# | Rank | Similarity | Title + Abs. | Year | PMID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 113 | 0 | 0.9872 | Characterization of O-acetylation of N-acetylglucosamine: a novel structural variation of bacterial peptidoglycan. Peptidoglycan (PG) N-acetyl muramic acid (MurNAc) O-acetylation is widely spread in gram-positive bacteria and is generally associated with resistance against lysozyme and endogenous autolysins. We report here the presence of O-acetylation on N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) in Lactobacillus plantarum PG. This modification of glycan strands was never described in bacteria. Fine structural characterization of acetylated muropeptides released from L. plantarum PG demonstrated that both MurNAc and GlcNAc are O-acetylated in this species. These two PG post-modifications rely on two dedicated O-acetyltransferase encoding genes, named oatA and oatB, respectively. By analyzing the resistance to cell wall hydrolysis of mutant strains, we showed that GlcNAc O-acetylation inhibits N-acetylglucosaminidase Acm2, the major L. plantarum autolysin. In this bacterial species, inactivation of oatA, encoding MurNAc O-acetyltransferase, resulted in marked sensitivity to lysozyme. Moreover, MurNAc over-O-acetylation was shown to activate autolysis through the putative N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine amidase LytH enzyme. Our data indicate that in L. plantarum, two different O-acetyltransferases play original and antagonistic roles in the modulation of the activity of endogenous autolysins. | 2011 | 21586574 |
| 112 | 1 | 0.9858 | Glycopeptide resistance determinants from the teicoplanin producer Actinoplanes teichomyceticus. In enterococci and other pathogenic bacteria, high-level resistance to vancomycin and other glycopeptide antibiotics requires the action of the van genes, which direct the synthesis of peptidoglycan terminating in the depsipeptide D-alanyl-D-lactate, in place of the usual D-Ala-D-Ala. The Actinoplanes teichomyceticus tcp cluster, devoted to the biosynthesis of the glycopeptide antibiotic teicoplanin, contains van genes associated to a murF-like sequence (murF2). We show that A. teichomyceticus contains also a house-keeping murF1 gene, capable of complementing a temperature sensitive Escherichia coli murF mutant. MurF1, expressed in Streptomyces lividans, can catalyze the addition of either D-Ala-D-Ala or D-Ala-D-Lac to the UDP-N-acetyl-muramyl-L-Ala-D-Glu-d-Lys. However, similarly expressed MurF2 shows a small enzymatic activity only with D-Ala-D-lactate. Introduction of a single copy of the entire set of van genes confers resistance to teicoplanin-type glycopeptides to S. coelicolor. | 2004 | 15500981 |
| 117 | 2 | 0.9855 | Acyl depsipeptide (ADEP) resistance in Streptomyces. ADEP, a molecule of the acyl depsipeptide family, has an antibiotic activity with a unique mode of action. ADEP binding to the ubiquitous protease ClpP alters the structure of the enzyme. Access of protein to the ClpP proteolytic chamber is therefore facilitated and its cohort regulatory ATPases (ClpA, ClpC, ClpX) are not required. The consequent uncontrolled protein degradation in the cell appears to kill the ADEP-treated bacteria. ADEP is produced by Streptomyces hawaiiensis. Most sequenced genomes of Streptomyces have five clpP genes, organized as two distinct bicistronic operons, clpP1clpP2 and clpP3clpP4, and a single clpP5 gene. We investigated whether the different Clp proteases are all sensitive to ADEP. We report that ClpP1 is a target of ADEP whereas ClpP3 is largely insensitive. In wild-type Streptomyces lividans, clpP3clpP4 expression is constitutively repressed and the reason for the maintenance of this operon in Streptomyces has been elusive. ClpP activity is indispensable for survival of actinomycetes; we therefore tested whether the clpP3clpP4 operon, encoding an ADEP-insensitive Clp protease, contributes to a mechanism of ADEP resistance by target substitution. We report that in S. lividans, inactivation of ClpP1ClpP2 production or protease activity is indeed a mode of resistance to ADEP although it is neither the only nor the most frequent mode of resistance. The ABC transporter SclAB (orthologous to the Streptomyces coelicolor multidrug resistance pump SCO4959-SCO4960) is also able to confer ADEP resistance, and analysis of strains with sclAB deletions indicates that there are also other mechanisms of ADEP resistance. | 2011 | 21636652 |
