A bacterial histone binds DNA in an unorthodox fashion
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
ORGANISM(S): Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus Aquifex aeolicus
PROVIDER: GSE220534 | GEO | 2023/08/16
REPOSITORIES: GEO
Similar Datasets
Project description:Histones are the primary building blocks of chromatin in eukaryotes and many archaea. Bacteria are thought to rely on an orthogonal set of proteins to organize their chromosomes. Several bacterial genomes do, however, encode proteins with putative histone fold domains. Whether these proteins adopt a bona fide histone fold, assemble into higher order complexes that bind DNA, and play a central role in bacterial nucleoid physiology is not known. Here, we demonstrate that histones are major and essential building blocks of chromatin in the predatory bacterium Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus and the human pathogen Leptospira interrogans and likely important in several other bacterial clades. We determine the crystal structure of the B. bacteriovorus histone (Bd0055) dimer at 1.8Å resolution to reveal that histone fold topology, handshake dimer conformation, and the RD clamp motif are conserved between bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes. However, ostensibly minor differences, including a shorter α2 helix, a less structured α3 helix, and a more acidic surface on one side of the dimer lead to a radically divergent DNA binding mode: instead of wrapping around the outer surface of a multi-subunit histone complex, DNA forms straight fibers, encased by a sheath of tightly packed Bd0055 dimers. Our results demonstrate that bacterial histones have evolved an atypical mode of DNA binding to become integral components of chromatin in distant parts of the bacterial kingdom.
2023-08-21 | PXD039405 | Pride
Project description:We use MNase-Seq to elucidate primary chromatin architecture in an archaeon without histones, the acido-thermophilic archaeon Thermoplasma acidophilum. Like all members of the Thermoplasmatales, T. acidophilum harbours a HU family protein, HTa, that is highly expressed and protects - like histones but unlike well-characterized bacterial HU proteins – a sizeable fraction of the genome from MNase digestion. Comparing HTa-based chromatin architecture to that of three histone-encoding archaea, Methanothermus fervidus, Haloferax volcanii, and Thermococcus kodakkarensis, we present evidence that HTa is an archaeal histone analog. HTa-protected fragments are GC-rich, display histone-like mono- and dinucleotide patterns around the dyad, exhibit relatively invariant positioning throughout the growth cycle, and show archaeal histone-like oligomerization dynamics. Our results suggest that HTa, a DNA-binding protein of bacterial origin, has converged onto an architectural role filled by histones in other archaea.
2019-03-11 | GSE127726 | GEO
Project description:We use MNase-Seq to elucidate primary chromatin architecture in an archaeon without histones, the acido-thermophilic archaeon Thermoplasma acidophilum. Like all members of the Thermoplasmatales, T. acidophilum harbours a HU family protein, HTa, that is highly expressed and protects - like histones but unlike well-characterized bacterial HU proteins – a sizeable fraction of the genome from MNase digestion. Comparing HTa-based chromatin architecture to that of three histone-encoding archaea, Methanothermus fervidus, Haloferax volcanii, and Thermococcus kodakkarensis, we present evidence that HTa is an archaeal histone analog. HTa-protected fragments are GC-rich, display histone-like mono- and dinucleotide patterns around the dyad, exhibit relatively invariant positioning throughout the growth cycle, and show archaeal histone-like oligomerization dynamics. Our results suggest that HTa, a DNA-binding protein of bacterial origin, has converged onto an architectural role filled by histones in other archaea.
2019-03-11 | GSE127727 | GEO
Project description:This model is described in the article:
Kinetics of histone gene expression during early development of Xenopus laevis.
Koster JG, Destrée OH and Westerhoff HV. J Theor Biol.
1988 Nov 21;135(2):139-67. PMID: 3267765
Abstract:
Using literature data for transcriptional and translational rate constants, gene copy numbers, DNA concentrations, and stability constants, we have calculated the expected concentrations of histones and histone mRNA during embryogenesis of Xenopus laevis. The results led us to conclude that: (i) for X. laevis the gene copy number of the histone genes is too low to ensure the synthesis of sufficient histones during very early development, inheritance from the oocyte of either histone protein or histone mRNA (but not necessarily both) is necessary; (ii) from the known storage of histones in the oocyte and the rates of histone synthesis determined by Adamson and Woodland (1977), there would be sufficient histones to structure the newly synthesized DNA up to gastrulation but not thereafter (these empirical rates of histone synthesis may be underestimates); (iii) on the other hand, the amount of H3 mRNA recently observed during early embryogenesis (Koster, 1987, Koster et al., 1988) could direct a higher and sufficient synthesis of H3 protein, also after gastrulation. We present a quantitative model that accounts both for the observed H3 mRNA concentration as a function of time during embryogenesis and for the synthesis of sufficient histones to structure the DNA throughout early embryogenesis. The model suggests that X. laevis exhibits a major (i.e. some 14-fold) reduction in transcription of histone genes approximately 11 hours after fertilization. This reduction could be due to a decrease in the number of transcribed histone genes, a decreased rate constant of transcription with continued transcription of all the histone genes, and/or a reduction in the time during the cell cycle in which histone mRNA synthesis takes place. Alternatively, the histone mRNA stability might decrease approximately 16-fold 11 hours after fertilization.
