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Journal of Bacteriology, August 2006, p. 5839-5850, Vol. 188, No. 16
0021-9193/06/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/JB.00430-06
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Department of Microbiology, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602
Received 28 March 2006/ Accepted 26 May 2006
| ABSTRACT |
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| INTRODUCTION |
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Two major roles of Msr have been proposed. First, Msr activity can repair a few key proteins that then maintain function of other proteins, including housekeeping ones. For example, Msr targets key Escherichia coli protein Ffh (16), ribosomal protein L12 (9), or methionine-rich chaperones (1, 22). The net effect is maintenance of targeting, synthesis, and function (e.g., proper folding) of many proteins. Second, Msr-dependent reduction of some Met-containing proteins allows such proteins to serve as ROS quenchers or sinks by a continual oxidation-reduction cycle at the surface methionine residues. Such a cycle is thought to be especially important under stress conditions (38). One example of the latter is repair of the oxidized methionine residues in E. coli glutamine synthetase (23). Due to the multiple net positive effects of Msr-dependent Met repair, msr mutant strains of both bacteria and yeast are known to be highly sensitive to oxidative or nitrosative damage, and the enzyme is oftentimes upregulated by stress conditions (13, 20, 27, 33-36).
Helicobacter pylori is a microaerophilic human gastric pathogen, and a number of enzymes that detoxify ROS are important for survival of the bacterium in the host (30, 43). H. pylori Msr is a 42-kDa protein with fused MsrA- and MsrB-like domains (41), similar to the situation in a few other pathogens (Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Neisseria meningitidis, and Haemophilus influenzae) (15). Inactivation of either msrB only (so that MsrA is still made) or of the entire gene (complete inactivation of both domains) resulted in H. pylori strains with an oxidative stress-sensitive phenotype. Also, neither mutant strain type could colonize mice for the longer time periods tested, indicating that Msr is an important persistence factor for the bacterium in the gastric mucosa (2).
Our understanding of some basic biochemical properties of the H. pylori enzyme is lacking. For example, many of the Met-containing direct targets for Msr-dependent repair are not known. Also, the enzyme's catalytic site and preferred substrate (Met R-S0 versus Met S-S0 isomer) are not known, nor has the thioredoxin reductant for Msr been identified. These aspects, as well as the conditions for msr up-regulation are addressed here.
| MATERIALS AND METHODS |
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Plasmids and xylE assays. The 200-bp area containing the 3' end of the hp0223 gene and the intergenic region of hp0223 and hp0224 (msr) were amplified using primers msrpromF and msrpromR (Table 1) and cloned into the SacI and BamHI sites upstream of the 980-bp promoterless xylE (Pseudomonas putida) gene of pTAD57 (31) to generate pSAP120. The 1,180-bp (Pmsr-xylE) fragment was excised and introduced into the BamHI site of pHel3 to obtain pSAP131. Plasmid pSAP131 was transformed into H. pylori SS1 to obtain strain ALM 1018 (Table 2). For chromosomal fusions, the Pmsr-xylE fragment was introduced into the hp405 region of the H. pylori genome using a previously described plasmid, peu39-cm (2), to generate H. pylori strain ALM 1014. To determine the possible regulator of msr, we transformed the same plasmid into independent isogenic fur, nikR, and msr mutants to obtain strains ALM 1032, ALM 1037, and ALM 1020, respectively (Table 2). All constructs were screened using PCR and were further sequenced at the University of Michigan DNA Sequencing Core facility. As a negative control, strain SS1 carrying the promoterless xylE in pHel3 was used. Cells were grown in Muller-Hinton medium with 10% serum in closed (serum stopper sealed) vials containing 4% partial pressure O2 (5% CO2 and the balance N2). Cells were grown to logarithmic phase, and oxygen was added to bring the O2 partial pressure to 12% O2 in order to assess oxygen stress. For the other stress effects, cells maintained in 4% O2 were supplemented separately with 300mM H2O2, 50mM S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO), or 500mM FeCl3, or 50mM 2,2-dipyridyl. Whole cells were collected from both pre- and poststress conditions, and xylE assays were performed as described elsewhere (31). Data reported are from five independent experiments with each experiment sampled in triplicate, for a total of 15 samples for each mean value shown. Data significance was determined by Student t tests (see the legend of Fig. 5).
