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Topological analysis of the Escherichia coli WcaJ protein reveals a new conserved configuration for the polyisoprenyl-phosphate hexose-1-phosphate transferase family.

ABSTRACT: WcaJ is an Escherichia coli membrane enzyme catalysing the biosynthesis of undecaprenyl-diphosphate-glucose, the first step in the assembly of colanic acid exopolysaccharide. WcaJ belongs to a large family of polyisoprenyl-phosphate hexose-1-phosphate transferases (PHPTs) sharing a similar predicted topology consisting of an N-terminal domain containing four transmembrane helices (TMHs), a large central periplasmic loop, and a C-terminal domain containing the fifth TMH (TMH-V) and a cytosolic tail. However, the topology of PHPTs has not been experimentally validated. Here, we investigated the topology of WcaJ using a combination of LacZ/PhoA reporter fusions and sulfhydryl labelling by PEGylation of novel cysteine residues introduced into a cysteine-less WcaJ. The results showed that the large central loop and the C-terminal tail both reside in the cytoplasm and are separated by TMH-V, which does not fully span the membrane, likely forming a "hairpin" structure. Modelling of TMH-V revealed that a highly conserved proline might contribute to a helix-break-helix structure in all PHPT members. Bioinformatic analyses show that all of these features are conserved in PHPT homologues from Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Our data demonstrate a novel topological configuration for PHPTs, which is proposed as a signature for all members of this enzyme family.

SUBMITTER: Furlong SE

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4361858 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Topological analysis of the Escherichia coli WcaJ protein reveals a new conserved configuration for the polyisoprenyl-phosphate hexose-1-phosphate transferase family.

Furlong Sarah E SE Ford Amy A Albarnez-Rodriguez Lorena L Valvano Miguel A MA

Scientific reports 20150317

WcaJ is an Escherichia coli membrane enzyme catalysing the biosynthesis of undecaprenyl-diphosphate-glucose, the first step in the assembly of colanic acid exopolysaccharide. WcaJ belongs to a large family of polyisoprenyl-phosphate hexose-1-phosphate transferases (PHPTs) sharing a similar predicted topology consisting of an N-terminal domain containing four transmembrane helices (TMHs), a large central periplasmic loop, and a C-terminal domain containing the fifth TMH (TMH-V) and a cytosolic ta ...[more]

PMID: 25776537

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Project description:Escherichia coli YggS (COG0325) is a member of the highly conserved pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP)-binding protein (PLPBP) family. Recent studies suggested a role for this protein family in the homeostasis of vitamin B6 and amino acids. The deletion or mutation of a member of this protein family causes pleiotropic effects in many organisms and is causative of vitamin B6-dependent epilepsy in humans. To date, little has been known about the mechanism by which lack of YggS results in these diverse phenotypes. In this study, we determined that the pyridoxine (PN) sensitivity observed in yggS-deficient E. coli was caused by the pyridoxine 5'-phosphate (PNP)-dependent overproduction of Val, which is toxic to E. coli The data suggest that the yggS mutation impacts Val accumulation by perturbing the biosynthetic of Thr from homoserine (Hse). Exogenous Hse inhibited the growth of the yggS mutant, caused further accumulation of PNP, and increased the levels of some intermediates in the Thr-Ile-Val metabolic pathways. Blocking the Thr biosynthetic pathway or decreasing the intracellular PNP levels abolished the perturbations of amino acid metabolism caused by the exogenous PN and Hse. Our data showed that a high concentration of intracellular PNP is the root cause of at least some of the pleiotropic phenotypes described for a yggS mutant of E. coliIMPORTANCE Recent studies showed that deletion or mutation of members of the YggS protein family causes pleiotropic effects in many organisms. Little is known about the causes, mechanisms, and consequences of these diverse phenotypes. It was previously shown that yggS mutations in E. coli result in the accumulation of PNP and some metabolites in the Ile/Val biosynthetic pathway. This work revealed that some exogenous stresses increase the aberrant accumulation of PNP in the yggS mutant. In addition, the current report provides evidence indicating that some, but not all, of the phenotypes of the yggS mutant in E. coli are due to the elevated PNP level. These results will contribute to continuing efforts to determine the molecular functions of the members of the YggS protein family.

Dataset Information

Topological analysis of the Escherichia coli WcaJ protein reveals a new conserved configuration for the polyisoprenyl-phosphate hexose-1-phosphate transferase family.

Publications

Topological analysis of the Escherichia coli WcaJ protein reveals a new conserved configuration for the polyisoprenyl-phosphate hexose-1-phosphate transferase family.

Similar Datasets

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