RESUMEN
Bacteria have developed a wide range of strategies to respond to stress, one of which is the rapid large-scale reorganization of their nucleoid. Nucleoid associated proteins (NAPs) are believed to be major actors in nucleoid remodeling, but the details of this process remain poorly understood. Here, using the radiation resistant bacterium D. radiodurans as a model, and advanced fluorescence microscopy, we examined the changes in nucleoid morphology and volume induced by either entry into stationary phase or exposure to UV-C light, and characterized the associated changes in mobility of the major NAP in D. radiodurans, the heat-unstable (HU) protein. While both types of stress induced nucleoid compaction, HU diffusion was reduced in stationary phase cells, but was instead increased following exposure to UV-C, suggesting distinct underlying mechanisms. Furthermore, we show that UV-C-induced nucleoid remodeling involves a rapid nucleoid condensation step associated with increased HU diffusion, followed by a slower decompaction phase to restore normal nucleoid morphology and HU dynamics, before cell division can resume. These findings shed light on the diversity of nucleoid remodeling processes in bacteria and underline the key role of HU in regulating this process through changes in its mode of assembly on DNA.
Asunto(s)
Proteínas Bacterianas , Proteínas de Unión al ADN , Deinococcus , Proteínas Bacterianas/metabolismo , Proteínas Bacterianas/genética , Deinococcus/efectos de la radiación , Deinococcus/genética , Deinococcus/metabolismo , ADN Bacteriano/metabolismo , ADN Bacteriano/genética , Proteínas de Unión al ADN/metabolismo , Proteínas de Unión al ADN/genética , Estrés Fisiológico , Rayos UltravioletaRESUMEN
Deinococcus radiodurans is a spherical bacterium well-known for its outstanding resistance to DNA-damaging agents. Exposure to such agents leads to drastic changes in the transcriptome of D. radiodurans. In particular, four Deinococcus-specific genes, known as DNA Damage Response genes, are strongly up-regulated and have been shown to contribute to the resistance phenotype of D. radiodurans. One of these, DdrC, is expressed shortly after exposure to γ-radiation and is rapidly recruited to the nucleoid. In vitro, DdrC has been shown to compact circular DNA, circularize linear DNA, anneal complementary DNA strands and protect DNA from nucleases. To shed light on the possible functions of DdrC in D. radiodurans, we determined the crystal structure of the domain-swapped DdrC dimer at a resolution of 2.5 Šand further characterized its DNA binding and compaction properties. Notably, we show that DdrC bears two asymmetric DNA binding sites located on either side of the dimer and can modulate the topology and level of compaction of circular DNA. These findings suggest that DdrC may be a DNA damage-induced nucleoid-associated protein that enhances nucleoid compaction to limit the dispersion of the fragmented genome and facilitate DNA repair after exposure to severe DNA damaging conditions.
Asunto(s)
Proteínas Bacterianas/química , Deinococcus , Proteínas Bacterianas/metabolismo , Daño del ADN , Reparación del ADN , ADN Circular/metabolismo , Deinococcus/genética , Deinococcus/metabolismoRESUMEN
Here, we report the in vitro and in vivo characterization of the DdrD protein from the extraordinary stress-resistant bacterium, D. radiodurans. DdrD is one of the most highly induced proteins following cellular irradiation or desiccation. We confirm that DdrD belongs to the Radiation Desiccation Response (RDR) regulon protein family whose expression is regulated by the IrrE/DdrO proteins after DNA damage. We show that DdrD is a DNA binding protein that binds to single-stranded DNA In vitro, but not to duplex DNA unless it has a 5' single-stranded extension. In vivo, we observed no significant effect of the absence of DdrD on the survival of D. radiodurans cells after exposure to γ-rays or UV irradiation in different genetic contexts. However, genome reassembly is affected in a ∆ddrD mutant when cells recover from irradiation in the absence of nutrients. Thus, DdrD likely contributes to genome reconstitution after irradiation, but only under starvation conditions. Lastly, we show that the absence of the DdrD protein partially restores the frequency of plasmid transformation of a ∆ddrB mutant, suggesting that DdrD could also be involved in biological processes other than the response to DNA damage.
