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A riboswitch gives rise to multi-generational phenotypic heterogeneity in an auxotrophic bacterium.

ABSTRACT: Auxotrophy, the inability to produce an organic compound essential for growth, is widespread among bacteria. Auxotrophic bacteria rely on transporters to acquire these compounds from their environment. Here, we study the expression of both low- and high-affinity transporters of the costly amino acid methionine in an auxotrophic lactic acid bacterium, Lactococcus lactis. We show that the high-affinity transporter (Met-transporter) is heterogeneously expressed at low methionine concentrations, resulting in two isogenic subpopulations that sequester methionine in different ways: one subpopulation primarily relies on the high-affinity transporter (high expression of the Met-transporter) and the other subpopulation primarily relies on the low-affinity transporter (low expression of the Met-transporter). The phenotypic heterogeneity is remarkably stable, inherited for tens of generations, and apparent at the colony level. This heterogeneity results from a T-box riboswitch in the promoter region of the met operon encoding the high-affinity Met-transporter. We hypothesize that T-box riboswitches, which are commonly found in the Lactobacillales, may play as-yet unexplored roles in the predominantly auxotrophic lifestyle of these bacteria.

SUBMITTER: Hernandez-Valdes JA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7058034 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A riboswitch gives rise to multi-generational phenotypic heterogeneity in an auxotrophic bacterium.

Hernandez-Valdes Jhonatan A JA van Gestel Jordi J Kuipers Oscar P OP

Nature communications 20200305 1

Auxotrophy, the inability to produce an organic compound essential for growth, is widespread among bacteria. Auxotrophic bacteria rely on transporters to acquire these compounds from their environment. Here, we study the expression of both low- and high-affinity transporters of the costly amino acid methionine in an auxotrophic lactic acid bacterium, Lactococcus lactis. We show that the high-affinity transporter (Met-transporter) is heterogeneously expressed at low methionine concentrations, res ...[more]

PMID: 32139702

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Project description:Severe liver diseases are characterized by expansion of liver progenitor cells (LPC), which correlates with disease severity. However, the origin and role of LPC in liver physiology and in hepatic injury remains a contentious topic. We found that ductular reaction cells in human cirrhotic livers express hepatocyte nuclear factor 1 homeobox B (HNF1?). However, HNF1? expression was not present in newly generated epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM)-positive hepatocytes. In order to investigate the role of HNF1?-expressing cells we used a tamoxifen-inducible Hnf1?CreER/R26R(Yfp/LacZ) mouse to lineage-trace Hnf1?(+) biliary duct cells and to assess their contribution to LPC expansion and hepatocyte generation. Lineage tracing demonstrated no contribution of HNF1?(+) cells to hepatocytes during liver homeostasis in healthy mice or after loss of liver mass. After acute acetaminophen or carbon tetrachloride injury no contribution of HNF1?(+) cells to hepatocyte was detected. We next assessed the contribution of Hnf1?(+) -derived cells following two liver injury models with LPC expansion, a diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydro-collidin (DDC)-diet and a choline-deficient ethionine-supplemented (CDE)-diet. The contribution of Hnf1?(+) cells to liver regeneration was dependent on the liver injury model. While no contribution was observed after DDC-diet treatment, mice fed with a CDE-diet showed a small population of hepatocytes derived from Hnf1?(+) cells that were expanded to 1.86% of total hepatocytes after injury recovery. Genome-wide expression profile of Hnf1?(+) -derived cells from the DDC and CDE models indicated that no contribution of LPC to hepatocytes was associated with LPC expression of genes related to telomere maintenance, inflammation, and chemokine signaling pathways.HNF1?(+) biliary duct cells are the origin of LPC. HNF1?(+) cells do not contribute to hepatocyte turnover in the healthy liver, but after certain liver injury, they can differentiate to hepatocytes contributing to liver regeneration.

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A riboswitch gives rise to multi-generational phenotypic heterogeneity in an auxotrophic bacterium.

Publications

A riboswitch gives rise to multi-generational phenotypic heterogeneity in an auxotrophic bacterium.

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