A novel regulatory factor affecting the transcription of methionine biosynthesis genes in Escherichia coli experiencing sustained nitrogen starvation
File(s)mic000683.pdf (6.2 MB)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The initial adaptive transcriptional response to nitrogen (N) starvation in Escherichia coli involves large-scale alterations to the transcriptome mediated by the transcriptional activator, NtrC. One of these NtrC-activated genes is yeaG, which encodes a conserved bacterial kinase. Although it is known that YeaG is required for optimal survival under sustained N starvation, the molecular basis by which YeaG benefits N starved E. coli remains elusive. By combining transcriptomics with targeted metabolomics analyses, we demonstrate that the methionine biosynthesis pathway becomes transcriptionally dysregulated in ΔyeaG bacteria experiencing sustained N starvation. It appears the ability of MetJ, the master transcriptional repressor of methionine biosynthesis genes, to effectively repress transcription of genes under its control is compromised in ΔyeaG bacteria under sustained N starvation, resulting in transcriptional derepression of MetJ-regulated genes. Although the aberrant biosynthesis does not appear to be a contributing factor for the compromised viability of ΔyeaG bacteria experiencing sustained N starvation, this study identifies YeaG as a novel regulatory factor in E. coli affecting the transcription of methionine biosynthesis genes under sustained N starvation.
Date Issued
2018-06-29
Date Acceptance
2018-06-02
Citation
Microbiology, 2018, 164 (11), pp.1457-1470
ISSN
1350-0872
Publisher
Microbiology Society
Start Page
1457
End Page
1470
Journal / Book Title
Microbiology
Volume
164
Issue
11
Copyright Statement
© 2018 The Authors. This is an open access article under the terms of the http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original
author and source are credited.
author and source are credited.
Sponsor
Wellcome Trust
Medical Research Council (MRC)
Identifier
https://mic.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/micro/10.1099/mic.0.000683
Grant Number
100958/Z/13/Z
MR/P028225/1
Subjects
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Microbiology
Escherichia coli
nitrogen starvation
transcription regulation
transcription repressor
MetJ
methionine biosynthesis
STRESS-RESPONSE
EXPRESSION
BACTERIA
REVEALS
REGULON
SULFUR
Escherichia coli
MetJ
methionine biosynthesis
nitrogen starvation
transcription regulation
transcription repressor
Apoproteins
Escherichia coli
Escherichia coli Proteins
Gene Deletion
Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial
Methionine
Nitrogen
PII Nitrogen Regulatory Proteins
Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases
Repressor Proteins
Transcription Factors
Transcription, Genetic
Escherichia coli
Nitrogen
Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases
Methionine
Apoproteins
Escherichia coli Proteins
Transcription Factors
Repressor Proteins
Transcription, Genetic
Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial
Gene Deletion
PII Nitrogen Regulatory Proteins
Microbiology
MD Multidisciplinary
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2018-06-29