Project description:Spirochetes are long, thin, motile, helical or flat wave bacteria that are unique among the prokaryotes by having flagella or axial filaments confined to an internal periplasmic space. These flagella are complex organelles that can play major roles in bacterial pathogenicity and are used as propellers allowing bacteria to move through liquids, viscous environments or along surfaces. While most bacteria species use transcriptional regulatory cascades to regulate the synthesis and assembly of their flagella, spirochetes employ an unusual post-transcriptional mechanism. Using next generation sequencing, we characterized a natural mutant of the relapsing fever spirochete Borrelia hermsii lacking the flagellar export apparatus protein FliH. The mutant was non-motile, uncoiled and straight compared to the wild-type spirochetes. The B. hermsii fliH mutant produced only a residual amount of the major flagellin protein FlaB, which was correlated with a reduced number of periplasmic flagella. The amounts of flaB transcript were comparable in the fliH mutant and the wild-type strain. The synthesis of FlaB, the motility and the infectivity of the fliH mutant were rescued by trans-complementation. This report reveals a new function for FliH, and we propose that this regulator of the flagellar export apparatus influences the post-transcriptional processing of the flagella, motility and virulence of the relapsing fever spirochete Borrelia hermsii. Spirochetes are bacteria characterized in part by rotating periplasmic flagella that impart their flat-wave morphology and motility. While other bacteria rely on a transcriptional cascade to regulate the expression of motility genes, spirochetes employ posttranscriptional mechanism(s) that are only partially known. In the present study, we characterize a non-motile mutant of the relapsing fever spirochete Borrelia hermsii that was straight, non-motile and deficient in flagella. We used next generation DNA sequencing of the mutant’s genome, which when compared to the wild-type genome identified a 142 bp deletion in the chromosomal gene encoding the flagellar export apparatus protein FliH. Immunoblot and transcriptome analyses showed that the mutant phenotype was linked to the posttranscriptional deficiency in the synthesis of the major flagellar filament core protein FlaB. The turnover of the residual pool of FlaB produced by the fliH mutant was comparable to the wild-type spirochete while the amount of FlaA was similar to the wild-type level. The non-motile mutant was not infectious in mice and its inoculation did not induce an antibody response. Trans-complementation of the mutant with an intact fliH gene restored the synthesis of FlaB, a normal morphology, motility and infectivity in mice. Therefore, we propose that the flagellar export apparatus protein regulates motility of B. hermsii at the posttranscriptional level by influencing the synthesis of FlaB. Borrelia hermsii wild type vs. motility mutant

Project description:Cyclophilin B (CyPB), encoded by PPIB, is an ER-resident peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase (PPIase) that functions independently and as a component of the collagen prolyl 3-hydroxylation complex. CyPB is proposed to be the major PPIase catalyzing the rate-limiting step in collagen folding. Mutations in PPIB cause recessively inherited osteogenesis imperfecta type IX, a moderately severe to lethal bone dysplasia. To investigate the role of CyPB in collagen folding and post-translational modifications, we generated Ppib-/- mice that recapitulate the OI phenotype. Knock-out (KO) mice are small, with reduced femoral areal bone mineral density (aBMD), bone volume per total volume (BV/TV) and mechanical properties, as well as increased femoral brittleness. Ppib transcripts are absent in skin, fibroblasts, femora and calvarial osteoblasts, and CyPB is absent from KO osteoblasts and fibroblasts on western blots. Only residual (2-11%) collagen prolyl 3-hydroxylation is detectable in KO cells and tissues. Collagen folds more slowly in the absence of CyPB, supporting its rate-limiting role in folding. However, treatment of KO cells with cyclosporine A causes further delay in folding, indicating the potential existence of another collagen PPIase. We confirmed and extended the reported role of CyPB in supporting collagen lysyl hydroxylase (LH1) activity. Ppib-/- fibroblast and osteoblast collagen has normal total lysyl hydroxylation, while increased collagen diglycosylation is observed. Liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) analysis of bone and osteoblast type I collagen revealed site-specific alterations of helical lysine hydroxylation, in particular, significantly reduced hydroxylation of helical crosslinking residue K87. Consequently, underhydroxylated forms of di- and trivalent crosslinks are strikingly increased in KO bone, leading to increased total crosslinks and decreased helical hydroxylysine- to lysine-derived crosslink ratios. The altered crosslink pattern was associated with decreased collagen deposition into matrix in culture, altered fibril structure in tissue, and reduced bone strength. These studies demonstrate novel consequences of the indirect regulatory effect of CyPB on collagen hydroxylation, impacting collagen glycosylation, crosslinking and fibrillogenesis, which contribute to maintaining bone mechanical properties.