| 549 | 3 | 0.9854 | Extracytoplasmic function sigma factor σ(D) confers resistance to environmental stress by enhancing mycolate synthesis and modifying peptidoglycan structures in Corynebacterium glutamicum. Mycolates are α-branched, β-hydroxylated, long-chain fatty acid specifically synthesized in bacteria in the suborder Corynebacterineae of the phylum Actinobacteria. They form an outer membrane, which functions as a permeability barrier and confers pathogenic mycobacteria to resistance to antibiotics. Although the mycolate biosynthetic pathway has been intensively studied, knowledge of transcriptional regulation of genes involved in this pathway is limited. Here, we report that the extracytoplasmic function sigma factor σ(D) is a key regulator of the mycolate synthetic genes in Corynebacterium glutamicum in the suborder. Chromatin immunoprecipitation with microarray analysis detected σ(D) -binding regions in the genome, establishing a consensus promoter sequence for σ(D) recognition. The σ(D) regulon comprised acyl-CoA carboxylase subunits, acyl-AMP ligase, polyketide synthase and mycolyltransferases; they were involved in mycolate synthesis. Indeed, deletion or overexpression of sigD encoding σ(D) modified the extractable mycolate amount. Immediately downstream of sigD, rsdA encoded anti-σ(D) and was under the control of a σ(D) -dependent promoter. Another σ(D) regulon member, l,d-transpeptidase, conferred lysozyme resistance. Thus, σ(D) modifies peptidoglycan cross-linking and enhances mycolate synthesis to provide resistance to environmental stress. | 2018 | 29148103 |
| 119 | 4 | 0.9851 | Heterologous Expression Reveals Ancient Properties of Tei3—A VanS Ortholog from the Teicoplanin Producer Actinoplanes teichomyceticus. Glycopeptide antibiotics (GPAs) are among the most clinically successful antimicrobials. GPAs inhibit cell-wall biosynthesis in Gram-positive bacteria via binding to lipid II. Natural GPAs are produced by various actinobacteria. Being themselves Gram-positives, the GPA producers evolved sophisticated mechanisms of self-resistance to avoid suicide during antibiotic production. These self-resistance genes are considered the primary source of GPA resistance genes actually spreading among pathogenic enterococci and staphylococci. The GPA-resistance mechanism in Actinoplanes teichomyceticus—the producer of the last-resort-drug teicoplanin—has been intensively studied in recent years, posing relevant questions about the role of Tei3 sensor histidine kinase. In the current work, the molecular properties of Tei3 were investigated. The setup of a GPA-responsive assay system in the model Streptomyces coelicolor allowed us to demonstrate that Tei3 functions as a non-inducible kinase, conferring high levels of GPA resistance in A. teichomyceticus. The expression of different truncated versions of tei3 in S. coelicolor indicated that both the transmembrane helices of Tei3 are crucial for proper functioning. Finally, a hybrid gene was constructed, coding for a chimera protein combining the Tei3 sensor domain with the kinase domain of VanS, with the latter being the inducible Tei3 ortholog from S. coelicolor. Surprisingly, such a chimera did not respond to teicoplanin, but indeed to the related GPA A40926. Coupling these experimental results with a further in silico analysis, a novel scenario on GPA-resistance and biosynthetic genes co-evolution in A. teichomyceticus was hereby proposed. | 2022 | 36555354 |
| 612 | 5 | 0.9850 | Pathways and roles of wall teichoic acid glycosylation in Staphylococcus aureus. The thick peptidoglycan layers of Gram-positive bacteria are connected to polyanionic glycopolymers called wall teichoic acids (WTA). Pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, or Enterococcus faecalis produce WTA with diverse, usually strain-specific structure. Extensive studies on S. aureus WTA mutants revealed important functions of WTA in cell division, growth, morphogenesis, resistance to antimicrobials, and interaction with host or phages. While most of the S. aureus WTA-biosynthetic genes have been identified it remained unclear for long how and why S. aureus glycosylates WTA with α- or