Dataset Information

Translational control of small heat shock genes in mesophilic and thermophilic cyanobacteria by RNA thermometers.

ABSTRACT: Cyanobacteria constitute a heterogeneous phylum of oxygen-producing, photosynthetic prokaryotes. They are susceptible to various stress conditions like heat, salt, or light stress, all inducing the cyanobacterial heat shock response (HSR). Cyanobacterial small heat shock proteins (sHsps) are known to preserve thylakoid membrane integrity under stress conditions, thereby protecting the photosynthesis machinery. In Synechocystis sp PCC 6803, synthesis of the sHsp Hsp17 is regulated by an RNA thermometer (RNAT) in the 5'-untranslated region (5'-UTR) of the hsp17 mRNA. RNATs are direct temperature sensors that control expression of many bacterial heat shock and virulence genes. They hinder translation at low temperatures by base pairing, thus blocking ribosome access to the mRNA. To explore the temperature range in which RNATs act, we studied various RNAT candidates upstream of sHsp genes from mesophilic and thermophilic cyanobacteria. The mesophilic cyanobacteria Anabaena variabilis and Nostoc sp chromosomally encode two sHsps each. Reporter gene studies suggested RNAT-mediated post-transcriptional regulation of shsp expression in both organisms. Detailed structural analysis of the two A. variabilis candidates revealed two novel RNAT types. The first, avashort, regulates translation primarily by masking of the AUG translational start codon. The second, featuring an extended initial hairpin, thus named avalong, presumably makes use of complex tertiary interaction. The 5'-UTR of the small heat shock gene hspA in the thermophile Thermosynechococcus elongatus is predicted to adopt an extended secondary structure. Structure probing revealed that the ribosome binding site was blocked at temperatures below 55 °C. The results of this study demonstrate that cyanobacteria commonly use RNATs to control expression of their small heat shock genes.

SUBMITTER: Cimdins A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4152365 | biostudies-other | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Translational control of small heat shock genes in mesophilic and thermophilic cyanobacteria by RNA thermometers.

Cimdins Annika A Klinkert Birgit B Aschke-Sonnenborn Ursula U Kaiser Friederike M FM Kortmann Jens J Narberhaus Franz F

RNA biology 20140402 5

Cyanobacteria constitute a heterogeneous phylum of oxygen-producing, photosynthetic prokaryotes. They are susceptible to various stress conditions like heat, salt, or light stress, all inducing the cyanobacterial heat shock response (HSR). Cyanobacterial small heat shock proteins (sHsps) are known to preserve thylakoid membrane integrity under stress conditions, thereby protecting the photosynthesis machinery. In Synechocystis sp PCC 6803, synthesis of the sHsp Hsp17 is regulated by an RNA therm ...[more]

PMID: 24755616

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Project description:High-temperature stress is critical for all organisms and induces a profound cellular response. For Crenarchaeota, little information is available on how heat shock affects cellular processes and on how this response is regulated. We set out to study heat shock response in the thermoacidophilic model crenarchaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, which thrives in volcanic hot springs and has an optimal growth temperature of 75°C. Pulse-labeling experiments demonstrated that a temperature shift to 86°C induces a drastic reduction of the transcriptional and translational activity, but that RNA and protein neosynthesis still occurs. By combining RNA sequencing and mass spectrometry, an integrated mapping of the transcriptome and proteome was performed. This revealed that heat shock causes an immediate change in the gene expression profile, with RNA levels of half of the genes being affected, followed by a more subtle reprogramming of the protein landscape. Functional enrichment analysis indicated that nearly all cellular processes are affected by heat shock. A limited correlation was observed in the differential expression on the RNA and protein level, suggesting a prevalence of post-transcriptional and post-translational regulation. Furthermore, promoter sequence analysis of heat shock regulon genes demonstrated the conservation of strong transcription initiation elements for highly induced genes, but an absence of a conserved protein-binding motif. It is, therefore, hypothesized that histone-lacking archaea such as Sulfolobales use an evolutionarily ancient regulatory mechanism that relies on temperature-responsive changes in DNA organization and compaction induced by the action of nucleoid-associated proteins, as well as on enhanced recruitment of initiation factors. IMPORTANCE Heat shock response is the ability to respond adequately to sudden temperature increases that could be harmful for cellular survival and fitness. It is crucial for microorganisms living in volcanic hot springs that are characterized by high temperatures and large temperature fluctuations. In this study, we investigated how S. acidocaldarius, which grows optimally at 75°C, responds to heat shock by altering its gene expression and protein production processes. We shed light on which cellular processes are affected by heat shock and propose a hypothesis on underlying regulatory mechanisms. This work is not only relevant for the organism's lifestyle, but also with regard to its evolutionary status. Indeed, S. acidocaldarius belongs to the archaea, an ancient group of microbes that is more closely related to eukaryotes than to bacteria. Our study thus also contributes to a better understanding of the early evolution of heat shock response.

Project description:High-temperature stress is a critical environmental parameter for all organisms and induces a cellular heat shock response, characterized by an upregulation of heat shock proteins. For Crenarchaeota, it is unknown how this response is regulated, given the lack of conservation of known prokaryotic or eukaryotic heat shock-regulating transcription factors and how cellular processes are affected. To this end, we studied the heat shock response of the thermoacidophilic Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, thriving in volcanic hot springs at 75°C, upon shift to 86°C, at the transcriptome and proteome level. By pulse-labeling of neosynthesized RNA and proteins upon heat shock, we show a drastic reduction of the cell’s major transcriptional activity immediately after shift and neosynthesis of certain abundant (heat shock) proteins, including the thermosome. By combining RNA-sequencing and mass spectrometry, we show that RNA levels of half of the genes are affected immediately after temperature shift and that reprogramming of the protein landscape takes at least one hour and changes are more subtle. Correlation analysis provides evidence that considerable post-transcriptional and post-translational regulation is occurring upon heat shock. Functional enrichment analysis indicates that nearly all biological processes are affected by heat shock. An overall downregulation is observed for transcription, translation, DNA replication and cell division. However, quality control of translation and of the protein landscape is increased. Many DNA repair pathways are differentially expressed, accompanied with an increase in a DNA import system. Furthermore, expression of DNA topoisomerases is investigated, coinciding with a significant differential expression of nucleoid-associated proteins. Based on these findings and considering the absence of a conserved DNA-binding motif, we propose that regulation of the heat shock response in Sulfolobales is most likely not established by a classical transcription factor, but is rather caused by changes in chromosome organization or established at the post-transcriptional level.

Dataset Information

Translational control of small heat shock genes in mesophilic and thermophilic cyanobacteria by RNA thermometers.

Publications

Translational control of small heat shock genes in mesophilic and thermophilic cyanobacteria by RNA thermometers.

Similar Datasets

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