Chemotaxis Towards Sugars by Bacillus subtilis

Ordal, George; Villani, David P.; Rosendahl, Mary S.

doi:10.1099/00221287-115-1-167

Cited by 35 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…To our knowledge prior to this study these two sugars were considered nonutilizable growth substrates by B. subtilis. However, previous studies showed gentiobiose and ␤-methyl-D-glucoside to be powerful attractants for B. subtilis chemotaxis (24,25), strongly suggesting that B. subtilis may indeed utilize these sugars. At present it is unknown whether gentiobiose and ␤-methyl-Dglucoside are transported and/or utilized by the bgl or lic gene products or if there exist specific genes coding for their transport and utilization.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Uncovering New Metabolic Capabilities of Bacillus subtilis Using Phenotype Profiling of Rifampin-Resistant rpoB Mutants

Perkins

Nicholson

2008

J Bacteriol

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A central goal of the genomics-bioinformatics era is to understand at a global level how cells coordinate the conversion of their genomic information into phenotype. From this perspective, macromolecular machines such as the replication, transcription, and translation complexes can be viewed as central control devices that optimize the flow of genetic information to the various cellular tasks needed for sensing and responding to environmental cues. It has been well established for the gram-positive spore-forming bacterium Bacillus subtilis that growth and metabolism, as well as several developmental events (e.g., extracellular enzyme synthesis, motility, chemotaxis, competence, sporulation, spore resistance properties, germination, and outgrowth), are controlled in large part at the transcriptional level (26,27,28). Because the RNA polymerase transcription complex contacts every promoter in the B. subtilis genome, single amino acid substitutions in critical portions of the enzyme can lead to global changes in gene transcription and hence in physiology and metabolism.One such critical target resides on the ␤ subunit of RNA polymerase in the binding site for the antibiotic rifampin (Rif). Rifampin resistance (Rif r ) results from mutations in the rpoB gene leading to specific amino acid alterations in ␤ (12; reviewed in reference 37). Evidence connecting RNA polymerase, Rif r , and global regulation of growth and development in B. subtilis has been accumulating. (i) Rothstein et al. (31) first isolated a Rif r B. subtilis mutant exhibiting a temperature-sensitive sporulation defect; the mutation responsible, rfm2103, was later identified as causing the amino acid change H482Y in cluster I of ␤ (7).(ii) Rif r mutations mapping to cluster I (Q469K, Q469R, and H482Y) affected the efficiency of rho-dependent transcription termination (10). (iii) Rif r mutations in cluster I, especially S487L, were reported to enhance postexponential production of the extracellular enzymes amylase and protease (S. T. Jørgensen, unpublished data; see also reference 9a). (iv) We observed that four Rif r mutations in cluster I (Q469R, H482R, H482Y, and S487L) caused both locus-specific and allele-specific alterations in the expression of global transcriptional regulons controlling growth, competence, sporulation, and germination (19). Collectively these observations suggest that alteration of single amino acids in the Rif-binding pocket of ␤ results in fundamental alterations in the global interactions of RNA polymerase with promoters and transcriptional regulators, leading to profound changes in global phenotypes.Using B. subtilis as a model organism, we have been exploring the connections linking environmental selective pressure, mutagenesis, altered phenotype, and fitness during evolution (18). We found that during long-term laboratory evolution of B. subtilis the rate of spontaneous mutation to Rif r increased in evolving cultures by 1 to 2 orders of magnitude over the ancestral mutation rate (18), and we have noted that differing cel...

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Uncovering New Metabolic Capabilities of Bacillus subtilis Using Phenotype Profiling of Rifampin-Resistant rpoB Mutants

Perkins

Nicholson

2008

J Bacteriol

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“…This hypothesis is supported not only by the conserved localization of the MCPs (5,24,32,41,47) but also by the similar requirements among bacteria for sensitive sensory responses. Like E. coli, many types of bacteria, including B. subtilis (58,60) and S. aurantia (31), respond to changes in chemoeffector concentration over ranges spanning 4 to 6 orders of magnitude. This sensitivity suggests that they also require a means of signal amplification.…”

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confidence: 99%

Conserved Amplification of Chemotactic Responses through Chemoreceptor Interactions

