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International audience; The detection of nickel in water is of great importance due to its harmfulness for living organism. A way to detect Ni is the use of whole-cell biosensors. The aim of the present work was to build a light-emitting bacterial biosensor for the detection of Ni with high specificity and low detection limit properties. For that purpose, the regulatory circuit implemented relied on the RcnR Ni/Co metallo-regulator and its rcnA natural target promoter fused to the lux reporter genes. To convert RcnR to specifically detect Ni, several mutations were tested and the C35A retained. Deleting the Ni efflux pump rcnA and introducing genes encoding several Ni-uptake systems lowered the detection thresholds. When these constructs were assayed in several Escherichia coli strains, it appeared that the detection thresholds were highly variable. The TD2158 wild-type E. coli gave rise to a biosensor ten times more active and sensitive than its W3110 E. coli K12 equivalent. This biosensor was able to confidently detect Ni concentrations as little as 80 nM (4.7 μg l −1), which makes its use compatible with the norms governing the drinking water quality.

Nickel and cobalt are both essential trace elements that are toxic when present in excess. The main resistance mechanism that bacteria use to overcome this toxicity is the efflux of these cations out of the cytoplasm. RND (resistance-nodulation-cell division)- and MFS (major facilitator superfamily)-type efflux systems are known to export either nickel or cobalt. The RcnA efflux pump, which belongs to a unique family, is responsible for the detoxification of Ni and Co in Escherichia coli . In this work, the role of the gene yohN , which is located downstream of rcnA , is investigated. yohN is cotranscribed with rcnA , and its expression is induced by Ni and Co. Surprisingly, in contrast to the effect of deleting rcnA , deletion of yohN conferred enhanced resistance to Ni and Co in E. coli , accompanied by decreased metal accumulation. We show that YohN is localized to the periplasm and does not bind Ni or Co ions directly. Physiological and genetic experiments demonstrate that YohN is not involved in Ni import. YohN is conserved among proteobacteria and belongs to a new family of proteins; consequently, yohN has been renamed rcnB. We show that the enhanced resistance of rcnB mutants to Ni and Co and their decreased Ni and Co intracellular accumulation are linked to the greater efflux of these ions in the absence of rcnB . Taken together, these results suggest that RcnB is required to maintain metal ion homeostasis, in conjunction with the efflux pump RcnA, presumably by modulating RcnA-mediated export of Ni and Co to avoid excess efflux of Ni and Co ions via an unknown novel mechanism.

International audience; Bacteria require nickel transporters for the synthesis of Ni-containing metalloenzymes in natural, low nickel habitats. In this work we carry out functional and topological characterization of Rhizobium leguminosarum HupE, a nickel permease required for the provision of this element for [NiFe] hydrogenase synthesis. Expression studies in the Escherichia coli nikABCDE mutant strain HYD723 revealed that HupE is a medium-affinity permease (apparent K m 227 AE 21 nM; V max 49 AE 21 pmol Ni 2+ min À1 mg À1 bacterial dry weight) that functions as an energy-independent diffusion facilitator for the uptake of Ni(II) ions. This Ni 2+ transport is not inhibited by similar cations such as Mn 2+ , Zn 2+ , or Co 2+ , but is blocked by Cu 2+. Analysis of site-directed HupE mutants allowed the identification of several residues (H36, D42, H43, F69, E90, H130, and E133) that are essential for HupE-mediated Ni uptake in E. coli cells. By using translational fusions to reporter genes we demonstrated the presence of five transmembrane domains with a periplasmic N-terminal domain and a C-terminal domain buried in the lipid bilayer. The periplasmic N-terminal domain contributes to stability and functionality of the protein.

