Project description:Until recently, rare-earth elements (REEs) had been thought to be biologically inactive. This view changed with the discovery of the methanol dehydrogenase (Mdh) XoxF that strictly relies on REEs for its activity. Some methylotrophs only contain xoxF, while others, including the model phyllosphere colonizer Methylobacterium extorquens PA1, harbor this gene in addition to mxaFI encoding a Ca2+-dependent enzyme. Here we found that REEs induce the expression of xoxF in M. extorquens PA1, while repressing mxaFI, suggesting that XoxF is the preferred Mdh. Using reporter assays and a suppressor screen, we found that La3+ is sensed both in a XoxF-dependent and independent manner. Furthermore, we investigated the role of REEs during Arabidopsis thaliana colonization. Element analysis of the phyllosphere revealed the presence of several REEs at concentrations up to 10 μg per g dry weight. Complementary proteome analyses of M. extorquens PA1 revealed XoxF as a top induced protein in planta and resulted in the identification of a core set of La3+-regulated proteins under defined artificial media conditions. Among these, we identified a potential REE-binding protein that is encoded next to a gene for a TonB-dependent transporter. The latter was essential for REE-dependent growth on methanol indicating chelator-assisted uptake of REEs.
Project description:The goal of this study was to use microarrays to identify genes differentially regulated under conditions of formaldehyde stress relative to two other stress conditions (oxidative, osmotic) in an effort to identify genes that might be involved in a formaldehyde-specific stress response, rather than a general stress response, in the model methylotroph Methylobacterium extorquens AM1.
Project description:The goal of this study was to use microarrays to identify genes differentially regulated under conditions of formaldehyde stress relative to two other stress conditions (oxidative, osmotic) in an effort to identify genes that might be involved in a formaldehyde-specific stress response, rather than a general stress response, in the model methylotroph Methylobacterium extorquens AM1. Two color experiment, three treatments, three biological replicates per treatment, and two technical (dye swap) replicates per biological replicate: formaldehyde-stressed vs. unstressed cells; oxidative-stressed vs. unstressed cells; and osmotic-stressed vs. unstressed cells.