This model originates from BioModels Database: A Database of Annotated Published Models. It is copyright (c) 2005-2011 The BioModels.net Team.
To the extent possible under law, all copyright and related or neighbouring rights to this encoded model have been dedicated to the public domain worldwide. Please refer to CC0 Public Domain Dedication
for more information.
In summary, you are entitled to use this encoded model in absolutely any manner you deem suitable, verbatim, or with modification, alone or embedded it in a larger context, redistribute it, commercially or not, in a restricted way or not..
To cite BioModels Database, please use: Li C, Donizelli M, Rodriguez N, Dharuri H, Endler L, Chelliah V, Li L, He E, Henry A, Stefan MI, Snoep JL, Hucka M, Le Novère N, Laibe C (2010) BioModels Database: An enhanced, curated and annotated resource for published quantitative kinetic models. BMC Syst Biol., 4:92.
2005-01-01 | MODEL5954483266 | BioModels
Project description:Histones are a principal constituent of chromatin in eukaryotes and fundamental to our understanding of eukaryotic gene regulation. In archaea, histones are phylogenetically widespread but not universal: several archaeal lineages have independently lost histone genes. What prompted or facilitated these losses and how archaea without histones organize their chromatin remains largely unknown. Here, we use micrococcal nuclease digestion of native and reconstituted chromatin to elucidate primary chromatin architecture in an archaeon without histones, the acido-thermophilic archaeon Thermoplasma acidophilum. We confirm and extend prior results showing that T. acidophilum harbours a HU family protein, HTa, that protects part of the genome from MNase digestion. Charting HTa-based chromatin architecture in vitro, in vivo and in an HTa-expressing E. coli strain, we present evidence that HTa is an archaeal histone analog. HTa-protected fragments are GC-rich, display histone-like mono- and dinucleotide patterns around a conspicuous dyad, exhibit relatively invariant positioning throughout the growth cycle, and show archaeal histone-like oligomerization behaviour. Our results suggest that HTa, a DNA-binding protein of bacterial origin, has converged onto an architectural role filled by histones in other archaea.
2019-10-08 | GSE138576 | GEO
Project description:Histone proteins have traditionally been thought to be restricted to eukaryotes and most archaea, with eukaryotic nucleosomal histones deriving from their archaeal ancestors. In contrast, bacteria lack histones as a rule. However, in recent years histone proteins have been identified in a few bacterial clades, in particular the phylum Bdellovibrionota, and these histones have been proposed to exhibit a range of divergent features compared to histones in archaea and eukaryotes. However, no experimental functional genomic studies of the properties of Bdellovibrionota chromatin have been carried out. In this work, we map the landscape of chromatin accessibility, active transcription and three-dimensional genome organization in a member of Bdellovibrionota (a Bacteriovorax strain). We find that Bacteriovorax chromatin is characterized by preferential accessibility around promoter regions, similar to what is observed in eukaryotes with compact genomes such as yeast, and also to some archaea. As in eukaryotes, chromatin accessibility positively correlates with gene expression. Mapping active transcription through single-strand DNA (ssDNA) profiling revealed that Bacteriovorax promoters exhibit very strong polymerase pausing, unlike in yeast, but similar to the state of mammalian and fly promoters. Finally, the Bacteriovorax genome exists in a three-dimensional (3D) conformation analogous to that of other bacteria without histones, organized by the parABS system and along the axis defined by replication origin and termination regions. These results provide a foundation for understanding the chromatin biology of the unique Bdellovibrionota bacteria and the deep evolution of chromatin organization across the tree of life.
2023-12-06 | GSE245010 | GEO
Project description:Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus 109J is a predatory bacterium which lives by predating on other Gram-negative bacteria to obtain the nutrients it needs for replication and survival. Here, we evaluated the effects a bacterial signaling molecule called diffusible signaling factor (DSF) have on B. bacteriovorus 109J transcriptomics.