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Coimmunoprecipitation. The wild-type and msr strains were grown to mid-log phase in sealed vials at 4% partial pressure O2, and half of the culture (for wild type) was removed for exposure to 12% partial pressure O2 (for a 3-h period) to oxidize the cellular protein pool. This was done in order to enhance the chance of observing intimate interactions of target proteins with Msr. Cell extracts from all cultures were prepared identically and at the same time, and then the protein concentration was adjusted, and the extracts were incubated with different cleavable cross-linkers. The cross-linker-extract incubation was performed overnight in argon-sparged buffer. All three cross-linkers, heterobifunctional N-succinimidyl 3-(2-pyridyldithio) propionate, homobifunctional sulfo-disulfosuccinimidyl tartrate, and homobifunctional dithiobis (sulfosuccinimidyl propionate) were individually tested. The best yield of cross-linked products after immunoprecipitation was obtained using N-succinimidyl 3-(2-pyridyldithio) propionate. The source for antibody against H. pylori Msr is described elsewhere (2). Anti-Msr antibody was first purified by cross-precipitation with an msr strain extract to diminish nonspecific antibody-protein binding. A Seize X Protein A immunoprecipitation kit (catalogue no. 45215; Pierce) was used in the subsequent precipitation process. The purified anti-Msr antibody was first cross-linked to ImmunoPure Immobilized Protein A Plus beads using disuccinimidyl suberate. The slurry was incubated with previously cross-linked cell extracts with slow stirring overnight at 4°C. The slurry was later passed through Handee Spin Cup columns (provided with the kit) and washed initially with binding/wash buffer, followed by washing with stringent immunoglobulin G elution buffer. The cross-linked proteins were serially eluted with the elution buffer, and 10 µl of 1 M Tris-Cl, pH 8.0, was added to neutralize the protein elutions. The cross-linked protein complexes were cleaved by incubating either with dithiothreitol (DTT) or ammonium persulfate, depending on the cross-linker used in the previous step. The mixture was later resolved on a 4% to 20% gradient SDS-PAGE gel, and the bands were excised from the gel and submitted to The University of Georgia Proteomics facility for protein identification by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). All steps were simultaneously performed using cell extracts from both strain SS1 and the isogenic msr mutant.
Overexpression and protein purification. Proteins were purified either as recombinant proteins in E. coli (Msr, thioredoxin-1 [Trx1], Trx2, thioredoxin reductase [TrxR], and site-specific recombinase [SSR]) or from H. pylori strain SS1 (KatA or GroEL) for studying the protein-protein interactions or for determining the requirements for Msr activity in vitro. Other pure proteins (UreE and HypB) were described previously (3, 25).
MSR. Plasmid pSAP112 (Table 2) was transformed into E. coli BL21 Origami (Novagen). Twenty milliliters of overnight starter culture of the E. coli strain harboring pSAP112 was added to 2 liters of LB, and the culture was incubated at 37°C until it achieved an OD600 of 0.6. The culture was induced with 0.5 mM isopropyl-ß-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) at 22°C for 3.5 h. Cells were harvested by centrifugation, and the pellet was suspended in phosphate buffer (50 mM sodium phosphate, 50 mM NaCl, pH 7.8) and then subjected to sonication. The sonicate was centrifuged at 45,000 rpm for 1.5 h, and the supernatant was loaded onto a Hi-Trap SP column. Protein was then eluted using buffer B (50 mM sodium phosphate and 1,000 mM NaCl) with a linear gradient from 50 mM to 1,000 mM NaCl. The fractions from the flowthrough were collected, applied to a Hi-Trap Q Sepharose column, and eluted by use of the same buffers. The flowthrough fractions were then applied to a 10/200 Sephacryl column for size exclusion purification. Peak fractions were collected and subjected to SDS-PAGE to assess purity. Protein concentration was determined using the Bradford assay.
