Project description:To investigate the R. sphaeroides NtrYX two component system on RNA transcript levels, we used global RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to compare transcript abundance in parent and DntrYX strains grown under aerobic conditions. Our previous studies were performed in strains deficient at synthesizing the polyhydroxybutyrate, so we used strains D0382 and DNtrYXD0382, herein referred to as parent and DntrYX, respectively. We also used ChIP-seq to identify NtrX binding sites throughout the genome.
Project description:When the cell envelope integrity is compromised, bacteria trigger signaling cascades that result in the production of proteins that counteract these extracytoplasmic stresses. Here, we show that the two-component system EsrSR regulates a cell envelope stress response in the Actinobacterium Corynebacterium glutamicum. The sensor kinase EsrS possesses an amino-terminal phage shock protein C (PspC) domain, a property that sets EsrSR apart from all other two-component systems characterized so far. An integral membrane protein, EsrI, whose gene is divergently transcribed to the esrSR gene locus and which interestingly also possesses a PspC domain, acts as an inhibitor of EsrSR under non-stress conditions. The EsrISR three-component system is activated among others by antibiotics inhibiting the lipid II cycle, such as bacitracin and vancomycin, and it orchestrates a broad regulon including the esrI-esrSR gene locus itself, genes encoding heat shock proteins, ABC transporters, and several putative membrane-associated or secreted proteins of unknown function. Among those, the ABC transporter encoded by cg3322-3320 was shown to be directly involved in bacitracin resistance of C. glutamicum. Since similar esrI-esrSR loci are present in a large number of actinobacterial genomes, EsrISR represents a novel type of stress-responsive systems whose components are highly conserved in the phylum Actinobacteria.
Project description:S. aureus possesses 16 two-component systems (TCS), two of which (GraRS & NsaRS) belong to the intramembrane-sensing histidine kinase (IM-HK) family, conserved within the firmicutes. NsaRS has recently been documented as being important for nisin-resistance in S. aureus. In this study we present a detailed characterization of NsaRS and reveal that, as with other IM-HK TCS, it responds to disruptions in cell-wall stability. Analysis using a lacZ reporter-gene fusion demonstrated that nsaRS expression is upregulated by a variety of cell-wall damaging antibiotics, including Phosphomycin, Ampicillin, Nisin and Penicillin G. Additionally; we reveal that NsaRS regulates a downstream transporter, NsaAB, during nisin-induced stress. NsaS mutants also display a 200-fold decreased ability to develop resistance to the cell-wall targetting antibiotic bacitracin. Microarray analysis reveals the transcription of 245 genes is altered in a nsaS mutant, with the vast majority down-regulated. Included within this list are genes involved in transport, drug-resistance, cell-envelope synthesis, transcriptional regulation, amino acid metabolism and virulence. Using ICP-MS we observed a decrease in intracellular divalent metal ions in an nsaS mutant when grown under low affinity conditions. Characterization of cells using electron microscopy reveals that nsaS mutants have alterations in both cell-wall and cell-envelope structure. Finally, a variety of virulence related phenotypes are impaired in nsaS mutants, including biofilm formation, resistance to killing by human macrophages and survival in whole human blood. Thus NsaRS is important in sensing cell-wall instability in S. aureus, and functions to reprogram gene expression to modify cell-envelope architecture, facilitating adaptation and survival.
Project description:S. aureus possesses 16 two-component systems (TCS), two of which (GraRS & NsaRS) belong to the intramembrane-sensing histidine kinase (IM-HK) family, conserved within the firmicutes. NsaRS has recently been documented as being important for nisin-resistance in S. aureus. In this study we present a detailed characterization of NsaRS and reveal that, as with other IM-HK TCS, it responds to disruptions in cell-wall stability. Analysis using a lacZ reporter-gene fusion demonstrated that nsaRS expression is upregulated by a variety of cell-wall damaging antibiotics, including Phosphomycin, Ampicillin, Nisin and Penicillin G. Additionally; we reveal that NsaRS regulates a downstream transporter, NsaAB, during nisin-induced stress. NsaS mutants also display a 200-fold decreased ability to develop resistance to the cell-wall targetting antibiotic bacitracin. Microarray analysis reveals the transcription of 245 genes is altered in a nsaS mutant, with the vast majority down-regulated. Included within this list are genes involved in transport, drug-resistance, cell-envelope synthesis, transcriptional regulation, amino acid metabolism and virulence. Using ICP-MS we observed a decrease in intracellular divalent metal ions in an nsaS mutant when grown under low affinity conditions. Characterization of cells using electron microscopy reveals that nsaS mutants have alterations in both cell-wall and cell-envelope structure. Finally, a variety of virulence related phenotypes are impaired in nsaS mutants, including biofilm formation, resistance to killing by human macrophages and survival in whole human blood. Thus NsaRS is important in sensing cell-wall instability in S. aureus, and functions to reprogram gene expression to modify cell-envelope architecture, facilitating adaptation and survival. We did four hybridizations for this experiment, including a biological replicate and a dye-swap experiment for each replicate to account for dye-bias. Spots flagged as empty or bad were excluded and the raw data from each slide was normalized using LOWESS method, with background correction. The data from the replicates were combined (using the median value) and a one-sample t-test was performed. The volcano plot was used with a fold change cut-off of >= 2 and a p-value of <0.05, to filter the genes that were differentially expressed.
Project description:Activity of the NtrYX two-component system has been associated with important processes in diverse bacteria, ranging from symbiosis to nitrogen and energy metabolism. In the facultative alphaproteobacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides, loss of the two-component system NtrYX results in increased lipid production and sensitivity to some known cell envelope-active compounds. In this study, we show that NtrYX directly controls multiple properties of the cell envelope. We find that the response regulator NtrX binds upstream of cell envelope genes, including those involved in peptidoglycan biosynthesis and modification and in cell division. We show that loss of NtrYX impacts the cellular levels of peptidoglycan precursors and lipopolysaccharide and alters cell envelope structure, increasing cell length and the thickness of the periplasm. Cell envelope function is also disrupted in the absence of NtrYX, resulting in increased outer membrane permeability. Based on the properties of R. sphaeroides cells lacking NtrYX and the target genes under direct control of this two-component system, we propose that NtrYX plays a previously undescribed, and potentially conserved, role in the assembly, structure, and function of the cell envelope in a variety of bacteria.IMPORTANCE The bacterial cell envelope provides many important functions. It protects cells from harsh environments, serves as a selective permeability barrier, houses bioenergetic functions, defines sensitivity to antibacterial agents, and plays a crucial role in biofilm formation, symbiosis, and virulence. Despite the important roles of this cellular compartment, we lack a detailed understanding of the biosynthesis and remodeling of the cell envelope. Here, we report that the R. sphaeroides two-component signaling system NtrYX is a previously undescribed regulator of cell envelope processes, providing evidence that it is directly involved in controlling transcription of genes involved in cell envelope assembly, structure, and function in this and possibly other bacteria. Thus, our data report on a newly discovered process used by bacteria to assemble and remodel the cell envelope.
Project description:We used NGS to find that the PilS-PilR two component system of P. aeruginosa controls the expression of many non-pilus related genes and has a role in regulating swimming motility
Project description:Part of a study to characterise the two component regulatory system yehUT of Salmonella enterica serovar Salmonella Typhi and Typhimurium.