| 21. |
- Thorsen, Michael, 1974, et al.
(författare)
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Glutathione serves an extracellular defence function to decrease arsenite accumulation and toxicity in yeast.
- 2012
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Ingår i: Molecular microbiology. - : Wiley. - 1365-2958 .- 0950-382X. ; 84:6, s. 1177-88
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Arsenic is an environmental toxin and a worldwide health hazard. Since this metalloid is ubiquitous in nature, virtually all living organisms require systems for detoxification and tolerance acquisition. Here, we show that during chronic exposure to arsenite [As(III)], Saccharomyces cerevisiae (budding yeast) exports and accumulates the low-molecular-weight thiol molecule glutathione (GSH) outside of cells. Extracellular accumulation of the arsenite triglutathione complex As(GS)₃ was also detected and direct transport assays demonstrate that As(GS)₃ does not readily enter cells. Yeast cells with increased extracellular GSH levels accumulate less arsenic and display improved growth when challenged with As(III). Conversely, cells defective in export and extracellular accumulation of GSH are As(III) sensitive. Taken together, our data are consistent with a novel detoxification mechanism in which GSH is exported to protect yeast cells from arsenite toxicity by preventing its uptake.
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| 22. |
- Wang, Ellen, et al.
(författare)
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Structure and functional properties of the Bacillus subtilis transcriptional repressor Rex.
- 2008
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Ingår i: Molecular Microbiology. - : Wiley. - 1365-2958 .- 0950-382X. ; 69:2, s. 466-478
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The transcription factor Rex has been implicated in regulation of the expression of genes important for fermentative growth and for growth under conditions of low oxygen tension in several Gram-positive bacteria. Rex senses the redox poise of the cell through changes in the NADH/NAD(+) ratio. The crystal structures of two essentially identical Rex proteins, from Thermus aquaticus and T. thermophilus, have previously been determined in complex with NADH. Here we present the crystal structure of the Rex protein from Bacillus subtilis, as well as extensive studies of its affinity for nucleotides and DNA, using surface plasmon resonance, isothermal titration calorimetry and electrophoretic mobility shift assays. We show that Rex has a very high affinity for NADH but that its affinity for NAD(+) is 20 000 times lower. However the NAD(+) affinity is increased by a factor of 30 upon DNA binding, suggesting that there is a positive allosteric coupling between DNA binding and NAD(+) binding. The crystal structures of two pseudo-apo forms (from crystals soaked with NADH and co-crystallized with ATP) show a very different conformation from the previously determined Rex:NADH complexes, in which the N-terminal domains are splayed away from the dimer core. A mechanism is proposed whereby conformational changes in a C-terminal domain-swapped helix mediate the transition from a flexible DNA-binding form to a locked NADH-bound form incapable of binding DNA.
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| 23. |
- Wullt, Björn, et al.
(författare)
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P fimbriae enhance the early establishment of Escherichia coli in the human urinary tract
- 2000
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Ingår i: Molecular Microbiology. - : Wiley. - 0950-382X .- 1365-2958. ; 38:3, s. 456-464
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study examined the role of P fimbriae in the establishment of bacteriuria. Patients (n = 17) were subjected to intravesical inoculation with an asymptomatic bacteriuria strain, Escherichia coli 83972, or its P-fimbriated (pap+/prs+) transformants. As shown by groupwise analysis, the pap+/prs+ transformants established bacteriuria more rapidly than E. coli 83972 (P = 0.021) and required a lower number of inoculations to reach 105 cfu ml-1 (P=0.018). Intraindividual analysis showed that the pap+/prs+ transformants established bacteriuria more rapidly than E. coli 83972 in the patients who subsequently became carriers of both strains. Finally, bacterial establishment was shown to vary with the in vivo expression of P fimbriae. Bacterial counts were higher when P-fimbrial expression was detected than when the pap+/prs+ strain showed a negative phenotype. The results suggested that P fimbriae enhance the establishment of bacteriuria and fulfil the molecular Koch postulates as a colonization factor in the human urinary tract.
