TY - JOUR A1 - Zupok, Arkadiusz A1 - Górka, Michał Jakub A1 - Siemiatkowska, Beata A1 - Skirycz, Aleksandra A1 - Leimkühler, Silke T1 - Iron-Dependent Regulation of Molybdenum Cofactor Biosynthesis Genes in Escherichia coli JF - Journal of bacteriology N2 - Molybdenum cofactor (Moco) biosynthesis is a complex process that involves the coordinated function of several proteins. In recent years it has become obvious that the availability of iron plays an important role in the biosynthesis of Moco. First, the MoaA protein binds two (4Fe-4S] clusters per monomer. Second, the expression of the moaABCDE and moeAB operons is regulated by FNR, which senses the availability of oxygen via a functional NFe-4S) cluster. Finally, the conversion of cyclic pyranopterin monophosphate to molybdopterin requires the availability of the L-cysteine desulfurase IscS, which is a shared protein with a main role in the assembly of Fe-S clusters. In this report, we investigated the transcriptional regulation of the moaABCDE operon by focusing on its dependence on cellular iron availability. While the abundance of selected molybdoenzymes is largely decreased under iron-limiting conditions, our data show that the regulation of the moaABCDE operon at the level of transcription is only marginally influenced by the availability of iron. Nevertheless, intracellular levels of Moco were decreased under iron-limiting conditions, likely based on an inactive MoaA protein in addition to lower levels of the L-cysteine desulfurase IscS, which simultaneously reduces the sulfur availability for Moco production. IMPORTANCE FNR is a very important transcriptional factor that represents the master switch for the expression of target genes in response to anaerobiosis. Among the FNR-regulated operons in Escherichia coli is the moaABCDE operon, involved in Moco biosynthesis. Molybdoenzymes have essential roles in eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms. In bacteria, molybdoenzymes are crucial for anaerobic respiration using alternative electron acceptors. This work investigates the connection of iron availability to the biosynthesis of Moco and the production of active molybdoenzymes. KW - Escherichia coli KW - FNR KW - iron regulation KW - iron-sulfur cluster KW - anaerobic respiration KW - molybdenum cofactor Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1128/JB.00382-19 SN - 0021-9193 SN - 1098-5530 VL - 201 IS - 17 PB - American Society for Microbiology CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zaccheus, Mona V. A1 - Bröker, Nina Kristin A1 - Lundborg, Magnus A1 - Uetrecht, Charlotte A1 - Barbirz, Stefanie A1 - Widmalm, Goran T1 - Structural studies of the O-antigen polysaccharide from Escherichia coli TD2158 having O18 serogroup specificity and aspects of its interaction with the tailspike endoglycosidase of the infecting bacteriophage HK620 JF - Carbohydrate research N2 - We have analyzed the O-antigen polysaccharide of the previously uncharacterized Escherichia coli strain TD2158 which is a host of bacteriophage HK620. This bacteriophage recognizes and cleaves the polysaccharide with its tailspike protein (TSP). The polysaccharide preparation as well as oligosaccharides obtained from HK620TSP endoglycosidase digests were analyzed with NMR spectroscopy. Additionally, sugar analysis was performed on the O-antigen polysaccharide and MALDI-TOF MS was used in oligosaccharide analysis. The present study revealed a heterogeneous polysaccharide with a hexasaccharide repeating unit of the following structure: alpha-D-Glcp-(1 -> 6) vertical bar vertical bar 2)-alpha-L-Rhap-(1 -> 6)-alpha-D-Glcp-(1 -> 4)-alpha-D-Galp-(1 -> 3)-alpha-D-GlcpNAc- (1 ->vertical bar beta-D-Glcp/beta-D-GlcpNAc-(1 -> 3) A repeating unit with a D-GlcNAc substitution of D-Gal has been described earlier as characteristic for serogroup O18A1. Accordingly, we termed repeating units with D-Glc substitution at D-Gal as O18A2. NMR analyses of the polysaccharide confirmed that O18A1- and O18A2-type repeats were present in a 1:1 ratio. However, HK620TSP preferentially bound the D-GlcNAc- substituted O18A1-type repeating units in its high affinity binding pocket with a dissociation constant of 140 mu M and disfavored the O18A2-type