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M Zylicz

Publications and source records attributed to M Zylicz.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

The ClpX heat-shock protein of Escherichia coli, the ATP-dependent substrate specificity component of the ClpP-ClpX protease, is a novel molecular chaperone.

All major classes of protein chaperones, including DnaK (the Hsp70 eukaryotic equivalent) and GroEL (the Hsp60 eukaryotic equivalent) have been found in Escherichia coli. Molecular chaperones enhance the yields of correctly folded polypeptides by preventing aggregation and even by disaggregating certain protein aggregates. Previously, we identified the ClpX heat-shock protein of E. coli because it enables the ClpP catalytic protease to degrade the bacteriophage lambda O replication protein. Here we report that ClpX alone possesses all the properties expected of a molecular chaperone protein. Specifically, it can protect the lambda O protein from heat-induced aggregation, disaggregate preformed lambda O aggregates, and even promote efficient binding of lambda O to its DNA recognition sequence. A lambda O-ClpX specific protein-protein interaction can be detected either by a modified ELISA assay or through the stimulation of ClpX's weak ATPase activity by lambda O. Unlike the behaviour of the major DnaK and GroEL chaperones, ClpX requires the presence of ATP or its non-hydrolysable analogue ATP-gamma-S for efficient interaction with other proteins including the protection of lambda O from aggregation. However, ClpX's ability to disaggregate lambda O aggregates requires hydrolysable ATP. We propose that the ClpX protein is a bona fide chaperone, whose biological role includes the maintenance of certain polypeptides in a form competent for proteolysis by the ClpP protease. Furthermore, our results suggest that the ClpX protein also performs typical chaperone protein functions independent of ClpP.

ATPases Associated with Diverse Cellular Activitie↗

The conserved G/F motif of the DnaJ chaperone is necessary for the activation of the substrate binding properties of the DnaK chaperone.

The universally conserved DnaK and DnaJ molecular chaperone proteins bind in a coordinate manner to protein substrates to prevent aggregation, to disaggregate proteins, or to regulate proper protein function. To further examine their synergistic mechanism of action, we constructed and characterized two DnaJ deletion proteins. One has an 11-amino-acid internal deletion that spans amino acid residues 77-87 (DnaJ delta 77-87) and the other amino acids 77-107 (DnaJ delta 77-107). The DnaJ delta 77-87 mutant protein, was normal in all respects analyzed. The DnaJ delta 77-107 mutant protein has its entire G/F (Gly/Phe) motif deleted. This motif is found in most, but not all DnaJ family members. In vivo, DnaJ delta 77-107 supported bacteriophage lambda growth, albeit at reduced levels, demonstrating that at least some protein function was retained. However, DnaJ delta 77-107 did not exhibit other wild type properties, such as proper down-regulation of the heat-shock response, and had an overall poisoning effect of cell growth. The purified DnaJ delta 77-107 protein was shown to physically interact and stimulate DnaK's ATPase activity at wild type levels, unlike the previously characterized DnaJ259 point mutant (DnaJH33Q). Moreover, both DnaJ delta 77-107 and DnaJ259 bound to substrate proteins, such as sigma 32, at similar affinities as DnaJ+. However, DnaJ delta 77-107 was found to be largely defective in activating the ATP-dependent substrate binding mode of DnaK. In vivo, the ability of the mutant DnaJ proteins to down-regulate the heat-shock response was correlated only with their in vitro ability to activate DnaK to bind sigma 32, in an ATP-dependent manner, and not with their ability to bind sigma 32. We conclude, that although the G/F motif of DnaJ does not directly participate in the stimulation of DnaK's ATPase activity, nevertheless, it is involved in an important manner in modulating DnaK's substrate binding activity.

Base Sequence↗

The NH2-terminal 108 amino acids of the Escherichia coli DnaJ protein stimulate the ATPase activity of DnaK and are sufficient for lambda replication.

