis Scc4 led to a drastic decrease in transcript levels for multiple genes. However, coexpression of Scc4 with Scc1, CopN, or both alleviated Scc4-mediated inhibition of transcription. Scc4 expression also severely impaired E. coli growth, but this growth defect was reversed by coexpression of Scc4 with Scc1, CopN, or both, suggesting that the inhibitory effect of Scc4 on transcription and growth can be antagonized by interactions between Scc4, Scc1, and CopN. These findings suggest that the dual functions of Scc4 may serve as a bridge to link T3S and the regulation of gene expression in Chlamydia.ImportanceThis study investigates a novel mechanism for regulating gene expression in the pathogenic bacterium Chlamydia. The Chlamydia type III secretion (T3S) chaperone Scc4 has been shown to inhibit transcription by RNA polymerase. This study describes physical interactions between Scc4 and the T3S proteins Scc1 and CopN. Furthermore, Chlamydia Scc1 and CopN antagonized the inhibitory effects of Scc4 on transcription and growth in a heterologous Escherichia coli system. These results provide evidence that transcription in Chlamydia can be regulated by the T3S system through interactions between T3S proteins.

Dataset Information

Biophysical characterization of Chlamydia trachomatis CT584 supports its potential role as a type III secretion needle tip protein.

Publications

Biophysical characterization of Chlamydia trachomatis CT584 supports its potential role as a type III secretion needle tip protein.

Similar Datasets

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