having a beta-D-Glcp-(1 -> 3)-linked group. As a result, in hexasaccharide preparations, O18A1 and O18A2 repeats were present in a 9: 1 ratio stressing the clear preference of O18A1- type repeats to be cleaved by HK620TSP. KW - Escherichia coli KW - Tailspike KW - Endoglycosidase KW - Lipopolysaccharide KW - NMR KW - Mass spectrometry Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carres.2012.05.022 SN - 0008-6215 VL - 357 IS - 8 SP - 118 EP - 125 PB - Elsevier CY - Oxford ER - TY - GEN A1 - Yan, Robert A1 - Friemel, Martin A1 - Aloisi, Claudia A1 - Huynen, Martijn A1 - Taylor, Ian A. A1 - Leimkühler, Silke A1 - Pastore, Annalisa T1 - The eukaryotic-specific Isd11 is a complex- orphan protein with ability to bind the prokaryotic IscS T2 - Postprints der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe N2 - The eukaryotic protein Isd11 is a chaperone that binds and stabilizes the central component of the essential metabolic pathway responsible for formation of iron-sulfur clusters in mitochondria, the desulfurase Nfs1. Little is known about the exact role of Isd11. Here, we show that human Isd11 (ISD11) is a helical protein which exists in solution as an equilibrium between monomer, dimeric and tetrameric species when in the absence of human Nfs1 (NFS1). We also show that, surprisingly, recombinant ISD11 expressed in E. coli co-purifies with the bacterial orthologue of NFS1, IscS. Binding is weak but specific suggesting that, despite the absence of Isd11 sequences in bacteria, there is enough conservation between the two desulfurases to retain a similar mode of interaction. This knowledge may inform us on the conservation of the mode of binding of Isd11 to the desulfurase. We used evolutionary evidence to suggest Isd11 residues involved in the interaction. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - 551 KW - sulfur cluster formation KW - Escherichia coli KW - cysteine desulfurase KW - interacting protein KW - bacterial frataxin KW - statistical-model KW - biogenesis KW - biosynthesis KW - NFS1 KW - deficiency Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-411906 SN - 1866-8372 IS - 551 ER - TY - THES A1 - Urban, Alexander T1 - Charakterisierung der Funktion der Rhodanese YnjE für die Molybdänkofaktor Biosynthese in Escherichia coli T1 - Characterization of the Rhodanese YnjE regarding Molybdenum Cofaktor Biosynthesis in E. coli N2 - Die ubiquitär verbreitete Molybdänkofaktorbiosynthese ist in Escherichia coli (E. coli) bisher am umfassendsten untersucht. Bislang war jedoch nicht bekannt, welche physiologische Schwefelquelle im zweiten Schritt dieses Syntheseweges zur Bildung der charakteristischen Dithiolengruppe genutzt wird. Erste Untersuchungen deuteten auf eine der Cysteindesulfurasen E. colis hin, welche in Verbindung mit einem rhodaneseähnlichen Protein den Schwefel in Form eines Persulfids übertragen. Ähnliche Mechanismen wurden bereits in der humanen Moco-Biosynthese und der Thiaminbiosynthese identifiziert. In dieser Arbeit wurde das E. coli Protein YnjE näher charakterisiert. Es handelt sich bei YnjE um ein rhodaneseähnliches Protein aus drei Rhodanesedomänen. Durch Proteinkristallisation und anschliessender Röntgenstrukturanalyse wurde die Tertiärstruktur des YnjE-Proteins analysiert. Die hergestellten Kristalle konnten zur Gewinnung von Strukturdaten vermessen und eine Proteinkristallstruktur für YnjE berechnet werden. Desweiteren besitzt YnjE ein N-terminales Typ I Sekretionssystem abhängiges Sipnalpeptid. Durch Lokalisieungsexperimente wurde die Bedeutung des Signalpeptids für das YnjE-Protein untersucht. Dabei wurde festgestellt, dass endogenes YnjE sowohl im peri- als auch im cytoplasmatischen Raum lokalisiert ist. Auf Grund von vorhergehenden Studien, wurde eine Funktion des YnjE-Proteins innerhalb der Molybdänkofaktorbiosynthese in der Schwefelübertragung auf das Protein MoaD in E. coli vermutet und deshalb in dieser Arbeit näher untersucht. Es wurde eine Interaktion des YnjE-Proteins mit dem MoeB-Protein, welches für die Thiocarboxylierung des MoaD-Proteins essentiell ist, durch Tandem-Affinitätsreinigung und Antikörper-basierte Affinitätsreinigung nachgewiesen und ein signifikanter positiver Einfluss YnjEs auf die Bildung von