Disruption of ribosome assembly in yeast blocks cotranscriptional pre-rRNA processing and affects the global hierarchy of ribosome biogenesis.

In higher eukaryotes, pre-rRNA processing occurs almost exclusively post-transcriptionally. This is not the case in rapidly dividing yeast, as the majority of nascent pre-rRNAs are processed cotranscriptionally, with cleavage at the A2 site first releasing a pre-40S ribosomal subunit followed by release of a pre-60S ribosomal subunit upon transcription termination. Ribosome assembly is driven in part by hierarchical association of assembly factors and r-proteins. Groups of proteins are thought to associate with pre-ribosomes cotranscriptionally during early assembly steps, whereas others associate later, after transcription is completed. Here we describe a previously uncharacterized phenotype observed upon disruption of ribosome assembly, in which normally late-binding proteins associate earlier, with pre-ribosomes containing 35S pre-rRNA. As previously observed by many other groups, we show that disruption of 60S subunit biogenesis results in increased amounts of 35S pre-rRNA, suggesting that a greater fraction of pre-rRNAs are processed post-transcriptionally. Surprisingly, we found that early pre-ribosomes containing 35S pre-rRNA also contain proteins previously thought to only associate with pre-ribosomes after early pre-rRNA processing steps have separated maturation of the two subunits. We believe the shift to post-transcriptional processing is ultimately due to decreased cellular division upon disruption of ribosome assembly. When cells are grown under stress or to high density, a greater fraction of pre-rRNAs are processed post-transcriptionally and follow an alternative processing pathway. Together, these results affirm the principle that ribosome assembly occurs through different, parallel assembly pathways and suggest that there is a kinetic foot-race between the formation of protein binding sites and pre-rRNA processing events.

Understanding ribosome assembly: the structure of in vivo assembled immature 30S subunits revealed by cryo-electron microscopy.

Four decades after early in vitro assembly studies demonstrated that ribosome assembly is a controlled process, our understanding of ribosome assembly is still incomplete. Just as structure determination has been so important to understanding ribosome function, so too will it be critical to sorting out the assembly process. Here, we used a viable deletion in the yjeQ gene, a recognized ribosome assembly factor, to isolate and structurally characterize immature 30S subunits assembled in vivo. These small ribosome subunits contained unprocessed 17S rRNA and lacked some late ribosomal proteins. Cryo-electron microscopy reconstructions revealed that the presence of precursor sequences in the rRNA induces a severe distortion in the 3' minor domain of the subunit involved in the decoding of mRNA and interaction with the large ribosome subunit. These findings suggest that rRNA processing events induce key local conformational changes directing the structure toward the mature assembly. We concluded that rRNA processing, folding, and the entry of tertiary r-proteins are interdependent events in the late stages of 30S subunit assembly. In addition, we demonstrate how studies of emerging assembly factors in ribosome biogenesis can help to elucidate the path of subunit assembly in vivo.

Characterization of a Bacillus anthracis spore coat-surface protein that influences coat-surface morphology.

Bacterial spores are encased in a multilayered proteinaceous shell, called the coat. In many Bacillus spp., the coat protects against environmental assault and facilitates germination. In Bacillus anthracis, the spore is the etiological agent of anthrax, and the functions of the coat likely contribute to virulence. Here, we characterize a B. anthracis spore protein, called Cotbeta, which is encoded only in the genomes of the Bacillus cereus group. We found that Cotbeta is synthesized specifically during sporulation and is assembled onto the spore coat surface. Our analysis of a cotbeta null mutant in the Sterne strain reveals that Cotbeta has a role in determining coat-surface morphology but does not detectably affect germination. In the fully virulent Ames strain, a cotbeta null mutation has no effect on virulence in a murine model of B. anthracis infection.

Polar explorations Recent insights into the polarity of bacterial proteins.

It is now well established in the microbiology community that the spatial organization of bacterial cells is quite complex with proteins and protein complexes localized to specific subcellular regions. Unresolved for the most part, however, are the mechanisms by which asymmetric proteins are localized. A variety of mechanisms are utilized to achieve polarity in bacteria. In this article, we focus on recent findings that support specific mechanisms for the establishment of polarity in rod shaped bacteria.

G-protein control of the ribosome-associated stress response protein SpoT.