Asunto(s)
Deinococcus , Proteínas Bacterianas/genética , Daño del ADN , Reparación del ADN , Deinococcus/genética , PlásmidosRESUMEN
Exposure to harmful conditions such as radiation and desiccation induce oxidative stress and DNA damage. In radiation-resistant Deinococcus bacteria, the radiation/desiccation response is controlled by two proteins: the XRE family transcriptional repressor DdrO and the COG2856 metalloprotease IrrE. The latter cleaves and inactivates DdrO. Here, we report the biochemical characterization and crystal structure of DdrO, which is the first structure of a XRE protein targeted by a COG2856 protein. DdrO is composed of two domains that fold independently and are separated by a flexible linker. The N-terminal domain corresponds to the DNA-binding domain. The C-terminal domain, containing three alpha helices arranged in a novel fold, is required for DdrO dimerization. Cleavage by IrrE occurs in the loop between the last two helices of DdrO and abolishes dimerization and DNA binding. The cleavage site is hidden in the DdrO dimer structure, indicating that IrrE cleaves DdrO monomers or that the interaction with IrrE induces a structural change rendering accessible the cleavage site. Predicted COG2856/XRE regulatory protein pairs are found in many bacteria, and available data suggest two different molecular mechanisms for stress-induced gene expression: COG2856 protein-mediated cleavage or inhibition of oligomerization without cleavage of the XRE repressor.
Asunto(s)
Deinococcus , Proteínas Represoras/química , Estrés Fisiológico/genética , Estrés Fisiológico/efectos de la radiación , Factores de Transcripción/química , Secuencia de Aminoácidos , Cristalografía por Rayos X , Daño del ADN , Deinococcus/enzimología , Deinococcus/genética , Deinococcus/metabolismo , Deinococcus/efectos de la radiación , Regulación Bacteriana de la Expresión Génica/efectos de la radiación , Metaloproteasas/química , Metaloproteasas/genética , Metaloproteasas/metabolismo , Modelos Moleculares , Estructura Secundaria de Proteína , Estructura Terciaria de Proteína , Proteínas Represoras/genética , Factores de Transcripción/genéticaRESUMEN
The DNA damage response ddrI gene encodes a transcription regulator belonging to the cAMP receptor protein (CRP) family. Cells devoid of the DdrI protein exhibit a pleiotropic phenotype, including growth defects and sensitivity to DNA-damaging agents and to oxidative stress. Here, we show that the absence of the DdrI protein also confers sensitivity to heat shock treatment, and several genes involved in heat shock response were shown to be upregulated in a DdrI-dependent manner. Interestingly, expression of the Escherichia coli CRP partially compensates for the absence of the DdrI protein. Microscopic observations of ΔddrI mutant cells revealed an increased proportion of two-tetrad and anucleated cells in the population compared to the wild-type strain, indicating that DdrI is crucial for the completion of cell division and/or chromosome segregation. We show that DdrI is also involved in the megaplasmid MP1 stability and in efficient plasmid transformation by facilitating the maintenance of the incoming plasmid in the cell. The in silico prediction of putative DdrI binding sites in the D. radiodurans genome suggests that hundreds of genes, belonging to several functional groups, may be regulated by DdrI. In addition, the DdrI protein absolutely requires cAMP for in vitro binding to specific target sequences, and it acts as a dimer. All these data underline the major role of DdrI in D. radiodurans physiology under normal and stress conditions by regulating, both directly and indirectly, a cohort of genes involved in various cellular processes, including central metabolism and specific responses to diverse harmful environments.IMPORTANCEDeinococcus radiodurans has been extensively studied to elucidate the molecular mechanisms responsible for its exceptional ability to withstand lethal effects of various DNA-damaging agents. A complex network, including efficient DNA repair, protein protection against oxidation, and diverse metabolic pathways, plays a crucial role for its radioresistance. The regulatory networks orchestrating these various pathways are still missing. Our data provide new insights into the crucial contribution of the transcription factor DdrI for the D. radiodurans ability to withstand harmful conditions, including UV radiation, mitomycin C treatment, heat shock, and oxidative stress. Finally, we highlight that DdrI is also required for accurate cell division, for maintenance of plasmid replicons, and for central metabolism processes responsible for the overall cell physiology.