β-linked N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc). Only recently the discovery of two WTA glycosyltransferases, TarM and TarS, yielded fundamental insights into the roles of S. aureus WTA glycosylation. Mutants lacking WTA GlcNAc are resistant towards most of the S. aureus phages and, surprisingly, TarS-mediated WTA β-O-GlcNAc modification is essential for β-lactam resistance in methicillin-resistant S. aureus. Notably, S. aureus WTA GlcNAc residues are major antigens and activate the complement system contributing to opsonophagocytosis. WTA glycosylation with a variety of sugars and corresponding glycosyltransferases were also identified in other Gram-positive bacteria, which paves the way for detailed investigations on the diverse roles of WTA modification with sugar residues. | 2014 | 24365646 |
| 110 | 6 | 0.9848 | Resistance to the macrolide antibiotic tylosin is conferred by single methylations at 23S rRNA nucleotides G748 and A2058 acting in synergy. The macrolide antibiotic tylosin has been used extensively in veterinary medicine and exerts potent antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria. Tylosin-synthesizing strains of the Gram-positive bacterium Streptomyces fradiae protect themselves from their own product by differential expression of four resistance determinants, tlrA, tlrB, tlrC, and tlrD. The tlrB and tlrD genes encode methyltransferases that add single methyl groups at 23S rRNA nucleotides G748 and A2058, respectively. Here we show that methylation by neither TlrB nor TlrD is sufficient on its own to give tylosin resistance, and resistance is conferred by the G748 and A2058 methylations acting together in synergy. This synergistic mechanism of resistance is specific for the macrolides tylosin and mycinamycin that possess sugars extending from the 5- and 14-positions of the macrolactone ring and is not observed for macrolides, such as carbomycin, spiramycin, and erythromycin, that have different constellations of sugars. The manner in which the G748 and A2058 methylations coincide with the glycosylation patterns of tylosin and mycinamycin reflects unambiguously how these macrolides fit into their binding site within the bacterial 50S ribosomal subunit. | 2002 | 12417742 |
| 616 | 7 | 0.9848 | Identification of lipoteichoic acid as a ligand for draper in the phagocytosis of Staphylococcus aureus by Drosophila hemocytes. Phagocytosis is central to cellular immunity against bacterial infections. As in mammals, both opsonin-dependent and -independent mechanisms of phagocytosis seemingly exist in Drosophila. Although candidate Drosophila receptors for phagocytosis have been reported, how they recognize bacteria, either directly or indirectly, remains to be elucidated. We searched for the Staphylococcus aureus genes required for phagocytosis by Drosophila hemocytes in a screening of mutant strains with defects in the structure of the cell wall. The genes identified included ltaS, which encodes an enzyme responsible for the synthesis of lipoteichoic acid. ltaS-dependent phagocytosis of S. aureus required the receptor Draper but not Eater or Nimrod C1, and Draper-lacking flies showed reduced resistance to a septic infection of S. aureus without a change in a humoral immune response. Finally, lipoteichoic acid bound to the extracellular region of Draper. We propose that lipoteichoic acid serves as a ligand for Draper in the phagocytosis of S. aureus by Drosophila hemocytes and that the phagocytic elimination of invading bacteria is required for flies to survive the infection. | 2009 | 19890048 |
| 554 | 8 | 0.9848 | VanZ Reduces the Binding of Lipoglycopeptide Antibiotics to Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae Cells. vanZ, a member of the VanA glycopeptide resistance gene cluster, confers resistance to lipoglycopeptide antibiotics independent of cell wall precursor modification by the vanHAX genes. Orthologs of vanZ are present in the genomes of many clinically relevant bacteria, including Enterococcus faecium and Streptococcus pneumoniae; however, vanZ genes are absent in Staphylococcus aureus. Here, we show that the expression of enterococcal vanZ paralogs in S. aureus increases the minimal inhibitory concentrations of lipoglycopeptide antibiotics teicoplanin, dalbavancin, oritavancin and new teicoplanin pseudoaglycone derivatives. The reduction in the binding of fluorescently labeled teicoplanin to the cells suggests the mechanism of VanZ-mediated resistance. In addition, using a genomic vanZ gene knockout mutant of S. pneumoniae, we have shown that the ability of VanZ proteins to compromise the activity of lipoglycopeptide antibiotics by reducing their binding is a more general feature of VanZ-superfamily proteins. | 2020 | 32318043 |