The Helicobacter pylori genome contains a gene (hp1338 or nikR) that encodes a nickel-dependent regulator that is homologous to the Escherichia coli nickel-responsive regulator, NikR. The H. pylori nikR product acts as a pleiotropic metal-dependent regulator. We constructed a non-polar isogenic mutant deleted for the nikR gene. NikR was essential for the survival of H. pylori in the presence of high nickel and cobalt ion concentrations in vitro. We screened a DNA macroarray for genes that were differentially expressed in parental and nikR-deficient H. pylori strains grown in the presence of excess nickel. We found that H. pylori NikR mediates the expression of nickel-activated and -repressed genes. In the presence of excess nickel, NikR activated the transcription of ureA-ureB (hp72-73), nixA (hp1077 ), copA2 (hp1072), hpn (hp1427 ) and hpn-like (hp1432) genes and repressed the expression of genes encoding proteins involved in ferric iron uptake and storage [pfr (hp0653), fur (hp1027 ), frpB4 (hp1512), exbB/exbD (hp1339-1340), ceuE (hp1561)], motility [cheV (hp616), flaA (hp0601), flaB (hp0115 )], stress responses [hrcA-grpE-dnaK (hp111-110-109)] and encoding outer-membrane proteins [omp11(hp0472), omp31 (hp1469), omp32 (hp1501)]. Slot blot DNA/RNA hybridization experiments using RNA from three independent bacterial cultures confirmed the transcriptome data for 10 selected genes. The results of gel shift experiments using purified native NikR, beta-galactosidase assays with the region between nikR and the exbB/exbD divergent operon, and the study of exbB gene expression using a gentamicin/apramycin reporter gene in H. pylori indicated that NikR is an autorepressor that binds to this intergenic region and also controls the expression of the exbB/exbD/tonB operon, which provides energy for ferric iron uptake. Thus, as previously suggested for Fur in H. pylori, NikR appears to be a global regulator of the metabolism of some divalent cations within a highly complex regulated network.

The transition metal nickel is an essential cofactor for a number of bacterial enzymes, one of which is urease. Prior to its incorporation into metalloenzyme active sites, nickel must be imported into the cell. Here, we report identification of two loci corresponding to nickel-specific transport systems in the gram-negative, ureolytic bacterium Yersinia pseudotuberculosis . The loci are located on each side of the chromosomal urease gene cluster ureABCEFGD and have the same orientation as the latter. The yntABCDE locus upstream of the ure genes encodes five predicted products with sequence homology to ATP-binding cassette nickel permeases present in several gram-negative bacteria. The ureH gene, located downstream of ure , encodes a single-component carrier which displays homology to polypeptides of the nickel-cobalt transporter family. Transporters with homology to these two classes are also present (again in proximity to the urease locus) in the other two pathogenic yersiniae, Y. pestis and Y. enterocolitica . An Escherichia coli nikA insertion mutant recovered nickel uptake ability following heterologous complementation with either the ynt or the ureH plasmid-borne gene of Y. pseudotuberculosis , demonstrating that each carrier is necessary and sufficient for nickel transport. Deletion of ynt in Y. pseudotuberculosis almost completely abolished bacterial urease activity, whereas deletion of ureH had no effect. Nevertheless, rates of nickel transport were significantly altered in both ynt and ureH mutants. Furthermore, the ynt ureH double mutant was totally devoid of nickel uptake ability, thus indicating that Ynt and UreH constitute the only routes for nickel entry. Both Ynt and UreH show selectivity for Ni 2+ ions. This is the first reported identification of genes coding for both kinds of nickel-specific permeases situated adjacent to the urease gene cluster in the genome of a microorganism.

Activation of the two divergent Escherichia coli cai and fix operons involved in anaerobic carnitine metabolism is co-dependent on the cyclic AMP receptor protein (CRP) and on CaiF, the specific carnitine-sensitive transcriptional regulator. CaiF was overproduced using a phage T7 system, purified on a heparin column and ran as a 15 kDa protein on SDS-PAGE. DNase I footprinting and interference experiments identified two sites, F1 and F2, with apparently comparable affinities for the binding of CaiF in the cai-fix regulatory region. These sites share a common perfect inverted repeat comprising two 11 bp half-sites separated by 13 bp, and centred at -70 and -127 from the fix transcription start site. They were found to overlap the two low-affinity binding sites, CRP2 and CRP3, determined previously for CRP. Gel shift assays and footprinting experiments suggest that CaiF and CRP bind co-operatively to the F1/CRP2 and F2/CRP3 sites of the intergenic cai-fix region. Moreover, they appeared to serve the simultaneous binding of each other, giving rise to an original multiprotein CRP-CaiF complex enabling RNA polymerase recruitment and local DNA untwisting, at least at the fix promoter. Using random mutagenesis, two CaiF mutants impaired in transcription activation were isolated. The N-terminal A27V mutation affected the structural organization of the activator, whereas the central I62N mutation was suggested to interfere with DNA binding.

Expression of the nickel-specific transport system encoded by the Escherichia coli nikABCDE operon is repressed by a high concentration of nickel. By using random transposon Tn 10 insertion, we isolated mutants in which expression of the nik operon became constitutive with respect to nickel. We have identified the corresponding nikR gene which encodes a nickel-responsive regulator. Expression of nikR was partially controlled by Fnr through transcription from the nikA promoter region. In addition, a specific transcription start site for the constitutive expression of nikR was found 51 bp upstream of the nikR gene.

