STAS Domain Only Proteins in Bacterial Gene Regulation

Abstract

Sulfate Transport Anti-Sigma antagonist domains (Pfam01740) are found in all branches of life, from eubacteria to mammals, as a conserved fold encoded by highly divergent amino acid sequences. These domains are present as part of larger SLC26/SulP anion transporters, where the STAS domain is associated with transmembrane anchoring of the larger multidomain protein. Here, we focus on STAS Domain only Proteins (SDoPs) in eubacteria, initially described as part of the Bacillus subtilisRegulation of Sigma B (RSB) regulatory system. Since their description in B. subtilis, SDoPs have been described to be involved in the regulation of sigma factors, through partner-switching mechanisms in various bacteria such as: Mycobacterium. tuberculosis, Listeria. monocytogenes, Vibrio. fischeri, Bordetella bronchiseptica, among others. In addition to playing a canonical role in partner-switching with an anti-sigma factor to affect the availability of a sigma factor, several eubacterial SDoPs show additional regulatory roles compared to the original RSB system of B. subtilis. This is of great interest as these proteins are highly conserved, and often involved in altering gene expression in response to changes in environmental conditions. For many of the bacteria we will examine in this review, the ability to sense environmental changes and alter gene expression accordingly is critical for survival and colonization of susceptible hosts.

Activation of Cryptic Antibiotic Biosynthetic Gene Clusters Guided by RNA-seq Data from Both Streptomyces ansochromogenes and ΔwblA

“…In ∆wblA, transcription of an rsbR homologous gene ctg1_705 (named as san7324) in RNA-seq data was found to be dramatically decreased, which was consistent with the RT-PCR results (Figure 4a,b), implying that it was positively regulated by WblA. RsbR encoded by rsbR is a positive regulator modulating sigma factor B activity in Bacillus subtilis [32][33][34]. The disruption of san7324 in S. ansochromogenes 7100 abolished nikkomycin production (Figure S3).…”

The discovery of novel noncoding RNAs in 50 bacterial genomes

“…Proteins carrying a STAS domain are also known to be involved in various other cellular functions ( 58 , 59 ). Therefore, the ligand for this riboswitch might not have a connection to sulfate, but rather is another ligand whose identity is not obvious to us based on current information.…”

Lighting the way: how the Vibrio fischeri model microbe reveals the complexity of Earth’s “simplest” life forms

“…STAS domains are present in diverse bacteria but are best understood in systems where they function either as (i) anti-sigma antagonists [e.g., references ( 151 , 152 )] or (ii) components of multiprotein stressosomes ( 153 ). However, SypA is unlikely to function in either role ( 53 , 154 ) and thus joins a growing number of examples in which single-domain STAS proteins exhibit alternative and, in many cases, as yet unknown activities ( 155 ).…”