Competition-based, quantitative chemical proteomics in breast cancer cells identifies new target profiles for sulforaphane.

Sulforaphane is a small molecule isothiocyanate which exhibits anticancer potential, yet its biological targets remain poorly understood. Here we employ a competition-based chemical proteomics strategy to profile sulforaphane's targets and identify over 500 targets along with their relative affinities. These targets provide a new set of mediators for sulforaphane's bioactivity, and aid understanding of its complex mode of action.

Design and development of histone deacetylase (HDAC) chemical probes for cell-based profiling.

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) contribute to regulation of gene expression by mediating higher-order chromatin structures. They assemble into large multiprotein complexes that regulate activity and specificity. We report the development of small molecule probes with class IIa and pan-HDAC activity that contain photoreactive crosslinking groups and either a biotin reporter, or a terminal alkyne handle for subsequent bioorthogonal ligation. The probes retained inhibitory activity against recombinant HDAC proteins and caused an accumulation of acetylated histone and tubulin following cell treatment. The versatility of the probes has been demonstrated by their ability to photoaffinity modify HDAC targets in vitro. An affinity enrichment probe was used in conjunction with mass spectrometry proteomics to isolate HDACs and their interacting proteins in a native proteome. The performance of the probes in recombinant versus cell-based systems highlights issues for the development of chemoproteomic technologies targeting class IIa HDACs in particular.

Sequencing and characterizing the genome of Estrella lausannensis as an undergraduate project: training students and biological insights.

With the widespread availability of high-throughput sequencing technologies, sequencing projects have become pervasive in the molecular life sciences. The huge bulk of data generated daily must be analyzed further by biologists with skills in bioinformatics and by "embedded bioinformaticians," i.e., bioinformaticians integrated in wet lab research groups. Thus, students interested in molecular life sciences must be trained in the main steps of genomics: sequencing, assembly, annotation and analysis. To reach that goal, a practical course has been set up for master students at the University of Lausanne: the "Sequence a genome" class. At the beginning of the academic year, a few bacterial species whose genome is unknown are provided to the students, who sequence and assemble the genome(s) and perform manual annotation. Here, we report the progress of the first class from September 2010 to June 2011 and the results obtained by seven master students who specifically assembled and annotated the genome of Estrella lausannensis, an obligate intracellular bacterium related to Chlamydia. The draft genome of Estrella is composed of 29 scaffolds encompassing 2,819,825 bp that encode for 2233 putative proteins. Estrella also possesses a 9136 bp plasmid that encodes for 14 genes, among which we found an integrase and a toxin/antitoxin module. Like all other members of the Chlamydiales order, Estrella possesses a highly conserved type III secretion system, considered as a key virulence factor. The annotation of the Estrella genome also allowed the characterization of the metabolic abilities of this strictly intracellular bacterium. Altogether, the students provided the scientific community with the Estrella genome sequence and a preliminary understanding of the biology of this recently-discovered bacterial genus, while learning to use cutting-edge technologies for sequencing and to perform bioinformatics analyses.

Target profiling of zerumbone using a novel cell-permeable clickable probe and quantitative chemical proteomics.

Zerumbone is a phytochemical with diverse biological activities ranging from anti-inflammatory to anti-cancer properties; however, to date the cellular targets of this important compound have remained elusive. Here we report the global protein target spectrum of zerumbone in living cancer cells using competitive activity-based protein profiling of a novel cell-permeable clickable probe, combined with quantitative mass spectrometry.

YgfX (CptA) is a multimeric membrane protein that interacts with the succinate dehydrogenase assembly factor SdhE (YgfY).