Molybdopterin, einer Vorstufe des Molybdänkofaktors, bestätigt. Dabei wurde sowohl der Sulfurierungsgrad des MoaD-Proteins in YnjE und Cysteindesulfurase-knock-out Mutanten untersucht, als auch die Bildung von Molybdopterin in einem in vitro Ansatz in Abhängigkeit von steigenden YnjE-Konzentrationen analysiert. Im Ergebnis kann man daraus schließen, dass der Mechanismus der Schwefelübertragung ähnlich der Thiaminbiosynthese, über eine der drei Cysteindesulfurasen CsdA, SufS oder IscS geschieht, welche Schwefel in Form eines Persulfids auf YnjE übertragen können. Thiosulfat und Mercaptopyruvat, die Substrate für die beiden Familien der rhodaneseähnlichen Proteine, Thiosulfat-Sulfurtransferasen und Mercaptopyruvat-Sulfurtransferasen, dienen nicht als Substrate für eine Persulfurierung YnjEs. Durch eine Austauschmutante des Cysteinrestes der aktiven Schleife von YnjE konnte nicht bestätigt werden, dass dieser Aminosäurerest und damit die Bildung eines YnjE-gebundenen Persulfids für die positive Beeinflussung der MPT-Synthese essentiell ist. Vielmehr kann durch diese Arbeit von einer Vermittlung der Interaktionen zwischen MoeB, IscS und der MPT-Synthase durch YnjE ausgegangen werden wobei die Cysteindesulfurase IscS den Schwefel für die Thiocarboxylierung des MoaD-Proteins liefert. N2 - The rhodanese-like protein YnjE was characterized in this study. After protein christallization the stucture of the YnjE protein was analyzed. Subzellular localization experiments revealed, that the YnjE protein is present both in cytoplasm and periplasm. Interaction studies and in vitro synthesis of Molybdopterin revealed an influence of YnjE on Molybdenum Cofactor Biosynthesis.A sulfur transfer from L-Cystein to YnjE by a Cystein desulfurase was not responsible for the the effects on Molybdenum Cofaktor Biosynthesis, since a YnjE cysteine 385 to alanine mutant showed the same effect on Molybdenum Cofaktor Biosynthesis. KW - Molybdänkofaktor KW - Rhodanese KW - YnjE KW - Sulfurtransferase KW - Escherichia coli KW - Molybdenum Cofaktor KW - Rhodanese KW - YnjE KW - sulfur transferase KW - Escherichia coli Y1 - 2008 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-29018 ER - TY - THES A1 - Steinhauser, Dirk T1 - Inferring hypotheses from complex profile data - by means of CSB.DB, a comprehensive systems-biology database T1 - Generierung von Hypothesen aus komplexen Profildaten mittels CSB.DB, a comprehensive systems-biology database N2 - The past decades are characterized by various efforts to provide complete sequence information of genomes regarding various organisms. The availability of full genome data triggered the development of multiplex high-throughput assays allowing simultaneous measurement of transcripts, proteins and metabolites. With genome information and profiling technologies now in hand a highly parallel experimental biology is offering opportunities to explore and discover novel principles governing biological systems. Understanding biological complexity through modelling cellular systems represents the driving force which today allows shifting from a component-centric focus to integrative and systems level investigations. The emerging field of systems biology integrates discovery and hypothesis-driven science to provide comprehensive knowledge via computational models of biological systems. Within the context of evolving systems biology, investigations were made in large-scale computational analyses on transcript co-response data through selected prokaryotic and plant model organisms. CSB.DB - a comprehensive systems-biology database - (http://csbdb.mpimp-golm.mpg.de/) was initiated to provide public and open access to the results of biostatistical analyses in conjunction with additional biological knowledge. The database tool CSB.DB enables potential users to infer hypothesis about functional interrelation of genes of interest and may serve as future basis for more sophisticated means of elucidating gene function. The co-response concept and the CSB.DB database tool were successfully applied to predict operons in Escherichia coli by using the chromosomal distance and transcriptional co-responses. Moreover, examples were shown which indicate that transcriptional co-response analysis allows