Besides formate dehydrogenase N (FDH-N), which is involved in the major anaerobic respiratory pathway in the presence of nitrate, Escherichia coli synthesizes a second isoenzyme, called FDH-O, whose physiological role is to ensure rapid adaptation during a shift from aerobiosis to anaerobiosis. FDH-O is a membrane-bound enzyme complex composed of three subunits, α (FdoG), β (FdoH), and γ (FdoI), which exhibit high sequence similarity to the equivalent polypeptides of FDH-N. The topology of these three subunits has been studied by using blaM (β-lactamase) gene fusions. A collection of 47 different randomly generated Fdo-BlaM fusions, 4 site-specific fusions, and 3 sandwich fusions were isolated along the entire sequence of the three subunits. In contrast to previously reported predictions from sequence analysis, our data suggested that the αβ catalytic dimer is located in the cytoplasm, with a C-terminal anchor for β protruding into the periplasm. As expected, the γ subunit, which specifies cytochrome b , was shown to cross the cytoplasmic membrane four times, with the N and C termini exposed to the cytoplasm. Protease digestion studies of the 35 S-labelled FDH-O heterotrimer in spheroplasts add further support to this model. Consistently, prior studies regarding the bioenergetic function of formate dehydrogenase provided evidence for a mechanism in which formate is oxidized in the cytoplasm.

The cellular location of membrane-bound NiFe-hydrogenase 2 (HYD2) from Escherichia coli was studied by immunoblot analysis and by activity staining. Treatment of spheroplasts with trypsin was able to release active HYD2 into the soluble fraction, indicating that HYD2 is attached to the periplasmic side of the cytoplasmic membrane and that HYD2 undergoes a trans-membrane translocation during its biosynthesis. By using a nik mutant deficient in the high affinity specific nickel transport system, we show that the intracellular availability of nickel is essential for the processing of the large subunit and for the transmembrane translocation of HYD2. We also demonstrate that the processing of the precursor, which is related with nickel incorporation, can occur in the membrane-depleted soluble fraction and that it is associated with the increase in resistance to proteolysis of the processed form of the large subunit. The mechanism of the transmembrane translocation of HYD2 is discussed.

Expression of the Escherichia coli caiTABCDE and fixABCX operons involved in carnitine metabolism is induced by both carnitine and anaerobiosis. When cloned into a multicopy plasmid, the 3' region adjacent to the caiTABCDE operon was found to increase levels of carnitine dehydratase activity synthesized from the chromosomal caiB gene. The nucleotide sequence was determined, and it was shown to contain an open reading frame of 393 bp named caiF which is transcribed in the direction opposite that of the cai operon. This open reading frame encodes a protein of 131 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of 15,438 Da which does not have any significant homology with proteins available in data libraries. In vivo overexpression consistently led to the synthesis of a 16-kDa protein. The caiF gene was transcribed as a monocistronic mRNA under anaerobiosis independently of the presence of carnitine. Primer extension analysis located the start site of transcription to position 82 upstream of the caiF initiation codon. It was preceded by a cyclic AMP receptor protein motif centered at position -41.5. Overproduction of CaiF resulted in the stimulation of transcription of the divergent cai and fix operons in the presence of carnitine. This suggested that CaiF by interacting with carnitine plays the role of an activator, thereby mediating induction of carnitine metabolism. Moreover, CaiF could complement in trans the regulatory defect of laboratory strain MC4100 impaired in the carnitine pathway. Expression of a caiF-lacZ operon fusion was subject to FNR regulator-mediated anaerobic induction and cyclic AMP receptor protein activation. The histone-like protein H-NS and the NarL (plus nitrate) regulator acted as repressors. Because of the multiple controls to which the caiF gene is subjected, it appears to be a key element in the regulation of carnitine metabolism.