Asunto(s)
Proteínas Bacterianas/metabolismo , Proteína Receptora de AMP Cíclico/metabolismo , Deinococcus/metabolismo , Regulación Bacteriana de la Expresión Génica , Adaptación Fisiológica , Proteínas Bacterianas/genética , Proteína Receptora de AMP Cíclico/genética , Deinococcus/genética , Deinococcus/efectos de la radiación , Rayos UltravioletaRESUMEN
The bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans is one of the most radioresistant organisms known. It is able to reconstruct a functional genome from hundreds of radiation-induced chromosomal fragments. Our work aims to highlight the genes involved in recombination between 438 bp direct repeats separated by intervening sequences of various lengths ranging from 1,479 bp to 10,500 bp to restore a functional tetA gene in the presence or absence of radiation-induced DNA double strand breaks. The frequency of spontaneous deletion events between the chromosomal direct repeats were the same in recA+ and in ΔrecA, ΔrecF, and ΔrecO bacteria, whereas recombination between chromosomal and plasmid DNA was shown to be strictly dependent on the RecA and RecF proteins. The presence of mutations in one of the repeated sequence reduced, in a MutS-dependent manner, the frequency of the deletion events. The distance between the repeats did not influence the frequencies of deletion events in recA+ as well in ΔrecA bacteria. The absence of the UvrD protein stimulated the recombination between the direct repeats whereas the absence of the DdrB protein, previously shown to be involved in DNA double strand break repair through a single strand annealing (SSA) pathway, strongly reduces the frequency of RecA- (and RecO-) independent deletions events. The absence of the DdrB protein also increased the lethal sectoring of cells devoid of RecA or RecO protein. γ-irradiation of recA+ cells increased about 10-fold the frequencies of the deletion events, but at a lesser extend in cells devoid of the DdrB protein. Altogether, our results suggest a major role of single strand annealing in DNA repeat deletion events in bacteria devoid of the RecA protein, and also in recA+ bacteria exposed to ionizing radiation.
Asunto(s)
Genoma/genética , Tolerancia a Radiación/genética , Rec A Recombinasas/genética , Recombinación Genética/efectos de la radiación , Roturas del ADN de Doble Cadena , Daño del ADN , Reparación del ADN/genética , Deinococcus/genética , Deinococcus/efectos de la radiación , Rayos gamma , Genoma/efectos de la radiación , MutaciónRESUMEN
Deinococcus radiodurans is known for its extreme radioresistance. Comparative genomics identified a radiation-desiccation response (RDR) regulon comprising genes that are highly induced after DNA damage and containing a conserved motif (RDRM) upstream of their coding region. We demonstrated that the RDRM sequence is involved in cis-regulation of the RDR gene ddrB in vivo. Using a transposon mutagenesis approach, we showed that, in addition to ddrO encoding a predicted RDR repressor and irrE encoding a positive regulator recently shown to cleave DdrO in Deinococcus deserti, two genes encoding α-keto-glutarate dehydrogenase subunits are involved in ddrB regulation. In wild-type cells, the DdrO cell concentration decreased transiently in an IrrE-dependent manner at early times after irradiation. Using a conditional gene inactivation system, we showed that DdrO depletion enhanced expression of three RDR proteins, consistent with the hypothesis that DdrO acts as a repressor of the RDR regulon. DdrO-depleted cells loose viability and showed morphological changes evocative of an apoptotic-like response, including membrane blebbing, defects in cell division and DNA fragmentation. We propose that DNA repair and apoptotic-like death might be two responses mediated by the same regulators, IrrE and DdrO, but differently activated depending on the persistence of IrrE-dependent DdrO cleavage.