identification of differential promoter activities under different experimental conditions. The co-response concept was successfully transferred to complex organisms with the focus on the eukaryotic plant model organism Arabidopsis thaliana. The investigations made enabled the discovery of novel genes regarding particular physiological processes and beyond, allowed annotation of gene functions which cannot be accessed by sequence homology. GMD - the Golm Metabolome Database - was initiated and implemented in CSB.DB to integrated metabolite information and metabolite profiles. This novel module will allow addressing complex biological questions towards transcriptional interrelation and extent the recent systems level quest towards phenotyping. N2 - Die vergangenen Jahrzehnte waren gekennzeichnet durch umfangreiche Bemühungen, die Genomsequenz verschiedener Organismen vollständig zu entschlüsseln. Die Verfügbarkeit vollständiger genomischer Daten löste die Entwicklung von modernen Hochdurchsatzmethoden aus, welche die gleichzeitige Messung von verschiedenen Transkripten, Proteinen und Metaboliten erlauben. Mittels genomischer Informationen und Hochdurchsatztechnologien erlaubt eine hoch parallelisierte experimentelle Biologie die Erforschung von Gesetzmäßigkeiten, welchen biologischen Systemen zugrunde liegen. Das Verständnis biologischer Komplexität durch Modellierung zellulärer Systeme repräsentiert die treibende Kraft, welche heutzutage den Element-zentrierten Focus auf integrative und ganzheitliche Untersuchungen lenkt. Das sich entwickelnde Feld der Systembiologie integriert Entdeckungs- und Hypothesen-getriebene Wissenschaft um ein umfangreiches Wissen durch Computermodelle biologischer Systeme bereitzustellen. Im Kontext der sich neu entwickelnden Systembiologie investierte ich in umfangreiche Computeranalysen zur Transkript Co-Response bezüglich ausgewählter prokaryotischer und pflanzlicher eukaryotischer Organismen. CSB.DB - a comprehensive systems-biology database - (http://csbdb.mpimp-golm.mpg.de/) wurde initiiert, um freien Zugang zu den biostatistischen Ergebnissen als auch zu weiterem biologischem Wissen zu bieten. Die Datenbank CSB.DB ermöglicht potentiellen Anwendern die Hypothesengenerierung bezüglich der funktionalen Wechselbeziehungen von Genen von Interesse und kann zukünftig die Grundlage für einen fortgeschrittenen Weg der Zuordnung von Genfunktionen darstellen. Unter Verwendung chromosomaler Distanzen und Transkript Co-Response konnte das Konzept und CSB.DB angewandt werden, um bakterielle Operons in Escherichia coli erfolgreich vorherzusagen. Darüber hinaus werden Beispiele gezeigt, die andeuten, dass die Transkript Co-Response Analyse eine Identifizierung differentieller Promoteraktivität in verschiedenen experimentellen Bedingungen ermöglicht. Das Co-Response Konzept wurde, mit dem Schwerpunkt auf die eukaryotische Modellpflanze Arabidopsis thaliana, erfolgreich auf komplexere Organismen angewandt. Die durchgeführten Untersuchungen ermöglichten die Identifizierung neuer Gene hinsichtlich physiologischer Prozesse und darüber hinaus die Zuweisung von Genfunktionen, welche nicht durch Sequenzhomologie ermöglicht werden kann. GMD - The Golm Metabolome Database - wurde initiiert und in CSB.DB implementiert, um Metaboliten Informationen als auch Metaboliten Profile zu integrieren. Dieses neue Modul ermöglicht die Ausrichtung auf komplexere biologische Fragen und erweitert die derzeitige systembiologische Fragestellung in Richtung Phänotypus-Zuordnung. T2 - Inferring hypotheses from complex profile data - by means of CSB.DB, a comprehensive systems-biology database KW - Datenbank KW - Korrelation KW - Korrelationsanalyse KW - Escherichia coli KW - Saccharomyces cerevisiae KW - Ackerschmalwand KW - Operon KW - Brassinosteroide KW - Transkript KW - database KW - correlation KW - co-response KW - metabolite KW - transcript Y1 - 2004 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-2467 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schiebel, Juliane A1 - Boehm, Alexander A1 - Nitschke, Joerg A1 - Burdukiewicz, Michal A1 - Weinreich, Joerg A1 - Ali, Aamir A1 - Roggenbuck, Dirk A1 - Roediger, Stefan A1 - Schierack, Peter T1 - Genotypic and Phenotypic