The sequence encompassing the cai genes of Escherichia coli, which encode the carnitine pathway, has been determined. Apart from the already identified caiB gene coding for the carnitine dehydratase, five additional open reading frames were identified. They belong to the caiTABCDE operon, which was shown to be located at the first minute on the chromosome and transcribed during anaerobic growth in the presence of carnitine. The activity of carnitine dehydratase was dependent on the CRP regulatory protein and strongly enhanced in the absence of a functional H-NS protein, in relation to the consensus sequences detected in the promoter region of the cai operon. In vivo expression studies led to the synthesis of five polypeptides in addition to CaiB, with predicted molecular masses of 56,613 Da (CaiT), 42,564 Da (CaiA), 59,311 Da (CaiC), 32,329 Da (CaiD) and 21,930 Da (CaiE). Amino acid sequence similarity or enzymatic analysis supported the function assigned to each protein. CaiT was suggested to be the transport system for carnitine or betaines, CaiA an oxidoreduction enzyme, and CaiC a crotonobetaine/carnitine CoA ligase. CaiD bears strong homology with enoyl hydratases/isomerases. Overproduction of CaiE was shown to stimulate the carnitine racemase activity of the CaiD protein and to markedly increase the basal level of carnitine dehydratase activity. It is inferred that CaiE is an enzyme involved in the synthesis or the activation of the still unknown cofactor required for carnitine dehydratase and carnitine racemase activities. Taken together, these data suggest that the carnitine pathway in E. coli resembles that found in a strain situated between Agrobacterium and Rhizobium.

Carnitine dehydratase from Escherichia coli O44 K74 is an inducible enzyme detectable in cells grown anaerobically in the presence of L-(-)-carnitine or crotonobetaine. The purified enzyme catalyzes the dehydration of L-(-)-carnitine to crotonobetaine (H. Jung, K. Jung, and H.-P. Kleber, Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1003:270-276, 1989). The caiB gene, encoding carnitine dehydratase, was isolated by oligonucleotide screening from a genomic library of E. coli O44 K74. The caiB gene is 1,215 bp long, and it encodes a protein of 405 amino acids with a predicted M(r) of 45,074. The identity of the gene product was first assessed by its comigration in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels with the purified enzyme after overexpression in the pT7 system and by its enzymatic activity. Moreover, the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the purified protein was found to be identical to that predicted from the gene sequence. Northern (RNA) analysis showed that caiB is likely to be cotranscribed with at least one other gene. This other gene could be the gene encoding a 47-kDa protein, which was overexpressed upstream of caiB.

The complete nucleotide sequence of the Escherichia coli nik locus, which has been suggested to encode the specific transport system for nickel, has been determined. It was found to contain five overlapping open reading frames that form a single transcription unit. Deduced amino acid sequence of the nik operon shows that its five gene products, NikA to NikE, are highly homologous to components of oligopeptide- and dipeptide-binding protein-dependent transport systems from several Gram-negative and Gram-positive species. NikA represents the periplasmic binding protein, NikB and NikC are similar to integral membrane components of periplasmic permeases, and NikD and NikE possess typical ATP-binding domains that suggest their energy coupling role to the transport process. Insertion mutations in nik genes totally abolished the nickel-containing hydrogenase activity under nickel limitation and markedly altered the rate of nickel transport. Taken together, these data support the notion that the nik operon encodes a typical periplasmic binding-protein-dependent transport system for nickel.

International audience; RcnA is an efflux pump responsible for Ni and Co detoxification in Escherichia coli. The expression of rcnA is induced by Ni and Co via the metallo-regulator RcnR. In the present work, the functioning of the promoter-operator region of rcnR and rcnA was investigated using primer extension and DNAse I footprinting experiments. We show that the promoters of rcnR and rcnA are convergent and that apo-RcnR binds on symmetrically located sequences in this intergenic region. Moreover, RcnR DNA binding is specifically modulated by one Ni or Co equivalent and not by other metals. In addition to rcnA, RcnR controls expression of its own gene in response to Ni and Co, but the two genes are differentially expressed.

The survival of bacteria exposed to toxic compounds is a multifactorial phenomenon, involving well-known molecular mechanisms of resistance but also less-well-understood mechanisms of tolerance that need to be clarified. In particular, the contribution of biofilm formation to survival in the presence of toxic compounds, such as nickel, was investigated in this study. We found that a subinhibitory concentration of nickel leads Escherichia coli bacteria to change their lifestyle, developing biofilm structures rather than growing as free-floating cells. Interestingly, whereas nickel and magnesium both alter the global cell surface charge, only nickel promotes biofilm formation in our system. Genetic evidence indicates that biofilm formation induced by nickel is mediated by the transcriptional induction of the adhesive curli-encoding genes. Biofilm formation induced by nickel does not rely on efflux mechanisms using the RcnA pump, as these require a higher concentration of nickel to be activated. Our results demonstrate that the nickel-induced biofilm formation in E. coli is an adaptational process, occurring through a transcriptional effect on genes coding for adherence structures. The biofilm lifestyle is obviously a selective advantage in the presence of nickel, but the means by which it improves bacterial survival needs to be investigated.