Trx1. Plasmid pSAP138 (Table 2) was transformed into E. coli BL21 Rosetta (Novagen). Twenty milliliters of overnight starter culture of the E. coli BL21 Rosetta strain harboring pSAP138 was added to 2 liters of LB and incubated at 37°C until the culture reached an OD600 of 0.6. The culture was induced with 0.5 mM IPTG at 37°C for 3.5 h. Cells were harvested and resuspended in Tris-Cl buffer (25 mM Tris, 25 mM NaCl, pH 7.0) and subjected to sonication. The lysate was centrifuged at 45,000 rpm for 1.5 h, and the supernatant was loaded onto a Hi-Trap Q-Sepharose column. Protein was eluted using buffer B (25 mM Tris and 1,000 mM NaCl) with a linear gradient of 25 mM to 1,000 mM NaCl. Peak fractions were collected and dialyzed overnight against 3 liters of buffer C (25 mM Tris and 150 mM NaCl). The pooled protein was then run through a 10/200 Sephacryl column preequilibrated with buffer C.
Trx2. Plasmid pSAP159 (Table 2) was transformed into E. coli BL21 Origami (Novagen). Thirty milliliters of overnight starter culture of E. coli BL21 Rosetta strain harboring pSAP138 was added to 3 liters of LB and incubated at 37°C until the culture grew to an OD600 of 0.7. The culture was induced with 0.8 mM IPTG at 22°C for 4 h. Cells were harvested and later resuspended in buffer 1 (50 mM HEPES, 50 mM NaCl, pH 6.5), and the suspension was sonicated. The cell lysate was centrifuged at 45,000 rpm for 1.5 h. The supernatant was subjected to ammonium sulfate precipitation. Trx2 was precipitated with the least amount of contaminating proteins at 50% and 60% ammonium sulfate levels. The precipitate was resuspended in buffer 1 and dialyzed against buffer 1 (total volume, 3 liters) for 24 h. The dialyzed protein was loaded onto a Hi-Trap SP column. Protein was eluted using buffer B (50 mM HEPES and 1,000 mM NaCl) with a linear gradient from 50 mM to 1,000 mM NaCl. Peak fractions were collected and dialyzed overnight against 3 liters of buffer C (25 mM HEPES and 150 mM NaCl, pH 6.5). The protein was concentrated, and purity was analyzed on a 15% SDS-PAGE gel.
TrxR. Plasmid pSAP139 (Table 2) was transformed into E. coli BL21 Rosetta (Novagen). Twenty milliliters of overnight starter culture of E. coli BL21 Origami strain harboring pSAP112 was added to 2 liters of LB and incubated at 37°C until the culture reached an OD600 of 0.6. The culture was then induced with 0.5 mM IPTG at 37°C for 3 h. Cells were harvested and later resuspended in Tris-Cl buffer (25 mM Tris, 25 mM NaCl, pH 7.0) and sonicated. The lysate was centrifuged at 45,000 rpm for 1.5 h, and the supernatant was used for ammonium sulfate precipitation. TrxR was precipitated at 65% and 75% ammonium sulfate. The pellets were resuspended in buffer A (10 mM Tris-25 mM NaCl, pH 7.6), pooled, and dialyzed in the same buffer (total volume, 3 liters). The suspension was then subjected to Q-Sepharose chromatography using a linear 25 mM to 1 M NaCl gradient. The peak fractions were collected, concentrated, and applied to a 10/200 Sephacryl column equilibrated with 10 mM Tris (pH 7.5) containing 200 mM NaCl. Peak fractions were harvested and analyzed on the gels for purity assessment and then were stored at 80°C.
Catalase (KatA). Native KatA was purified from H. pylori strain SS1 as described earlier (42) using cells less than 2 days old harvested from blood agar plates.
