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Region 4 of Rhizobium etli Primary Sigma Factor (SigA) Confers Transcriptional Laxity in Escherichia coli.

ABSTRACT: Sigma factors are RNA polymerase subunits engaged in promoter recognition and DNA strand separation during transcription initiation in bacteria. Primary sigma factors are responsible for the expression of housekeeping genes and are essential for survival. RpoD, the primary sigma factor of Escherichia coli, a ?-proteobacteria, recognizes consensus promoter sequences highly similar to those of some ?-proteobacteria species. Despite this resemblance, RpoD is unable to sustain transcription from most of the ?-proteobacterial promoters tested so far. In contrast, we have found that SigA, the primary sigma factor of Rhizobium etli, an ?-proteobacteria, is able to transcribe E. coli promoters, although it exhibits only 48% identity (98% coverage) to RpoD. We have called this the transcriptional laxity phenomenon. Here, we show that SigA partially complements the thermo-sensitive deficiency of RpoD285 from E. coli strain UQ285 and that the SigA region ?4 is responsible for this phenotype. Sixteen out of 74 residues (21.6%) within region ?4 are variable between RpoD and SigA. Mutating these residues significantly improves SigA ability to complement E. coli UQ285. Only six of these residues fall into positions already known to interact with promoter DNA and to comprise a helix-turn-helix motif. The remaining variable positions are located on previously unexplored sites inside region ?4, specifically into the first two ?-helices of the region. Neither of the variable positions confined to these helices seem to interact directly with promoter sequence; instead, we adduce that these residues participate allosterically by contributing to correct region folding and/or positioning of the HTH motif. We propose that transcriptional laxity is a mechanism for ensuring transcription in spite of naturally occurring mutations from endogenous promoters and/or horizontally transferred DNA sequences, allowing survival and fast environmental adaptation of ?-proteobacteria.

SUBMITTER: Santillan O

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4943231 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Region 4 of Rhizobium etli Primary Sigma Factor (SigA) Confers Transcriptional Laxity in Escherichia coli.

Santillán Orlando O Ramírez-Romero Miguel A MA Lozano Luis L Checa Alberto A Encarnación Sergio M SM Dávila Guillermo G

Frontiers in microbiology 20160713

Sigma factors are RNA polymerase subunits engaged in promoter recognition and DNA strand separation during transcription initiation in bacteria. Primary sigma factors are responsible for the expression of housekeeping genes and are essential for survival. RpoD, the primary sigma factor of Escherichia coli, a γ-proteobacteria, recognizes consensus promoter sequences highly similar to those of some α-proteobacteria species. Despite this resemblance, RpoD is unable to sustain transcription from mos ...[more]

PMID: 27468278

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Project description:Recently, Rhizobium etli, in addition to Agrobacterium spp., has emerged as a prokaryotic species whose genome encodes a functional machinery for DNA transfer to plant cells. To understand this R. etli-mediated genetic transformation, it would be useful to define how its vir genes respond to the host plants. Here, we explored the transcriptional activation of the vir genes contained on the R. etli p42a plasmid. Using a reporter construct harboring lacZ under the control of the R. etli virE promoter, we show that the signal phenolic molecule acetosyringone (AS) induces R. etli vir gene expression both in an R. etli background and in an Agrobacterium tumefaciens background. Furthermore, in both bacterial backgrounds, the p42a plasmid also promoted plant genetic transformation with a reporter transfer DNA (T-DNA). Importantly, the R. etli vir genes were transcriptionally activated by AS in a bacterial species-specific fashion in regard to the VirA/VirG signal sensor system, and this activation was induced by signals from the natural host species of this bacterium but not from nonhost plants. The early kinetics of transcriptional activation of the major vir genes of R. etli also revealed several features distinct from those known for A. tumefaciens: the expression of the virG gene reached saturation relatively quickly, and virB2, which in R. etli is located outside the virB operon, was expressed only at low levels and did not respond to AS. These differences in vir gene transcription may contribute to the lower efficiency of T-DNA transfer of R. etli p42a than of T-DNA transfer of pTiC58 of A. tumefaciensIMPORTANCE The region encoding homologs of Agrobacterium tumefaciens virulence genes in the Rhizobium etli CE3 p42a plasmid was the first endogenous virulence system encoded by the genome of a non-Agrobacterium species demonstrated to be functional in DNA transfer and stable integration into the plant cell genome. In this study, we explored the transcriptional regulation and induction of virulence genes in R. etli and show similarities to and differences from those of their A. tumefaciens counterparts, contributing to an understanding and a comparison of these two systems. Whereas most vir genes in R. etli follow an induction pattern similar to that of A. tumefaciens vir genes, a few significant differences may at least in part explain the variations in T-DNA transfer efficiency.

Project description:A core component of the α-proteobacterial general stress response is the extracytoplasmic function (ECF) sigma factor EcfG, exclusively present in this taxonomic class. Half of the completed α-proteobacterial genome sequences contain two or more copies of genes encoding σEcfG-like sigma factors, with the primary copy typically located adjacent to genes coding for a cognate anti-sigma factor (NepR) and two-component response regulator (PhyR). So far, the widespread occurrence of additional, non-canonical σEcfG copies has not satisfactorily been explained. This work explores the hierarchical relation between Rhizobium etli σEcfG1 and σEcfG2, canonical and non-canonical σEcfG proteins, respectively. Contrary to reports in other species, we find that σEcfG1 and σEcfG2 act in parallel, as nodes of a complex regulatory network, rather than in series, as elements of a linear regulatory cascade. We demonstrate that both sigma factors control unique yet also shared target genes, corroborating phenotypic evidence. σEcfG1 drives expression of rpoH2, explaining the increased heat sensitivity of an ecfG1 mutant, while katG is under control of σEcfG2, accounting for reduced oxidative stress resistance of an ecfG2 mutant. We also identify non-coding RNA genes as novel σEcfG targets. We propose a modified model for general stress response regulation in R. etli, in which σEcfG1 and σEcfG2 function largely independently. Based on a phylogenetic analysis and considering the prevalence of α-proteobacterial genomes with multiple σEcfG copies, this model may also be applicable to numerous other species. In this study, we investigate to which degree R. etli EcfG1 and EcfG2 regulation is interdependent. Furthermore, we demonstrate that both sigma factors control distinct regulons and pinpoint unique EcfG2 target genes. We also identify non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) as novel targets of EcfG1 and EcfG2 and show that expression of at least one of these ncRNAs is under direct EcfG control. The presence of ncRNAs in the regulon of an EcfG type sigma factor has not been described previously and adds an extra level of complexity to the regulation of the general stress response in Alpha-proteobacteria. Moreover, considering the widespread existence of Alpha-proteobacterial genomes with multiple EcfG copies, the here presented results not only lead to a better understanding of the general stress response in R. etli, but also contribute to a conceptual paradigm for general stress response regulation by multiple EcfG proteins in Alpha-proteobacteria.

Dataset Information

Region 4 of Rhizobium etli Primary Sigma Factor (SigA) Confers Transcriptional Laxity in Escherichia coli.

Publications

Region 4 of Rhizobium etli Primary Sigma Factor (SigA) Confers Transcriptional Laxity in Escherichia coli.

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