Project description:Spirochetes are long, thin, motile, helical or flat wave bacteria that are unique among the prokaryotes by having flagella or axial filaments confined to an internal periplasmic space. These flagella are complex organelles that can play major roles in bacterial pathogenicity and are used as propellers allowing bacteria to move through liquids, viscous environments or along surfaces. While most bacteria species use transcriptional regulatory cascades to regulate the synthesis and assembly of their flagella, spirochetes employ an unusual post-transcriptional mechanism. Using next generation sequencing, we characterized a natural mutant of the relapsing fever spirochete Borrelia hermsii lacking the flagellar export apparatus protein FliH. The mutant was non-motile, uncoiled and straight compared to the wild-type spirochetes. The B. hermsii fliH mutant produced only a residual amount of the major flagellin protein FlaB, which was correlated with a reduced number of periplasmic flagella. The amounts of flaB transcript were comparable in the fliH mutant and the wild-type strain. The synthesis of FlaB, the motility and the infectivity of the fliH mutant were rescued by trans-complementation. This report reveals a new function for FliH, and we propose that this regulator of the flagellar export apparatus influences the post-transcriptional processing of the flagella, motility and virulence of the relapsing fever spirochete Borrelia hermsii. Spirochetes are bacteria characterized in part by rotating periplasmic flagella that impart their flat-wave morphology and motility. While other bacteria rely on a transcriptional cascade to regulate the expression of motility genes, spirochetes employ posttranscriptional mechanism(s) that are only partially known. In the present study, we characterize a non-motile mutant of the relapsing fever spirochete Borrelia hermsii that was straight, non-motile and deficient in flagella. We used next generation DNA sequencing of the mutant’s genome, which when compared to the wild-type genome identified a 142 bp deletion in the chromosomal gene encoding the flagellar export apparatus protein FliH. Immunoblot and transcriptome analyses showed that the mutant phenotype was linked to the posttranscriptional deficiency in the synthesis of the major flagellar filament core protein FlaB. The turnover of the residual pool of FlaB produced by the fliH mutant was comparable to the wild-type spirochete while the amount of FlaA was similar to the wild-type level. The non-motile mutant was not infectious in mice and its inoculation did not induce an antibody response. Trans-complementation of the mutant with an intact fliH gene restored the synthesis of FlaB, a normal morphology, motility and infectivity in mice. Therefore, we propose that the flagellar export apparatus protein regulates motility of B. hermsii at the posttranscriptional level by influencing the synthesis of FlaB.

			Action	DRS
	MaithiliDeshpande10445377_LiFlgE_WT1.mgf	Mgf
	MaithiliDeshpande10445377_LiFlgE_WT1.msf	Msf
	MaithiliDeshpande10445377_LiFlgE_WT1.raw	Raw
	MichaelLynch10361461_Td_C178S_CID-ETD_toggle.mgf	Mgf
	MichaelLynch10361461_Td_C178S_CID-ETD_toggle.msf	Msf

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Lysinoalanine crosslinking is a conserved post-translational modification in the spirochete flagellar hookLysinoalanine crosslinking is a conserved post-translational modification in the spirochete flagellar hook

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Lysinoalanine cross-linking is a conserved post-translational modification in the spirochete flagellar hook.

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