Asunto(s)
Deinococcus/genética , Deinococcus/efectos de la radiación , Regulación Bacteriana de la Expresión Génica , Regulón , Secuencia de Aminoácidos , Proteínas Bacterianas/metabolismo , Proteínas Bacterianas/efectos de la radiación , Daño del ADN/efectos de la radiación , Reparación del ADN , Deshidratación , Deinococcus/crecimiento & desarrollo , Deinococcus/ultraestructura , Genómica , Complejo Cetoglutarato Deshidrogenasa/genética , Mutagénesis , Sistemas de Lectura Abierta , Regiones Promotoras Genéticas , Estructura Terciaria de ProteínaRESUMEN
Processes favoring the exceptional resistance to genotoxic stress of Deinococcus radiodurans are not yet completely characterized. It was postulated that its nucleoid and chromosome(s) organization could participate in the DNA double strand break repair process. Here, we investigated the organization of chromosome 1 by localization of three chromosomal loci including oriC, Ter and a locus located in its left arm. For this purpose, we used a ParB-parS system to visualize the position of the loci before and after exposure to γ-rays. By comparing the number of fluorescent foci with the number of copies of the studied loci present in the cells measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), we demonstrated that the 4-10 copies of chromosome 1 per cell are dispersed within the nucleoid before irradiation, indicating that the chromosome copies are not prealigned. Chromosome segregation is progressive but not co-ordinated, allowing each locus to be paired with its sister during part of the cell cycle. After irradiation, the nucleoid organization is modified, involving a transient alignment of the loci in the late stage of DNA repair and a delay of segregation of the Ter locus. We discuss how these events can influence DNA double strand break repair.
Asunto(s)
Deinococcus/genética , Deinococcus/efectos de la radiación , Proteínas Bacterianas/genética , Ensamble y Desensamble de Cromatina , Mapeo Cromosómico , Cromosomas Bacterianos , Roturas del ADN de Doble Cadena , Daño del ADN/efectos de la radiación , Reparación del ADN , ADN Bacteriano/genética , Proteínas de Unión al ADN/genética , Deinococcus/citología , Deinococcus/metabolismo , Tolerancia a Radiación/fisiologíaRESUMEN
The nucleoids of radiation-resistant Deinococcus species show a high degree of compaction maintained after ionizing irradiation. We identified proteins recruited after irradiation in nucleoids of Deinococcus radiodurans and Deinococcus deserti by means of comparative proteomics. Proteins in nucleoid-enriched fractions from unirradiated and irradiated Deinococcus were identified and semiquantified by shotgun proteomics. The ssDNA-binding protein SSB, DNA gyrase subunits GyrA and GyrB, DNA topoisomerase I, RecA recombinase, UvrA excinuclease, RecQ helicase, DdrA, DdrB, and DdrD proteins were found in significantly higher amounts in irradiated nucleoids of both Deinococcus species. We observed, by immunofluorescence microscopy, the subcellular localization of these proteins in D. radiodurans, showing for the first time the recruitment of the DdrD protein into the D. radiodurans nucleoid. We specifically followed the kinetics of recruitment of RecA, DdrA, and DdrD to the nucleoid after irradiation. Remarkably, RecA proteins formed irregular filament-like structures 1 h after irradiation, before being redistributed throughout the cells by 3 h post-irradiation. Comparable dynamics of DdrD localization were observed, suggesting a possible functional interaction between RecA and DdrD. Several proteins involved in nucleotide synthesis were also seen in higher quantities in the nucleoids of irradiated cells, indicative of the existence of a mechanism for orchestrating the presence of proteins involved in DNA metabolism in nucleoids in response to massive DNA damage. All MS data have been deposited in the ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD00196 (http://proteomecentral.proteomexchange.org/dataset/PXD000196).
