Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA.
Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
mBio. 2021 May 18;12(3):e00764-21. doi: 10.1128/mBio.00764-21.
The growth pole ring (GPR) protein forms a hexameric ring at the growth pole (GP) that is essential for polar growth. GPR is large (2,115 amino acids) and contains 1,700 amino acids of continuous α-helices. To dissect potential GPR functional domains, we created deletions of regions with similarity to human apolipoprotein A-IV (396 amino acids), itself composed of α-helical domains. We also tested deletions of the GPR C terminus. Deletions were inducibly expressed as green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion proteins and tested for merodiploid interference with wild-type (WT) GPR function, for partial function in cells lacking GPR, and for formation of paired fluorescent foci (indicative of hexameric rings) at the GP. Deletion of domains similar to human apolipoprotein A-IV in GPR caused defects in cell morphology when expressed in to WT GPR and provided only partial complementation to cells lacking GPR. -specific domains A-IV-1 and A-IV-4 contain predicted coiled coil (CC) regions of 21 amino acids; deletion of CC regions produced severe defects in cell morphology in the interference assay. Mutants that produced the most severe effects on cell shape also failed to form paired polar foci. Modeling of A-IV-1 and A-IV-4 reveals significant similarity to the solved structure of human apolipoprotein A-IV. GPR C-terminal deletions profoundly blocked complementation. Finally, peptidoglycan (PG) synthesis is abnormally localized circumferentially in cells lacking GPR. The results support the hypothesis that GPR plays essential roles as an organizing center for membrane and PG synthesis during polar growth. Bacterial growth and division are extensively studied in model systems (, , and ) that grow by dispersed insertion of new cell wall material along the length of the cell. An alternative growth mode-polar growth-is used by some and species. The latter phylum includes the family , in which many species, including , exhibit polar growth. Current research aims to identify growth pole (GP) factors. The growth pole ring (GPR) protein is essential for polar growth and forms a striking hexameric ring structure at the GP. GPR is long (2,115 amino acids), and little is known about regions essential for structure or function. Genetic analyses demonstrate that the C terminus of GPR, and two internal regions with homology to human apolipoproteins (that sequester lipids), are essential for GPR function and localization to the GP. We hypothesize that GPR is an organizing center for membrane and cell wall synthesis during polar growth.
生长极环 (GPR) 蛋白在生长极 (GP) 形成六聚体环,对于极生长是必不可少的。GPR 很大(2115 个氨基酸),包含 1700 个连续的α-螺旋氨基酸。为了剖析潜在的 GPR 功能域,我们创建了与人类载脂蛋白 A-IV(396 个氨基酸)相似的区域的缺失,其本身由α-螺旋结构域组成。我们还测试了 GPR C 末端的缺失。缺失通过绿色荧光蛋白 (GFP) 融合蛋白可诱导表达,并测试与野生型 (WT) GPR 功能的杂交干扰、在缺乏 GPR 的细胞中的部分功能以及在 GP 处形成成对的荧光焦点(表明六聚体环)。在表达于 WT GPR 时,GPR 中与人类载脂蛋白 A-IV 相似的结构域的缺失导致细胞形态缺陷,并为缺乏 GPR 的细胞提供了部分互补。特异性结构域 A-IV-1 和 A-IV-4 包含 21 个氨基酸的预测卷曲螺旋 (CC) 区域;CC 区域的缺失在干扰试验中导致细胞形态严重缺陷。对细胞形状产生最严重影响的突变体也未能形成成对的极性焦点。A-IV-1 和 A-IV-4 的建模显示与已解决的人类载脂蛋白 A-IV 结构具有显著相似性。GPR C 末端缺失严重阻断了互补作用。最后,肽聚糖 (PG) 合成在缺乏 GPR 的细胞中异常地呈圆周状定位。结果支持以下假设:GPR 作为膜和 PG 合成的组织中心,在极生长过程中发挥重要作用。细菌生长和分裂在模型系统(、和)中得到了广泛研究,这些模型通过沿着细胞长度分散插入新的细胞壁物质来生长。一种替代的生长模式——极生长——被一些 和 物种使用。后者门包括科,其中许多物种,包括 ,表现出极生长。目前的研究旨在确定生长极 (GP) 因子。生长极环 (GPR) 蛋白对于极生长是必不可少的,并且在 GP 处形成引人注目的六聚体环结构。GPR 很长(2115 个氨基酸),并且对于结构或功能至关重要的区域知之甚少。遗传分析表明,GPR 的 C 末端以及与人类载脂蛋白同源的两个内部区域(可隔离脂质)对于 GPR 功能和定位到 GP 是必不可少的。我们假设 GPR 是极生长过程中膜和细胞壁合成的组织中心。