The bacterial response to stress is controlled by two proteins, RelA and SpoT. RelA generates the alarmone (p)ppGpp under amino acid starvation, whereas SpoT is responsible for (p)ppGpp hydrolysis and for synthesis of (p)ppGpp under a variety of cellular stress conditions. It is widely accepted that RelA is associated with translating ribosomes. The cellular location of SpoT, however, has been controversial. SpoT physically interacts with the ribosome-associated GTPase CgtA, and we show here that, under an optimized salt condition, SpoT is also associated with a pre-50S particle. Analysis of spoT and cgtA mutants and strains overexpressing CgtA suggests that the ribosome associations of SpoT and CgtA are mutually independent. The steady-state level of (p)ppGpp is increased in a cgtA mutant, but the accumulation of (p)ppGpp during amino acid starvation is not affected, providing strong evidence that CgtA regulates the (p)ppGpp level during exponential growth but not during the stringent response. We show that CgtA is not associated with pre-50S particles during amino acid starvation, indicating that under these conditions in which (p)ppGpp accumulates, CgtA is not bound either to the pre-50S particle or to SpoT. We propose that, in addition to its role as a 50S assembly factor, CgtA promotes SpoT (p)ppGpp degradation activity on the ribosome and that the loss of CgtA from the ribosome is necessary for maximal (p)ppGpp accumulation under stress conditions. Intriguingly, we found that in the absence of spoT and relA, cgtA is still an essential gene in Escherichia coli.

In vivo functional characterization of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae 60S biogenesis GTPase Nog1.

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae Nog1 GTPase is critical for assembly of the large ribosomal subunit. Mutations in conserved residues in the GTP-binding pocket cause defects in cell growth and 60S ribosome assembly but mutant proteins retain their ability to associate with the pre-60S. Association of Nog1 with the pre-60S is independent of guanine nucleotide added to cell extracts. Thus, it appears that nucleotide occupancy does not substantially affect Nog1 association with pre-60S particles. Somewhat surprisingly, neither of the conserved threonines in the G2 motif of the GTPase domain is essential for Nog1 function. Neither the steady-state rRNA levels nor the protein composition (as determined by isobaric labeling and identification by mass spectrometry of peptides) of the pre-60S particles in the nog1P176V mutant are grossly perturbed, although levels of four proteins (Nog1, Nop2, Nop15, and Tif6) are modestly reduced in pre-60S particles isolated from the mutant. Deletion analysis revealed that the C-terminal 168 amino acids are not required for function; however, the N-terminal 126 amino acids are required. Optimal association with pre-60S particles requires sequences between amino acids 347-456. Several conserved charge-to-alanine substitutions outside the GTPase domain display modest growth phenotypes indicating that these residues are not critical for function.

Morphogenesis of the Bacillus anthracis spore.

Bacillus spp. and Clostridium spp. form a specialized cell type, called a spore, during a multistep differentiation process that is initiated in response to starvation. Spores are protected by a morphologically complex protein coat. The Bacillus anthracis coat is of particular interest because the spore is the infective particle of anthrax. We determined the roles of several B. anthracis orthologues of Bacillus subtilis coat protein genes in spore assembly and virulence. One of these, cotE, has a striking function in B. anthracis: it guides the assembly of the exosporium, an outer structure encasing B. anthracis but not B. subtilis spores. However, CotE has only a modest role in coat protein assembly, in contrast to the B. subtilis orthologue. cotE mutant spores are fully virulent in animal models, indicating that the exosporium is dispensable for infection, at least in the context of a cotE mutation. This has implications for both the pathophysiology of the disease and next-generation therapeutics. CotH, which directs the assembly of an important subset of coat proteins in B. subtilis, also directs coat protein deposition in B. anthracis. Additionally, however, in B. anthracis, CotH effects germination; in its absence, more spores germinate than in the wild type. We also found that SpoIVA has a critical role in directing the assembly of the coat and exosporium to an area around the forespore. This function is very similar to that of the B. subtilis orthologue, which directs the assembly of the coat to the forespore. These results show that while B. anthracis and B. subtilis rely on a core of conserved morphogenetic proteins to guide coat formation, these proteins may also be important for species-specific differences in coat morphology. We further hypothesize that variations in conserved morphogenetic coat proteins may play roles in taxonomic variation among species.