We have cloned the multigenic hydC locus of Escherichia coli on a 7.1-kb BamHI-EcoRI fragment. Since its gene products are likely to be involved in the specific nickel transport [Wu et al., Mol. Microbiol. 3 (1989) 1709-1718], we propose a new gene designation, nik, to replace hydC. In vivo gene expression studies and complementation analysis support the notion that the nik locus is a multi-cistronic operon consisting of two to five genes. The first two genes, arranged in the order nikA and nikB, encode two proteins of 59 and 27.5 kDa, respectively. The downstream genes direct the biosynthesis of three polypeptides of 30, 28 and 25.5 kDa. Southern-blot analysis showed that mutant HYD720 carries a chromosomal deletion of 5.1-kb covering both nikA and nikB, whereas a 0.8-kb deletion in mutant HYD790 includes the sole nikB region. The cloned nik operon and the deletion mutants will aid greatly in the further molecular characterization of the multicomponent-specific transport of nickel in E. coli.

We report here on the isolation and primary characterization of the yohM gene of Escherichia coli . We show that yohM encodes a membrane-bound polypeptide conferring increased nickel and cobalt resistance in E. coli. yohM was specifically induced by nickel or cobalt but not by cadmium, zinc, or copper. Mutation of yohM increased the accumulation of nickel inside the cell, whereas cells harboring yohM in multicopy displayed reduced intracellular nickel content. Our data support the hypothesis that YohM is the first described efflux system for nickel and cobalt in E. coli . We propose rcnA (resistance to cobalt and nickel) as the new denomination of yohM .

The Helicobacter pylori genome contains a gene (hp1338 or nikR) that encodes a nickel-dependent regulator that is homologous to the Escherichia coli nickel-responsive regulator, NikR. The H. pylori nikR product acts as a pleiotropic metal-dependent regulator. We constructed a non-polar isogenic mutant deleted for the nikR gene. NikR was essential for the survival of H. pylori in the presence of high nickel and cobalt ion concentrations in vitro. We screened a DNA macroarray for genes that were differentially expressed in parental and nikR-deficient H. pylori strains grown in the presence of excess nickel. We found that H. pylori NikR mediates the expression of nickel-activated and -repressed genes. In the presence of excess nickel, NikR activated the transcription of ureA-ureB (hp72-73), nixA (hp1077 ), copA2 (hp1072), hpn (hp1427 ) and hpn-like (hp1432) genes and repressed the expression of genes encoding proteins involved in ferric iron uptake and storage [pfr (hp0653), fur (hp1027 ), frpB4 (hp1512), exbB/exbD (hp1339-1340), ceuE (hp1561)], motility [cheV (hp616), flaA (hp0601), flaB (hp0115 )], stress responses [hrcA-grpE-dnaK (hp111-110-109)] and encoding outer-membrane proteins [omp11(hp0472), omp31 (hp1469), omp32 (hp1501)]. Slot blot DNA/RNA hybridization experiments using RNA from three independent bacterial cultures confirmed the transcriptome data for 10 selected genes. The results of gel shift experiments using purified native NikR, beta-galactosidase assays with the region between nikR and the exbB/exbD divergent operon, and the study of exbB gene expression using a gentamicin/apramycin reporter gene in H. pylori indicated that NikR is an autorepressor that binds to this intergenic region and also controls the expression of the exbB/exbD/tonB operon, which provides energy for ferric iron uptake. Thus, as previously suggested for Fur in H. pylori, NikR appears to be a global regulator of the metabolism of some divalent cations within a highly complex regulated network.

