Almudena F. Villadangos

Properties of Arsenite Efflux Permeases (Acr3) from Alkaliphilus metalliredigens and Corynebacterium glutamicum

Members of the Acr3 family of arsenite permeases confer resistance to trivalent arsenic by extrusion from cells, with members in every phylogenetic domain. In this study bacterial Acr3 homologues from Alkaliphilus metalliredigens and Corynebacterium glutamicum were cloned and expressed in Esch e richia coli. Modification of a single cysteine residue that is conserved in all analyzed Acr3 homologues resulted in loss of transport activity, indicating that it plays a role in Acr3 function. The results of treatment with thiol reagents suggested that the conserved cysteine is located in a hydrophobic region of the permease. A scanning cysteine accessibility method was used to show that Acr3 has 10 transmembrane segments, and the conserved cysteine would be predicted to be in the fourth transmembrane segment.

Cell growth and cell division in the rod-shaped actinomycete Corynebacterium glutamicum

Bacterial cell growth and cell division are highly complicated and diversified biological processes. In most rod-shaped bacteria, actin-like MreB homologues produce helicoidal structures along the cell that support elongation of the lateral cell wall. An exception to this rule is peptidoglycan synthesis in the rod-shaped actinomycete Corynebacterium glutamicum, which is MreB-independent. Instead, during cell elongation this bacterium synthesizes new cell-wall material at the cell poles whereas the lateral wall remains inert. Thus, the strategy employed by C. glutamicum to acquire a rod-shaped morphology is completely different from that of Escherichia coli or Bacillus subtilis. Cell division in C. glutamicum also differs profoundly by the apparent absence in its genome of homologues of spatial or temporal regulators of cell division, and its cell division apparatus seems to be simpler than those of other bacteria. Here we review recent advances in our knowledge of the C. glutamicum cell cycle in order to further understand this very different model of rod-shape acquisition.

Phosphorylation of a Novel Cytoskeletal Protein (RsmP) Regulates Rod-shaped Morphology in Corynebacterium glutamicum

Corynebacteria grow by wall extension at the cell poles, with DivIVA being an essential protein orchestrating cell elongation and morphogenesis. DivIVA is considered a scaffolding protein able to recruit other proteins and enzymes involved in polar peptidoglycan biosynthesis. Partial depletion of DivIVA induced overexpression of cg3264, a previously uncharacterized gene that encodes a novel coiled coil-rich protein specific for corynebacteria and a few other actinomycetes. By partial depletion and overexpression of Cg3264, we demonstrated that this protein is an essential cytoskeletal element needed for maintenance of the rod-shaped morphology of Corynebacterium glutamicum, and it was therefore renamed RsmP (rod-shaped morphology protein). RsmP forms long polymers in vitro in the absence of any cofactors, thus resembling eukaryotic intermediate filaments. We also investigated whether RsmP could be regulated post-translationally by phosphorylation, like eukaryotic intermediate filaments. RsmP was phosphorylated in vitro by the PknA protein kinase and to a lesser extent by PknL. A mass spectrometric analysis indicated that phosphorylation exclusively occurred on a serine (Ser-6) and two threonine (Thr-168 and Thr-211) residues. We confirmed that mutagenesis to alanine (phosphoablative protein) totally abolished PknA-dependent phosphorylation of RsmP. Interestingly, when the three residues were converted to aspartic acid, the phosphomimetic protein accumulated at the cell poles instead of making filaments along the cell, as observed for the native or phosphoablative RsmP proteins, indicating that phosphorylation of RsmP is necessary for directing cell growth at the cell poles.

Retention of arsenate using genetically modified coryneform bacteria and determination of arsenic in solid samples by ICP-MS.

A novel method for the retention of arsenate [As(V)] combining time-controlled solid-phase extraction with living bacterial biomass is presented. As(V) retention was carried out by exposing the extractant, consisting of a living double-mutant of Corynebacterium glutamicum strain ArsC1-C2, to the sample for a retention time of 1-7min, before the arsenic distribution equilibrium between the sample solution and the extractant was established. The amount of As(V) retained in the biomass was measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after the sample had been treated with nitric acid. A theoretical model of the retention process was developed to describe the experimental retention-time profiles obtained with the bacterial cells. This relationship provided a feasible quantification of the retention process before steady-state was reached, providing that the agitation conditions and the retention time had been controlled. An analytical procedure for the retention/quantification of As(V) was then developed; the detection limit was 0.1 ng As(V)mL(-1) and the relative standard deviation 2.4-3.0%. The maximum effective retention capacity for As(V) was about 12.5mgAs(g biomass)(-1). The developed procedure was applied to the determination of total arsenic in coal fly ash, using a sample that had undergone oxidative pre-treatment.

