Control of type III protein secretion using a minimal genetic system.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Song M
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5436071 | biostudies-literature | 2017 May
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Control of type III protein secretion using a minimal genetic system.
Song Miryoung M Sukovich David J DJ Ciccarelli Luciano L Mayr Julia J Fernandez-Rodriguez Jesus J Mirsky Ethan A EA Tucker Alex C AC Gordon D Benjamin DB Marlovits Thomas C TC Voigt Christopher A CA
Nature communications 20170509
Gram-negative bacteria secrete proteins using a type III secretion system (T3SS), which functions as a needle-like molecular machine. The many proteins involved in T3SS construction are tightly regulated due to its role in pathogenesis and motility. Here, starting with the 35 kb Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 (SPI-1), we eliminated internal regulation and simplified the genetics by removing or recoding genes, scrambling gene order and replacing all non-coding DNA with synthetic genetic parts. ...[more]
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Project description:The type III secretion system (T3SS) encoded at the Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 (SPI-1) locus secretes protein directly from the cytosol to the culture media in a concerted, one-step process, bypassing the periplasm. While this approach is attractive for heterologous protein production, product titers are too low for many applications. In addition, the expression of the SPI-1 gene cluster is subject to native regulation, which requires culturing conditions that are not ideal for high-density growth. We used transcriptional control to increase the amount of protein that is secreted into the extracellular space by the T3SS of Salmonella enterica. The controlled expression of the gene encoding SPI-1 transcription factor HilA circumvents the requirement of endogenous induction conditions and allows for synthetic induction of the secretion system. This strategy increases the number of cells that express SPI-1 genes, as measured by promoter activity. In addition, protein secretion titer is sensitive to the time of addition and the concentration of inducer for the protein to be secreted and SPI-1 gene cluster. Overexpression of hilA increases secreted protein titer by >10-fold and enables recovery of up to 28±9 mg/liter of secreted protein from an 8-h culture. We also demonstrate that the protein beta-lactamase is able to adopt an active conformation after secretion, and the increase in secreted titer from hilA overexpression also correlates to increased enzyme activity in the culture supernatant.
| S-EPMC4178670 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The type III secretion system (TTSS) of gram-negative bacteria is responsible for delivering bacterial proteins, termed effectors, from the bacterial cytosol directly into the interior of host cells. The TTSS is expressed predominantly by pathogenic bacteria and is usually used to introduce deleterious effectors into host cells. While biochemical activities of effectors vary widely, the TTSS apparatus used to deliver these effectors is conserved and shows functional complementarity for secretion and translocation. This review focuses on proteins that constitute the TTSS apparatus and on mechanisms that guide effectors to the TTSS apparatus for transport. The TTSS apparatus includes predicted integral inner membrane proteins that are conserved widely across TTSSs and in the basal body of the bacterial flagellum. It also includes proteins that are specific to the TTSS and contribute to ring-like structures in the inner membrane and includes secretin family members that form ring-like structures in the outer membrane. Most prominently situated on these coaxial, membrane-embedded rings is a needle-like or pilus-like structure that is implicated as a conduit for effector translocation into host cells. A short region of mRNA sequence or protein sequence in effectors acts as a signal sequence, directing proteins for transport through the TTSS. Additionally, a number of effectors require the action of specific TTSS chaperones for efficient and physiologically meaningful translocation into host cells. Numerous models explaining how effectors are transported into host cells have been proposed, but understanding of this process is incomplete and this topic remains an active area of inquiry.
| S-EPMC539011 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Type-III secretion systems (T3SSs) of the bacterial flagellum and the evolutionarily related injectisome are capable of translocating proteins with a remarkable speed of several thousand amino acids per second. Here, we investigate how T3SSs are able to transport proteins at such a high rate while preventing the leakage of small molecules. Our mutational and evolutionary analyses demonstrate that an ensemble of conserved methionine residues at the cytoplasmic side of the T3SS channel create a deformable gasket (M-gasket) around fast-moving substrates undergoing export. The unique physicochemical features of the M-gasket are crucial to preserve the membrane barrier, to accommodate local conformational changes during active secretion, and to maintain stability of the secretion pore in cooperation with a plug domain (R-plug) and a network of salt-bridges. The conservation of the M-gasket, R-plug, and salt-bridge network suggests a universal mechanism by which the membrane integrity is maintained during high-speed protein translocation in all T3SSs.