The gram-negative bacteria Brucella spp. are the etiologic agents of brucellosis, a disease that is encountered worldwide and is endemic in many underdeveloped countries. Six distinct species have been identified in various mammalian hosts, including humans. In cattle, sheep, and goats, the disease still causes important economic losses. Among these species, Brucella melitensis, B. suis, and B. abortus are most frequently associated with pathogenicity in humans, characterized by undulant fever and other, less well-defined clinical symptoms. The infection can be asymptomatic, which may cause diagnostic difficulties and sometimes lead to chronic infections in bones, joints, and the central nervous system. Brucellae belong to the α-2 subdivision of the proteobacteria and are therefore phylogenetically related to the plant cell-associated species of the genera Rhizobium and Agrobacterium. Brucella spp. are facultative intracellular parasites that can survive within professional phagocytes. They are able to invade macrophages and to multiply inside acidified phagosomes (36). Among the mechanisms used by brucellae for intracellular survival are the inhibition of phagolysosomal fusion (35) and of tumor necrosis factor alpha production by macrophages (4), the activation of which under normal conditions is critical for the elimination of pathogens. Despite intensive work, the mechanisms allowing Brucella to behave as an intracellular parasite have not been elucidated. To date, little is known about the bacterial factors contributing to the persistence and multiplication of this pathogen within human phagocytes. Upon infection of the macrophage by Brucella spp., certain stress proteins also induced at low pH and at high temperature were found to be expressed. Among those are the proteins HtrA, GroEL, and DnaK, the latter having been shown to be essential for replication of B. suis in human macrophage-like cell lines (23). Genes encoding these stress proteins (12, 17, 26) were frequently identified by the use of heterologous probes designed from previously characterized genes of other species. More recently, a two-component regulatory system (41) and a locus homologous to the VirB type IV secretion system (34) have been demonstrated to play important roles in intracellular survival. In an attempt to identify the bacterial genes expressed during multiplication of brucellae in host cells, a genetic tool was developed using the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene as a reporter gene fused to randomly cloned B. suis promoters (22). Characterization of these genes, especially inactivation, should give an insight into the mechanisms allowing Brucella spp. to adapt to host macrophages. Several clones were selected on the basis of the inducible expression of GFP fluorescence after infection of a macrophage cell line. Here, we describe the identification of a gfp-fused B. suis gene highly homologous to nikA, the first gene of the Escherichia coli ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transport system specific for nickel (33). Uptake of nickel by the periplasmic binding-protein-dependent transport system encoded by the nikABCDE operon is required for the synthesis and activities of the E. coli hydrogenase isoenzymes under anaerobic conditions (46). Transcription of this operon is activated by the general anaerobic transcriptional factor Fnr and repressed by the nickel-responsive regulator NikR when intracellular nickel concentrations are high (9, 46, 47). Many microorganisms incorporate this metal ion into enzymes participating in important metabolic reactions of hydrogen metabolism, ureolysis, methane biogenesis, and acetogenesis (20). Hydrolysis of urea is catalyzed by the nickel-dependent urease, an enzyme produced by all Brucella species (7). Our data show that B. suis possesses genes encoding counterparts highly similar to the five protein components of the E. coli NikABCDE permease and to the NikR regulator with a distinct genomic organization. We demonstrate that in vitro expression of the nikA promoter-gfp fusion is activated by low oxygen or nickel concentrations. We also show that inactivation of nikA severely alters the activity of the nickel metalloenzyme urease in this bacterium. In addition, successful reciprocal complementation of nik mutants of E. coli and B. suis with the nik operons supports the notion that the gene cluster of B. suis functions as a nickel transport system. Our data also suggest that, like E. coli and other bacteria, B. suis can use alternative ion transport systems for this metal when its concentration is high enough.

The divergent structural operons caiTABCDE and fixABCX of Escherichia coli are required for anaerobic carnitine metabolism. Transcriptional monocopy lacZ fusion studies showed that both operons are coexpressed during anaerobic growth in the presence of carnitine, respond to common environmental stimuli (like glucose and nitrate), and are modulated positively by the same general regulators, CRP and FNR, and negatively by H-NS. Overproduction of the CaiF specific regulatory protein mediating the carnitine signal restored induction in an fnr mutant, corresponding to its role as the primary target for anaerobiosis. Transcript analysis identified two divergent transcription start points initiating 289 bp apart. DNase I footprinting revealed three sites with various affinities for the binding of the cAMP-CRP complex inside this regulatory region. Site-directed mutagenesis experiments indicated that previously reported perfect CRP motif 1, centered at −41.5 of the cai transcriptional start site, plays a direct role in the sole cai activation. In contrast, mutation in CRP site 2, positioned at −69.5 of the fix promoter, caused only a threefold reduction in fix expression. Thus, the role of the third CRP site, located at −126.5 of fix , might be to reinforce the action of site 2. A critical 50-bp cis -acting sequence overlapping the fix mRNA start site was found, by deletion analysis, to be necessary for cai transcription. This region is thought to be involved in transduction of the signal mediated by the CaiF regulator.