GroEL. Native GroEL was purified from H. pylori strain SS1. Cells less than 2 days old from blood agar plates were harvested in buffer A (50 mM HEPES, 50 mM NaCl, pH 7.2). Cells were sonicated, and the cytosolic protein fraction was subjected to ammonium sulfate precipitation. GroEL was found in the 60% and 70% saturation fractions. The presence of GroEL at each purification step was monitored by using E. coli anti-GroEL antibody (Sigma). The ammonium sulfate fractions were dialyzed against buffer A (total volume, 4 liters) overnight, and the dialyzed protein was then subjected to ion exchange chromatography using a HiTrap Q column. Protein was eluted using 50 mM HEPES and a 50 mM to 1 M NaCl gradient. The fractions containing the protein were concentrated and later subjected to size exclusion chromatography using a 10/200 Sephacryl column preequilibrated with 50 mM HEPES (pH 7.2) containing 300 mM NaCl. Peak protein fractions were pooled, a sample was subjected to SDS-PAGE, and pure protein was stored in the appropriate buffer at 80°C. Monitoring the purification progress with anti-GroEL antibody was important in order to avoid fractions that contained UreB, a major contaminant protein that migrates with a similar molecular weight to GroEL.
SSR. Plasmid pSAP163 (Table 2) was transformed into E. coli BL21 Origami (Novagen). Twenty milliliters of overnight starter culture of E. coli BL21 Origami strain harboring pSAP163 was added to 2,000 ml of LB and incubated at 37°C until the culture reached an OD600 of 0.6. The culture was induced with 0.5 mM IPTG at 22°C for 3.5 h. Cells were harvested and resuspended in binding buffer (300 mM NaCl, 50 mM NaH2PO4, 10 mM imidazole, pH 8.0); the suspension was sonicated, and the extract was subjected to ultracentrifugation (for 2 h) to obtain the soluble protein (supernatant). The soluble protein was passed through a preequilibrated column prepared with Ni-nitrilotriacetic acid-agarose resin (QIAGEN) and washed with washing buffer (binding buffer with 20 mM imidazole). Protein was eluted with elution buffer (binding buffer with 250 mM imidazole). Protein purity was assessed, and the pure protein fraction was dialyzed against 50 mM NaH2PO4 (pH 8.0) containing 150 mM NaCl for 24 h to eliminate residual imidazole. Protein concentration was assessed (by SDS-PAGE), and samples were stored as aliquots with 10% glycerol at 80°C.
Protein cross-linking assays. KatA, GroEL, or SSR were separately incubated in buffer along with 300 µM H2O2 for 15 min at 4°C to oxidize the surface amino acid residues of the protein. This oxidation step was to enhance their interaction with Msr prior to the addition of cross-linker. Msr was, in turn, oxidized in a similar manner to study its interaction with either Trx1 or Trx2. The protein samples were washed several times using Amicon YM-10K centricon tubes to remove excess peroxide, and the final concentration was determined using Bradford assay.
For all Msr-protein interaction reactions, a 10 µM concentration of each protein was mixed in a 1:1:1 ratio along with 30 µM lysozyme (to inhibit possible nonspecific binding), and the mixture was incubated with a noncleavable protein cross-linker (3 mM dimethyl suberimidate) for 30 min at room temperature; later the reaction was quenched with 100 mM Tris-Cl (pH 7.5). The reaction mixture was run on three different gels (12% SDS-PAGE), and these were electroblotted onto separate nitrocellulose membranes. Immunoblotting was individually performed with antibodies against Msr (1:1,000), KatA (1:1,000), or GroEL (1: 8,000). The membranes were subsequently incubated in the secondary antibody at a ratio of 1:1,500 for goat anti-rabbit immunoglobulin G-alkaline phosphatase conjugate for 1 h, and the substrates were added following consecutive membrane washes. Control experiments using a similar procedure (such as the oxidation procedure) but with pure HypB and pure UreE from H. pylori (proteins not rich in methionine residues) were important to ensure the specificity of the Msr-target protein results. After (attempted) cross-linking, these latter potential adducts were subjected to SDS-PAGE, and the blots were probed with anti-HypB (25) or anti-UreE (3) serum at dilutions of 1:2,000 and 1:1,000, respectively.