| S-EPMC8239009 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundMany valuable biopharmaceutical and biotechnological proteins have been produced in Escherichia coli, however these proteins are almost exclusively localised in the cytoplasm or periplasm. This presents challenges for purification, i.e. the removal of contaminating cellular constituents. One solution is secretion directly into the surrounding media, which we achieved via the 'hijack' of the flagellar type III secretion system (FT3SS). Ordinarily flagellar subunits are exported through the centre of the growing flagellum, before assembly at the tip. However, we exploit the fact that in the absence of certain flagellar components (e.g. cap proteins), monomeric flagellar proteins are secreted into the supernatant.ResultsWe report the creation and iterative improvement of an E. coli strain, by means of a modified FT3SS and a modular plasmid system, for secretion of exemplar proteins. We show that removal of the flagellin and HAP proteins (FliC and FlgKL) resulted in an optimal prototype. We next developed a high-throughput enzymatic secretion assay based on cutinase. This indicated that removal of the flagellar motor proteins, motAB (to reduce metabolic burden) and protein degradation machinery, clpX (to boost FT3SS levels intracellularly), result in high capacity secretion. We also show that a secretion construct comprising the 5'UTR and first 47 amino acidsof FliC from E. coli (but no 3'UTR) achieved the highest levels of secretion. Upon combination, we show a 24-fold improvement in secretion of a heterologous (cutinase) enzyme over the original strain. This improved strain could export a range of pharmaceutically relevant heterologous proteins [hGH, TrxA, ScFv (CH2)], achieving secreted yields of up to 0.29 mg L-1, in low cell density culture.ConclusionsWe have engineered an E. coli which secretes a range of recombinant proteins, through the FT3SS, to the extracellular media. With further developments, including cell culture process strategies, we envision further improvement to the secreted titre of recombinant protein, with the potential application for protein production for biotechnological purposes.
| S-EPMC6337784 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Chlamydia trachomatis Scc4 (formerly CT663) engages the transcription machinery and the pathogenic type III secretion system (T3SS). Both machines are required for Chlamydia infection. These requirements and the limited ability for genetic manipulation in Chlamydia have hampered dissection of Scc4's contributions. Here, by developing bacterial systems that permit the controlled expression and stable maintenance of Scc4, we assess Scc4's effects on chlamydial growth phenotype, secretion, and the patterns of T3SS gene expression. Expressing Scc4 in Escherichia coli lacking a T3SS injectisome causes a growth defect. This deficiency is rescued by overexpressing the β-subunit of RNA polymerase (RNAP) or by exploiting sigma 70 (σ70) (homologous to chlamydial σ66) mutants that strengthen the interaction between σ70 region 4 and the β-flap, confirming Scc4's distinction as a module of RNAP holoenzyme capable of modulating transcription. Yersinia pestis expressing Scc4 sustains a functional T3SS, through which CopN secretion is boosted by cooption of Scc4 and Scc1. Finally, conditional expression of Scc4 in C. trachomatis results in fast expansion of the Chlamydia-containing vacuole and accelerated chlamydial development, coupled to selective up- or downregulation of gene expression from different T3SS genes. This work reveals, for the first time, the context-dependent action of Scc4 linking it to diverse protein networks in bacteria. It establishes that Scc4, when overexpressed, exerts incredible effects on chlamydial development by reinforcing control of the T3SS.IMPORTANCE The T3SS is a key virulence factor required for C. trachomatis infection. The control of the T3SS has not been well studied in this obligate intracellular pathogen. Here, we show that Scc4 plays a major role for precise control of the pathogenic T3SS at the levels of gene expression and effector secretion through genetically separable protein networks, allowing a fast adaptive mode of C. trachomatis development during infection in human epithelial cells.
| S-EPMC7348548 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The NAIP/NLRC4 inflammasomes activate caspase-1 in response to bacterial type III secretion systems (T3SSs). Inadvertent injection of the T3SS rod protein and flagellin into the cytosol is detected through murine NAIP2 and NAIP5/6, respectively. In this study, we identify the agonist for the orphan murine NAIP1 receptor as the T3SS needle protein. NAIP1 is poorly expressed in resting mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages; however, priming with polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid induces it and confers needle protein sensitivity. Further, overexpression of NAIP1 in immortalized bone marrow-derived macrophages by retroviral transduction enabled needle detection. In contrast, peritoneal cavity macrophages basally express NAIP1 and respond to needle protein robustly, independent of priming. Human macrophages are known to express only one NAIP gene, which detects the needle protein, but not rod or flagellin. Thus, murine NAIP1 is functionally analogous to human NAIP.
| S-EPMC3819181 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundProtein secretion in bacteria is an attractive strategy for heterologous protein production because it retains the high titers and tractability of bacterial hosts while simplifying downstream processing. Traditional intracellular production strategies require cell lysis and separation of the protein product from the chemically similar cellular contents, often a multi-step process that can include an expensive refolding step. The type III secretion system of Salmonella enterica Typhimurium transports proteins from the cytoplasm to the extracellular environment in a single step and is thus a promising solution for protein secretion in bacteria. Product titer is sensitive to extracellular environmental conditions, however, and T3SS regulation is integrated with essential cellular functions. Instead of attempting to untangle a complex web of regulatory input, we took an "outside-in" approach to elucidate the effect of growth medium components on secretion titer.ResultsWe dissected the individual and combined effects of carbon sources, buffers, and salts in a rich nutrient base on secretion titer. Carbon sources alone decreased secretion titer, secretion titer increased with salt concentration, and the combination of a carbon source, buffer, and high salt concentration had a synergistic effect on secretion titer. Transcriptional activity measured by flow cytometry showed that medium composition affected secretion system activity, and prolonged secretion system activation correlated strongly with increased secretion titer. We found that an optimal combination of glycerol, phosphate, and sodium chloride provided at least a fourfold increase in secretion titer for a variety of proteins. Further, the increase in secretion titer provided by the optimized medium was additive with strain enhancements.ConclusionsWe leveraged the sensitivity of the type III secretion system to the extracellular environment to increase heterologous protein secretion titer. Our results suggest that maximizing secretion titer via the type III secretion system is not as simple as maximizing secreted protein expression-one must also optimize secretion system activity. This work advances the type III secretion system as a platform for heterologous protein secretion in bacteria and will form a basis for future engineering efforts.