Summary: The effect of the addition of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) in the growth medium on Escherichia coli anaerobic fermentative and respiratory pathways was examined. Formate dehydrogenase H (FDH-H) activity was totally repressed by the addition of 40 mM TMAO, whereas the overall hydrogenase (HYD) activity was reduced by 25%. Accordingly, expression of lacZ operon fusions with the fdhF and hycB structural genes specifying FDH-H and HYD3 was reduced sevenfold and eightfold, respectively, leading to suppression of an active formate hydrogenlyase system. In contrast, global respiratory formate-dependent phenazine methosulphate reductase (FDH-PMS) activity, which consists of both the major anaerobic FDH-N enzyme and the aerobic FDH-Z isoenzyme, was increased approximately twofold. This was corroborated by a 2.5-fold stimulation of the sole fdoG-uidA transcriptional fusion which reflects the synthesis of the respiratory aerobic FDH-Z enzyme. In fdhD, fdhE or torA mutants lacking either FDH-PMS activity or TMAO reductase (TOR) activity, the formate hydrogenlyase pathway was no longer inhibited by TMAO. In addition, introduction of 30 mM formate in the growth medium was found to relieve the repressive effect of TMAO in the wild-type strain. When TMAO was added as terminal electron acceptor a significant enhancement of anaerobic growth was observed with the wild-type strain and the fdoG mutant. It was associated with the concomitant suppression of the formate hydrogenlyase enzymes. This was in contrast to the fdnG and torA mutants whose growth pattern and fermentative enzymes remained unaffected. Taken together, these results strongly suggest that formate-dependent reduction of TMAO via FDH-N and TOR reduces the amount of formate available for induction of the formate hydrogenlyase pathway.

International audience; We analyzed the involvement of chaperonins GroES and GroEL in the biosynthesis of the three hydrogenase isoenzymes, HYD1, HYD2, and HYD3, of Escherichia coli. These hydrogenases are NiFe-containing, membranebound enzymes composed of small and large subunits, each of which is proteolytically processed during biosynthesis. Total hydrogenase activity was found to be reduced by up to 60% in groES and groEL thermosensitive mutant strains. This effect was specific because it was not seen for another oligomeric, membranebound metalloenzyme, i.e., nitrate reductase. Analyses of the single hydrogenase isoenzymes revealed that a temperature shift during the growth of groE mutants led to an absence of HYD1 activity and to an accumulation of the precursor of the large subunit of HYD3, whereas only marginal effects on the processing of HYD2 and its activity were observed under these conditions. A decrease in total hydrogenase activity, together with accumulation of the precursors of the large subunits of HYD2 and HYD3, was also found to occur in a nickel uptake mutant (nik). The phenotype of this nik mutant was suppressed by supplementation of the growth medium with nickel ions. On the contrary, Ni21 no longer restored hydrogenase activity and processing of the large subunit of HYD3 when the nik and groE mutations were combined in one strain. This finding suggests the involvement of these chaperonins in the biosynthesis of a functional HYD3 isoenzyme via the incorporation of nickel. In agreement with these in vivo results, we demonstrated a specific binding of GroEL to the precursor of the large subunit of HYD3 in vitro. Collectively, our results are consistent with chaperonin-dependent incorporation of nickel into the precursor of the large subunit of HYD3 as a prerequisite of its proteolytic processing and the acquisition of enzymatic activity.

The nik operon of Escherichia coli encodes a periplasmic binding-protein-dependent transport system specific for nickel. In this report, we describe the overproduction of the periplasmic nickel-binding protein NikA by cloning the nikA gene into an overexpression vector, pRE1. NikA was purified free of nickel to near homogeneity from the periplasm by hydrophobic and ion-exchange chromatography. N-terminal amino acid sequencing confirmed that the leader peptide of NikA had been removed. The nickel-binding properties of the protein has been studied by monitoring the quenching of intrinsic protein fluorescence. NikA binds one atom of nickel/molecule of protein with a dissociation constant (Kd) of less than 0.1 microM. Other metals (cobalt, copper, iron) are bound at least 10-fold less tightly. The high specificity for Ni2+ is also demonstrated by high-performance immobilized-metal-ion affinity chromatography. Biosynthesis of NikA occurred only under anaerobic conditions and was dependent on the general anaerobic regulator FNR. It was repressed by the presence of 250 microM Ni2+ in the growth medium and was not affected by either 30 mM formate or 100 mM nitrate. Anaerobically grown wild-type strain MC4100 contains about 23,000 molecules of NikA/cell. In addition to the effect on nickel transport, nikA mutation affects also the nickel sensing in Tar-dependent repellent chemotaxis.