| 548 | 9 | 0.9846 | Mammalian antioxidant protein complements alkylhydroperoxide reductase (ahpC) mutation in Escherichia coli. The MER5 [now called the Aop1 (antioxidant protein 1) gene] was cloned as a transiently expressed gene of murine erythroleukaemia (MEL) cell differentiation and its antisense expression inhibited differentiation of MEL cells. We found that the Aop1 gene shows significant nucleotide sequence similarity to the gene coding for the C22 subunit of Salmonella typhimurium alkylhydroperoxide reductase, which is also found in other bacteria, suggesting it functions as an antioxidant protein. Expression of the Aop1 gene product in E. coli deficient in the C22-subunit gene rescued resistance of the bacteria to alkylhydroperoxide. The human and mouse Aop1 genes are highly conserved, and they mapped to the regions syntenic between mouse and human chromosomes. Sequence comparisons with recently cloned mammalian Aop1 homologues suggest that these genes consist of a family that is responsible for regulation of cellular proliferation, differentiation and antioxidant functions. | 1995 | 7733872 |
| 500 | 10 | 0.9845 | An unusually large multifunctional polypeptide in the erythromycin-producing polyketide synthase of Saccharopolyspora erythraea. Erythromycin A, a clinically important polyketide antibiotic, is produced by the Gram-positive bacterium Saccharopolyspora erythraea. In an arrangement that seems to be generally true of antibiotic biosynthetic genes in Streptomyces and related bacteria like S. erythraea, the ery genes encoding the biosynthetic pathway to erythromycin are clustered around the gene (ermE) that confers self-resistance on S. erythraea. The aglycone core of erythromycin A is derived from one propionyl-CoA and six methylmalonyl-CoA units, which are incorporated head-to-tail into the growing polyketide chain, in a process similar to that of fatty-acid biosynthesis, to generate a macrolide intermediate, 6-deoxyerythronolide B. 6-Deoxyerythronolide B is converted into erythromycin A through the action of specific hydroxylases, glycosyltransferases and a methyltransferase. We report here the analysis of about 10 kilobases of DNA from S. erythraea, cloned by chromosome 'walking' outwards from the erythromycin-resistance determinant ermE, and previously shown to be essential for erythromycin biosynthesis. Partial sequencing of this region indicates that it encodes the synthase. Our results confirm this, and reveal a novel organization of the erythromycin-producing polyketide synthase, which provides further insight into the mechanism of chain assembly. | 1990 | 2234082 |
| 371 | 11 | 0.9845 | Single amino acid substitutions in the enzyme acetolactate synthase confer resistance to the herbicide sulfometuron methyl. Sulfometuron methyl, a sulfonylurea herbicide, blocks growth of bacteria, yeast, and higher plants by inhibition of acetolactate synthase (EC 4.1.3.18), the first common enzyme in the biosynthesis of branched-chain amino acids. Spontaneous mutations that confer increased resistance to the herbicide were obtained in cloned genes for acetolactate synthase from Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The DNA sequence of a bacterial mutant gene and a yeast mutant gene revealed single nucleotide differences from their respective wild-type genes. The mutations result in single amino acid substitutions in the structurally homologous aminoterminal regions of the two proteins, but at different positions. The bacterial mutation results in reduced levels of acetolactate synthase activity, reduced sensitivity to sulfometuron methyl, and unaltered resistance to feedback inhibition by valine. The yeast mutation results in unaltered levels of acetolactate synthase activity, greatly reduced sensitivity to sulfometuron methyl, and slightly reduced sensitivity to valine. | 1986 | 16593715 |
