Background: Zra belongs to the envelope stress response (ESR) two-component systems (TCS). It is atypical because of its third periplasmic repressor partner (ZraP), in addition to its histidine kinase sensor protein (ZraS) and its response regulator (ZraR) components. Furthermore, although it is activated by Zn, it is not involved in zinc homeostasis or protection against zinc toxicity. Here, we mainly focus on ZraS but also provide information on ZraP.
Methods: The purified periplasmic domain of ZraS and ZraP were characterized using biophysical and biochemical technics: multi-angle laser light scattering (MALLS), circular dichroism (CD), differential scanning fluorescence (DSF), inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), cross-linking and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). In-vivo experiments were carried out to determine the redox state of the cysteine residue in ZraP and the consequences for the cell of an over-activation of the Zra system.
Results: We show that ZraS binds one Zn molecule with high affinity resulting in conformational changes of the periplasmic domain, consistent with a triggering function of the metal ion. We also demonstrate that, in the periplasm, the only cysteine residue of ZraP is at least partially reduced. Using SAXS, we conclude that the previously determined X-ray structure is different from the structure in solution.
Conclusion: Our results allow us to propose a general mechanism for the Zra system activation and to compare it to the homologous Cpx system.
General Significance: We bring new input on the so far poorly described Zra system and notably on ZraS.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bbagen.2020.129810 | DOI Listing |
mBio
January 2025
State Key Laboratory for Crop Stress Resistance and High-Efficiency Production, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, China.
As a universal language across the bacterial kingdom, the quorum sensing signal autoinducer-2 (AI-2) can coordinate many bacterial group behaviors. However, unknown AI-2 receptors in bacteria may be more than what has been discovered so far, and there are still many unknown functions for this signal waiting to be explored. Here, we have identified a membrane-bound histidine kinase of the pathogenic bacterium , AsrK, as a receptor that specifically detects AI-2 under low boron conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStructure
January 2025
Department of Chemistry, Britannia House, 7 Trinity Street, King's College London, London, SE1 1DB, UK; School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK. Electronic address:
Tripartite resistance nodulation and cell division multidrug efflux pumps span the periplasm and are major drivers of multidrug resistance among gram-negative bacteria. Cations, such as Mg, become concentrated within the periplasm and, in contrast to the cytoplasm, its pH is sensitive to conditions outside the cell. Here, we reveal an interplay between Mg and pH in modulating the structural dynamics of the periplasmic adapter protein, AcrA, and its function within the prototypical AcrAB-TolC multidrug pump from Escherichia coli.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Adv
January 2025
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Signal Transduct Target Ther
December 2024
Department of Laboratory Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, China.
Outer membrane (OM) lipoproteins serve vital roles in Gram-negative bacteria, contributing to their pathogenicity and drug resistance. For these lipoproteins to function, they must be transported from the inner membrane (IM), where they are assembled, to the OM by the ABC transporter LolCDE. We have previously captured structural snapshots of LolCDE in multiple states, revealing its dynamic conformational changes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS Genet
December 2024
Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America.
The Rcs (regulator of capsule synthesis) phosphorelay is a conserved cell envelope stress response mechanism in enterobacteria. It responds to perturbations at the cell surface and the peptidoglycan layer from a variety of sources, including antimicrobial peptides, beta-lactams, and changes in osmolarity. RcsF, an outer membrane lipoprotein, is the sensor for this pathway and activates the phosphorelay by interacting with an inner membrane protein IgaA.
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