Trp Operon Research Articles

Ligand-Induced Formation of a Transient Tryptophan Synthase Complex with αββ Subunit Stoichiometry

The prototypical tryptophan synthases form a stable heterotetrameric αββα complex in which the constituting TrpA and TrpB1 subunits activate each other in a bidirectional manner. The hyperthermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus does not contain a TrpB1 protein but instead two members of the phylogenetically distinct family of TrpB2 proteins, which are encoded within (sTrpB2i) and outside (sTrpB2a) the tryptophan operon. It has previously been shown that sTrpB2a does not functionally or structurally interact with sTrpA, whereas sTrpB2i substantially activates sTrpA in a unidirectional manner. However, in the absence of catalysis, no physical complex between sTrpB2i and sTrpA could be detected. In order to elucidate the structural requirements for complex formation, we have analyzed the interaction between sTrpA (α-monomer) and sTrpB2i (ββ-dimer) by means of spectroscopy, analytical gel filtration, and analytical ultracentrifugation, as well as isothermal titration calorimetry. In the presence of the TrpA ligand glycerol 3-phosphate (GP) and the TrpB substrate l-serine, sTrpA and sTrpB2i formed a physical complex with a thermodynamic dissociation constant of about 1 μM, indicating that the affinity between the α- and ββ-subunits is weaker by at least 1 order of magnitude than the affinity between the corresponding subunits of prototypical tryptophan synthases. The observed stoichiometry of the complex was 1 subunit of sTrpA per 2 subunits of sTrpB2i, which corresponds to a αββ quaternary structure and testifies to a strong negative cooperativity for the binding of the α-monomers to the ββ-dimer. The analysis of the interaction between sTrpB2i and sTrpA in the presence of several substrate, transition state, and product analogues suggests that the αββ complex remains stable during the whole catalytic cycle and disintegrates into α- and ββ-subunits upon the release of the reaction product tryptophan. The formation of a transient tryptophan synthase complex, together with the observed low affinity of sTrpB2i for l-serine, couples the rate of tryptophan biosynthesis in S. solfataricus to the cytosolic availability of l-serine.

Members of the YjgF/YER057c/UK114 Family of Proteins Inhibit Phosphoribosylamine Synthesis in Vitro

The YjgF/YER057c/UK114 family of proteins is highly conserved across all three domains of life and currently lacks a consensus biochemical function. Analysis of Salmonella enterica strains lacking yjgF has led to a working model in which YjgF functions to remove potentially toxic secondary products of cellular enzymes. Strains lacking yjgF synthesize the thiamine precursor phosphoribosylamine (PRA) by a TrpD-dependent mechanism that is not present in wild-type strains. Here, PRA synthesis was reconstituted in vitro with anthranilate phosphoribosyltransferase (TrpD), threonine dehydratase (IlvA), threonine, and phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate. TrpD-dependent PRA formation in vitro was inhibited by S. enterica YjgF and the human homolog UK114. Thus, the work herein describes the first biochemical assay for diverse members of the highly conserved YjgF/YER057c/UK114 family of proteins and provides a means to dissect the cellular functions of these proteins.

Problem‐solving test: Tryptophan operon mutants

Terms to be familiar with before you start to solve the test: tryptophan, operon, operator, repressor, inducer, corepressor, promoter, RNA polymerase, chromosome-polysome complex, regulatory gene, cis-acting element, trans-acting element, plasmid, transformation.

Modeling and optimization of a multi-product biosynthesis factory for multiple objectives

Genetic algorithms and optimization in general, enable us to probe deeper into the metabolic pathway recipe for multi-product biosynthesis. An augmented model for optimizing serine and tryptophan flux ratios simultaneously in Escherichia coli, was developed by linking the dynamic tryptophan operon model and aromatic amino acid-tryptophan biosynthesis pathways to the central carbon metabolism model. Six new kinetic parameters of the augmented model were estimated with considerations of available experimental data and other published works. Major differences between calculated and reference concentrations and fluxes were explained. Sensitivities and underlying competition among fluxes for carbon sources were consistent with intuitive expectations based on metabolic network and previous results. Biosynthesis rates of serine and tryptophan were simultaneously maximized using the augmented model via concurrent gene knockout and manipulation. The optimization results were obtained using the elitist non-dominant sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) supported by pattern recognition heuristics. A range of Pareto-optimal enzyme activities regulating the amino acids biosynthesis was successfully obtained and elucidated wherever possible vis-à-vis fermentation work based on recombinant DNA technology. The predicted potential improvements in various metabolic pathway recipes using the multi-objective optimization strategy were highlighted and discussed in detail.