The Escherichia coli GTPase CgtAE is involved in late steps of large ribosome assembly.

The bacterial ribosome is an extremely complicated macromolecular complex the in vivo biogenesis of which is poorly understood. Although several bona fide assembly factors have been identified, their precise functions and temporal relationships are not clearly defined. Here we describe the involvement of an Escherichia coli GTPase, CgtA(E), in late steps of large ribosomal subunit biogenesis. CgtA(E) belongs to the Obg/CgtA GTPase subfamily, whose highly conserved members are predominantly involved in ribosome function. Mutations in CgtA(E) cause both polysome and rRNA processing defects; small- and large-subunit precursor rRNAs accumulate in a cgtA(E) mutant. In this study we apply a new semiquantitative proteomic approach to show that CgtA(E) is required for optimal incorporation of certain late-assembly ribosomal proteins into the large ribosomal subunit. Moreover, we demonstrate the interaction with the 50S ribosomal subunits of specific nonribosomal proteins (including heretofore uncharacterized proteins) and define possible temporal relationships between these proteins and CgtA(E). We also show that purified CgtA(E) associates with purified ribosomal particles in the GTP-bound form. Finally, CgtA(E) cofractionates with the mature 50S but not with intermediate particles accumulated in other large ribosome assembly mutants.

Cooperative and critical roles for both G domains in the GTPase activity and cellular function of ribosome-associated Escherichia coli EngA.

To probe the cellular phenotype and biochemical function associated with the G domains of Escherichia coli EngA (YfgK, Der), mutations were created in the phosphate binding loop of each. Neither an S16A nor an S217A variant of G domain 1 or 2, respectively, was able to support growth of an engA conditional null. Polysome profiles of EngA-depleted cells were significantly altered, and His(6)-EngA was found to cofractionate with the 50S ribosomal subunit. The variants were unable to complement the abnormal polysome profile and were furthermore significantly impacted with respect to in vitro GTPase activity. Together, these observations suggest that the G domains have a cooperative function in ribosome stability and/or biogenesis.

Early events of Bacillus anthracis germination identified by time-course quantitative proteomics.

Germination of Bacillus anthracis spores involves rehydration of the spore interior and rapid degradation of several of the protective layers, including the spore coat. Here, we examine the temporal changes that occur during B. anthracis spore germination using an isobaric tagging system. Over the course of 17 min from the onset of germination, the levels of at least 19 spore proteins significantly decrease. Included are acid-soluble proteins, several known and predicted coat proteins, and proteins of unknown function. Over half of these proteins are small (less than 100 amino acids) and would have been undetectable by conventional gel-based analysis. We also identified 20 proteins, whose levels modestly increased at the later time points when metabolism has likely resumed. Taken together, our data show that isobaric labeling of complex mixtures is particularly effective for temporal studies. Furthermore, we describe a rigorous statistical approach to define relevant changes that takes into account the nature of data obtained from multidimensional protein identification technology coupled with the use of isobaric tags. This study provides an expanded list of the proteins that may be involved in germination of the B. anthracis spore and their relative levels during germination.

Polar localization of a soluble methyl-accepting protein of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

A soluble methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein (MCP) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, McpS, showed polar localization by immunofluorescence microscopy. Overexpression of McpS resulted in a dominant-negative effect on chemotaxis and caused a loss of polar clustering of the general MCP population. The polar localization of a soluble MCP defines a third, and unexpected, paradigm for cellular MCP localization.

Clustering requires modified methyl-accepting sites in low-abundance but not high-abundance chemoreceptors of Escherichia coli.

Chemotaxis signalling complexes of Escherichia coli, composed of chemoreceptors, CheA and CheW, form clusters located predominantly at cell poles. As the only kind of receptor in a cell, high-abundance receptors are polar and clustered whereas low-abundance chemoreceptors are polar but largely unclustered. We found that clustering was a function of the cytoplasmic, carboxyl-terminal domain and that effective clustering was conferred on low-abundance receptors by addition of the approximately 20-residue sequence from the carboxyl terminus of either high-abundance receptor. These sequences are different but share a carboxyl-terminal pentapeptide that enhances adaptational covalent modification and allows a physiological balance between modified and unmodified methyl-accepting sites, implying that receptor modification might influence clustering. Thus we investigated directly effects of modification state on chemoreceptor clustering. As the sole receptor type in a cell, low-abundance receptors were clustered only if modified, but high-abundance receptors were clustered independent of extent of modification. This difference could mean that the two receptor types are fundamentally different or that they are poised at different positions in the same conformational equilibrium. Notably, no receptor perturbation we tested altered a predominant location at cell poles, emphasizing a distinction between determinants of clustering and polar localization.