Asunto(s)
Proteínas Bacterianas/metabolismo , Daño del ADN , Deinococcus/genética , Proteoma/metabolismo , Reparación del ADN , ADN Bacteriano/genética , Deinococcus/metabolismo , Deinococcus/efectos de la radiación , Cinética , Transporte de Proteínas , Proteómica , Tolerancia a Radiación , Rec A Recombinasas/metabolismo , Espectrometría de Masas en TándemRESUMEN
In Deinococcus radiodurans, the extreme resistance to DNA-shattering treatments such as ionizing radiation or desiccation is correlated with its ability to reconstruct a functional genome from hundreds of chromosomal fragments. The rapid reconstitution of an intact genome is thought to occur through an extended synthesis-dependent strand annealing process (ESDSA) followed by DNA recombination. Here, we investigated the role of key components of the RecF pathway in ESDSA in this organism naturally devoid of RecB and RecC proteins. We demonstrate that inactivation of RecJ exonuclease results in cell lethality, indicating that this protein plays a key role in genome maintenance. Cells devoid of RecF, RecO, or RecR proteins also display greatly impaired growth and an important lethal sectoring as bacteria devoid of RecA protein. Other aspects of the phenotype of recFOR knock-out mutants paralleled that of a DeltarecA mutant: DeltarecFOR mutants are extremely radiosensitive and show a slow assembly of radiation-induced chromosomal fragments, not accompanied by DNA synthesis, and reduced DNA degradation. Cells devoid of RecQ, the major helicase implicated in repair through the RecF pathway in E. coli, are resistant to gamma-irradiation and have a wild-type DNA repair capacity as also shown for cells devoid of the RecD helicase; in contrast, DeltauvrD mutants show a markedly decreased radioresistance, an increased latent period in the kinetics of DNA double-strand-break repair, and a slow rate of fragment assembly correlated with a slow rate of DNA synthesis. Combining RecQ or RecD deficiency with UvrD deficiency did not significantly accentuate the phenotype of DeltauvrD mutants. In conclusion, RecFOR proteins are essential for DNA double-strand-break repair through ESDSA whereas RecJ protein is essential for cell viability and UvrD helicase might be involved in the processing of double stranded DNA ends and/or in the DNA synthesis step of ESDSA.
Asunto(s)
Proteínas Bacterianas/metabolismo , Roturas del ADN de Doble Cadena , Reparación del ADN , Proteínas de Unión al ADN/metabolismo , Deinococcus/genética , Proteínas Bacterianas/genética , Daño del ADN/efectos de la radiación , Proteínas de Unión al ADN/genética , Deinococcus/metabolismo , Deinococcus/efectos de la radiación , Exodesoxirribonucleasas/genética , Exodesoxirribonucleasas/metabolismo , Rayos gamma , Rec A Recombinasas/genética , Rec A Recombinasas/metabolismoRESUMEN
The extremely radiation and desiccation resistant bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans possesses three genes encoding Endonuclease III-like enzymes (DrEndoIII1, DrEndoIII2, DrEndoIII3). In vitro enzymatic activity measurements revealed that DrEndoIII2 is the main Endonuclease III in this organism, while DrEndoIII1 and 3 possess unusual and, so far, no detectable EndoIII activity, respectively. In order to understand the role of these enzymes at a cellular level, DrEndoIII knockout mutants were constructed and subjected to various oxidative stress related conditions. The results showed that the mutants are as resistant to ionizing and UV-C radiation as well as H2O2 exposure as the wild type. However, upon exposure to oxidative stress induced by methyl viologen, the knockout strains were more resistant than the wild type. The difference in resistance may be attributed to the observed upregulation of the EndoIII homologs gene expression upon addition of methyl viologen. In conclusion, our data suggest that all three EndoIII homologs are crucial for cell survival in stress conditions, since the knockout of one of the genes tend to be compensated for by overexpression of the genes encoding the other two.
RESUMEN
Numerous genes are overexpressed in the radioresistant bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans after exposure to radiation or prolonged desiccation. It was shown that the DdrO and IrrE proteins play a major role in regulating the expression of approximately twenty genes. The transcriptional repressor DdrO blocks the expression of these genes under normal growth conditions. After exposure to genotoxic agents, the IrrE metalloprotease cleaves DdrO and relieves gene repression. At present, many questions remain, such as the number of genes regulated by DdrO. Here, we present the first ChIP-seq analysis performed at the genome level in Deinococcus species coupled with RNA-seq, which was achieved in the presence or not of DdrO. We also resequenced our laboratory stock strain of D. radiodurans R1 ATCC 13939 to obtain an accurate reference for read alignments and gene expression quantifications. We highlighted genes that are directly under the control of this transcriptional repressor and showed that the DdrO regulon in D. radiodurans includes numerous other genes than those previously described, including DNA and RNA metabolism proteins. These results thus pave the way to better understand the radioresistance pathways encoded by this bacterium and to compare the stress-induced responses mediated by this pair of proteins in diverse bacteria.