| 558 | 12 | 0.9844 | Thiamine pyrophosphate riboswitches are targets for the antimicrobial compound pyrithiamine. Thiamine metabolism genes are regulated in numerous bacteria by a riboswitch class that binds the coenzyme thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP). We demonstrate that the antimicrobial action of the thiamine analog pyrithiamine (PT) is mediated by interaction with TPP riboswitches in bacteria and fungi. For example, pyrithiamine pyrophosphate (PTPP) binds the TPP riboswitch controlling the tenA operon in Bacillus subtilis. Expression of a TPP riboswitch-regulated reporter gene is reduced in transgenic B. subtilis or Escherichia coli when grown in the presence of thiamine or PT, while mutant riboswitches in these organisms are unresponsive to these ligands. Bacteria selected for PT resistance bear specific mutations that disrupt ligand binding to TPP riboswitches and derepress certain TPP metabolic genes. Our findings demonstrate that riboswitches can serve as antimicrobial drug targets and expand our understanding of thiamine metabolism in bacteria. | 2005 | 16356850 |
| 6355 | 13 | 0.9844 | Regulation of resistance to copper in Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. vesicatoria. Copper-resistant strains of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. vesicatoria were previously shown to carry plasmid-borne copper resistance genes related to the cop and pco operons of Pseudomonas syringae and Escherichia coli, respectively. However, instead of the two-component (copRS and pcoRS) systems determining copper-inducible expression of the operons in P. syringae and E. coli, a novel open reading frame, copL, was found to be required for copper-inducible expression of the downstream multicopper oxidase copA in X. axonopodis. copL encodes a predicted protein product of 122 amino acids that is rich in histidine and cysteine residues, suggesting a possible direct interaction with copper. Deletions or frameshift mutations within copL, as well as an amino acid substitution generated at the putative start codon of copL, caused a loss of copper-inducible transcriptional activation of copA. A nonpolar insertion of a kanamycin resistance gene in copL resulted in copper sensitivity in the wild-type strain. However, repeated attempts to complement copL mutations in trans failed. Analysis of the genomic sequence databases shows that there are copL homologs upstream of copAB genes in X. axonopodis pv. citri, X. campestris pv. campestris, and Xylella fastidiosa. The cloned promoter area upstream of copA in X. axonopodis pv. vesicatoria did not function in Pseudomonas syringae or in E. coli, nor did the P. syringae cop promoter function in Xanthomonas. However, a transcriptional fusion of the Xanthomonas cop promoter with the Pseudomonas copABCDRS was able to confer resistance to copper in Xanthomonas, showing divergence in the mechanisms of regulation of the resistance to copper in phytopathogenic bacteria. | 2005 | 15691931 |
| 8212 | 14 | 0.9844 | The biosynthesis and functionality of the cell-wall of lactic acid bacteria. The cell wall of lactic acid bacteria has the typical gram-positive structure made of a thick, multilayered peptidoglycan sacculus decorated with proteins, teichoic acids and polysaccharides, and surrounded in some species by an outer shell of proteins packed in a paracrystalline layer (S-layer). Specific biochemical or genetic data on the biosynthesis pathways of the cell wall constituents are scarce in lactic acid bacteria, but together with genomics information they indicate close similarities with those described in Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, with one notable exception regarding the peptidoglycan precursor. In several species or strains of enterococci and lactobacilli, the terminal D-alanine residue of the muramyl pentapeptide is replaced by D-lactate or D-serine, which entails resistance to the glycopeptide antibiotic vancomycin. Diverse physiological functions may be assigned to the cell wall, which contribute to the technological and health-related attributes of lactic acid bacteria. For instance, phage receptor activity relates to the presence of specific substituents on teichoic acids and polysaccharides; resistance to stress (UV radiation, acidic pH) depends on genes involved in peptidoglycan and teichoic acid biosynthesis; autolysis is controlled by the degree of esterification of teichoic acids with D-alanine; mucosal immunostimulation may result from interactions between epithelial cells and peptidoglycan or teichoic acids. | 1999 | 10532377 |