Serratia sp. strain ATCC 39006 produces the red-pigmented antibiotic prodigiosin. Prodigiosin biosynthesis is regulated by a complex hierarchy that includes the uncharacterized protein YgfX (DUF1434). The ygfX gene is co-transcribed with sdhE, an FAD assembly factor essential for the flavinylation and activation of the SdhA subunit of succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), a central enzyme in the tricarboxylic acid cycle and electron transport chain. The sdhEygfX operon is highly conserved within the Enterobacteriaceae, suggesting that SdhE and YgfX function together. We performed an extensive mutagenesis to gain molecular insights into the uncharacterized protein YgfX, and have investigated the relationship between YgfX and SdhE. YgfX localized to the membrane, interacted with itself, forming dimers or larger multimers, and interacted with SdhE. The transmembrane helices of YgfX were critical for protein function and the formation of YgfX multimers. Site-directed mutagenesis of residues conserved in DUF1434 proteins revealed a periplasmic tryptophan and a cytoplasmic aspartate that were crucial for YgfX activity. Both of these amino acids were required for the formation of YgfX multimers and interactions with SdhE but not membrane localization. Multiple cell division proteins were identified as putative interaction partners of YgfX and overexpression of YgfX had effects on cell morphology. These findings represent an important step in understanding the function of DUF1434 proteins. In contrast to a recent report, we found no evidence that YgfX and SdhE form a toxin-antitoxin system. In summary, YgfX functions as a multimeric membrane-bound protein that interacts with SdhE, an important FAD assembly factor that controls SDH activity.

Cytotoxic chromosomal targeting by CRISPR/Cas systems can reshape bacterial genomes and expel or remodel pathogenicity islands.

In prokaryotes, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPRs) and their associated (Cas) proteins constitute a defence system against bacteriophages and plasmids. CRISPR/Cas systems acquire short spacer sequences from foreign genetic elements and incorporate these into their CRISPR arrays, generating a memory of past invaders. Defence is provided by short non-coding RNAs that guide Cas proteins to cleave complementary nucleic acids. While most spacers are acquired from phages and plasmids, there are examples of spacers that match genes elsewhere in the host bacterial chromosome. In Pectobacterium atrosepticum the type I-F CRISPR/Cas system has acquired a self-complementary spacer that perfectly matches a protospacer target in a horizontally acquired island (HAI2) involved in plant pathogenicity. Given the paucity of experimental data about CRISPR/Cas-mediated chromosomal targeting, we examined this process by developing a tightly controlled system. Chromosomal targeting was highly toxic via targeting of DNA and resulted in growth inhibition and cellular filamentation. The toxic phenotype was avoided by mutations in the cas operon, the CRISPR repeats, the protospacer target, and protospacer-adjacent motif (PAM) beside the target. Indeed, the natural self-targeting spacer was non-toxic due to a single nucleotide mutation adjacent to the target in the PAM sequence. Furthermore, we show that chromosomal targeting can result in large-scale genomic alterations, including the remodelling or deletion of entire pre-existing pathogenicity islands. These features can be engineered for the targeted deletion of large regions of bacterial chromosomes. In conclusion, in DNA-targeting CRISPR/Cas systems, chromosomal interference is deleterious by causing DNA damage and providing a strong selective pressure for genome alterations, which may have consequences for bacterial evolution and pathogenicity.

In vivo protein interactions and complex formation in the Pectobacterium atrosepticum subtype I-F CRISPR/Cas System.

Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) and their associated proteins (Cas; CRISPR associated) are a bacterial defense mechanism against extra-chromosomal elements. CRISPR/Cas systems are distinct from other known defense mechanisms insofar as they provide acquired and heritable immunity. Resistance is accomplished in multiple stages in which the Cas proteins provide the enzymatic machinery. Importantly, subtype-specific proteins have been shown to form complexes in combination with small RNAs, which enable sequence-specific targeting of foreign nucleic acids. We used Pectobacterium atrosepticum, a plant pathogen that causes soft-rot and blackleg disease in potato, to investigate protein-protein interactions and complex formation in the subtype I-F CRISPR/Cas system. The P. atrosepticum CRISPR/Cas system encodes six proteins: Cas1, Cas3, and the four subtype specific proteins Csy1, Csy2, Csy3 and Cas6f (Csy4). Using co-purification followed by mass spectrometry as well as directed co-immunoprecipitation we have demonstrated complex formation by the Csy1-3 and Cas6f proteins, and determined details about the architecture of that complex. Cas3 was also shown to co-purify all four subtype-specific proteins, consistent with its role in targeting. Furthermore, our results show that the subtype I-F Cas1 and Cas3 (a Cas2-Cas3 hybrid) proteins interact, suggesting a protein complex for adaptation and a role for subtype I-F Cas3 proteins in both the adaptation and interference steps of the CRISPR/Cas mechanism.