Asunto(s)
Deinococcus/metabolismo , Regulación Bacteriana de la Expresión Génica/fisiología , Regulón/genética , Factores de Transcripción/metabolismo , Proteínas Bacterianas/metabolismo , Daño del ADN/genética , Deinococcus/genética , Genómica , Regulón/fisiologíaRESUMEN
The nucleoid of radioresistant bacteria, including D. radiodurans, adopts a highly condensed structure that remains unaltered after exposure to high doses of irradiation. This structure may contribute to radioresistance by preventing the dispersion of DNA fragments generated by irradiation. In this report, we focused our study on the role of HU protein, a nucleoid-associated protein referred to as a histone-like protein, in the nucleoid compaction of D. radiodurans. We demonstrate, using a new system allowing conditional gene expression, that HU is essential for viability in D. radiodurans. Using a tagged HU protein and immunofluorescence microscopy, we show that HU protein localizes all over the nucleoid and that when HU is expressed from a thermosensitive plasmid, its progressive depletion at the non-permissive temperature generates decondensation of DNA before fractionation of the nucleoid into several entities and subsequent cell lysis. We also tested the effect of the absence of Dps, a protein also involved in nucleoid structure. In contrast to the drastic effect of HU depletion, no change in nucleoid morphology and cell viability was observed in dps mutants compared with the wild-type, reinforcing the major role of HU in nucleoid organization and DNA compaction in D. radiodurans.
Asunto(s)
Proteínas Bacterianas/metabolismo , Proteínas de Unión al ADN/metabolismo , Deinococcus/genética , Genes Esenciales , Proteínas Bacterianas/genética , ADN Bacteriano/metabolismo , Proteínas de Unión al ADN/genética , Deinococcus/metabolismo , Genes Bacterianos , Viabilidad Microbiana , Plásmidos , Eliminación de Secuencia , TemperaturaRESUMEN
Horizontal gene transfer is a major driver of bacterial evolution and adaptation to environmental stresses, occurring notably via transformation of naturally competent organisms. The Deinococcus radiodurans bacterium, characterized by its extreme radioresistance, is also naturally competent. Here, we investigated the role of D. radiodurans players involved in different steps of natural transformation. First, we identified the factors (PilQ, PilD, type IV pilins, PilB, PilT, ComEC-ComEA, and ComF) involved in DNA uptake and DNA translocation across the external and cytoplasmic membranes and showed that the DNA-uptake machinery is similar to that described in the Gram negative bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Then, we studied the involvement of recombination and DNA repair proteins, RecA, RecF, RecO, DprA, and DdrB into the DNA processing steps of D. radiodurans transformation by plasmid and genomic DNA. The transformation frequency of the cells devoid of DprA, a highly conserved protein among competent species, strongly decreased but was not completely abolished whereas it was completely abolished in ΔdprA ΔrecF, ΔdprA ΔrecO, and ΔdprA ΔddrB double mutants. We propose that RecF and RecO, belonging to the recombination mediator complex, and DdrB, a specific deinococcal DNA binding protein, can replace a function played by DprA, or alternatively, act at a different step of recombination with DprA. We also demonstrated that a ΔdprA mutant is as resistant as wild type to various doses of γ-irradiation, suggesting that DprA, and potentially transformation, do not play a major role in D. radiodurans radioresistance.
RESUMEN
In order to preserve their genome integrity, organisms have developed elaborate tactics for genome protection and repair. The Deinococcus radiodurans bacteria famous for their extraordinary tolerance toward high doses of radiations or long period of desiccation, possess some specific genes with unknown function which are related to their survival in such extreme conditions. Among them, ddrA is an orphan gene specific of Deinococcus genomes. DdrA, the product of this gene was suggested to be a component of the DNA end protection system. Here we provide a three-dimensional reconstruction of the Deinococcus deserti DdrA((1-160)) by electron microscopy. Although not functional in vivo, this truncated protein keeps its DNA binding ability at the wild-type level. DdrA((1-160)) has a complex three-dimensional structure based on a heptameric ring that can self-associate to form a larger molecular weight assembly. We suggest that the complex architecture of DdrA plays a role in the substrate specificity and favors an efficient DNA repair.