Lamanna

Gestwicki

Strong³

et al. 2002

J Bacteriol

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Many bacteria concentrate their chemoreceptors at the cell poles. Chemoreceptor location is important inEscherichia coli, since chemosensory responses are sensitive to receptor proximity. It is not known, however, whether chemotaxis in other bacteria is similarly regulated. To investigate the importance of receptor-receptor interactions in other bacterial species, we synthesized saccharide-bearing multivalent ligands that are designed to cluster relevant chemoreceptors. As has been shown with E. coli, we demonstrate that the behaviors of Bacillus subtilis, Spirochaete aurantia, and Vibrio furnissii are sensitive to the valence of the chemoattractant. Moreover, in B. subtilis, chemotactic responses to serine were increased by pretreatment with saccharidebearing multivalent ligands. This result indicates that, as in E. coli, signaling information is transferred among chemoreceptors in B. subtilis. These results suggest that interreceptor communication may be a general mechanism for modulating chemotactic responses in bacteria.Chemotaxis is a well-studied process that has been explored in diverse bacteria, including Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, and Bacillus subtilis (11,14,18,62,76). Chemotaxis is mediated by a series of chemoreceptors that transform chemosensory information into a behavioral response through a two-component system. E. coli serves as the canonical model, and in this species, the two-component signaling system comprises the receptor-associated histidine kinase CheA and the cytoplasmic response regulator CheY (22,65). Changes in chemoreceptor occupancy modulate the kinase activity of CheA, which in turn controls the concentrations of phosphorylated CheY and CheB. Phospho-CheY can interact with the flagellar motor protein FliM (74), thereby influencing the rotation of the flagella and the behavior of the cell (9). The cell is returned to its prestimulatus behavior by the methyltransferase CheR, an enzyme that transfers methyl groups from S-adenosylmethionine to glutamate residues on the cytoplasmic domains of the chemoreceptors (71, 75). Phospho-CheB regulates this adaptation through its methylesterase activity (78). Consequently, the chemoreceptors are termed methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins (MCPs).Self-association of the MCPs is important for their function. The structures of the MCPs from both E. coli and Salmonella serovar Typhimurium have been investigated by X-ray crystallography and directed cross-linking. The MCPs from both species are stable homodimers (12,19,40,55,56,77). The receptor units are highly helical throughout their periplasmic and cytoplasmic domains. At their cytoplasmic ends, the homodimers associate in a four-helix bundle of two coiled-coils connected by hairpin turns. A recent crystallographic study (40) of the E. coli serine receptor demonstrates that MCPs can oligomerize through the association of their cytoplasmic domains to form a trimer of dimers. In addition, Ames et al. (6) recently provided genetic and biochemical evidence that suggest...

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“…It is not known whether 2-deoxyglucose is transported by a PTS system. Its chemotaxis is fourfold inducible rather than constitutive as is that of glucose, and thus 2-deoxyglucose probably is not just an analog of glucose (16). However, there are some interesting differences between taxis toward these sugars and taxis toward aspartate.…”

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confidence: 98%

“…Not just glucose but many sugars are transported by the PTS system (18), and many are also attractants for B. subtilis (16). However, the behavioral response to sugar addition is weak compared with amino acid addition.…”

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confidence: 99%

Methyl transfer in chemotaxis toward sugars by Bacillus subtilis

1990

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Like amino acids, the sugars glucose and the nonmetabolizable 2-deoxyglucose caused a turnover of methyl groups on the methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins. These sugars also caused methanol formation on addition. Thus, in contrast to chemotaxis in Escherichia coli, taxis to phosphotransferase sugars by Bacillus subtilis utilizes the methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins.Chemotaxis is the process by which cells travel toward higher concentrations of attractant and lower concentrations of repellent. This process involves cells recognizing changes in their environment and altering their behavior accordingly. Our laboratory is concerned with elucidating the mechanism of chemotaxis in the gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis. We have found that despite functional homology between the methyl-accepting chemotactic proteins (MCPs) of B. subtilis and Escherichia coli (3,5,12,14), there exist many striking differences in the mechanisms (4, 21-23).In both species, addition of attractant (or removal of repellent) causes counterclockwise flagellar rotation, resulting in smooth swimming. Both species have the ability to adapt to this new ambient concentration of attractant and after a time return to their prestimulus random-walk pattern of smooth swims alternating with tumbles (clockwise flagellar rotation). Addition of repellent (or removal of attractant) conversely causes a period of tumbling, with suppression of any smooth swimming.

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Chemotaxis Towards Sugars by Bacillus subtilis

Cited by 35 publications

References 19 publications

Uncovering New Metabolic Capabilities of Bacillus subtilis Using Phenotype Profiling of Rifampin-Resistant rpoB Mutants

Uncovering New Metabolic Capabilities of Bacillus subtilis Using Phenotype Profiling of Rifampin-Resistant rpoB Mutants

Conserved Amplification of Chemotactic Responses through Chemoreceptor Interactions

Methyl transfer in chemotaxis toward sugars by Bacillus subtilis

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