SdhE is a conserved protein required for flavinylation of succinate dehydrogenase in bacteria.

Conserved uncharacterized genes account for ~30% of genes in both eukaryotic and bacterial genomes and are predicted to encode what are often termed "conserved hypothetical proteins." Many of these proteins have a wide phylogenetic distribution and might play important roles in conserved cellular pathways. Using the bacterium Serratia as a model system, we have investigated two conserved uncharacterized proteins, YgfY (a DUF339 protein, renamed SdhE; succinate dehydrogenase protein E) and YgfX (a DUF1434 protein). SdhE was required for growth on succinate as a sole carbon source and for the function, but not stability, of succinate dehydrogenase, an important component of the electron transport chain and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. SdhE interacted with the flavoprotein SdhA, directly bound the flavin adenine dinucleotide co-factor, and was required for the flavinylation of SdhA. This is the first demonstration of a protein required for FAD incorporation in bacteria. Furthermore, the loss of SdhE was highly pleiotropic, suggesting that SdhE might flavinylate other flavoproteins. Our findings are of wide importance to central metabolism because SdhE homologues are present in α-, ß-, and γ-proteobacteria and multiple eukaryotes, including humans and yeast.

Csy4 is responsible for CRISPR RNA processing in Pectobacterium atrosepticum.

CRISPR/Cas systems provide bacteria and archaea with small RNA-based adaptive immunity against foreign elements such as phages and plasmids. An important step in the resistance mechanism involves the generation of small guide RNAs (crRNAs) that, in combination with Cas proteins, recognize and inhibit foreign nucleic acids in a sequence specific manner. The generation of crRNAs requires processing of the primary CRISPR RNA by an endoribonuclease. In this study we have characterized the Ypest subtype CRISPR/Cas system in the plant pathogen Pectobacterium atrosepticum. We analyse the transcription of the cas genes and the 3 CRISPR arrays. The cas genes are expressed as an operon and all three CRISPR arrays are transcribed and processed into small RNAs. The Csy4 protein was identified as responsible for processing of CRISPR RNA in vivo and in vitro into crRNAs and appears to interact with itself in the absence of other Cas proteins. This study furthers our understanding of the CRISPR/Cas mechanism by providing the first in vivo evidence that the CRISPR endoribonuclease Csy4 generates crRNAs in its native host and characterizes the operonic transcription of the cas cluster.

PigS and PigP regulate prodigiosin biosynthesis in Serratia via differential control of divergent operons, which include predicted transporters of sulfur-containing molecules.

Serratia sp. strain ATCC 39006 produces the red-pigmented antibiotic prodigiosin. Regulation of prodigiosin biosynthesis involves a complex hierarchy, with PigP a master transcriptional regulator of multiple genes involved in prodigiosin production. The focus of this study was a member of the PigP regulon, pigS, which encodes an ArsR/SmtB family transcriptional repressor. Mutations in pigS reduced production of prodigiosin by decreasing the transcription of the biosynthetic operon. The pigS gene is the first in a four-gene operon, which also encodes three membrane proteins (pmpABC) of the COG2391 (DUF395; YedE/YeeE) and COG0730 (DUF81; TauE/SafE) families that we propose constitute transport components for sulfur-containing compounds. We provide the first experimental evidence confirming the membrane localization of a COG2391 protein, that of PmpB. Divergently transcribed from pigS-pmpABC is a bicistronic operon (blhA-orfY), which encodes a metallo-ß-lactamase and a coenzyme A-disulfide reductase containing a rhodanese homology domain, both of which may participate in reactions with sulfur-containing compounds. The overproduction of the BlhA and OrfY enzymes and the PmpABC membrane proteins differentially affected pigmentation. We have dissected the contributions of these various proteins and determined their importance in the control of prodigiosin production. PigS-mediated control of prodigiosin occurred via binding directly to a short inverted repeat sequence in the intergenic region overlapping the predicted -10 regions of both pigS and blhA promoters and repressing transcription. PigP was required for the activation of these promoters, but only in the absence of PigS-mediated repression.