Cycling expression and cooperative operator interaction in the trp operon of Escherichia coli

Oscillatory behaviour in the tryptophan operon of an Escherichia coli mutant strain lacking the enzyme-inhibition regulatory mechanism has been observed by Bliss et al. but not confirmed by others. This behaviour could be important from the standpoint of synthetic biology, whose goals include the engineering of intracellular genetic oscillators. This work is devoted to investigating, from a mathematical modelling point of view, the possibility that the trp operon of the E. coli inhibition-free strain expresses cyclically. For that we extend a previously introduced model for the regulatory pathway of the tryptophan operon in Escherichia coli to account for the observed multiplicity and cooperativity of repressor binding sites. Thereafter we investigate the model dynamics using deterministic numeric solutions, stochastic simulations, and analytic studies. Our results suggest that a quasi-periodic behaviour could be observed in the trp operon expression level of single bacteria.

Bacillus subtilis trp Leader RNA: RNase J1 ENDONUCLEASE CLEAVAGE SPECIFICITY AND PNPase PROCESSING

In the presence of ample tryptophan, transcription from the Bacillus subtilis trp operon promoter terminates to give a 140-nucleotide trp leader RNA. Turnover of trp leader RNA has been shown to depend on RNase J1 cleavage at a single-stranded, AU-rich region just upstream of the 3' transcription terminator. The small size of trp leader RNA and its strong dependence on RNase J1 cleavage for decay make it a suitable substrate for analyzing the requirements for RNase J1 target site specificity. trp leader RNAs with nucleotide changes around the RNase J1 target site were more stable than wild-type trp leader RNA, showing that sequences on either side of the cleavage site contribute to RNase J1 recognition. An analysis of decay intermediates from these mutants suggested limited 3'-to-5' exonuclease processing from the native 3' end. trp leader RNAs were designed that contained wild-type or mutant RNase J1 targets elsewhere on the molecule. The presence of an additional RNase J1 cleavage site resulted in faster RNA decay, depending on its location. Addition of a 5' tail containing 7 A residues caused destabilization of trp leader RNAs. Surprisingly, addition at the 5' end of a strong stem loop structure that is known to stabilize other RNAs did not result in a longer trp leader RNA half-life, suggesting that the RNase J1 cleavage site may be accessed directly. In the course of these experiments, we found evidence that polynucleotide phosphorylase processivity was inhibited by a GCGGCCGC sequence.

Tryptophan auxotrophs were obtained by random transposon insertions in theMethanococcus maripaludistryptophan operon

Methanococcus maripaludis is an anaerobic, methane-producing archaeon that utilizes H(2) or formate for the reduction of CO(2) to methane. Tryptophan auxotrophs were constructed by in vitro insertions of the Tn5 transposon into the tryptophan operon, followed by transformation into M. maripaludis. This method could serve for rapid insertions into large cloned DNA regions.

PTP1B Dephosphorylates N-Ethylmaleimide-sensitive Factor and Elicits SNARE Complex Disassembly during Human Sperm Exocytosis

The reversible phosphorylation of tyrosyl residues in proteins is a cornerstone of the signaling pathways that regulate numerous cellular responses. Protein tyrosine phosphorylation is controlled through the concerted actions of protein-tyrosine kinases and phosphatases. The goal of the present study was to unveil the mechanisms by which protein tyrosine dephosphorylation modulates secretion. The acrosome reaction, a specialized type of regulated exocytosis undergone by sperm, is initiated by calcium and carried out by a number of players, including tyrosine kinases and phosphatases, and fusion-related proteins such as Rab3A, alpha-SNAP, N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor (NSF), SNAREs, complexin, and synaptotagmin VI. We report here that inducers were unable to elicit the acrosome reaction when permeabilized human sperm were loaded with anti-PTP1B antibodies or with the dominant-negative mutant PTP1B D181A; subsequent introduction of wild type PTP1B or NSF rescued exocytosis. Wild type PTP1B, but not PTP1B D181A, caused cis SNARE complex dissociation during the acrosome reaction through a mechanism involving NSF. Unlike its non-phosphorylated counterpart, recombinant phospho-NSF failed to dissociate SNARE complexes from rat brain membranes. These results strengthen our previous observation that NSF activity is regulated rather than constitutive during sperm exocytosis and indicate that NSF must be dephosphorylated by PTP1B to disassemble SNARE complexes. Interestingly, phospho-NSF served as a substrate for PTP1B in an in vitro assay. Our findings demonstrate that phosphorylation of NSF on tyrosine residues prevents its SNARE complex dissociation activity and establish for the first time a role for PTP1B in the modulation of the membrane fusion machinery.