Hydrogenase activity and other hydrogenase-related functions can be restored to hydC mutants by the specific addition of nickel salts to the growth medium. These mutants are defective in all three hydrogenase isoenzymes and the restoration is dependent upon protein synthesis. The cellular nickel content of the mutant when grown in LB medium is less than 1% of that of the parental strain. Partial suppression of the hydrogenase phenotype of hydC mutants occurs when growth takes place in a different medium. This correlates with an increased cellular nickel content. The phenotype of the mutant is also fully suppressed by growth in media of very low magnesium content. Such media facilitate nickel uptake via the magnesium transport system, which leads to the acquisition of a normal cellular nickel content. Mutations in the fnr gene, which encodes a transcriptional regulator for several anaerobically expressed enzymes, abolishes hydC expression and gives rise to a defective hydrogenase phenotype. The hydrogenase phenotype of fnr is closely similar to that of hydC in all respects examined. The hydrogenase activity of fnr strains can be restored by the presence of a functional hydC gene on a multicopy plasmid. The hydrogenase phenotype of fnr strains therefore arises indirectly via suppression of hydC, which leads to a low cellular nickel content. Nickel has no influence on fumarate reductase or nitrate reductase activities in fnr strains. The hydrogen-metabolism phenotype of fnr strains is, therefore, dependent upon their ability to acquire nickel from growth media. It is likely that hydC encodes a specific transport system for nickel.

Escherichia coli K12 mutants lacking phenazine-methosulphate-linked formate dehydrogenase (FDH-PMS) activity, but still capable of producing normal levels of benzyl-viologen-linked formate dehydrogenase (FDH-BV) and nitrate reductase activities, have been isolated following P1 localized mutagenesis. The relevant mutations mapped with the same cotransduction frequency close to the rhaD gene, at 88 min on the E. coli chromosome. They were further subdivided into two classes. Class I consisted of six fdhD mutants which synthesized an inactive FDH-PMS protein with the same subunit composition as the wild-type enzyme. In contrast, class II contained four fdhE mutants totally devoid of this antigen. Construction of merodiploid strains harbouring various combinations of the mutated alleles, fdhE on the episome and fdhD on the chromosome, led to the restoration of FDH-PMS activity by complementation of the products encoded by the respective wild-type alleles. Difference spectroscopy suggested that both fdhD and fdhE mutants contained normal amounts of the cytochrome b 559 associated with FDH-PMS although the cytochrome had lost its capacity for formate-dependent reduction.

The membrane-bound hydrogenase [EC 1.12.-.-l ofEscherichia coli is involved in the energy-conserving oxidation of hydrogen [l-4] via fumarate reductase [EC 1.3.99.11 and also in the formate hydrogenlyase pathway which converts formate to COZ and Hz [5]. E. coli hydrogenase from aerobically grown cells has been isolated and characterised [6] and the enzyme from anaerobically grown cells has been partially characterised [7]. Antibodies specific for Bacillus subtilis membrane-bound succinate dehydrogenase [EC 1.3.99.11 have been raised from activity-stained precipitin arcs located after analysis of crude fractions by crossed immunoelectrophoresis using antisera raised to detergent-solubilised membranes [8]. We have used a similar approach to prepare antibodies specific for E. coli hydrogenase and its use has enabled the subunit MW of the enzyme from anaerobically grown cells to be determined. We also report the isolation and immunological characterisation of two new E. coli mutants which specifically lack hydrogenase activity.

The biological requirement of the trace element selenium was recognized 40 years ago. Selenium is incorporated into several enzymes and transfer RNA species of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic origin. In enzymes which contain a selenopolypeptide, selenium is present as covalently bound selenocysteine which participates in the catalytic reaction. Sequence analysis of the genes coding for two selenoproteins, formate dehydrogenase H from Escherichia coli and glutathione peroxidase from mouse and man, demonstrated that an in-frame UGA opal nonsense codon directs the incorporation of selenocysteine. In the case of formate dehydrogenase incorporation occurs cotranslationally. Recently, we identified four genes whose products are required for selenocysteine incorporation in E. coli. We report here that one of these genes codes for a tRNA species with unique properties. It possesses an anticodon complementary to UGA and deviates in several positions from sequences, until now, considered invariant in all tRNA species. This tRNA is aminoacylated with L-serine by the seryl-tRNA ligase which also charges cognate tRNASer. Selenocysteine, therefore, is synthesized from a serine residue bound to a natural suppressor tRNA which recognizes UGA.

SUMMARY: Random insertions of mini-MudII1734 lac gene fusion bacteriophage were constructed on plasmid pLW06, which carries the fdhF gene coding for benzyl-viologen-linked formate dehydrogenase. They allowed us to limit the size of the gene to a 3 kb fragment and to define its direction of transcription. The identification of the fdhF product as a 85 kDa protein was achieved after expression of derivative plasmids in a maxicell system.