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A synonymous mutation in Yersinia enterocolitica yopE affects the function of the YopE type III secretion signal.

ABSTRACT: Yersinia spp. inject virulence proteins called Yops into the cytosol of target eukaryotic cells in an effort to evade phagocytic killing via a dedicated protein-sorting pathway termed type III secretion. Previous studies have proposed that, unlike other protein translocation mechanisms, Yops are not recognized as substrates for secretion via a solely proteinaceous signal. Rather, at least some of this information may be encoded within yop mRNA. Herein, we report that the first seven codons of yopE, when fused to the reporter protein neomycin phosphotransferase (Npt), are sufficient for the secretion of YopE1-7-Npt when type III secretion is induced in vitro. Systematic mutagenesis of yopE codons 1 to 7 reveals that, like yopQ, codons 2, 3, 5, and 7 are sensitive to mutagenesis, thereby defining the first empirical similarity between the secretion signals of two type III secreted substrates. Like that of yopQ, the secretion signal of yopE exhibits a bipartite nature. This is manifested by the ability of codons 8 to 15 to suppress point mutations in the minimal secretion signal that change the amino acid specificities of particular codons or that induce alterations in the reading frame. Further, we have identified a single nucleotide position in codon 3 that, when mutated, conserves the predicted amino acid sequence of the YopE1-7-Npt but abrogates secretion of the reporter protein. When introduced into the context of the full-length yopE gene, the single-nucleotide mutation reduces the type III injection of YopE into HeLa cells, even though the predicted amino acid sequence remains the same. Thus, yopE mRNA appears to encode a property that mediates the type III injection of YopE.

SUBMITTER: Ramamurthi KS

PROVIDER: S-EPMC543546 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A synonymous mutation in Yersinia enterocolitica yopE affects the function of the YopE type III secretion signal.

Ramamurthi Kumaran S KS Schneewind Olaf O

Journal of bacteriology 20050101 2

Yersinia spp. inject virulence proteins called Yops into the cytosol of target eukaryotic cells in an effort to evade phagocytic killing via a dedicated protein-sorting pathway termed type III secretion. Previous studies have proposed that, unlike other protein translocation mechanisms, Yops are not recognized as substrates for secretion via a solely proteinaceous signal. Rather, at least some of this information may be encoded within yop mRNA. Herein, we report that the first seven codons of yo ...[more]

PMID: 15629941

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Project description:Pathogenic Yersinia spp. secrete Yop proteins via the type III pathway. yopQ codons 1 to 15 were identified as a signal necessary and sufficient for the secretion of a fused reporter protein. Frameshift mutations that alter codons 2 to 15 with little alteration of yopQ mRNA sequence do not abolish type III transport, suggesting a model in which yopQ mRNA may provide a signal for secretion (D. M. Anderson and O. Schneewind, Mol. Microbiol. 31:1139-1148, 2001). In a recent study, the yopE signal was truncated to codons 1 to 12. All frameshift mutations introduced within the first 12 codons of yopE abolished secretion. Also, multiple synonymous mutations that changed the mRNA sequence of yopE codons 1 to 12 without altering the amino acid sequence did not affect secretion. These results favor a model whereby an N-terminal signal peptide initiates YopE into the type III pathway (S. A. Lloyd et al., Mol. Microbiol. 39:520-531, 2001). It is reported here that codons 1 to 10 of yopQ act as a minimal secretion signal. Further truncation of yopQ, either at codon 10 or at codon 2, abolished secretion. Replacement of yopQ AUG with either of two other start codons, UUG or GUG, did not affect secretion. However, replacement of AUG with CUG or AAA and initiating translation at the fusion site with npt did not permit Npt secretion, suggesting that the translation of yopQ codons 1 to 15 is a prerequisite for secretion. Frameshift mutations of yopQ codons 1 to 10, 1 to 11, and 1 to 12 abolished secretion signaling, whereas frameshift mutations of yopQ codons 1 to 13, 1 to 14, and 1 to 15 did not. Codon changes at yopQ positions 2 and 10 affected secretion signaling when placed within the first 10 codons but had no effect when positioned in the larger fusion of yopQ codons 1 to 15. An mRNA mutant of yopQ codons 1 to 10, generated by a combination of nine synonymous mutations, was defective in secretion signaling, suggesting that the YopQ secretion signal is not proteinaceous. A model is discussed whereby the initiation of YopQ polypeptide into the type III pathway is controlled by properties of yopQ mRNA.