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| 24. |
- Brady, L. Jeannine, et al.
(författare)
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The changing faces of Streptococcus antigen I/II polypeptide family adhesins
- 2010
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Ingår i: Molecular Microbiology. - : Wiley. - 0950-382X .- 1365-2958. ; 77:2, s. 276-286
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Streptococcus mutans antigen I/II (AgI/II) protein was one of the first cell wall-anchored adhesins identified in Gram-positive bacteria. It mediates attachment of S. mutans to tooth surfaces and has been a focus for immunization studies against dental caries. The AgI/II family polypeptides recognize salivary glycoproteins, and are also involved in biofilm formation, platelet aggregation, tissue invasion and immune modulation. The genes encoding AgI/II family polypeptides are found among Streptococcus species indigenous to the human mouth, as well as in Streptococcus pyogenes, S. agalactiae and S. suis. Evidence of functionalities for different regions of the AgI/II proteins has emerged. A sequence motif within the C-terminal portion of Streptococcus gordonii SspB (AgI/II) is bound by Porphyromonas gingivalis, thus promoting oral colonization by this anaerobic pathogen. The significance of other epitopes is now clearer following resolution of regional crystal structures. A new picture emerges of the central V (variable) region, predicted to contain a carbohydrate-binding trench, being projected from the cell surface by a stalk formed by an unusual association between an N-terminal α-helix and a C-terminal polyproline helix. This presentation mode might be important in determining functional conformations of other Gram-positive surface proteins that have adhesin domains flanked by α-helical and proline-rich regions. Ever since dental caries (tooth decay) was first shown to be caused by bacteria, there has been continued interest in developing vaccine or passive immunization protocols for its control or prevention (Lehner et al., 1980). Although dental caries is not fatal, and in developed countries caries is now considered to be largely avoidable through controlled diet and good oral hygiene, there remain significant problems with childhood disease, especially among indigent populations. Consequently, caries is one of the most common worldwide infectious diseases. Therefore, research continues towards employing vaccine formulations comprised of peptide components derived from surface proteins of Streptococcus mutans, a major agent associated with dental caries (Lehner et al., 1975). One of the most promising strategies seems to be delivery of peptides, derived from glucan-binding protein B (GbpB) and antigen I/II (AgI/II) protein, via a mucosal (nasal) route. The GbpB polypeptide binds extracellular glucans, thus promoting co-adhesion of S. mutans cells in the development of dental plaque (Taubman and Nash, 2006). The AgI/II protein (also named P1, SpaP, AgB or PAc) is a major surface protein that functions as an adhesin, attaching S. mutans to the saliva-coated tooth enamel surface (Koga et al., 1990; Kelly et al., 1995). Antibodies against SpaP and GbpB block adherence and co-adhesion, respectively, thus disrupting colonization of the oral cavity by S. mutans (Ma et al., 1990; 1998; Taubman and Nash, 2006). The terminology AgI/II derives from the identification of two major cell wall antigens I and II in S. mutans by Russell et al. (1980), and the subsequent recognition that AgII was a component of AgI. Following the discovery of AgI/II, it became apparent that genes encoding orthologous proteins were widely dispersed among the streptococci (Jenkinson and Demuth, 1997). The viridans Streptococcus AgI/II adhesins range in composition from 1310 to 1653 amino acid (aa) residues, while the Streptococcus agalactiae AgI/II proteins are smaller (826–932 aa residues) (Tettelin et al., 2005). The widespread distribution of these AgI/II protein genes across the streptococci is perhaps not surprising, given the complex streptococcal communities that exist on surfaces of the oro- and naso-pharynx and within the bacterial soup of saliva. It is interesting, though, that the AgI/II family polypeptide genes have not yet been discovered in Streptococcus pneumoniae, which might be by the fact that S. pneumoniae forms a distinct evolutionary cluster (Kilian et al., 2008).
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| 25. |
- Francis, Matthew, 1969-, et al.
