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3 Publications visible to you, out of a total of 3

Abstract (Expand)

The RNA degradosome is a multiprotein macromolecular complex that is involved in the degradation of messenger RNA in bacteria. The composition of this complex has been found to display a high degree of evolutionary divergence, which may reflect the adaptation of species to different environments. Recently, a degradosome-like complex identified in Bacillus subtilis was found to be distinct from those found in proteobacteria, the degradosomes of which are assembled around the unstructured C-terminus of ribonuclease E, a protein not present in B. subtilis. In this report, we have investigated in vitro the binary interactions between degradosome components and have characterized interactions between glycolytic enzymes, RNA-degrading enzymes, and those that appear to link these two cellular processes. The crystal structures of the glycolytic enzymes phosphofructokinase and enolase are presented and discussed in relation to their roles in the mediation of complex protein assemblies. Taken together, these data provide valuable insights into the structure and dynamics of the RNA degradosome, a fascinating and complex macromolecular assembly that links RNA degradation with central carbon metabolism.

Authors: , Lorraine Hewitt, Cecilia Rodrigues, Alexandra S Solovyova, ,

Date Published: 16th Dec 2011

Publication Type: Not specified

Abstract (Expand)

The control of mRNA stability is an important component of regulation in bacteria. Processing and degradation of mRNAs are initiated by an endonucleolytic attack, and the cleavage products are processively degraded by exoribonucleases. In many bacteria, these RNases, as well as RNA helicases and other proteins, are organized in a protein complex called the RNA degradosome. In Escherichia coli, the RNA degradosome is assembled around the essential endoribonuclease E. In Bacillus subtilis, the recently discovered essential endoribonuclease RNase Y is involved in the initiation of RNA degradation. Moreover, RNase Y interacts with other RNases, the RNA helicase CshA, and the glycolytic enzymes enolase and phosphofructokinase in a degradosome-like complex. In this work, we have studied the domain organization of RNase Y and the contribution of the domains to protein-protein interactions. We provide evidence for the physical interaction between RNase Y and the degradosome partners in vivo. We present experimental and bioinformatic data which indicate that the RNase Y contains significant regions of intrinsic disorder and discuss the possible functional implications of this finding. The localization of RNase Y in the membrane is essential both for the viability of B. subtilis and for all interactions that involve RNase Y. The results presented in this study provide novel evidence for the idea that RNase Y is the functional equivalent of RNase E, even though the two enzymes do not share any sequence similarity.

Authors: Martin Lehnik-Habrink, , Fabian M Rothe, Alexandra S Solovyova, Cecilia Rodrigues, Christina Herzberg, Fabian M Commichau, ,

Date Published: 29th Jul 2011

Publication Type: Not specified

Abstract (Expand)

Any signal transduction requires communication between a sensory component and an effector. Some enzymes engage in signal perception and transduction, as well as in catalysis, and these proteins are known as "trigger" enzymes. In this report, we detail the trigger properties of RocG, the glutamate dehydrogenase of Bacillus subtilis. RocG not only deaminates the key metabolite glutamate to form alpha-ketoglutarate but also interacts directly with GltC, a LysR-type transcription factor that regulates glutamate biosynthesis from alpha-ketoglutarate, thus linking the two metabolic pathways. We have isolated mutants of RocG that separate the two functions. Several mutations resulted in permanent inactivation of GltC as long as a source of glutamate was present. These RocG proteins have lost their ability to catabolize glutamate due to a strongly reduced affinity for glutamate. The second class of mutants is exemplified by the replacement of aspartate residue 122 by asparagine. This mutant protein has retained enzymatic activity but has lost the ability to control the activity of GltC. Crystal structures of glutamate dehydrogenases that permit a molecular explanation of the properties of the various mutants are presented. Specifically, we may propose that D122N replacement affects the surface of RocG. Our data provide evidence for a correlation between the enzymatic activity of RocG and its ability to inactivate GltC, and thus give insights into the mechanism that couples the enzymatic activity of a trigger enzyme to its regulatory function.

Authors: Katrin Gunka, , Fabian M Commichau, Christina Herzberg, Cecilia Rodrigues, Lorraine Hewitt, , Jörg Stülke

Date Published: 22nd Feb 2010

Publication Type: Not specified

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