| 502 | 15 | 0.9843 | A highly specialized flavin mononucleotide riboswitch responds differently to similar ligands and confers roseoflavin resistance to Streptomyces davawensis. Streptomyces davawensis is the only organism known to synthesize the antibiotic roseoflavin, a riboflavin (vitamin B2) analog. Roseoflavin is converted to roseoflavin mononucleotide (RoFMN) and roseoflavin adenine dinucleotide in the cytoplasm of target cells. (Ribo-)Flavin mononucleotide (FMN) riboswitches are genetic elements, which in many bacteria control genes responsible for the biosynthesis and transport of riboflavin. Streptomyces davawensis is roseoflavin resistant, and the closely related bacterium Streptomyces coelicolor is roseoflavin sensitive. The two bacteria served as models to investigate roseoflavin resistance of S. davawensis and to analyze the mode of action of roseoflavin in S. coelicolor. Our experiments demonstrate that the ribB FMN riboswitch of S. davawensis (in contrast to the corresponding riboswitch of S. coelicolor) is able to discriminate between the two very similar flavins FMN and RoFMN and shows opposite responses to the latter ligands. | 2012 | 22740651 |
| 660 | 16 | 0.9841 | Expression of Genes Involved in Bacteriocin Production and Self-Resistance in Lactobacillus brevis 174A Is Mediated by Two Regulatory Proteins. We have previously shown that the lactic acid bacterium Lactobacillus brevis 174A, isolated from Citrus iyo fruit, produces a bacteriocin designated brevicin 174A, which is comprised of two antibacterial polypeptides (designated brevicins 174A-β and 174A-γ). We have also found a gene cluster, composed of eight open reading frames (ORFs), that contains genes for the biosynthesis of brevicin 174A, self-resistance to its own bacteriocin, and two transcriptional regulatory proteins. Some lactic acid bacterial strains have a system to start the production of bacteriocin at an adequate stage of growth. Generally, the system consists of a membrane-bound histidine protein kinase (HPK) that senses a specific environmental stimulus and a corresponding response regulator (RR) that mediates the cellular response. We have previously shown that although the HPK- and RR-encoding genes are not found on the brevicin 174A biosynthetic gene cluster in the 174A strain, two putative regulatory genes, designated breD and breG, are in the gene cluster. In the present study, we demonstrate that the expression of brevicin 174A production and self-resistance is positively controlled by two transcriptional regulatory proteins, designated BreD and BreG. BreD is expressed together with BreE as the self-resistance determinant of L. brevis 174A. DNase I footprinting analysis and a promoter assay demonstrated that BreD binds to the breED promoter as a positive autoregulator. The present study also demonstrates that BreG, carrying a transmembrane domain, binds to the common promoter of breB and breC, encoding brevicins 174A-β and 174A-γ, respectively, for positive regulation.IMPORTANCE The problem of the appearance of bacteria that are resistant to practical antibiotics and the increasing demand for safe foods have increased interest in replacing conventional antibiotics with bacteriocin produced by the lactic acid bacteria. This antibacterial substance can inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria without side effects on the human body. The bacteriocin that is produced by a Citrus iyo-derived Lactobacillus brevis strain inhibits the growth of pathogenic bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus mutans In general, lactic acid bacterial strains have a system to start the production of bacteriocin at an adequate stage of growth, which is called a quorum-sensing system. The system consists of a membrane-bound histidine protein kinase that senses a specific environmental stimulus and a corresponding response regulator that mediates the cellular response. The present study demonstrates that the expression of the genes encoding bacteriocin biosynthesis and the self-resistance determinant is positively controlled by two transcriptional regulatory proteins. | 2018 | 29352085 |