Catalase assays. Wild-type SS1 or msr strains were grown in closed vials at 4% partial pressure O2 and shifted at late log phase of growth to 10% O2 for 4 h. Viable counts were estimated by plating serial dilutions on blood agar plates. Catalase specific activity was determined on cell extracts from cells grown at 4% and 10% O2 as described elsewhere (42). Catalase activity is reported as 1 unit is equivalent to 1 µmol of H2O2 decomposed/min/mg of cell protein. Results are the mean of 12 determinations; these were from four independent experiments, with each experiment sampled in triplicate. Cell extracts (5 µg of protein) from each strain (SS1 and msr) were subjected to SDS-PAGE, and the separated proteins were transferred to a nitrocellulose membrane for immunoblotting with anti-KatA antiserum.
Homology-based structural predictions. The amino acid sequence of the entire Msr protein was subjected to SWISS-MODEL in the first approach mode (http://www.expasy.org/swissmod). The known crystal structures of enzymes that share high sequence identity (with H. pylori Msr) upon pairwise alignments using protein databank entries 1L1Da (C-terminal methionine sulfoxide reductase domain of N. gonnorrhoeae) and 1L1Db E. coli (MsrA and MsrB) were used (39, 40). The models were analyzed manually for robustness, and the best fit model was selected for further analysis. The coordinate file was imported to a 3D-Mol viewer (a component of Vector NTI suite 8.0; Infomax Inc.) to visualize the residues with respect to the entire three-dimensional structure and to calculate the molecular surface (Conolly or Varshney method) and the distance between specific residues.
In vitro Msr activity. Methionine sulfoxide reductase activity assays were performed as described previously (28) by monitoring the oxidation of NADPH at 340 nm. Methyl-p-tolyl (S)-sulfoxide and methyl-p-tolyl (R)-sulfoxide were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich (catalogue no. 339997 and 343609, respectively). The reaction was conducted in prewarmed 50 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.4). Msr activity was first studied using purified Msr (6 to 10 µg), a broad substrate (methyl tolyl sulfoxide) range of 0.5 mM to 14 mM, 50 mM DTT, and 100 µmol of NADPH. Later, the substrate concentration was reduced to the range of 0.5 to 12 mM, based on activity saturation results. Similarly, a range of thioredoxin (10 to 70 µM) and thioredoxin reductase (10 to 35 nmol) concentrations was used to establish saturation levels. For routine specific activity measurements and Km determinations, Msr (6 to 10 µg), substrate (0.5 to 12 mM), thioredoxin (50 µM), TrxR (30 nmol), and NADPH (100 µmol) were used in a total reaction volume of 1 ml. A unit of activity is defined as 1 nmol of NADPH oxidized/min, as determined by the change in absorbance at 340 nm. Data presented are the means of 15 determinations; these were from five independent experiments, with each one sampled in triplicate.
| RESULTS AND DISCUSSION |
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The putative H. pylori Msr-interacting proteins were identified by combining cross-linking with a coimmunoprecipitation (CIP) approach. First, cells were exposed to oxidative stress conditions. The transient but intimate interactions of Msr with its oxidized protein substrates were then captured by adding a cleavable cross-linker to cell extracts. The yield of Msr-substrate complexes was then harvested by use of an immobile anti-Msr antibody, and the complexes were uncross-linked. The proteins that had formed adducts with Msr were identified by mass spectrometry. Two important control experiments were done to address the specificity of the observed Msr-protein interactions; extracts from an msr strain exposed to the oxidative conditions and an extract from wild-type cells that had not been exposed to oxidative conditions were both carried through the entire procedure.
Figure 1A shows SYPRO-RUBY-stained proteins from the wild type and the msr mutant, after the complete cross-link and CIP procedure; the proteins represent those that (when oxidized) had presumably intimately interacted with Msr. Proteins were clearly visible when the extract from wild-type cells (when exposed to oxidative stress, i.e., 12% partial pressure O2) was used as the starting material for cross-linking and Msr-adduct immunoprecipitation. No proteins were obtained from the same procedure when the msr strain was used (Fig. 1A), indicating that only proteins interacting with Msr were precipitated using this approach for the wild type. Similarly, there was not much adduct yield when wild-type cells that had been maintained continually under low O2 conditions (4% partial pressure O2) were used as the starting material (data not shown); this links the observed interactions to oxidative conditions. Table 3 lists the seven MALDI-TOF MS-identified proteins obtained from the procedure. Five of these had a high ion score (greater than 72) and significant confidence interval (CI) values. Of these five, catalase (KatA), SSR, and the chaperone protein GroEL contain approximately 3.2% to 3.5% methionine residues. It may be significant that this methionine percentage is higher than the average 1.7% methionine found in proteins (17). Another potential Msr-interacting protein (Table 3) identified was Trx1, an electron carrier predicted to be a reductant of Msr (5). In addition, Seryl-t-RNA synthetase and TolB protein precursor were identified as potential Msr-interacting proteins (Table 3). We did not pursue further studies on these latter two due to the lower CI values in the MS analysis. Still, the methionine content was elevated in these proteins (Table 3).
