Protein phosphorylation is estimated to affect 30% of the proteome and is a major regulatory mechanism that controls many basic cellular processes. Until recently, our biochemical understanding of protein phosphorylation on a global scale has been extremely limited; only one half of the yeast kinases have known in vivo substrates and the phosphorylating kinase is known for less than 160 phosphoproteins. Here we describe, with the use of proteome chip technology, the in vitro substrates recognized by most yeast protein kinases: we identified over 4,000 phosphorylation events involving 1,325 different proteins. These substrates represent a broad spectrum of different biochemical functions and cellular roles. Distinct sets of substrates were recognized by each protein kinase, including closely related kinases of the protein kinase A family and four cyclin-dependent kinases that vary only in their cyclin subunits. Although many substrates reside in the same cellular compartment or belong to the same functional category as their phosphorylating kinase, many others do not, indicating possible new roles for several kinases. Furthermore, integration of the phosphorylation results with protein-protein interaction and transcription factor binding data revealed novel regulatory modules. Our phosphorylation results have been assembled into a first-generation phosphorylation map for yeast. Because many yeast proteins and pathways are conserved, these results will provide insights into the mechanisms and roles of protein phosphorylation in many eukaryotes.

Metagenomic sequencing increased our understanding of the role of the microbiome in health and disease, yet it only provides a snapshot of a highly dynamic ecosystem. Here, we show that the pattern of metagenomic sequencing read coverage for different microbial genomes contains a single trough and a single peak, the latter coinciding with the bacterial origin of replication. Furthermore, the ratio of sequencing coverage between the peak and trough provides a quantitative measure of a species' growth rate. We demonstrate this in vitro and in vivo, under different growth conditions, and in complex bacterial communities. For several bacterial species, peak to trough coverage ratios, but not relative abundances, correlated with the manifestation of inflammatory bowel disease and type II diabetes.

We have developed a new DNA microarray-based technology, termed protein binding microarrays (PBMs), that allows rapid, high-throughput characterization of the in vitro DNA binding site sequence specificities of transcription factors in a single day. Using PBMs, we identified the DNA binding site sequence specificities of the yeast transcription factors Abf1, Rap1, and Mig1. Comparison of these proteins' in vitro binding sites versus their in vivo binding sites indicates that PBM-derived sequence specificities can accurately reflect in vivo DNA sequence specificities. In addition to previously identified targets, Abf1, Rap1, and Mig1 bound to 107, 90, and 75 putative new target intergenic regions, respectively, many of which were upstream of previously uncharacterized open reading frames (ORFs). Comparative sequence analysis indicates that many of these newly identified sites are highly conserved across five sequenced sensu stricto yeast species and thus are likely to be functional in vivo binding sites that potentially are utilized in a conditionspecific manner. Similar PBM experiments will likely be useful in identifying novel cis regulatory elements and transcriptional regulatory networks in various genomes.The interactions between transcription factors (TFs) and their DNA binding sites are an integral part of transcriptional regulatory networks. They control the coordinated expression of thousands of genes during normal growth and in response to external stimuli. Significant progress has been made recently in the accumulation and analysis of mRNA transcript Correspondence should be addressed to M.L.B.

SummaryThe economy of protein production is central to cell physiology, being intimately linked with cell division rate and cell size. Attempts to model cellular physiology are limited by the scarcity of experimental data defining the molecular processes limiting protein expression. Here, we distinguish the relative contribution of gene transcription and protein translation to the slower proliferation of budding yeast producing excess levels of unneeded proteins. In contrast to widely held assumptions, rapidly growing cells are not universally limited by ribosome content. Rather, transcription dominates cost under some conditions (e.g., low phosphate), translation in others (e.g., low nitrogen), and both in other conditions (e.g., rich media). Furthermore, cells adapted to enforced protein production by becoming larger and increasing their endogenous protein levels, suggesting limited competition for common resources. We propose that rapidly growing cells do not exhaust their resources to maximize growth but maintain sufficient reserves to accommodate changing requirements.