The Escherichia coli heat shock proteins DnaK and DnaJ function cooperatively as molecular chaperones. Central to their biochemical functions is the ability of DnaJ to interact with DnaK and to stimulate its ATPase activity. Here, we report the genetic isolation of dnaJ12, which has a nonsense mutation at codon 109, yet was able to support lambda growth at 30 degrees C. The 12-kDa DnaJ12 protein was purified to homogeneity and shown to be active in an in vitro lambda-DNA replication system and to be capable of stimulating DnaK's ATPase activity, specifically at the step of ATP hydrolysis. The previously well studied and characterized dnaJ259 mutation was also cloned and sequenced, revealing a single His-->Gln amino acid change at codon 33. The purified DnaJ259 protein was inactive in an in vitro lambda-DNA replication system and was unable to stimulate DnaK's ATPase activity. Consistent with this, an NH2-terminal deletion of the first 34 amino acids or an Asp insertion at residue 35 of DnaJ resulted in a protein that completely lacked DnaJ activity. Collectively, these results demonstrate that the highly conserved NH2-terminal region of DnaJ, the so-called J region, is necessary and sufficient for stimulating both DnaK's ATPase activity and lambda-DNA replication. These results may be applicable to other eukaryotic proteins that contain this conserved J domain as proteins that interact and stimulate the hydrolysis of ATP by their cognate HSP70 proteins.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

Both the Escherichia coli chaperone systems, GroEL/GroES and DnaK/DnaJ/GrpE, can reactivate heat-treated RNA polymerase. Different mechanisms for the same activity.

In this work we show that the GroEL (Hsp60 equivalent) chaperone protein can protected purified Escherichia coli RNA polymerase (RNAP) holoenzyme from heat inactivation better than the DnaK (Hsp70 equivalent) chaperone can. In this protection reaction, the GroES protein is not essential, but its presence reduces the amount of GroEL required. GroEL and GroES can also reactivate heat-inactivated RNAP in the presence of ATP. The mutant GroEL673 protein, with or without GroES, is incapable of reactivating heat-inactivated RNAP. GroEL673 can only protect RNAP, and this protecting ability is not stimulated by GroES. The mechanism by which the DnaJ and GrpE heat shock proteins contribute to DnaK's ability to reactivate heat-inactivated RNAP GroEL673 has also been investigated. We found that the DnaJ protein substantially reduces the levels of DnaK protein needed in this reactivation assay. However, the observed lag in reactivation is diminished only in the additional presence of the GrpE protein. Hence, DnaJ and GrpE are involved in both steps of this reactivation reaction (recognition of substrate and release of chaperone from the substrate-chaperone complex) while, in the case of the GroEL-dependent reaction, GroES is involved only during the release of chaperone from the substrate-chaperone complex.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Isolation and characterization of ClpX, a new ATP-dependent specificity component of the Clp protease of Escherichia coli.

We have used 14C-labeled bacteriophage lambda O-DNA replication protein as a probe to identify and purify Escherichia coli proteases capable of its degradation. In this manner, five different proteases (termed Lop) have been identified capable of degrading lambda O protein to acid-soluble fragments in an ATP-dependent fashion. One of these activities was purified to homogeneity and shown to be composed of two different polypeptides. The 23,000-Da component (LopP) was identified as the previously characterized ClpP protein, known to complex with ClpA to form the ClpAP, an ATP-dependent protease, capable of degrading casein. The second 46,000-Da component was identified as ClpX (LopC), coded by a gene located in the same operon, but promoter distal to that coding for ClpP (Gottesman, S., Clark, W. P., de Crecy-Lagard, V., and Maurizi, M. R. (1993) J. Biol. Chem. 268, 22618-22626). This identification was based on the determination of the sequence of the first 24 amino acid residues of the purified ClpX protein and its identity with that predicted by the DNA sequence. The ClpXP protease is substrate specific, since it degrades casein (known to be degraded by ClpAP), lambda P, or DnaK proteins slowly or not at all. These results suggest that ClpX protein directs ClpP protease to specific substrates. It is estimated that 50% of all lambda O-specific protease activity present in crude E. coli extracts is due to the ClpXP protease. We propose that transient inhibition of lambda O degradation observed in vivo during the later stages of lambda-DNA replication in vivo is responsible for the switch from bidirectional to unidirectional replication. One round unidirectional replication will lead to strand separation resulting in a switch from early (theta) to late (sigma) mode of lambda-DNA replication.