DivIVA uses an N-terminal conserved region and two coiled-coil domains to localize and sustain the polar growth in Corynebacterium glutamicum

Corynebacterium glutamicum is a rod-shaped actinomycete with a distinct model of peptidoglycan synthesis during cell elongation, which takes place at the cell poles and is sustained by the essential protein DivIVA(CG) (C. glutamicum DivIVA). This protein contains a short conserved N-terminal domain and two coiled-coil regions: CC1 and CC2. Domain deletions and chimeric versions of DivIVA were used to functionally characterize the three domains, and all three were found to be essential for proper DivIVA(CG) function. However, in the presence of the N-terminal domain from DivIVA(CG), either of the two coiled-coil domains of DivIVA(CG) could be replaced by the equivalent coiled-coil domain of Bacillus subtilis DivIVA (DivIVA(BS)) without affecting the function of the original DivIVA(CG), and more than one domain had to be exchanged to lose function. Although no single domain was sufficient for subcellular localization or function, CC1 was mainly implicated in stimulating polar growth and CC2 in targeting to DivIVA(CG) assemblies at the cell poles in C. glutamicum.

Efflux Permease CgAcr3-1 of Corynebacterium glutamicum Is an Arsenite-specific Antiporter

Background: CgAcr3-1 is an arsenite permease that catalyzes As(III) efflux from Corynebacterium glutamicum. Results: CgAcr3-1 is an As(III)-specific H+/As(OH)3 antiporter coupled to the proton motive force. Conclusion: CgAcr3-1 does not transport Sb(III). Mutagenesis indicates that two conserved residues, a cysteine and a glutamate, may be required for antiporter activity. Significance: CgAcr3-1 is unusual in being able to transport As(III) but not Sb(III). Resistance to arsenite (As(III)) by cells is generally accomplished by arsenite efflux permeases from Acr3 or ArsB unrelated families. We analyzed the function of three Acr3 proteins from Corynebacterium glutamicum, CgAcr3-1, CgAcr3-2, and CgAcr3-3. CgAcr3-1 conferred the highest level of As(III) resistance and accumulation in vivo. CgAcr3-1 was also the most active when everted membranes vesicles from Escherichia coli or C. glutamicum mutants were assayed for efflux with different energy sources. As(III) and antimonite (Sb(III)) resistance and accumulation studies using E. coli or C. glutamicum arsenite permease mutants clearly show that CgAcr3-1 is specific for As(III). In everted membrane vesicles expressing CgAcr3-1, dissipation of either the membrane potential or the pH gradient of the proton motive force did not prevent As(III) uptake, whereas dissipation of both components eliminated uptake. Further, a mutagenesis study of CgAcr3-1 suggested that a conserved cysteine and glutamate are involved in active transport. Therefore, we propose that CgAcr3-1 is an antiporter that catalyzes arsenite-proton exchange with residues Cys129 and Glu305 involved in efflux.

The Corynebacterium glutamicum mycothiol peroxidase is a reactive oxygen species‐scavenging enzyme that shows promiscuity in thiol redox control

Cysteine glutathione peroxidases (CysGPxs) control oxidative stress levels by reducing hydroperoxides at the expense of cysteine thiol (‐SH) oxidation, and the recovery of their peroxidatic activity is generally accomplished by thioredoxin (Trx). Corynebacterium glutamicum mycothiol peroxidase (Mpx) is a member of the CysGPx family. We discovered that its recycling is controlled by both the Trx and the mycothiol (MSH) pathway. After H2O2 reduction, a sulfenic acid (‐SOH) is formed on the peroxidatic cysteine (Cys36), which then reacts with the resolving cysteine (Cys79), forming an intramolecular disulfide (S‐S), which is reduced by Trx. Alternatively, the sulfenic acid reacts with MSH and forms a mixed disulfide. Mycoredoxin 1 (Mrx1) reduces the mixed disulfide, in which Mrx1 acts in combination with MSH and mycothiol disulfide reductase as a biological relevant monothiol reducing system. Remarkably, Trx can also take over the role of Mrx1 and reduce the Mpx‐MSH mixed disulfide using a dithiol mechanism. Furthermore, Mpx is important for cellular survival under H2O2 stress, and its gene expression is clearly induced upon H2O2 challenge. These findings add a new dimension to the redox control and the functioning of CysGPxs in general.