The yeast GTPase Mtg2p is required for mitochondrial translation and partially suppresses an rRNA methyltransferase mutant, mrm2.

The assembly of ribosomes involves the coordinated processing and modification of rRNAs with the temporal association of ribosomal proteins. This process is regulated by assembly factors such as helicases, modifying enzymes, and GTPases. In contrast to the assembly of cytoplasmic ribosomes, there is a paucity of information concerning the role of assembly proteins in the biogenesis of mitochondrial ribosomes. In this study, we demonstrate that the Saccharomyces cerevisiae GTPase Mtg2p (Yhr168wp) is essential for mitochondrial ribosome function. Cells lacking MTG2 lose their mitochondrial DNA, giving rise to petite cells. In addition, cells expressing a temperature-sensitive mgt2-1 allele are defective in mitochondrial protein synthesis and contain lowered levels of mitochondrial ribosomal subunits. Significantly, elevated levels of Mtg2p partially suppress the thermosensitive loss of mitochondrial DNA in a 21S rRNA methyltransferase mutant, mrm2. We propose that Mtg2p is involved in mitochondrial ribosome biogenesis. Consistent with this role, we show that Mtg2p is peripherally localized to the mitochondrial inner membrane and associates with the 54S large ribosomal subunit in a salt-dependent manner.

The Caulobacter crescentus GTPase CgtAC is required for progression through the cell cycle and for maintaining 50S ribosomal subunit levels.

The Obg subfamily of bacterial GTP-binding proteins are biochemically distinct from Ras-like proteins raising the possibility that they are not controlled by conventional guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) and/or guanine nucleotide activating proteins (GAPs). To test this hypothesis, we generated mutations in the Caulobacter crescentus obg gene (cgtAC) which, in Ras-like proteins, would result in either activating or dominant negative phenotypes. In C. crescentus, a P168V mutant is not activating in vivo, although in vitro, the P168V protein showed a modest reduction in the affinity for GDP. Neither the S173N nor N280Y mutations resulted in a dominant negative phenotype. Furthermore, the S173N was significantly impaired for GTP binding, consistent with a critical role of this residue in GTP binding. In general, conserved amino acids in the GTP-binding pocket were, however, important for function. To examine the in vivo consequences of depleting CgtAC, we generated a temperature-sensitive mutant, G80E. At the permissive temperature, G80E cells grow slowly and have reduced levels of 50S ribosomal subunits, indicating that CgtAC is important for 50S assembly and/or stability. Surprisingly, at the non-permissive temperature, G80E cells rapidly lose viability and yet do not display an additional ribosome defect. Thus, the essential nature of the cgtAC gene does not appear to result from its ribosome function. G80E cells arrest as predivisional cells and stalkless cells. Flow cytometry on synchronized cells reveals a G1-S arrest. Therefore, CgtAC is necessary for DNA replication and progression through the cell cycle.

Proteomic screening and identification of differentially distributed membrane proteins in Escherichia coli.

Bacteria show asymmetric subcellular distribution of many proteins involved in diverse cellular processes such as chemotaxis, motility, actin polymerization, chromosome partitioning and cell division. In many cases, the specific subcellular localization of these proteins is critical for proper regulation and function. Although cellular organization of the bacterial cell clearly plays an important role in cell physiology, systematic studies to uncover asymmetrically distributed proteins have not been reported previously. In this study, we undertook a proteomics approach to uncover polar membrane proteins in Escherichia coli. We identified membrane proteins enriched in E. coli minicells using a combination of two-dimensional electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. Among a total of 173 membrane protein spots that were consistently detected, 36 spots were enriched in minicell membranes, whereas 15 spots were more abundant in rod cell membranes. The minicell-enriched proteins included the inner membrane proteins MCPs, AtpA, AtpB, YiaF and AcrA, the membrane-associated FtsZ protein and the outer membrane proteins YbhC, OmpW, Tsx, Pal, FadL, OmpT and BtuB. We immunolocalized two of the minicell-enriched proteins, OmpW and YiaF, and showed that OmpW is a bona fide polar protein whereas YiaF displays a patchy membrane distribution with a polar and septal bias.