2020-05-22 | GSE150985 | GEO
Project description:Since their discovery, archaea have not only proven a fascinating domain in their own right, but also helped us understand the evolution and function of molecular components they share with bacteria or eukaryotes. Archaeal histones are homologous to their eukaryotic counterparts, but operate in a less constrained bacterial-like cellular environment and their role in transcription and genome function remains obscure. In order to understand how archaeal histones affect transcriptional processes, we induced expression of the two histones from the archaeon Methanothermus fervidus in a naive bacterial system (E. coli) that has not evolved to integrate this kind of proteins. We show, using a series of MNase digestion experiments, that these histones bind the bacterial genome and wrap DNA in vivo in a pattern consistent with a previously proposed multimerisation model, in a similar pattern observed natively. We correlate genome-wide occupancy maps and gene expression profiles in different phases of growth to show that – although expression of archaeal histones triggers morphological changes in E. coli – there appears to only be an indirect effect on transcription. Since their discovery, archaea have not only proven a fascinating domain in their own right, but also helped us understand the evolution and function of molecular components they share with bacteria or eukaryotes. Archaeal histones are homologous to their eukaryotic counterparts, but operate in a less constrained bacterial-like cellular environment and their role in transcription and genome function remains obscure. In order to understand how archaeal histones affect transcriptional processes, we induced expression of the two histones from the archaeon Methanothermus fervidus in a naive bacterial system (E. coli) that has not evolved to integrate this kind of proteins. We show, using a series of MNase digestion experiments, that these histones bind the bacterial genome and wrap DNA in vivo in a pattern consistent with a previously proposed multimerisation model, in a similar pattern observed natively. We correlate genome-wide occupancy maps and gene expression profiles in different phases of growth to show that – although expression of archaeal histones triggers morphological changes in E. coli – there appears to only be an indirect effect on transcription.
2019-12-03 | GSE127679 | GEO
Project description:Since their discovery, archaea have not only proven a fascinating domain in their own right, but also helped us understand the evolution and function of molecular components they share with bacteria or eukaryotes. Archaeal histones are homologous to their eukaryotic counterparts, but operate in a less constrained bacterial-like cellular environment and their role in transcription and genome function remains obscure. In order to understand how archaeal histones affect transcriptional processes, we induced expression of the two histones from the archaeon Methanothermus fervidus in a naive bacterial system (E. coli) that has not evolved to integrate this kind of proteins. We show, using a series of MNase digestion experiments, that these histones bind the bacterial genome and wrap DNA in vivo in a pattern consistent with a previously proposed multimerisation model, in a similar pattern observed natively. We correlate genome-wide occupancy maps and gene expression profiles in different phases of growth to show that – although expression of archaeal histones triggers morphological changes in E. coli – there appears to only be an indirect effect on transcription. Since their discovery, archaea have not only proven a fascinating domain in their own right, but also helped us understand the evolution and function of molecular components they share with bacteria or eukaryotes. Archaeal histones are homologous to their eukaryotic counterparts, but operate in a less constrained bacterial-like cellular environment and their role in transcription and genome function remains obscure. In order to understand how archaeal histones affect transcriptional processes, we induced expression of the two histones from the archaeon Methanothermus fervidus in a naive bacterial system (E. coli) that has not evolved to integrate this kind of proteins. We show, using a series of MNase digestion experiments, that these histones bind the bacterial genome and wrap DNA in vivo in a pattern consistent with a previously proposed multimerisation model, in a similar pattern observed natively. We correlate genome-wide occupancy maps and gene expression profiles in different phases of growth to show that – although expression of archaeal histones triggers morphological changes in E. coli – there appears to only be an indirect effect on transcription.
2019-12-03 | GSE130799 | GEO
Project description:Since their discovery, archaea have not only proven a fascinating domain in their own right, but also helped us understand the evolution and function of molecular components they share with bacteria or eukaryotes. Archaeal histones are homologous to their eukaryotic counterparts, but operate in a less constrained bacterial-like cellular environment and their role in transcription and genome function remains obscure. In order to understand how archaeal histones affect transcriptional processes, we induced expression of the two histones from the archaeon Methanothermus fervidus in a naive bacterial system (E. coli) that has not evolved to integrate this kind of proteins. We show, using a series of MNase digestion experiments, that these histones bind the bacterial genome and wrap DNA in vivo in a pattern consistent with a previously proposed multimerisation model, in a similar pattern observed natively. We correlate genome-wide occupancy maps and gene expression profiles in different phases of growth to show that – although expression of archaeal histones triggers morphological changes in E. coli – there appears to only be an indirect effect on transcription. Since their discovery, archaea have not only proven a fascinating domain in their own right, but also helped us understand the evolution and function of molecular components they share with bacteria or eukaryotes. Archaeal histones are homologous to their eukaryotic counterparts, but operate in a less constrained bacterial-like cellular environment and their role in transcription and genome function remains obscure. In order to understand how archaeal histones affect transcriptional processes, we induced expression of the two histones from the archaeon Methanothermus fervidus in a naive bacterial system (E. coli) that has not evolved to integrate this kind of proteins. We show, using a series of MNase digestion experiments, that these histones bind the bacterial genome and wrap DNA in vivo in a pattern consistent with a previously proposed multimerisation model, in a similar pattern observed natively. We correlate genome-wide occupancy maps and gene expression profiles in different phases of growth to show that – although expression of archaeal histones triggers morphological changes in E. coli – there appears to only be an indirect effect on transcription.
2019-03-11 | GSE127678 | GEO