Characteristics Associated with Biofilm Formation by Human Clinical Escherichia coli Isolates of Different Pathotypes JF - Applied and environmental microbiology N2 - Bacterial biofilm formation is a widespread phenomenon and a complex process requiring a set of genes facilitating the initial adhesion, maturation, and production of the extracellular polymeric matrix and subsequent dispersal of bacteria. Most studies on Escherichia coli biofilm formation have investigated nonpathogenic E. coli K-12 strains. Due to the extensive focus on laboratory strains in most studies, there is poor information regarding biofilm formation by pathogenic E. coli isolates. In this study, we genotypically and phenotypically characterized 187 human clinical E. coli isolates representing various pathotypes (e.g., uropathogenic, enteropathogenic, and enteroaggregative E. coli). We investigated the presence of biofilm-associated genes ("genotype") and phenotypically analyzed the isolates for motility and curli and cellulose production ("phenotype"). We developed a new screening method to examine the in vitro biofilm formation ability. In summary, we found a high prevalence of biofilm-associated genes. However, we could not detect a biofilm-associated gene or specific phenotype correlating with the biofilm formation ability. In contrast, we did identify an association of increased biofilm formation with a specific E. coli pathotype. Enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) was found to exhibit the highest capacity for biofilm formation. Using our image-based technology for the screening of biofilm formation, we demonstrated the characteristic biofilm formation pattern of EAEC, consisting of thick bacterial aggregates. In summary, our results highlight the fact that biofilm-promoting factors shown to be critical for biofilm formation in nonpathogenic strains do not reflect their impact in clinical isolates and that the ability of biofilm formation is a defined characteristic of EAEC. IMPORTANCE Bacterial biofilms are ubiquitous and consist of sessile bacterial cells surrounded by a self-produced extracellular polymeric matrix. They cause chronic and device-related infections due to their high resistance to antibiotics and the host immune system. In nonpathogenic Escherichia coli, cell surface components playing a pivotal role in biofilm formation are well known. In contrast, there is poor information for their role in biofilm formation of pathogenic isolates. Our study provides insights into the correlation of biofilm-associated genes or specific phenotypes with the biofilm formation ability of commensal and pathogenic E. coli. Additionally, we describe a newly developed method enabling qualitative biofilm analysis by automated image analysis, which is beneficial for high-throughput screenings. Our results help to establish a better understanding of E. coli biofilm formation. KW - biofilm formation KW - Escherichia coli KW - pathotypes KW - VideoScan Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.01660-17 SN - 0099-2240 SN - 1098-5336 VL - 83 PB - American Society for Microbiology CY - Washington ER - TY - THES A1 - Rothe, Monique T1 - Response of intestinal Escherichia coli to dietary factors in the mouse intestine T1 - Anpassung von Escherichia coli an Ernährungsfaktoren im Intestinaltrakt der Maus N2 - Diet is a major force influencing the intestinal microbiota. This is obvious from drastic changes in microbiota composition after a dietary alteration. Due to the complexity of the commensal microbiota and the high inter-individual variability, little is known about the bacterial response at the cellular level. The objective of this work was to identify mechanisms that enable gut bacteria to adapt to dietary factors. For this purpose, germ-free mice monoassociated with the commensal Escherichia coli K-12 strain MG1655 were fed three different diets over three weeks: a diet rich in starch, a diet rich in non-digestible lactose and a diet rich in casein. Two dimensional gel electrophoresis and electrospray tandem mass spectrometry were applied to identify differentially expressed proteins of E. coli recovered from small intestine and caecum of mice fed the lactose or casein diets in