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Recognition of the oxidized recombinase protein SSR by pure Msr was also apparent based on an immunostained band of the expected size of 60 to 65 kDa (Fig. 2A, Msr-SSR). Like the others, this adduct formed even in the presence of a threefold greater amount (see Materials and Methods) of a control (lysozyme) protein. The cross-link approach combined with CIP identified only the Msr-Trx1 but not an Msr-Trx2 interaction in H. pylori (see text above). We further investigated this result by testing the ability of pure Trx1 and Trx2 to cross-link with oxidized Msr. Msr formed a cross-linked adduct only with Trx1 but not with Trx2 (Fig. 2A, Msr-Trx1). We tested the interaction of Msr individually with two additional pure H. pylori proteins for which we had antiserum available, HypB and UreE. No Msr cross-linked adducts were formed to these (Fig. 2A, lanes HypB and UreE), indicating that the Msr interactions observed above are not likely to be artifacts of the cross-linking procedure.
The significance of Msr activity in reducing oxidatively damaged methionine residues of purified E. coli GroEL was previously demonstrated (22), but the interaction of Msr with catalase and with SSR are new findings. To understand the physiological significance of the catalase interaction, we compared both the relative expression and specific activity of catalase between the SS1 (parent strain) and msr mutant strains under non-O2 stress versus under oxygen stress conditions. We observed that the levels of catalase expression (based on immunoblotting) in both strains were similar (Fig. 3A) but that the specific catalase activity of the mutant only was reduced by 50% due to oxygen stress (Fig. 3B). To investigate the possibility that the lower activity in the mutant is due to an inability to repair Met residues of catalase, pure Msr plus DTT was added to the msr strain extract. The resulting catalase activity (3,432 + 212 units) was about 85% of the wild type (4,144 + 197 units) from cells in the 10% O2 exposure condition. The results are consistent with a role for Msr in maintaining catalase function. It is known that catalase is an important part of the oxidative stress defense in this pathogen; so this knowledge permits a better understanding of the severe oxidative stress resistance deficiency phenotype observed previously for an H. pylori msr mutant strain (2).
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Homology-based structure prediction of H. pylori Msr. H. pylori Msr is a 359-amino-acid single polypeptide that comprises two fused domains (MsrA, with residues 36 to 189, and MsrB, with residues 206 to 330) based on the sequence homology with known E. coli MsrA and N. gonorrhoeae MsrB proteins. The H. pylori protein contains two cysteine residues in each of its domains: Cys 44 and 184 in the MsrA domain and Cys 263 and 318 in the MsrB domain. However, which of these Cys residues could potentially reside on the surface (and thus participate in catalysis) is not known.
We applied homology-based crystal structure modeling to determine the potential sites of catalytic cysteines. Based on the Swiss-Prot analysis, we observed that the MsrB domain of H. pylori shared a high degree of sequence homology (identity of
60%) including predicted folding to the N. gonorrhoeae enzyme known as MsrA/B (24). No significant identity was found between Msr of H. pylori and E. coli MsrA or MsrB proteins. H. pylori Cys 318 and Cys 263 (both within the MsrB domain) were surface exposed and in close proximity to each other (raw distances are preliminary) (Fig. 4). Cys 263 is part of the sequence GCGWP, and Cys 318 is part of the MsrB signature sequence, GGLRYCI. Based on the sequence homology of H. pylori Msr with that of N. gonorrhoeae or N. meningitidis and on the proximity of Cys residues to each other, this protein could be grouped into the same class (class II) of N. meningitidis or N. gonorrhoeae MsrB, wherein Cys 117 (Cys 318 for H. pylori Msr) is the catalytic Cys and Cys 63 (Cys 263 of H. pylori Msr) is the recycling residue. The latter forms a disulfide bond with the former residue (21). In addition, His residues (His 303 and His 300) that operate in the sulfoxide reductase reaction were also near the catalytic Cys residues. These results raised some interesting questions about the substrate preference (R or S isomer) of Msr in H. pylori and are discussed in the following section.