| 111 | 17 | 0.9841 | The tylosin resistance gene tlrB of Streptomyces fradiae encodes a methyltransferase that targets G748 in 23S rRNA. tlrB is one of four resistance genes encoded in the operon for biosynthesis of the macrolide tylosin in antibiotic-producing strains of Streptomyces fradiae. Introduction of tlrB into Streptomyces lividans similarly confers tylosin resistance. Biochemical analysis of the rRNA from the two Streptomyces species indicates that in vivo TlrB modifies nucleotide G748 within helix 35 of 23S rRNA. Purified recombinant TlrB retains its activity and specificity in vitro and modifies G748 in 23S rRNA as well as in a 74 nucleotide RNA containing helix 35 and surrounding structures. Modification is dependent on the presence of the methyl group donor, S-adenosyl methionine. Analysis of the 74-mer RNA substrate by biochemical and mass spectrometric methods shows that TlrB adds a single methyl group to the base of G748. Homologues of TlrB in other bacteria have been revealed through database searches, indicating that TlrB is the first member to be described in a new subclass of rRNA methyltransferases that are implicated in macrolide drug resistance. | 2000 | 10972803 |
| 564 | 18 | 0.9841 | Mycobacterium tuberculosis possesses an unusual tmRNA rescue system. Trans-translation is a key process in bacteria which recycles stalled ribosomes and tags incomplete nascent proteins for degradation. This ensures the availability of ribosomes for protein synthesis and prevents the accumulation of dysfunctional proteins. The tmRNA, ssrA, is responsible for both recovering stalled ribosomes and encodes the degradation tag; ssrA associates and functions with accessory proteins such as SmpB. Although ssrA and smpB are ubiquitous in bacteria, they are not essential for the viability of many species. The Mycobacterium tuberculosis genome has homologues of both ssrA and smpB. We demonstrated that ssrA is essential in M. tuberculosis, since the chromosomal copy of the gene could only be deleted in the presence of a functional copy integrated elsewhere. However, we were able to delete the proteolytic tagging function by constructing strains carrying a mutant allele (ssrADD). This demonstrates that ribosome rescue by ssrA is the essential function in M. tuberculosis, SmpB was not required for aerobic growth, since we were able to construct a deletion strain. However, the smpBΔ strain was more sensitive to antibiotics targeting the ribosome. Strains with deletion of smpB or mutations in ssrA did not show increased sensitivity (or resistance) to pyrazinamide suggesting that this antibiotic does not directly target these components of the tmRNA tagging system. | 2014 | 24145139 |
| 126 | 19 | 0.9840 | Single-gene knockout of a novel regulatory element confers ethionine resistance and elevates methionine production in Corynebacterium glutamicum. Despite the availability of genome data and recent advances in methionine regulation in Corynebacterium glutamicum, sulfur metabolism and its underlying molecular mechanisms are still poorly characterized in this organism. Here, we describe the identification of an ORF coding for a putative regulatory protein that controls the expression of genes involved in sulfur reduction dependent on extracellular methionine levels. C. glutamicum was randomly mutagenized by transposon mutagenesis and 7,000 mutants were screened for rapid growth on agar plates containing the methionine antimetabolite D,L-ethionine. In all obtained mutants, the site of insertion was located in the ORF NCgl2640 of unknown function that has several homologues in other bacteria. All mutants exhibited similar ethionine resistance and this phenotype could be transferred to another strain by the defined deletion of the NCgl2640 gene. Moreover, inactivation of NCgl2640 resulted in significantly increased methionine production. Using promoter lacZ-fusions of genes involved in sulfur metabolism, we demonstrated the relief of L-methionine repression in the NCgl2640 mutant for cysteine synthase, o-acetylhomoserine sulfhydrolase (metY) and sulfite reductase. Complementation of the mutant strain with plasmid-borne NCgl2640 restored the wild-type phenotype for metY and sulfite reductase. | 2005 | 15668756 |