The Caulobacter crescentus CgtAC protein cosediments with the free 50S ribosomal subunit.

The Obg family of GTPases is widely conserved and predicted to play an as-yet-unknown role in translation. Recent reports provide circumstantial evidence that both eukaryotic and prokaryotic Obg proteins are associated with the large ribosomal subunit. Here we provide direct evidence that the Caulobacter crescentus CgtA(C) protein is associated with the free large (50S) ribosomal subunit but not with 70S monosomes or with translating ribosomes. In contrast to the Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli proteins, CgtA(C) does not fractionate in a large complex by gel filtration, indicating a moderately weak association with the 50S subunit. Moreover, binding of CgtA(C) to the 50S particle is sensitive to salt concentration and buffer composition but not guanine nucleotide occupancy of CgtA(C). Assays of epitope-tagged wild-type and mutant variants of CgtA(C) indicate that the C terminus of CgtA(C) is critical for 50S association. Interestingly, the addition of a C-terminal epitope tag also affected the ability of various cgtA(C) alleles to function in vivo. Depletion of CgtA(C) led to perturbations in the polysome profile, raising the possibility that CgtA(C) is involved in ribosome assembly or stability.

Polar localization of CheA2 in Rhodobacter sphaeroides requires specific Che homologs.

Rhodobacter sphaeroides is a motile bacterium that has multiple chemotaxis genes organized predominantly in three major operons (cheOp(1), cheOp(2), and cheOp(3)). The chemoreceptor proteins are clustered at two distinct locations, the cell poles and in one or more cytoplasmic clusters. One intriguing possibility is that the physically distinct chemoreceptor clusters are each composed of a defined subset of specific chemotaxis proteins, including the chemoreceptors themselves plus specific CheW and CheA proteins. Here we report the subcellular localization of one such protein, CheA(2), under aerobic and photoheterotrophic growth conditions. CheA(2) is predominantly clustered and localized at the cell poles under both growth conditions. Furthermore, its localization is dependent upon one or more genes in cheOp(2) but not those of cheOp(1) or cheOp(3). In E. coli, the polar localization of CheA depends upon CheW. The R. sphaeroides cheOp(2) contains two cheW genes. Interestingly, CheW(2) is required under both aerobic and photoheterotrophic conditions, whereas CheW(3) is not required under aerobic conditions but appears to play a modest role under photoheterotrophic conditions. This suggests that R. sphaeroides contains at least two distinct chemotaxis complexes, possibly composed of proteins dedicated for each subcellular location. Furthermore, the composition of these spatially distinct complexes may change under different growth conditions.

Proteomic analysis of the spore coats of Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus anthracis.

The outermost proteinaceous layer of bacterial spores, called the coat, is critical for spore survival, germination, and, for pathogenic spores, disease. To identify novel spore coat proteins, we have carried out a preliminary proteomic analysis of Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus anthracis spores, using a combination of standard sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis separation and improved two-dimensional electrophoretic separations, followed by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight and/or dual mass spectrometry. We identified 38 B. subtilis spore proteins, 12 of which are known coat proteins. We propose that, of the novel proteins, YtaA, YvdP, and YnzH are bona fide coat proteins, and we have renamed them CotI, CotQ, and CotU, respectively. In addition, we initiated a study of coat proteins in B. anthracis and identified 11 spore proteins, 6 of which are candidate coat or exosporium proteins. We also queried the unfinished B. anthracis genome for potential coat proteins. Our analysis suggests that the B. subtilis and B. anthracis coats have roughly similar numbers of proteins and that a core group of coat protein species is shared between these organisms, including the major morphogenetic proteins. Nonetheless, a significant number of coat proteins are probably unique to each species. These results should accelerate efforts to develop B. anthracis detection methods and understand the ecological role of the coat.