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Induction of msr. (i) External stress-dependent expression. XylE reporter fusions to an msr promoter region were used to examine msr expression in cells exposed to various stress conditions or to iron availability regimes. We had earlier determined that a 200-bp intergenic region between hp0223 and hp0224 (msr) contained all the required promoter elements for the expression of msr, as this area was sufficient to complement the msr mutant strain (2). This intergenic promoter area was identified by a primer extension reaction that revealed that the 5' end of the transcript was approximately 30 bp upstream of the ATG start codon (data not shown). We therefore used this fragment in the present study to examine msr expression both on the genome and on an introduced plasmid vector.
Cells were grown under optimum conditions of oxygen (4% partial pressure) to mid-log phase (OD600 of 0.5), and the cells were subjected to stress conditions of oxygen, peroxide, peroxynitrite, FeCl3 supplementation, or iron starvation (i.e., chelation by use of 2',2'-dipyridyl). Induction of xylE activity was determined before and after the addition of each of the above stress conditions. No significant effect on msr expression was observed by a shift to 12% O2. An approximately threefold increase in msr expression (in a 6-h stress exposure period) was observed when either peroxide or peroxynitrite stress was applied. In addition, an approximately 3.5-fold increase in expression was observed under iron-chelated conditions (Fig. 6) compared to the same conditions but with iron. There was no transcriptional up-regulation observed when the cells were exposed to UV light (data not shown), and msr expression was slightly repressed (by less than twofold) when medium was supplemented with iron (Fig. 6). The induction of this gene due to peroxide or peroxynitrite is particularly interesting, since H. pylori lacks homologs of the known E. coli oxidative stress response regulators OxyR or SoxR; instead Fur and NikR are known regulators for some oxidative stress enzymes in this pathogen. To identify a potential regulator of msr, we further studied the expression of msr using the same reporter fusions (and protein levels were monitored by immunoblotting) individually in isogenic mutants of fur, nikR, and msr itself (the latter to test for possible autoregulation). There was no difference in the induction or expression pattern of msr in any of these backgrounds from that seen in the wild-type strain (data not shown). Also, as aconitase (acn) has been shown to be a (posttranscriptional) regulator of oxidative stress enzymes, an aconitase mutant strain was studied, too; the levels of Msr were the same in the acn mutant strain as for the wild type. Perhaps the regulation of msr in H. pylori is through an oxidative stress-mediated pathway or cascade that is yet to be identified.
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Growth phase-dependent expression. We determined the growth phase-dependent expression of msr by growing cells at a constant oxygen level (7% partial pressure O2) over an 80-h period. Immunoblotting (using anti-Msr serum) performed on cell extracts obtained at various time points showed a 2- to 2.5-fold increase in Msr expression at both the 56 h and 72 h time points (late log phase to stationary phase of growth) (Fig. 7A) compared to early and mid-log phase expression. This growth phase-dependent up-regulation of Msr was also observed by enzyme activity assays (Fig. 7B). The increase in Msr activity in stationary phase can probably be attributed to nutrient (including iron) deprivation at the late phases of growth. This could perhaps be tested by supplementing the medium with iron, but the situation is confounded by the observed iron-dependent repression of msr (Fig. 6). Nevertheless, the increased msr expression in late log and stationary phase is like the results reported for expression of msrB in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (27).
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| ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
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This work was supported by NIH grants DK-60061 and DK062852 to R.J.M.
| FOOTNOTES |
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| REFERENCES |
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