comparison with those of mice fed the starch diet. Selected differentially expressed bacterial proteins were characterised in vitro for their possible roles in bacterial adaptation to the various diets. Proteins belonging to the oxidative stress regulon oxyR such as alkyl hydroperoxide reductase subunit F (AhpF), DNA protection during starvation protein (Dps) and ferric uptake regulatory protein (Fur), which are required for E. coli’s oxidative stress response, were upregulated in E. coli of mice fed the lactose-rich diet. Reporter gene analysis revealed that not only oxidative stress but also carbohydrate-induced osmotic stress led to the OxyR-dependent expression of ahpCF and dps. Moreover, the growth of E. coli mutants lacking the ahpCF or oxyR genes was impaired in the presence of non-digestible sucrose. This indicates that some OxyR-dependent proteins are crucial for the adaptation of E. coli to osmotic stress conditions. In addition, the function of two so far poorly characterised E. coli proteins was analysed: 2 deoxy-D gluconate 3 dehydrogenase (KduD) was upregulated in intestinal E. coli of mice fed the lactose-rich diet and this enzyme and 5 keto 4 deoxyuronate isomerase (KduI) were downregulated on the casein-rich diet. Reporter gene analysis identified galacturonate and glucuronate as inducers of the kduD and kduI gene expression. Moreover, KduI was shown to facilitate the breakdown of these hexuronates, which are normally degraded by uronate isomerase (UxaC), altronate oxidoreductase (UxaB), altronate dehydratase (UxaA), mannonate oxidoreductase (UxuB) and mannonate dehydratase (UxuA), whose expression was repressed by osmotic stress. The growth of kduID-deficient E. coli on galacturonate or glucuronate was impaired in the presence of osmotic stress, suggesting KduI and KduD to compensate for the function of the regular hexuronate degrading enzymes under such conditions. This indicates a novel function of KduI and KduD in E. coli’s hexuronate metabolism. Promotion of the intracellular formation of hexuronates by lactose connects these in vitro observations with the induction of KduD on the lactose-rich diet. Taken together, this study demonstrates the crucial influence of osmotic stress on the gene expression of E. coli enzymes involved in stress response and metabolic processes. Therefore, the adaptation to diet-induced osmotic stress is a possible key factor for bacterial colonisation of the intestinal environment. N2 - Sowohl Humanstudien als auch Untersuchungen an Tiermodellen haben gezeigt, dass die Ernährung einen entscheidenden Einfluss auf die Zusammensetzung der Darmmikrobiota hat. Aufgrund der Komplexität der Mikrobiota und der inter individuellen Unterschiede sind die zellulären Mechanismen, die dieser Beobachtung zugrunde liegen, jedoch weitgehend unbekannt. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit war deshalb, Anpassungsmechanismen von kommensalen Darmbakterien auf unterschiedliche Ernährungsfaktoren mittels eines simplifizierten Modells zu untersuchen. Dazu wurden keimfreie Mäuse mit Escherichia coli MG1655 besiedelt und drei Wochen mit einer stärkehaltigen, einer laktosehaltigen oder einer kaseinhaltigen Diät gefüttert. Mittels zwei dimensionaler Gelelektrophorese und Elektrospray Ionenfallen-Massenspektrometrie wurde das Proteom der intestinalen E. coli analysiert und differentiell exprimierte bakterielle Proteine in Abhängigkeit der gefütterten Diät identifiziert. Die Funktion einiger ausgewählter Proteine bei der Anpassung von E. coli auf die jeweilige Diät wurde im Folgenden in vitro untersucht. E. coli Proteine wie z.B. die Alkylhydroperoxid Reduktase Untereinheit F (AhpF), das DNA Bindeprotein Dps und der eisenabhängige Regulator Fur, deren Expression unter der Kontrolle des Transkriptionsregulators OxyR steht, wurden stärker exprimiert, wenn die Mäuse mit der laktosehaltigen Diät gefüttert wurden. Reportergenanalysen zeigten, dass nicht nur oxidativer Stress, sondern auch durch Kohlenhydrate ausgelöster osmotischer Stress zu einer OxyR abhängigen Expression der Gene ahpCF and dps führte. Weiterhin wiesen E. coli Mutanten mit einer Deletion der ahpCF oder oxyR Gene ein vermindertes Wachstum in Gegenwart von nicht fermentierbarer Saccharose