Molecular basis of TRAP–5′SL RNA interaction in the Bacillus subtilis trp operon transcription attenuation mechanism

Expression of the Bacillus subtilis trpEDCFBA operon is regulated by the interaction of tryptophan-activated TRAP with 11 (G/U)AG trinucleotide repeats that lie in the leader region of the nascent trp transcript. Bound TRAP prevents folding of an antiterminator structure and favors formation of an overlapping intrinsic terminator hairpin upstream of the trp operon structural genes. A 5'-stem-loop (5'SL) structure that forms just upstream of the triplet repeat region increases the affinity of TRAP-trp RNA interaction, thereby increasing the efficiency of transcription termination. Single-stranded nucleotides in the internal loop and in the hairpin loop of the 5'SL are important for TRAP binding. We show here that altering the distance between these two loops suggests that G7, A8, and A9 from the internal loop and A19 and G20 from the hairpin loop constitute two structurally discrete TRAP-binding regions. Photochemical cross-linking experiments also show that the hairpin loop of the 5'SL is in close proximity to the flexible loop region of TRAP during TRAP-5'SL interaction. The dimensions of B. subtilis TRAP and of a three-dimensional model of the 5'SL generated using the MC-Sym and MC-Fold pipeline imply that the 5'SL binds the protein in an orientation where the helical axis of the 5'SL is perpendicular to the plane of TRAP. This interaction not only increases the affinity of TRAP-trp leader RNA interaction, but also orients the downstream triplet repeats for interaction with the 11 KKR motifs that lie on TRAP's perimeter, increasing the likelihood that TRAP will bind in time to promote termination.

Robustness and nonlinear dynamic analysis for Escherichia coli trp operon by an integrated model considering genetic regulation and product excretion

Robustness and nonlinear dynamic analysis for Escherichia coli trp operon by an integrated model considering genetic regulation and product excretion

Comparative Genomics of “ Dehalococcoides ethenogenes ” 195 and an Enrichment Culture Containing Unsequenced “ Dehalococcoides ” Strains

Tetrachloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene (TCE) are prevalent groundwater contaminants that can be completely reductively dehalogenated by some "Dehalococcoides" organisms. A Dehalococcoides-organism-containing microbial consortium (referred to as ANAS) with the ability to degrade TCE to ethene, an innocuous end product, was previously enriched from contaminated soil. A whole-genome photolithographic microarray was developed based on the genome of "Dehalococcoides ethenogenes" 195. This microarray contains probes designed to hybridize to >99% of the predicted protein-coding sequences in the strain 195 genome. DNA from ANAS was hybridized to the microarray to characterize the genomic content of the ANAS enrichment. The microarray results revealed that the genes associated with central metabolism, including an apparently incomplete carbon fixation pathway, cobalamin-salvaging system, nitrogen fixation pathway, and five hydrogenase complexes, are present in both strain 195 and ANAS. Although the gene encoding the TCE reductase, tceA, was detected, 13 of the 19 reductive dehalogenase genes present in strain 195 were not detected in ANAS. Additionally, 88% of the genes in predicted integrated genetic elements in strain 195 were not detected in ANAS, consistent with these elements being genetically mobile. Sections of the tryptophan operon and an operon encoding an ABC transporter in strain 195 were also not detected in ANAS. These insights into the diversity of Dehalococcoides genomes will improve our understanding of the physiology and evolution of these bacteria, which is essential in developing effective strategies for the bioremediation of PCE and TCE in the environment.