(författare)
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A study of the YopD-LcrH interaction from Yersinia pseudotuberculosis reveals a role for hydrophobic residues within the amphipathic domain of YopD
- 2000
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Ingår i: Molecular Microbiology. - : Blackwell Publishing. - 0950-382X .- 1365-2958. ; 38:1, s. 85-102
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The enteropathogen Yersinia pseudotuberculosis is a model system used to study the molecular mechanisms by which Gram-negative pathogens translocate effector proteins into target eukaryotic cells by a common type III secretion machine. Of the numerous proteins produced by Y. pseudotuberculosis that act in concert to establish an infection, YopD (Yersiniaouter protein D) is a crucial component essential for yop regulation and Yop effector translocation. In this study, we describe the mechanisms by which YopD functions to control these processes. With the aid of the yeast two-hybrid system, we investigated the interaction between YopD and the cognate chaperone LcrH. We confirmed that non-secreted LcrH is necessary for YopD stabilization before secretion, presumably by forming a complex with YopD in the bacterial cytoplasm. At least in yeast, this complex depends upon the N-terminal domain and a C-terminal amphipathic α-helical domain of YopD. Introduction of amino acid substitutions within the hydrophobic side of the amphipathic α-helix abolished the YopD–LcrH interaction, indicating that hydrophobic, as opposed to electrostatic, forces of attraction are important for this process. Suppressor mutations isolated within LcrH could compensate for defects in the amphipathic domain of YopD to restore binding. Isolation of LcrH mutants unable to interact with wild-type YopD revealed no single domain responsible for YopD binding. The YopD and LcrH mutants generated in this study will be relevant tools for understanding YopD function during a Yersinia infection.
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| 26. |
- Carlson, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Bacteriophage T4 endonuclease II: concerted single-strand nicks yield double-strand cleavage.
- 2004
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Ingår i: Mol Microbiol. - : Wiley. ; 52, s. 1403-1411
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In vivo, endonuclease II (EndoII) of coliphage T4 cleaves sites with conserved sequence elements (CSEs) to both the left and the right of the cleaved bonds, 16 bp altogether with some variability tolerated. In vitro, however, single-strand nicks in the lower strand predominate at sites containing only the left-side CSE that determines the precise position of lower strand nicks. Upper strand nick positions vary both in vivo and in vitro. A 24 bp substrate was nicked with the same precision as in longer substrates, showing that the conserved sequence suffices for precise nicking by EndoII. Using DNA ligase in vitro, we found that EndoII nicked both strands simultaneously at an in vivo-favoured site but not at an in vitro-favoured site. This indicates that the right-side CSE at in vivo-favoured sites is important for simultaneous nicking of both strands, generating double-strand cleavage. Separate analysis of the two strands following in vitro digestion at two in vitro-favoured sites showed that EndoII nicked the lower strand about 1.5-fold faster than the upper strand. In addition, the upper and lower strands were nicked independently of each other, seldom resulting in double-strand cleavage. Thus, cleavage by EndoII is the fortuitous outcome of two separate nicking events.
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| 27. |
- Carlson, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Endonuclease II of coliphage T4: a recombinase disguised as a restriction endonuclease?
- 1998
-
Ingår i: Mol Microbiol. - : Wiley. ; 27:4, s. 671-676
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- EndoII shares with restriction endonucleases the property of cleaving foreign DNA while leaving the endonuclease-encoding genome intact, ensuring the survival of one DNA species in the cell. In addition, in vivo EndoII cleaves a specific DNA sequence and cleavage is context dependent. These context effects extend over at least 1000 bp, largely limiting cleavage to once within this distance. Like homing endonucleases, in vivo EndoII recognizes a long, asymmetric and degenerate consensus sequence which has two distinct parts. Recognition of one part of the consensus sequence involves base-specific bonds, and recognition of the other involves sequence-dependent helical structure. EndoII fulfils an obvious short-term survival role in ensuring the dominance of phage DNA in an infected cell, but may also have a long-term evolutionary role, producing gene-size fragments of foreign DNA to be enrolled in the phage genetic repertoire.