ATP-Dependent Proteases↗

The Escherichia coli chaperones involved in DNA replication.

Mutations in the Escherichia coli heat shock genes, dnaK, dnaJ or grpE, alter host DNA and RNA synthesis, degradation of other proteins, cell division and expression of other heat shock genes. They also block the initiation of DNA replication of bacteriophages lambda and P1, and the mini-F plasmid. An in vitro lambda DNA replication system, composed entirely of purified components, enabled us to describe the molecular mechanism of the dnaK, dnaJ and grpE gene products. DnaK, the bacterial hsp 70 homologue, releases lambda P protein from the preprimosomal complex in an ATP- and DnaJ-dependent reaction (GrpE-independent initiation of lambda DNA replication). In this paper, I show that, when GrpE is present, lambda P protein is not released from the preprimosomal complex, rather it is translocated within the complex in such a way that it does not inhibit DnaB helicase activity. Translocation of lambda P triggers the initiation event allowing DnaB helicase to unwind DNA near the ori lambda sequence, leading to efficient lambda DNA replication. Chaperone activity of the DnaK-DnaJ-GrpE system is first manifested in the selective binding of these heat shock proteins to the preprimosomal complex, followed by its ATP-dependent rearrangement. I show that DnaJ not only tags the preprimosomal complex for recognition by DnaK, but also stabilizes the multi-protein structure. GrpE also participates in the binding of DnaK to the preprimosomal complex by increasing DnaK's affinity to those lambda P proteins which are already with DnaJ.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Bacterial Proteins↗

Initiation of lambda DNA replication. The Escherichia coli small heat shock proteins, DnaJ and GrpE, increase DnaK's affinity for the lambda P protein.

It is known that the initiation of bacteriophage lambda replication requires the orderly assembly of the lambda O.lambda P.DnaB helicase protein preprimosomal complex at the ori lambda DNA site. The DnaK, DnaJ, and GrpE heat shock proteins act together to destabilize the lambda P.DnaB complex, thus freeing DnaB and allowing it to unwind lambda DNA near the ori lambda site. The first step of this disassembly reaction is the binding of DnaK to the lambda P protein. In this report, we examined the influence of the DnaJ and GrpE proteins on the stability of the lambda P.DnaK complex. We present evidence for the existence of the following protein-protein complexes: lambda P.DnaK, lambda P.DnaJ, DnaJ.DnaK, DnaK.GrpE, and lambda P.DnaK.GrpE. Our results suggest that the presence of GrpE alone destabilizes the lambda P.DnaK complex, whereas the presence of DnaJ alone stabilizes the lambda P.DnaK complex. Using immunoprecipitation, we show that in the presence of GrpE, DnaK exhibits a higher affinity for the lambda P.DnaJ complex than it does alone. Using cross-linking with glutaraldehyde, we show that oligomeric forms of DnaK exhibit a higher affinity for lambda P than monomeric DnaK. However, in the presence of GrpE, monomeric DnaK can efficiently bind lambda P protein. These findings help explain our previous results, namely that in the GrpE-dependent lambda DNA replication system, the DnaK protein requirement can be reduced up to 10-fold.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Structural and functional relationships in DnaK and DnaK756 heat-shock proteins from Escherichia coli.