Analytical Study of the Multiplicity of Regulatory Mechanisms in the Tryptophan Operon

Analytical Study of the Multiplicity of Regulatory Mechanisms in the Tryptophan Operon

Accurate Genetic Switch in Escherichia coli: Novel Mechanism of Regulation by Co-repressor

Understanding a biological module involves recognition of its structure and the dynamics of its principal components. In this report we present an analysis of the dynamics of the repression module within the regulation of the trp operon in Escherichia coli. We combine biochemical data for reaction rate constants for the trp repressor binding to trp operator and in vivo data of a number of tryptophan repressors (TrpRs) that bind to the operator. The model of repression presented in this report greatly differs from previous mathematical models. One, two or three TrpRs can bind to the operator and repress the transcription. Moreover, reaction rates for detachment of TrpRs from the operator strongly depend on tryptophan (Trp) concentration, since Trp can also bind to the repressor–operator complex and stabilize it. From the mathematical modeling and analysis of reaction rates and equilibrium constants emerges a high-quality, accurate and effective module of trp repression. This genetic switch responds accurately to fast consumption of Trp from the interior of a cell. It switches with minimal dispersion when the concentration of Trp drops below a thousand molecules per cell.

Biosynthesis of the Aromatic Amino Acids.

This chapter describes in detail the genes and proteins of Escherichia coli involved in the biosynthesis and transport of the three aromatic amino acids tyrosine, phenylalanine, and tryptophan. It provides a historical perspective on the elaboration of the various reactions of the common pathway converting erythrose-4-phosphate and phosphoenolpyruvate to chorismate and those of the three terminal pathways converting chorismate to phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan. The regulation of key reactions by feedback inhibition, attenuation, repression, and activation are also discussed. Two regulatory proteins, TrpR (108 amino acids) and TyrR (513 amino acids), play a major role in transcriptional regulation. The TrpR protein functions only as a dimer which, in the presence of tryptophan, represses the expression of trp operon plus four other genes (the TrpR regulon). The TyrR protein, which can function both as a dimer and as a hexamer, regulates the expression of nine genes constituting the TyrR regulon. TyrR can bind each of the three aromatic amino acids and ATP and under their influence can act as a repressor or activator of gene expression. The various domains of this protein involved in binding the aromatic amino acids and ATP, recognizing DNA binding sites, interacting with the alpha subunit of RNA polymerase, and changing from a monomer to a dimer or a hexamer are all described. There is also an analysis of the various strategies which allow TyrR in conjunction with particular amino acids to differentially affect the expression of individual genes of the TyrR regulon.

Positive and Negative Feedback in Engineering and Biology

exico. Abstract. No other concepts have shaken so deeply the bases of engineering like those of positive and negative feedback. They have played a most prominent role in engineering since the beginning of the previous century. The birth certificate of positive feedback can be traced back to a pair of patents by Edwin H. Armstrong in 1914 and 1922, whereas that of negative feedback is already lost in time. We present in this paper a short review on the feedback's origins in the fields of engineering and biology. Besides, we compare the main feedback's ideas in control theory and system biology in order to get a better understanding of the lactose and tryptophan operons' reg- ulatory systems (control systems). It is obvious that we need to know the genome of an organism in order to understand how it works, but that is only half of the puzzle, for we also need to know how the underlying genetic regulatory systems work in order to get a complete picture of the cell's

Optimization of biotechnological systems through geometric programming

BackgroundIn the past, tasks of model based yield optimization in metabolic engineering were either approached with stoichiometric models or with structured nonlinear models such as S-systems or linear-logarithmic representations. These models stand out among most others, because they allow the optimization task to be converted into a linear program, for which efficient solution methods are widely available. For pathway models not in one of these formats, an Indirect Optimization Method (IOM) was developed where the original model is sequentially represented as an S-system model, optimized in this format with linear programming methods, reinterpreted in the initial model form, and further optimized as necessary.ResultsA new method is proposed for this task. We show here that the model format of a Generalized Mass Action (GMA) system may be optimized very efficiently with techniques of geometric programming. We briefly review the basics of GMA systems and of geometric programming, demonstrate how the latter may be applied to the former, and illustrate the combined method with a didactic problem and two examples based on models of real systems. The first is a relatively small yet representative model of the anaerobic fermentation pathway in S. cerevisiae, while the second describes the dynamics of the tryptophan operon in E. coli. Both models have previously been used for benchmarking purposes, thus facilitating comparisons with the proposed new method. In these comparisons, the geometric programming method was found to be equal or better than the earlier methods in terms of successful identification of optima and efficiency.ConclusionGMA systems are of importance, because they contain stoichiometric, mass action and S-systems as special cases, along with many other models. Furthermore, it was previously shown that algebraic equivalence transformations of variables are sufficient to convert virtually any types of dynamical models into the GMA form. Thus, efficient methods for optimizing GMA systems have multifold appeal.