Project description:During infection, Yersinia enterocolitica exports Yop proteins via a type III secretion pathway. Secretion is activated when the environmental concentration of calcium ions is below 100 microM (low-calcium response). Yersiniae lacking yopN (lcrE), yscB, sycN, or tyeA do not inactivate the type III pathway even when the concentration of calcium is above 100 microM (calcium-blind phenotype). Purified YscB and SycN proteins form cytoplasmic complexes that bind a region including amino acids 16 to 100 of YopN, whereas TyeA binds YopN residues 101 to 294. Translational fusion of yopN gene sequences to the 5' end of the npt reporter generates hybrid proteins that are transported by the type III pathway. The signal necessary and sufficient for the type III secretion of hybrid proteins is located within the first 15 codons of yopN. Expression of plasmid-borne yopN, but not of yopN(1-294)-npt, complements the calcium-blind phenotype of yopN mutants. Surprisingly, yopN mutants respond to environmental changes in calcium concentration and secrete YopN(1-294)-Npt in the absence but not in the presence of calcium. tyeA is required for the low-calcium regulation of YopN(1-294)-Npt secretion, whereas sycN and yscB mutants fail to secrete YopN(1-294)-Npt in the presence of calcium. Experiments with yopN-npt fusions identified two other signals that regulate the secretion of YopN. yopN codons 16 to 100 prevent the entry of YopN into the type III pathway, a negative regulatory effect that is overcome by expression of yscB and sycN. The portion of YopN encoded by codons 101 to 294 prevents transport of the polypeptide across the bacterial double membrane envelope in the presence of functional tyeA. These data support a model whereby YopN transport may serve as a regulatory mechanism for the activity of the type III pathway. YscB/SycN binding facilitates the initiation of YopN into the type III pathway, whereas TyeA binding prevents transport of the polypeptide across the bacterial envelope. Changes in the environmental calcium concentration relieve the TyeA-mediated regulation, triggering YopN transport and activating the type III pathway.

Project description:UnlabelledSecretins are multimeric outer membrane pore-forming proteins found in complex export systems in Gram-negative bacteria. All type III secretion systems (T3SSs) have a secretin, and one of these is the YsaC secretin of the chromosomally encoded Ysa T3SS of Yersinia enterocolitica. In some cases, pilotin proteins, which are outer membrane lipoproteins, are required for their cognate secretins to multimerize and/or localize to the outer membrane. However, if secretin multimers mislocalize to the inner membrane, this can trigger the protective phage shock protein (Psp) stress response. During a screen for mutations that suppress YsaC toxicity to a psp null strain, we isolated several independent mutations predicted to increase expression of the YE3559 gene within the Ysa pathogenicity island. YE3559, which we have named ysaP, is predicted to encode a small outer membrane lipoprotein, and this location was confirmed by membrane fractionation. Elevated ysaP expression increased the steady-state level of YsaC but made it less toxic to a psp null strain, and it also decreased YsaC-dependent induction of psp gene expression. Subsequent experiments showed that YsaP was not required for YsaC multimerization but was required for the multimers to localize to the outer membrane. Consistent with this, a ysaP null mutation compromised protein export by the Ysa T3SS. All these observations suggest that YsaP is the pilotin for the YsaC secretin. This is only the second pilotin to be characterized for Yersinia and one of only a small number of pilotins described for all bacteria.ImportanceSecretins are essential for the virulence of many bacterial pathogens and also play roles in surface attachment, motility, and competence. This has generated considerable interest in understanding how secretins function. However, their fundamental differences from typical outer membrane proteins have raised various questions about secretins, including how they are assembled into outer membrane multimers. Pilotin proteins facilitate the assembly of some secretins, but only a small number of pilotins have been identified, slowing efforts to understand common and distinct features of secretin assembly. This study provides an important advance by identifying a novel member of the pilotin family and also demonstrating a method of pilotin discovery that could be broadly applied.

Dataset Information

A synonymous mutation in Yersinia enterocolitica yopE affects the function of the YopE type III secretion signal.

Publications

A synonymous mutation in Yersinia enterocolitica yopE affects the function of the YopE type III secretion signal.

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