| S-EPMC7885374 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Although many members of the genus Vibrio are known to inhabit the marine photic zone, an understanding of the influence of light on the molecular physiology of Vibrio spp. has largely been neglected. To begin to characterize the photophysiology of one such Vibrio sp. (Vibrio campbellii ATCC strain BAA-1116) we used microarray-based expression profiling to compare the transcriptomes of illuminated versus dark cell cultures. Specficially, we compared the transcriptomes of wild type V. campbellii (STR) cells that were cultured in M9 minimal salts medium plus glucose under two conditions: (i) after 24 hours of continuous dark and (ii) after a 12 hour dark:12 hour light cycle (white light illumination at 54 M-BM-5mol photons s-1 m-2). The results revealed a large photostimulon (differential expression of ~20% of the V. campbellii genome; adjusted p value < 0.0001) that surprisingly included ~75% of the type III secretion system (T3SS) genes which were found to be 1.6 M-bM-^@M-^S 5.4X more abundant in illuminated cultures. These findings, which were confirmed by quantitative reverse transcription PCR and quantitative membrane proteomics, strongly suggest that the photostimulon of strain BAA-1116 includes the T3SS. Five biological replicates of V. campbellii BAA-1116 (STR) were grown to log phase (200 rpm, 30M-BM-0C, 25 mL M9 minimal salts medium plus glucose in 125 mL baffled Erlenmeyer flasks) under continuous dark for 24 hours or under a 12 hour dark:12 hour light cycle (white light illumination at 54 M-BM-5mol photons s-1 m-2) and total RNA was extracted from 1.0E+9 cells. Messenger RNA was isolated from the total RNA extracts treated with DNase, labeled with biotin, fragmented and hybridized to V. campbellii BAA-1116 whole genome microarrays (520694F, Affymetrix).
2012-10-09 | E-GEOD-35702 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Although many members of the genus Vibrio are known to inhabit the marine photic zone, an understanding of the influence of light on the molecular physiology of Vibrio spp. has largely been neglected. To begin to characterize the photophysiology of one such Vibrio sp. (Vibrio campbellii ATCC strain BAA-1116) we used microarray-based expression profiling to compare the transcriptomes of illuminated versus dark cell cultures. Specficially, we compared the transcriptomes of wild type V. campbellii (STR) cells that were cultured in M9 minimal salts medium plus glucose under two conditions: (i) after 24 hours of continuous dark and (ii) after a 12 hour dark:12 hour light cycle (white light illumination at 54 µmol photons s-1 m-2). The results revealed a large photostimulon (differential expression of ~20% of the V. campbellii genome; adjusted p value < 0.0001) that surprisingly included ~75% of the type III secretion system (T3SS) genes which were found to be 1.6 – 5.4X more abundant in illuminated cultures. These findings, which were confirmed by quantitative reverse transcription PCR and quantitative membrane proteomics, strongly suggest that the photostimulon of strain BAA-1116 includes the T3SS.
2012-10-09 | GSE35702 | GEO
Project description:UNLABELLED:The structure, assembly, and function of the bacterial flagellum involves about 60 different proteins, many of which are selectively secreted via a specific type III secretion system (T3SS) (J. Frye et al., J. Bacteriol. 188:2233-2243, 2006). The T3SS is reported to secrete proteins at rates of up to 10,000 amino acid residues per second. In this work, we showed that the flagellar T3SS of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium could be manipulated to export recombinant nonflagellar proteins through the flagellum and into the surrounding medium. We translationally fused various neuroactive peptides and proteins from snails, spiders, snakes, sea anemone, and bacteria to the flagellar secretion substrate FlgM. We found that all tested peptides of various sizes were secreted via the bacterial flagellar T3SS. We subsequently purified the recombinant ?-conotoxin SIIIA (rSIIIA) from Conus striatus by affinity chromatography and confirmed that T3SS-derived rSIIIA inhibited mammalian voltage-gated sodium channel Na(V)1.2 comparably to chemically synthesized SIIIA. IMPORTANCE:Manipulation of the flagellar secretion system bypasses the problems of inclusion body formation and cellular degradation that occur during conventional recombinant protein expression. This work serves as a proof of principle for the use of engineered bacterial cells for rapid purification of recombinant neuroactive peptides and proteins by exploiting secretion via the well-characterized flagellator type III secretion system.
| S-EPMC3372961 | biostudies-literature