TRAP-5′ stem–loop interaction increases the efficiency of transcription termination in the Bacillus subtilis trpEDCFBA operon leader region

TRAP regulates expression of the Bacillus subtilis trpEDCFBA operon by a transcription attenuation mechanism in which tryptophan-activated TRAP binds to 11 (G/U)AG repeats in the nascent trp leader transcript. Bound TRAP blocks formation of an antiterminator structure and allows formation of an overlapping intrinsic terminator upstream of the trp operon structural genes. A 5' stem-loop (5'SL) structure located upstream of the triplet repeat region also interacts with TRAP. TRAP-5'SL RNA interaction participates in the transcription attenuation mechanism by preferentially increasing the affinity of TRAP for the nascent trp leader transcript during the early stages of transcription, when only a few triplet repeats have been synthesized. Footprinting assays indicated that the 5'SL contacts TRAP through two discrete groups of single-stranded nucleotides that lie in the hairpin loop and in an internal loop. Filter binding and in vivo expression assays of 5'SL mutants established that G7, A8, and A9 from the internal loop, and A19 and G20 from the hairpin loop are critical for proper 5'SL function. These nucleotides are conserved among certain other 5'SL-containing organisms. Single-round transcription results indicated that the 5'SL increases the termination efficiency when transcription is fast; however, the influence of the 5'SL was lost when transcription was slowed by reducing the ribonucleoside triphosphate concentration. Since there is a limited amount of time for TRAP to bind to the nascent transcript and promote termination, our data suggest that the contribution of TRAP-5'SL interaction increases the rate of TRAP binding, which, in turn, increases the efficiency of transcription termination.

Initiation of decay of Bacillus subtilis trp leader RNA

Transcription termination in the leader region of the Bacillus subtilis trp operon is regulated by binding of the 11-mer TRAP complex to nascent trp RNA, which results in formation of a terminator structure. Rapid decay of trp leader RNA, which is required to release the TRAP complex and maintain a sufficient supply of free TRAP, is mediated by polynucleotide phosphorylase (PNPase). Using purified B. subtilis PNPase, we showed that, when TRAP was present, PNPase binding to the 3' end of trp leader RNA and PNPase digestion of trp leader RNA from the 3' end were inefficient. These results suggested that initiation of trp leader RNA may begin with an endonuclease cleavage upstream of the transcription terminator structure. Such cleavage was observed in vivo. Mutagenesis of nucleotides at the cleavage site abolished processing and resulted in a 4-fold increase in trp leader RNA half-life. This is the first mapping of a decay-initiating endonuclease cleavage site on a native B. subtilis RNA.

Mutations in the Tryptophan Operon Allow PurF-Independent Thiamine Synthesis by Altering Flux In Vivo

Phosphoribosyl amine (PRA) is an intermediate in purine biosynthesis and also required for thiamine biosynthesis in Salmonella enterica. PRA is normally synthesized by phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate amidotransferase, a high-turnover enzyme of the purine biosynthetic pathway encoded by purF. However, PurF-independent PRA synthesis has been observed in strains having different genetic backgrounds and growing under diverse conditions. Genetic analysis has shown that the anthranilate synthase-phosphoribosyltransferase (AS-PRT) enzyme complex, involved in the synthesis of tryptophan, can play a role in the synthesis of PRA. This work describes the in vitro synthesis of PRA in the presence of the purified components of the AS-PRT complex. Results from in vitro assays and in vivo studies indicate that the cellular accumulation of phosphoribosyl anthranilate can result in nonenzymatic PRA formation sufficient for thiamine synthesis. These studies have uncovered a mechanism used by cells to redistribute metabolites to ensure thiamine synthesis and may define a general paradigm of metabolic robustness.

Comparison of tryptophan biosynthetic operon regulation in different Gram-positive bacterial species

The tryptophan biosynthetic operon has been widely used as a model system for studying transcription regulation. In Bacillus subtilis, the trp operon is primarily regulated by a tryptophan-activated RNA-binding protein, TRAP. Here we show that in many other Gram-positive species the trp operon is regulated differently, by tRNA(Trp) sensing by the RNA-based T-box mechanism, with T-boxes arranged in tandem. Our analyses reveal an apparent relationship between trp operon organization and the specific regulatory mechanism(s) used.