The secondary structures of DnaK and the mutant DnaK756 heat-shock proteins from Escherichia coli have been investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The analysis of infrared data showed that DnaK and DnaK756 proteins have different secondary structures that are not affected by the presence of ATP or beta, gamma-methyleneadenosine 5'-triphosphate. The infrared data indicate also that the tertiary structures of DnaK and DnaK756 proteins are different and that DnaK protein undergoes conformational changes in its tertiary structure not only during binding of ATP but also during ATP hydrolysis. Using fluorescence spectroscopy of a single tryptophan located in the N-terminal domain of DnaK protein and fluorescence of 1,1'-bis(4-anilino)naphthalene-5,5'-disulfonic acid, which interacts with hydrophobic domains of DnaK protein, we were able to distinguish between two conformational states of DnaK protein. After binding of triphosphonucleotides, the C-terminal domain of DnaK protein changes in tertiary structure in such a way that fewer hydrophobic segments are exposed on the surface of the protein. After ATP hydrolysis, the number of hydrophobic segments on the surface of the protein is further reduced, and moreover the tertiary structure of the N-terminal domain of the protein changes. These data are discussed in terms of structural and functional relationships of both DnaK and DnaK756 proteins.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

The DnaK chaperone modulates the heat shock response of Escherichia coli by binding to the sigma 32 transcription factor.

The heat shock response and the heat shock proteins have been conserved across evolution. In Escherichia coli, the heat shock response is positively regulated by the sigma 32 transcriptional factor and negatively regulated by a subset of the heat shock proteins themselves. In an effort to understand the regulation of the heat shock response, we have purified the sigma 32 polypeptide to homogeneity. During the purification procedure, we found that a large fraction of the overexpressed sigma 32 polypeptide copurified with the universally conserved DnaK heat shock protein (the prokaryotic equivalent of the 70-kDa heat shock protein, HSP70). Further experiments established that purified sigma 32 bound to DnaK and that this complex was disrupted in the presence of ATP. Consistent with the fact that dnaK756 mutant bacteria overexpress heat shock proteins at all temperatures, purified DnaK756 mutant protein did not appreciably bind to sigma 32.

Bacterial Proteins↗

The Escherichia coli DnaK chaperone, the 70-kDa heat shock protein eukaryotic equivalent, changes conformation upon ATP hydrolysis, thus triggering its dissociation from a bound target protein.

The DnaK protein of Escherichia coli and its eukaryotic hsp70 analogues are known to bind some polypeptides and to release or dissociate from them following ATP hydrolysis. Here we demonstrate that hydrolysis (and not simply binding) of nucleotide triphosphates leads to a change in the DnaK protein, from the "closed" to the "open" conformation. A conformational change is not observed with the mutant DnaK756 protein, which is always found in the open conformation. Although ATP is the preferred substrate, the hydrolysis of CTP, GTP, UTP, and dATP also results in DnaK's conversion from a closed to an open conformation. The ability of DnaK to hydrolyze various triphosphates correlates perfectly with its ability to release the bound denatured bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor polypeptide.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

Escherichia coli DnaJ and GrpE heat shock proteins jointly stimulate ATPase activity of DnaK.

The products of the Escherichia coli dnaK, dnaJ, and grpE heat shock genes have been previously shown to be essential for bacteriophage lambda DNA replication at all temperatures and for bacterial survival under certain conditions. DnaK, the bacterial heat shock protein hsp70 analogue and putative chaperonin, possesses a weak ATPase activity. Previous work has shown that ATP hydrolysis allows the release of various polypeptides complexed with DnaK. Here we demonstrate that the ATPase activity of DnaK can be greatly stimulated, up to 50-fold, in the simultaneous presence of the DnaJ and GrpE heat shock proteins. The presence of either DnaJ or GrpE alone results in a slight stimulation of the ATPase activity of DnaK. The action of the DnaJ and GrpE proteins may be sequential, since the presence of DnaJ alone leads to an acceleration in the rate of hydrolysis of the DnaK-bound ATP. The presence of GrpE alone increases the rate of release of bound ATP or ADP without affecting the rate of hydrolysis. The stimulation of the ATPase activity of DnaK may contribute to its more efficient recycling, and it helps explain why mutations in dnaK, dnaJ, or grpE genes often exhibit similar pleiotropic phenotypes.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

Role of the Escherichia coli grpE heat shock protein in the initiation of bacteriophage lambda DNA replication.