Asunto(s)
Proteínas Bacterianas/química , Deinococcus/efectos de la radiación , Tolerancia a Radiación/fisiología , Secuencia de Aminoácidos , Proteínas Bacterianas/fisiología , Secuencia de Bases , Cartilla de ADN , Deinococcus/química , Microscopía Electrónica , Datos de Secuencia Molecular , Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa , Conformación Proteica , Homología de Secuencia de AminoácidoRESUMEN
Deinococcus radiodurans contains a highly condensed nucleoid that remains to be unaltered following the exposure to high doses of gamma-irradiation. Proteins belonging to the structural maintenance of chromosome protein (SMC) family are present in all organisms and were shown to be involved in chromosome condensation, pairing, and/or segregation. Here, we have inactivated the smc gene in the radioresistant bacterium D. radiodurans, and, unexpectedly, found that smc null mutants showed no discernible phenotype except an increased sensitivity to gyrase inhibitors suggesting a role of SMC in DNA folding. A defect in the SMC-like SbcC protein exacerbated the sensitivity to gyrase inhibitors of cells devoid of SMC. We also showed that the D. radiodurans SMC protein forms discrete foci at the periphery of the nucleoid suggesting that SMC could locally condense DNA. The phenotype of smc null mutant leads us to speculate that other, not yet identified, proteins drive the compact organization of the D. radiodurans nucleoid.
Asunto(s)
Proteínas Bacterianas/metabolismo , Proteínas de Ciclo Celular/metabolismo , ADN Bacteriano/química , Deinococcus/metabolismo , Proteínas Bacterianas/genética , Proteínas de Ciclo Celular/genética , ADN Bacteriano/genética , ADN Superhelicoidal/química , ADN Superhelicoidal/genética , Deinococcus/genética , Deinococcus/crecimiento & desarrollo , Desoxirribonucleasas/genética , Desoxirribonucleasas/metabolismo , Eliminación de Gen , Genes Bacterianos , Mutación , Conformación de Ácido Nucleico , Plásmidos/química , Plásmidos/genéticaRESUMEN
Our knowledge of bacterial nucleoids originates mostly from studies of rod- or crescent-shaped bacteria. Here we reveal that Deinococcus radiodurans, a relatively large spherical bacterium with a multipartite genome, constitutes a valuable system for the study of the nucleoid in cocci. Using advanced microscopy, we show that D. radiodurans undergoes coordinated morphological changes at both the cellular and nucleoid level as it progresses through its cell cycle. The nucleoid is highly condensed, but also surprisingly dynamic, adopting multiple configurations and presenting an unusual arrangement in which oriC loci are radially distributed around clustered ter sites maintained at the cell centre. Single-particle tracking and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching studies of the histone-like HU protein suggest that its loose binding to DNA may contribute to this remarkable plasticity. These findings demonstrate that nucleoid organization is complex and tightly coupled to cell cycle progression in this organism.
Asunto(s)
Proteínas Bacterianas/metabolismo , División Celular , ADN Bacteriano/metabolismo , Proteínas de Unión al ADN/metabolismo , Deinococcus/fisiología , Orgánulos/metabolismo , Ciclo Celular , ADN Bacteriano/genética , Sitios Genéticos/fisiología , Genoma Bacteriano/fisiología , Microscopía Intravital , Microscopía Fluorescente , Orgánulos/genéticaRESUMEN
The Deinococcus radiodurans bacterium is one of the most radioresistant organisms known. It can repair hundreds of radiation-induced DNA double-strand breaks without loss of viability and reconstitute an intact genome through RecA-dependent and RecA-independent DNA repair pathways. Among the Deinococcus specific proteins required for radioresistance, the PprA protein was shown to play a major role for accurate chromosome segregation and cell division after completion of DNA repair. Here, we analyzed the cellular role of the deinococcal RecN protein belonging to the SMC family and, surprisingly, observed that the absence of the RecN protein suppressed the sensitivity of cells devoid of the PprA protein to γ- and UV-irradiation and to treatment with MMC or DNA gyrase inhibitors. This suppression was not observed when ΔpprA cells were devoid of SMC or SbcC, two other proteins belonging to the SMC family. The absence of RecN also alleviated the DNA segregation defects displayed by ΔpprA cells recovering from γ-irradiation. When exposed to 5 kGy γ-irradiation, ΔpprA, ΔrecN and ΔpprA ΔrecN cells repaired their DNA with a delay of about one hour, as compared to the wild type cells. After irradiation, the absence of RecN reduced recombination between chromosomal and plasmid DNA, indicating that the deinococcal RecN protein is important for recombinational repair of DNA lesions. The transformation efficiency of genomic DNA was also reduced in the absence of the RecN protein. Here, we propose a model in which RecN, via its cohesin activity, might favor recombinational repair of DNA double strand breaks. This might increase, in irradiated cells, DNA constraints with PprA protein being required to resolve them via its ability to recruit DNA gyrase and to stimulate its decatenation activity.