SummaryCan a heterotrophic organism be evolved to synthesize biomass from CO2 directly? So far, non-native carbon fixation in which biomass precursors are synthesized solely from CO2 has remained an elusive grand challenge. Here, we demonstrate how a combination of rational metabolic rewiring, recombinant expression, and laboratory evolution has led to the biosynthesis of sugars and other major biomass constituents by a fully functional Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle in E. coli. In the evolved bacteria, carbon fixation is performed via a non-native CBB cycle, while reducing power and energy are obtained by oxidizing a supplied organic compound (e.g., pyruvate). Genome sequencing reveals that mutations in flux branchpoints, connecting the non-native CBB cycle to biosynthetic pathways, are essential for this phenotype. The successful evolution of a non-native carbon fixation pathway, though not yet resulting in net carbon gain, strikingly demonstrates the capacity for rapid trophic-mode evolution of metabolism applicable to biotechnology.PaperClip

Graphical Abstract Highlights d Conversion of obligate heterotroph to full autotrophy over laboratory timescales d Non-native Calvin cycle operation generates biomass carbon from CO 2 in E. coli d Formate is oxidized by heterologous formate dehydrogenase to provide reducing power d Chemostat-based directed evolution led to complete trophic mode change in z200 days In BriefMetabolic rewiring and directed evolution led to the emergence of E. coli clones that use CO 2 as their sole carbon source, while formate is oxidized to provide all the reducing power and energy demands. SUMMARYThe living world is largely divided into autotrophs that convert CO 2 into biomass and heterotrophs that consume organic compounds. In spite of widespread interest in renewable energy storage and more sustainable food production, the engineering of industrially relevant heterotrophic model organisms to use CO 2 as their sole carbon source has so far remained an outstanding challenge. Here, we report the achievement of this transformation on laboratory timescales. We constructed and evolved Escherichia coli to produce all its biomass carbon from CO 2 . Reducing power and energy, but not carbon, are supplied via the one-carbon molecule formate, which can be produced electrochemically. Rubisco and phosphoribulokinase were co-expressed with formate dehydrogenase to enable CO 2 fixation and reduction via the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle. Autotrophic growth was achieved following several months of continuous laboratory evolution in a chemostat under intensifying organic carbon limitation and confirmed via isotopic labeling.

To monitor severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) infection, a coronavirus protein microarray that harbors proteins from SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and five additional coronaviruses was constructed. These microarrays were used to screen Ϸ400 Canadian sera from the SARS outbreak, including samples from confirmed SARS-CoV cases, respiratory illness patients, and healthcare professionals. A computer algorithm that uses multiple classifiers to predict samples from SARS patients was developed and used to predict 206 sera from Chinese fever patients. The test assigned patients into two distinct groups: those with antibodies to SARSCoV and those without. The microarray also identified patients with sera reactive against other coronavirus proteins. Our results correlated well with an indirect immunofluorescence test and demonstrated that viral infection can be monitored for many months after infection. We show that protein microarrays can serve as a rapid, sensitive, and simple tool for large-scale identification of viral-specific antibodies in sera.infectious disease ͉ protein chip ͉ virus diagnostics

DRP‐1 is a pro‐apoptotic Ca2+/calmodulin (CaM)‐regulated serine/threonine kinase, recently isolated as a novel member of the DAP‐kinase family of proteins. It contains a short extra‐catalytic tail required for homodimerization. Here we identify a novel regulatory mechanism that controls its pro‐apoptotic functions. It comprises a single autophosphorylation event mapped to Ser308 within the CaM regulatory domain. A negative charge at this site reduces both the binding to CaM and the formation of DRP‐1 homodimers. Conversely, the dephosphorylation of Ser308, which takes place in response to activated Fas or tumour necrosis factor‐α death receptors, increases the formation of DRP‐1 dimers, facilitates the binding to CaM and activates the pro‐apoptotic effects of the protein. Thus, the process of enzyme activation is controlled by two unlocking steps that must work in concert, i.e. dephosphorylation, which probably weakens the electrostatic interactions between the CaM regulatory domain and the catalytic cleft, and homodimerization. This mechanism of negative autophosphorylation provides a safety barrier that restrains the killing effects of DRP‐1, and a target for efficient activation of the kinase by various apoptotic stimuli.