auf. Das spricht dafür, dass OxyR abhängige Proteine eine wichtige Rolle bei der Anpassung von E. coli an osmotischen Stress spielen. Weiterhin wurde die Funktion von zwei bisher wenig charakterisierten E. coli Proteinen untersucht: die 2 Deoxy D Glukonate 3 Dehydrogenase (KduD) wurde im Darm von Mäusen, die mit der laktosehaltigen Diät gefüttert wurden, induziert, während dieses Protein und die 5 Keto 4 Deoxyuronate Isomerase (KduI) nach Fütterung der kaseinhaltigen Diät herunterreguliert wurden. Mittels Reportergenanalysen wurde gezeigt, dass Galakturonat und Glukuronat die kduD und kduI Expression induzierten. KduI begünstigte die Umsetzung dieser Hexuronate. In E. coli wird die Umsetzung von Galakturonat und Glukuronat typischerweise von den Enzymen Uronate Isomerase (UxaC), Altronate Oxidoreduktase (UxaB), Altronate Dehydratase (UxaA), Mannonate Oxidoreduktase (UxuB) und Mannonate Dehydratase (UxuA) katalysiert. Weitere Experimente verdeutlichten, dass osmotischer Stress die Expression der Gene uxaCA, uxaB und uxuAB verminderte. Darüber hinaus zeigten kduID defiziente E. coli Mutanten in Gegenwart von Galakturonat oder Glukuronat und durch Saccharose ausgelösten osmotischen Stress eine Verlangsamung des Wachstums. Das deutet darauf hin, dass KduI und KduD die durch osmotischen Stress bedingten Funktionseinschränkungen der regulären hexuronatabbauenden Enzyme kompensieren. Die beobachtete Bildung von intrazellulären Hexuronaten während des Laktosekatabolismus in vitro stellt eine Verbindung zu dem ursprünglichen Tierexperiment her und deutet darauf hin, dass der Ernährungsfaktor Laktose die Verfügbarkeit von Hexuronat für intestinale E. coli beeinflusst. Diese Studie weist somit den Einfluss von osmotischem Stress auf die Expression von OxyR abhängigen Genen, die für Stressantwortproteine sowie für metabolische Enzymen kodieren, in E. coli nach. Durch Nahrungsfaktoren entstandener osmotischer Stress stellt demnach einen entscheidenden Faktor für die bakterielle Kolonisation des Darmes dar. KW - Mikrobiota KW - Escherichia coli KW - Proteom KW - Ernährungsfaktoren KW - OxyR KW - microbiota KW - Escherichia coli KW - proteome KW - dietary factors KW - OxyR Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-66387 ER - TY - THES A1 - Kubis, Armin T1 - Synthetic carbon neutral photorespiration bypasses BT - implementation and testing in Escherichia coli N2 - With populations growing worldwide and climate change threatening food production there is an urgent need to find ways to ensure food security. Increasing carbon fixation rate in plants is a promising approach to boost crop yields. The carbon-fixing enzyme Rubisco catalyzes, beside the carboxylation reaction, also an oxygenation reaction that generates glycolate-2P, which needs to be recycled via a metabolic route termed photorespiration. Photorespiration dissipates energy and most importantly releases previously fixed CO2, thus significantly lowering carbon fixation rate and yield. Engineering plants to omit photorespiratory CO2 release is the goal of the FutureAgriculture consortium and this thesis is part of this collaboration. The consortium aims to establish alternative glycolate-2P recycling routes that do not release CO2. Ultimately, they are expected to increase carbon fixation rates and crop yields. Natural and novel reactions, which require enzyme engineering, were considered in the pathway design process. Here I describe the engineering of two pathways, the arabinose-5P and the erythrulose shunt. They were designed to recycle glycolate-2P via glycolaldehyde into a sugar phosphate and thereby reassimilate glycolate-2P to the Calvin cycle. I used Escherichia coli gene deletion strains to validate and characterize the activity of both synthetic shunts. The strains’ auxotrophies can be alleviated by the activity of the synthetic route, thus providing a direct way to select for pathway activity. I introduced all pathway components to these dedicated selection strains and discovered inhibitions, limitations and metabolic cross talk interfering with pathway activity. After resolving these issues, I was able to show the in vivo activity of all pathway components and combine them into functional modules.. Specifically, I