Asunto(s)
Reparación del ADN , Enzimas de Restricción del ADN/deficiencia , Deinococcus/genética , Rayos gamma/efectos adversos , Reparación del ADN por Recombinación/efectos de la radiación , Proteínas Bacterianas , Girasa de ADN , Reparación del ADN/genética , Reparación del ADN/efectos de la radiación , Deinococcus/citología , Deinococcus/enzimología , Deinococcus/efectos de la radiación , Regulación Bacteriana de la Expresión Génica/efectos de los fármacos , Regulación Bacteriana de la Expresión Génica/efectos de la radiación , Mutación , Fenotipo , Tolerancia a Radiación/genética , Reparación del ADN por Recombinación/genética , Inhibidores de Topoisomerasa II/farmacologíaRESUMEN
Spurious blinking fluorescent spots are often seen in bacteria during single-molecule localization microscopy experiments. Although this 'autoblinking' phenomenon is widespread, its origin remains unclear. In Deinococcus strains, we observed particularly strong autoblinking at the periphery of the bacteria, facilitating its comprehensive characterization. A systematic evaluation of the contributions of different components of the sample environment to autoblinking levels and the in-depth analysis of the photophysical properties of autoblinking molecules indicate that the phenomenon results from transient binding of fluorophores originating mostly from the growth medium to the bacterial cell wall, which produces single-molecule fluorescence through a Point Accumulation for Imaging in Nanoscale Topography (PAINT) mechanism. Our data suggest that the autoblinking molecules preferentially bind to the plasma membrane of bacterial cells. Autoblinking microscopy was used to acquire nanoscale images of live, unlabeled D. radiodurans and could be combined with PALM imaging of PAmCherry-labeled bacteria in two-color experiments. Autoblinking-based super-resolved images provided insight into the formation of septa in dividing bacteria and revealed heterogeneities in the distribution and dynamics of autoblinking molecules within the cell wall.
Asunto(s)
Pared Celular/ultraestructura , Deinococcus/ultraestructura , Imagen Individual de Molécula/métodos , Microscopía Fluorescente , Nanotecnología/métodosRESUMEN
The bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans possesses a set of Deinococcus-specific genes highly induced after DNA damage. Among them, ddrC (dr0003) was recently re-annotated, found to be in the inverse orientation and called A2G07_00380. Here, we report the first in vivo and in vitro characterization of the corrected DdrC protein to better understand its function in irradiated cells. In vivo, the ΔddrC null mutant is sensitive to high doses of UV radiation and the ddrC deletion significantly increases UV-sensitivity of ΔuvrA or ΔuvsE mutant strains. We show that the expression of the DdrC protein is induced after γ-irradiation and is under the control of the regulators, DdrO and IrrE. DdrC is rapidly recruited into the nucleoid of the irradiated cells. In vitro, we show that DdrC is able to bind single- and double-stranded DNA with a preference for the single-stranded DNA but without sequence or shape specificity and protects DNA from various nuclease attacks. DdrC also condenses DNA and promotes circularization of linear DNA. Finally, we show that the purified protein exhibits a DNA strand annealing activity. Altogether, our results suggest that DdrC is a new DNA binding protein with pleiotropic activities. It might maintain the damaged DNA fragments end to end, thus limiting their dispersion and extensive degradation after exposure to ionizing radiation. DdrC might also be an accessory protein that participates in a single strand annealing pathway whose importance in DNA repair becomes apparent when DNA is heavily damaged.