Project description:The Caulobacter cell cycle includes in an asymmetric cell division that is driven by a core regulatory circuit comprised of 4 transcription factors (DnaA, GcrA, CtrA, and SciP) and a DNA methyltransferase (CcrM). Using a modified global 5M-bM-^@M-^Y RACE protocol we mapped 2,726 transcriptional start sites (TSS) in the 4mb Caulobacter genome and identified 586 cell cycle-regulated TSS. The core cell cycle circuit directly controls about 55% of cell cycle-regulated TSS by integrating multiple regulatory inputs within at least 322 promoters, providing a large number of transcription profiles from a small number of regulatory factors. Here, we identified previously unknown features of the core cell cycle circuit, including antisense TSS within dnaA and ctrA, plus newly identified TSS for ctrA and ccrM. Altogether, we identified 615 antisense TSS plus 241 genes that are transcribed from multiple TSS. The multiple TSS in the same promoter region often exhibit different cell cycle activation timing, These novel features of the global transcript profile add significant insight to the system architecture of the Caulobacter cell cycle regulatory circuit. Global 5' RACE was performed to map Transcription Start Sites in the Caulobacter NA1000 genome
Project description:Caulobacter crescentus is an alphaproteobacterium that divides assymetrically. Each cell cycle results in the production of a motile flagellated cell and a sessile cell called the swamer cell and the stalked cell, respectively. The flagellar filament is composed of thousands polymerized flagellins. We showed that glycosylation of flagellins is required for the assembly of the flagellum. This glycosylation is performed by soluble FlmG glycosyltransferases that transfer nonulosonic acids (pseudaminic acid or legionaminic acid) directly to the flagellins. Such glycosylation system is also present in a close relative of Caulobacter crescentus, Brevundimonas subvibrioides. The project is to identify the site of glycosylation and the potential sugar added on this site.
Project description:The Caulobacter cell cycle includes in an asymmetric cell division that is driven by a core regulatory circuit comprised of 4 transcription factors (DnaA, GcrA, CtrA, and SciP) and a DNA methyltransferase (CcrM). Using a modified global 5M-bM-^@M-^Y RACE protocol we mapped 2,726 transcriptional start sites (TSS) in the 4mb Caulobacter genome and identified 586 cell cycle-regulated TSS. The core cell cycle circuit directly controls about 55% of cell cycle-regulated TSS by integrating multiple regulatory inputs within at least 322 promoters, providing a large number of transcription profiles from a small number of regulatory factors. Here, we identified previously unknown features of the core cell cycle circuit, including antisense TSS within dnaA and ctrA, plus newly identified TSS for ctrA and ccrM. Altogether, we identified 615 antisense TSS plus 241 genes that are transcribed from multiple TSS. The multiple TSS in the same promoter region often exhibit different cell cycle activation timing, These novel features of the global transcript profile add significant insight to the system architecture of the Caulobacter cell cycle regulatory circuit. Global 5' RACE was performed to measure Transcription Start Site activity at time points of the Caulobacter NA1000 cell cycle
Project description:Investigation of whole genome gene expression level changes in a Caulobacter crescentus NA1000 delta-CCNA_00382 (ccrM) mutant, compared to the wild-type strain. The mutations engineered into this strain render it incapable of methylating its genome on the adenine at GANTC motifs. References for strains : WT: Marks, M.E., Castro-Rojas, C.M., Teiling, C., Du, L., Kapatral, V., Walunas, T.L. and Crosson, S. (2010) The genetic basis of laboratory adaptation in Caulobacter crescentus. J Bacteriol, 192, 3678-3688; Collier, J. and Shapiro, L. (2009) Feedback control of DnaA-mediated replication initiation by replisome-associated HdaA protein in Caulobacter. J Bacteriol, 191, 5706-5716. DccrM: Gonzalez, D. and Collier, J. (2013) DNA methylation by CcrM activates the transcription of two genes required for the division of Caulobacter crescentus. Mol Microbiol, 88, 203-218. A six chip study using total RNA recovered from three separate wild-type cultures of Caulobacter crescentus NA1000 and three separate cultures of a triple mutant strain, Caulobacter crescentus NA1000 delta-CCNA_00382 (ccrM), in which the ccrM gene coding for a DNA methyltransferase methylating the adenine in GANTC motifs is truncated and its product inactive. Each chip measures the expression level of 3933 genes from Caulobacter crescentus NA1000 with 3 probes per gene and with three-fold technical redundancy.