Engineered coryneform bacteria as a bio-tool for arsenic remediation

Despite current remediation efforts, arsenic contamination in water sources is still a major health problem, highlighting the need for new approaches. In this work, strains of the nonpathogenic and highly arsenic-resistant bacterium Corynebacterium glutamicum were used as inexpensive tools to accumulate inorganic arsenic, either as arsenate (AsV) or arsenite (AsIII) species. The assays made use of “resting cells” from these strains, which were assessed under well-established conditions and compared with C. glutamicum background controls. The two mutant AsV-accumulating strains were those used in a previously published study: (i) ArsC1/C2, in which the gene/s encoding the mycothiol-dependent arsenate reductases is/are disrupted, and (ii) MshA/C mutants unable to produce mycothiol, the low molecular weight thiol essential for arsenate reduction. The AsIII-accumulating strains were either those lacking the arsenite permease activities (Acr3-1 and Acr3-2) needed in AsIII release or recombinant strains overexpressing the aquaglyceroporin genes (glpF) from Corynebacterium diphtheriae or Streptomyces coelicolor, to improve AsIII uptake. Both genetically modified strains accumulated 30-fold more AsV and 15-fold more AsIII than the controls. The arsenic resistance of the modified strains was inversely proportional to their metal accumulation ability. Our results provide the basis for investigations into the use of these modified C. glutamicum strains as a new bio-tool in arsenic remediation efforts.

Cytoskeletal proteins of actinobacteria.

Although bacteria are considered the simplest life forms, we are now slowly unraveling their cellular complexity. Surprisingly, not only do bacterial cells have a cytoskeleton but also the building blocks are not very different from the cytoskeleton that our own cells use to grow and divide. Nonetheless, despite important advances in our understanding of the basic physiology of certain bacterial models, little is known about Actinobacteria, an ancient group of Eubacteria. Here we review current knowledge on the cytoskeletal elements required for bacterial cell growth and cell division, focusing on actinobacterial genera such as Mycobacterium, Corynebacterium, and Streptomyces. These include some of the deadliest pathogens on earth but also some of the most prolific producers of antibiotics and antitumorals.

Modelling of arsenate retention from aqueous solutions by living coryneform double-mutant bacteria

Environmental context Industrial development has favoured the release of toxic elements to the environment and monitoring and assessment their environmental impact are key points. An important aspect of understanding these concerns is to evaluate how toxic substances interact with microorganisms, which has critical implications in the environment. Current studies show that heavy metals have the potential to affect bacterial viability, although a great deal remains to be understood concerning metal speciation using engineered bacterial cells. Abstract Modelling of the arsenate (AsV) retention from aqueous solutions by a living, genetically modified coryneform bacterium (Corynebacterium glutamicum ArsC1–C2) was evaluated. The bacterium used was a double mutant strain unable to reduce arsenate to arsenite. Batch experiments were carried out to study the effects of high initial AsV concentrations, retention times and temperatures on the retention process. Arsenate retention kinetics was modelled using pseudo-second-order and Elovich models. Both models provided high coefficients of determination, but better applicability of the Elovich model was confirmed using the Z function. A useful generalised predictive equation, allowing evaluation of the simultaneous effects of time and the initial AsV concentration on the retention process, was proposed. The retention equilibrium for a wide concentration range of arsenate showed a mechanistic process underlying chemical-nature retention with the experimental data strongly consistent with the Langmuir isotherm. Thermodynamic studies defined the negative free energy changes and demonstrated the spontaneity of the retention process. Positive values for both enthalpy and entropy were indicative of endothermic retention and a high affinity for AsV by the bacteria. The high maximum retained quantity, 2.0 mg AsV g–1 bacteria, confirmed the bacterium’s high affinity for this arsenic species.