Initiation of replication of lambda DNA requires assembly of the proper nucleoprotein complex consisting of the lambda origin of replication-lambda O-lambda P-dnaB proteins. The dnaJ, dnaK and grpE heat shock proteins destabilize the lambda P-dnaB interaction in this complex permitting dnaB helicase to unwind lambda DNA near ori lambda sequence. First step of this disassembling reaction is the binding of dnaK protein to lambda P protein. In this report we examined the influence of dnaJ and grpE proteins on stability of the lambda P-dnaK complex. Our results show that grpE alone dissociates this complex, but both grpE and dnaJ together do not. These results suggest that, in the presence of grpE protein, dnaK protein has a higher affinity for lambda P protein complexed with dnaJ protein than in the situation where grpE protein is not used.

Bacterial Proteins↗

The E. coli dnaK gene product, the hsp70 homolog, can reactivate heat-inactivated RNA polymerase in an ATP hydrolysis-dependent manner.

Pelham previously proposed that the hsp70 family of heat shock proteins could prevent the formation and/or allow the dissolution of protein aggregates created during stress conditions. We confirmed this hypothesis by showing that the E. coli hsp70 homolog, the dnaK gene product, protects the host RNA polymerase enzyme from heat inactivation in an ATP-independent reaction. In addition, we show that heat-inactivated and aggregated RNA polymerase is both disaggregated and reactivated following simultaneous incubation with DnaK protein and hydrolyzable ATP. The DnaK756 mutant protein has lost the ability to disaggregate the inactivated RNA polymerase enzyme. Our results demonstrate that the DnaK protein contributes to E. coli's growth not only by protecting some enzymes from denaturation but also by reactivating some once they are misfolded or aggregated.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Physical interactions between bacteriophage and Escherichia coli proteins required for initiation of lambda DNA replication.

The process of initiation of lambda DNA replication requires the assembly of the proper nucleoprotein complex at the origin of replication, ori lambda. The complex is composed of both phage and host-coded proteins. The lambda O initiator protein binds specifically to ori lambda. The lambda P initiator protein binds to both lambda O and the host-coded dnaB helicase, giving rise to an ori lambda DNA.lambda O.lambda P.dnaB structure. The dnaK and dnaJ heat shock proteins have been shown capable of dissociating this complex. The thus freed dnaB helicase unwinds the duplex DNA template at the replication fork. In this report, through cross-linking, size chromatography, and protein affinity chromatography, we document some of the protein-protein interactions occurring at ori lambda. Our results show that the dnaK protein specifically interacts with both lambda O and lambda P, and that the dnaJ protein specifically interacts with the dnaB helicase.

Bacterial Proteins↗

The HtrA (DegP) protein, essential for Escherichia coli survival at high temperatures, is an endopeptidase.

As a preliminary step in the understanding of the function of the Escherichia coli HtrA (DegP) protein, which is indispensable for bacterial survival only at elevated temperatures, the protein was purified and partially characterized. The HtrA protein was purified from cells carrying the htrA gene cloned into a multicopy plasmid, resulting in its overproduction. The sequence of the 13 N-terminal amino acids of the purified HtrA protein was determined and was identical to the one predicted for the mature HtrA protein by the DNA sequence of the cloned gene. Moreover, the N-terminal sequence showed that the 48-kilodalton HtrA protein is derived by cleavage of the first 26 amino acids of the pre-HtrA precursor polypeptide and that the point of cleavage follows a typical target sequence recognized by the leader peptidase enzyme. The HtrA protein was shown to be a specific endopeptidase which was inhibited by diisopropylfluorophosphate, suggesting that HtrA is a serine protease.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Isolation and characterization of dnaJ null mutants of Escherichia coli.

