An ADP-ribosyltransferase toxin kills bacterial cells by modifying structured non-coding RNAs
File(s)Bullen_Mol_Cell_FINAL.pdf (7.28 MB)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
ADP-ribosyltransferases (ARTs) were among the first identified bacterial virulence factors. Canonical ART toxins are delivered into host cells where they modify essential proteins, thereby inactivating cellular processes and promoting pathogenesis. Our understanding of ARTs has since expanded beyond protein-targeting toxins to include antibiotic inactivation and DNA damage repair. Here, we report the discovery of RhsP2 as an ART toxin delivered between competing bacteria by a type VI secretion system of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A structure of RhsP2 reveals that it resembles protein-targeting ARTs such as diphtheria toxin. Remarkably, however, RhsP2 ADP-ribosylates 2'-hydroxyl groups of double-stranded RNA, and thus, its activity is highly promiscuous with identified cellular targets including the tRNA pool and the RNA-processing ribozyme, ribonuclease P. Consequently, cell death arises from the inhibition of translation and disruption of tRNA processing. Overall, our data demonstrate a previously undescribed mechanism of bacterial antagonism and uncover an unprecedented activity catalyzed by ART enzymes.
Date Issued
2022-09-15
Date Acceptance
2022-08-11
Citation
Molecular Cell, 2022, 82 (18), pp.3484-3498.e11
ISSN
1097-2765
Publisher
Cell Press
Start Page
3484
End Page
3498.e11
Journal / Book Title
Molecular Cell
Volume
82
Issue
18
Copyright Statement
© 2022 Elsevier Inc. This manuscript is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36070765
PII: S1097-2765(22)00804-8
Subjects
ADP-ribosyltransferases
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
RNA modification
bacterial competition
bacterial toxins
mechanistic enzymology
protein secretion
type VI secretion systems
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
United States
Date Publish Online
2022-09-06