demonstrate the activity of a new-to-nature module of glycolate reduction to glycolaldehyde. Also, I successfully show a new glycolaldehyde assimilation route via arabinose-5P to ribulose-5P. In addition, all necessary enzymes for glycolaldehyde assimilation via L-erythrulose were shown to be active and an L-threitol assimilation route via L-erythrulose was established in E. coli. On their own, these findings demonstrate the power of using an easily engineerable microbe to test novel pathways; combined, they will form the basis for implementing photorespiration bypasses in plants. KW - Synthetic Biology KW - Photorespiration KW - Metabolic Engineering KW - Escherichia coli Y1 - 2020 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hoffmann, Stefan A. A1 - Hao, Nan A1 - Shearwin, Keith E. A1 - Arndt, Katja Maren T1 - Characterizing transcriptional interference between converging genes in bacteria JF - ACS synthetic biology N2 - Antisense transcription is common in naturally occurring genomes and is increasingly being used in synthetic genetic circuitry as a tool for gene expression control. Mutual influence on the expression of convergent genes can be mediated by antisense RNA effects and by transcriptional interference (TI). We aimed to quantitatively characterize long-range TI between convergent genes with untranslated intergenic spacers of increasing length. After controlling for antisense RNA-mediated effects, which contributed about half of the observed total expression inhibition, the TI effect was modeled. To achieve model convergence, RNA polymerase processivity and collision resistance were assumed to be modulated by ribosome trailing. The spontaneous transcription termination rate in regions of untranslated DNA was experimentally determined. Our modeling suggests that an elongating RNA polymerase with a trailing ribosome is about 13 times more likely to resume transcription than an opposing RNA polymerase without a trailing ribosome, upon head-on collision of the two. KW - gene regulation KW - antisense transcription KW - transcriptional interference KW - mathematical modeling KW - Escherichia coli Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acssynbio.8b00477 SN - 2161-5063 VL - 8 IS - 3 SP - 466 EP - 473 PB - American Chemical Society CY - Washington ER - TY - GEN A1 - Hess, Anne-Katrin A1 - Saffert, Paul A1 - Liebeton, Klaus A1 - Ignatova, Zoya T1 - Optimization of translation profiles enhances protein expression and solubility T2 - Postprints der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe N2 - mRNA is translated with a non-uniform speed that actively coordinates co-translational folding of protein domains. Using structure-based homology we identified the structural domains in epoxide hydrolases (EHs) and introduced slow-translating codons to delineate the translation of single domains. These changes in translation speed dramatically improved the solubility of two EHs of metagenomic origin in Escherichia coli. Conversely, the importance of transient attenuation for the folding, and consequently solubility, of EH was evidenced with a member of the EH family from Agrobacterium radiobacter, which partitions in the soluble fraction when expressed in E. coli. Synonymous substitutions of codons shaping the slow-transiting regions to fast-translating codons render this protein insoluble. Furthermore, we show that low protein yield can be enhanced by decreasing the free folding energy of the initial 5'-coding region, which can disrupt mRNA secondary structure and enhance ribosomal loading. This study provides direct experimental evidence that mRNA is not a mere messenger for translation of codons into amino acids but bears an additional layer of information for folding, solubility and expression level of the encoded protein. Furthermore, it provides a general frame on how to modulate and fine-tune gene expression of a target protein. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - 518 KW - transfer-RNA genes KW - codon usage KW - Escherichia coli KW - Epoxide hydrolases KW - messenger-RNA KW - sequence KW - elongation KW - Ribosome KW - mechanism KW - Membrane Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-409574 SN - 1866-8372 IS - 518 ER -