Bacteriophage lambda requires the lambda O and P proteins for its DNA replication. The rest of the replication proteins are provided by the Escherichia coli host. Some of these host proteins, such as DnaK, DnaJ, and GrpE, are heat shock proteins. Certain mutations in the dnaK, dnaJ, or grpE gene block lambda growth at all temperatures and E. coli growth above 43 degrees C. We have isolated bacterial mutants that were shown by Southern analysis to contain a defective, mini-Tn10 transposon inserted into either of two locations and in both orientations within the dnaJ gene. We have shown that these dnaJ-insertion mutants did not grow as well as the wild type at temperatures above 30 degrees C, although they blocked lambda DNA replication at all temperatures. The dnaJ-insertion mutants formed progressively smaller colonies at higher temperatures, up to 42 degrees C, and did not form colonies at 43 degrees C. The accumulation of frequent, uncharacterized suppressor mutations allowed these insertion mutants to grow better at all temperatures and to form colonies at 43 degrees C. None of these suppressor mutations restored the ability of the host to propagate phage lambda. Radioactive labeling of proteins synthesized in vivo followed by immunoprecipitation or immunoblotting with anti-DnaJ antibodies demonstrated that no DnaJ protein could be detected in these mutants. Labeling studies at different temperatures demonstrated that these dnaJ-insertion mutations resulted in altered kinetics of heat shock protein synthesis. An additional eight dnaJ mutant isolates, selected spontaneously on the basis of blocking phage lambda growth at 42 degrees C, were shown not to synthesize DnaJ protein as well. Three of these eight spontaneous mutants had gross DNA alterations in the dnaJ gene. Our data provide evidence that the DnaJ protein is not absolutely essential for E. coli growth at temperatures up to 42 degrees C under standard laboratory conditions but is essential for growth at 43 degrees C. However, the accumulation of extragenic suppressors is necessary for rapid bacterial growth at higher temperatures.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Initiation of lambda DNA replication with purified host- and bacteriophage-encoded proteins: the role of the dnaK, dnaJ and grpE heat shock proteins.

Based on previous in vivo genetic analysis of bacteriophage lambda growth, we have developed two in vitro lambda DNA replication systems composed entirely of purified proteins. One is termed 'grpE-independent' and consists of supercoiled lambda dv plasmid DNA, the lambda O and lambda P proteins, as well as the Escherichia coli dnaK, dnaJ, dnaB, dnaG, ssb, DNA gyrase and DNA polymerase III holoenzyme proteins. The second system includes the E.coli grpE protein and is termed 'grpE-dependent'. Both systems are specific for plasmid molecules carrying the ori lambda DNA initiation site. The major difference in the two systems is that the 'grpE-independent' system requires at least a 10-fold higher level of dnaK protein compared with the grpE-dependent one. The lambda DNA replication process may be divided into several discernible steps, some of which are defined by the isolation of stable intermediates. The first is the formation of a stable ori lambda-lambda O structure. The second is the assembly of a stable ori lambda-lambda O-lambda P-dnaB complex. The addition of dnaJ to this complex also results in an isolatable intermediate. The dnaK, dnaJ and grpE proteins destabilize the lambda P-dnaB interaction, thus liberating dnaB's helicase activity, resulting in unwinding of the DNA template. At this stage, a stable DNA replication intermediate can be isolated, provided that the grpE protein has acted and/or is present. Following this, the dnaG primase enzyme recognizes the single-stranded DNA-dnaB complex and synthesizes RNA primers. Subsequently, the RNA primers are extended into DNA by DNA polymerase III holoenzyme. The proposed model of the molecular series of events taking place at ori lambda is substantiated by the many demonstrable protein-protein interactions among the various participants.

Bacterial Proteins↗