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| 28. |
- Carlson, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Sequence-specific cleavage by bacteriophage T4 endonuclease II in vitro
- 1999
-
Ingår i: Mol Microbiol. - : Wiley. ; 31:5, s. 1395-1406
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The 136 codon (408 bp) denA gene encoding endonuclease II (EndoII) of bacteriophage T4 was unambiguously identified through sequencing and subsequent cloning. EndoII prepared from cloned DNA through coupled in vitro transcriptiontranslation nicked and cut DNA in vitro in a sequence-specific manner. In vitro (and in vivo ), the bottom strand was nicked between the first and second base pair to the right of a top-strand CCGC motif shared by favoured in vitro and in vivo cleavage sites; top-strand cleavage positions varied. To the right of the cleavage position, favoured in vitro sites lacked a sequence element conserved at favoured in vivo sites. In pBR322 DNA, the sites cleaved in vivo as previously described were also cleaved in vitro, but in vitro additional sites were nicked or cleaved and the preference for individual sites was different. Also, different from the in vivo reaction, nicking was more frequent than ds cutting; in many copies of a ds cleavage site, only the bottom strand was nicked in vitro. A model is discussed in which sequential nicking of the two strands, and different factors influencing bottom-strand nicking and top-strand nicking, can explain the differences between the in vitro and the in vivo reaction.
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| 29. |
- Collin, Mattias, et al.
(författare)
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Generation of a mature streptococcal cysteine proteinase is dependent on cell wall-anchored M1 protein
- 2000
-
Ingår i: Molecular Microbiology. - : Wiley. - 1365-2958 .- 0950-382X. ; 36:6, s. 1306-1318
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the present study, we have generated a mutant strain of Streptococcus pyogenes, MC25, which lacks M protein on its surface, and we demonstrate that this strain is unable to generate a mature 28 kDa cysteine proteinase. Furthermore, we show that S. pyogenes bacteria of M1 serotype are dependent on cell wall-anchored M protein to cleave the secreted zymogen into a mature cysteine proteinase. We also show that MC25 secretes a 40 kDa zymogen, having a conformation different from that secreted by wild-type bacteria. We provide data showing that the cleavage site is not blocked but, presumably, the active site is. This suggests that M protein, when anchored to the cell wall, is involved in the unfolding of the zymogen and generation of a mature cysteine proteinase that can be activated under reducing conditions. Our data add new aspects to the interaction between two important virulence factors of S. pyogenes, the streptococcal cysteine proteinase and M protein.
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| 30. |
- Collins, James, et al.
(författare)
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Fibrinogen-binding and platelet-aggregation activities of a Lactobacillus salivarius septicaemia isolate are mediated by a novel fibrinogen-binding protein.
- 2012
-
Ingår i: Molecular Microbiology. - : Wiley. - 1365-2958 .- 0950-382X. ; 85:5, s. 862-877
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The marketplace for probiotic foods is burgeoning, measured in billions of euro per annum. It is imperative, however, that all bacterial strains are fully assessed for human safety. The ability to bind fibrinogen is considered a potential pathogenicity trait that can lead to platelet aggregation, serious medical complications, and in some instances, death. Here we examined strains from species frequently used as probiotics for their ability to bind human fibrinogen. Only one strain (CCUG 47825), a Lactobacillus salivarius isolate from a case of septicaemia, was found to strongly adhere to fibrinogen. Furthermore, this strain was found to aggregate human platelets at a level comparable to the human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus. By sequencing the genome of CCUG 47825, we were able to identify candidate genes responsible for fibrinogen binding. Complementing the genetic analysis with traditional molecular microbiological techniques enabled the identification of the novel fibrinogen receptor, CCUG_2371. Although only strain CCUG 47825 bound fibrinogen under laboratory conditions, homologues of the novel fibrinogen binding gene CCUG_2371 are widespread among L. salivarius strains, maintaining their potential to bind fibrinogen if expressed. We highlight the fact that without a full genetic analysis of strains for human consumption, potential pathogenicity traits may go undetected. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
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