Dataset Information

Regulation of stalk elongation by phosphate in Caulobacter crescentus.

ABSTRACT: In Caulobacter crescentus, stalk biosynthesis is regulated by cell cycle cues and by extracellular phosphate concentration. Phosphate-starved cells undergo dramatic stalk elongation to produce stalks as much as 30 times as long as those of cells growing in phosphate-rich medium. To identify genes involved in the control of stalk elongation, transposon mutants were isolated that exhibited a long-stalk phenotype irrespective of extracellular phosphate concentration. The disrupted genes were identified as homologues of the high-affinity phosphate transport genes pstSCAB of Escherichia coli. In E. coli, pst mutants have a constitutively expressed phosphate (Pho) regulon. To determine if stalk elongation is regulated by the Pho regulon, the Caulobacter phoB gene that encodes the transcriptional activator of the Pho regulon was cloned and mutated. While phoB was not required for stalk synthesis or for the cell cycle timing of stalk synthesis initiation, it was required for stalk elongation in response to phosphate starvation. Both pstS and phoB mutants were deficient in phosphate transport. When a phoB mutant was grown with limiting phosphate concentrations, stalks only increased in length by an average of 1.4-fold compared to the average 9-fold increase in stalk length of wild-type cells grown in the same medium. Thus, the phenotypes of phoB and pst mutants were opposite. phoB mutants were unable to elongate stalks during phosphate starvation, whereas pst mutants made long stalks in both high- and low-phosphate media. Analysis of double pst phoB mutants indicated that the long-stalk phenotype of pst mutants was dependent on phoB. In addition, analysis of a pstS-lacZ transcriptional fusion showed that pstS transcription is dependent on phoB. These results suggest that the signal transduction pathway that stimulates stalk elongation in response to phosphate starvation is mediated by the Pst proteins and the response regulator PhoB.

SUBMITTER: Gonin M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC94281 | biostudies-literature | 2000 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Regulation of stalk elongation by phosphate in Caulobacter crescentus.

Gonin M M Quardokus E M EM O'Donnol D D Maddock J J Brun Y V YV

Journal of bacteriology 20000101 2

In Caulobacter crescentus, stalk biosynthesis is regulated by cell cycle cues and by extracellular phosphate concentration. Phosphate-starved cells undergo dramatic stalk elongation to produce stalks as much as 30 times as long as those of cells growing in phosphate-rich medium. To identify genes involved in the control of stalk elongation, transposon mutants were isolated that exhibited a long-stalk phenotype irrespective of extracellular phosphate concentration. The disrupted genes were identi ...[more]

PMID: 10629178

Similar Datasets

Project description:Bacteria have a variety of mechanisms for adapting to environmental perturbations. Changes in oxygen availability result in a switch between aerobic and anaerobic respiration, whereas iron limitation may lead to siderophore secretion. In addition to metabolic adaptations, many organisms respond by altering their cell shape. Caulobacter crescentus, when grown under phosphate-limiting conditions, dramatically elongates its polar stalk appendage. The stalk is hypothesized to facilitate phosphate uptake; however, the mechanistic details of stalk synthesis are not well characterized. We used a chemical mutagenesis approach to isolate and characterize stalk-deficient mutants, one of which had two mutations in the phosphomannose isomerase gene (manA) that were necessary and sufficient to inhibit stalk elongation. Transcription of the pho regulon was unaffected in the manA mutant; therefore, ManA plays a unique regulatory role in stalk synthesis. The mutant ManA had reduced enzymatic activity, resulting in a 5-fold increase in the intracellular fructose 6-phosphate/mannose 6-phosphate ratio. This metabolic imbalance impaired the synthesis of cellular envelope components derived from mannose 6-phosphate, namely, lipopolysaccharide O-antigen and exopolysaccharide. Furthermore, the manA mutations prevented C. crescentus cells from efficiently entering stationary phase. Deletion of the stationary-phase response regulator gene spdR inhibited stalk elongation in wild-type cells, while overproduction of the alarmone ppGpp, which triggers growth arrest and stationary-phase entry, increased stalk length in the manA mutant strain. These results demonstrate that sugar-phosphate metabolism regulates stalk elongation independently of phosphate starvation.IMPORTANCE Metabolic control of bacterial cell shape is an important mechanism for adapting to environmental perturbations. Caulobacter crescentus dramatically elongates its polar stalk appendage in response to phosphate starvation. To investigate the mechanism of this morphological adaptation, we isolated stalk-deficient mutants, one of which had mutations in the phosphomannose isomerase gene (manA) that blocked stalk elongation, despite normal activation of the phosphate starvation response. The mutant ManA resulted in an imbalance in sugar-phosphate concentrations, which had effects on the synthesis of cellular envelope components and entry into stationary phase. Due to the interconnectivity of metabolic pathways, our findings may suggest more generally that the modulation of bacterial cell shape involves the regulation of growth phase and the synthesis of cellular building blocks.

Dataset Information

Regulation of stalk elongation by phosphate in Caulobacter crescentus.

Publications

Regulation of stalk elongation by phosphate in Caulobacter crescentus.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets