Specificity and Polymorphism of the PlcR-PapR Quorum-Sensing System in the<i>Bacillus cereus</i>Group

Slamti, Leyla; Lereclus, Didier

doi:10.1128/jb.187.3.1182-1187.2005

Cited by 91 publications

(91 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Our structural study clearly shows that the side chain of the L residue of PapR is bound in a hydrophobic pocket formed by PlcR residues from the C-terminal dimerization region. Its interaction with Ala278 is in agreement with previous results showing that these two residues (L in PapR and Ala278 in PlcR) determine the specificity of the PlcR-PapR complex (10). This suggests that the L residue could directly trigger the conformational change that promotes PlcR activation.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

“…PapR sequences from different strains of the B. cereus group show divergences in their three N-terminal residues, whereas the PFEF core is more conserved. Analysis of a phylogenetic tree built by comparison of the amino acid sequences of PlcR and PapR from 29 different strains resulted in the definition of four groups (I to IV) of PlcR-PapR pairs corresponding to four different pherotypes in the B. cereus group (10). However, the structural basis for this specificity remains unknown.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The plcR gene is found in bacteria of the B. cereus group, which consists of several spore-forming adenineand thymine (AT)-rich bacteria (5,10). plcR codes for a 34 kDa protein that positively regulates its own expression.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Structural basis for the activation mechanism of the PlcR virulence regulator by the quorum-sensing signal peptide PapR

Grenha

Slamti

Nicaise

et al. 2012

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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The quorum-sensing regulator PlcR is the master regulator of most known virulence factors in Bacillus cereus. It is a helix-turn-helix (HTH)-type transcription factor activated upon binding of its cognate signaling peptide PapR on a tetratricopeptide repeat-type regulatory domain. The structural and functional properties of PlcR have defined a new family of sensor regulators, called the RNPP family (for Rap, NprR, PrgX, and PlcR), in Gram-positive bacteria. To fully understand the activation mechanism of PlcR, we took a closer look at the conformation changes induced upon binding of PapR and of its target DNA, known as PlcR-box. For that purpose we have determined the structures of the apoform of PlcR (Apo PlcR) and of the ternary complex of PlcR with PapR and the PlcR-box from the plcA promoter. Comparison of the apoform of PlcR with the previously published structure of the PlcR-PapR binary complex shows how a small conformational change induced in the C-terminal region of the tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) domain upon peptide binding propagates via the linker helix to the N-terminal HTH DNA-binding domain. Further comparison with the PlcR-PapR-DNA ternary complex shows how the activation of the PlcR dimer allows the linker helix to undergo a drastic conformational change and subsequent proper positioning of the HTH domains in the major groove of the two half sites of the pseudopalindromic PlcR-box. Together with random mutagenesis experiments and interaction measurements using peptides from distinct pherogroups, this structural analysis allows us to propose a molecular mechanism for this functional switch

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

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confidence: 99%

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Structural basis for the activation mechanism of the PlcR virulence regulator by the quorum-sensing signal peptide PapR

Grenha

Slamti

Nicaise

et al. 2012

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…1A). Each allele codes for both receptor and autoinducer genes, where an autoinducer coded by one pherotype will activate its coencoded receptor, but not the receptors encoded by other pherotypes (10)(11)(12)(13)(14). Pherotypes differ in their receptor-autoinducer specificity but not in the pathways regulated by the receptor.…”

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confidence: 99%

Facultative cheating supports the coexistence of diverse quorum-sensing alleles

Pollak

Omer-Bendori

Even-Tov

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Bacterial quorum sensing enables bacteria to cooperate in a densitydependent manner via the group-wide secretion and detection of specific autoinducer molecules. Many bacterial species show high intraspecific diversity of autoinducer-receptor alleles, called pherotypes. The autoinducer produced by one pherotype activates its coencoded receptor, but not the receptor of another pherotype. It is unclear what selection forces drive the maintenance of pherotype diversity. Here, we use the ComQXPA system of Bacillus subtilis as a model system, to show that pherotype diversity can be maintained by facultative cheating-a minority pherotype exploits the majority, but resumes cooperation when its frequency increases. We find that the maintenance of multiple pherotypes by facultative cheating can persist under kin-selection conditions that select against "obligate cheaters" quorum-sensing response null mutants. Our results therefore support a role for facultative cheating and kin selection in the evolution of quorum-sensing diversity.social evolution | sociomicrobiology | Bacillus subtilis | bacteria | quorum sensing I n many bacteria, a cell-cell signaling mechanism, known as quorum sensing, coordinates the response of a bacterial community in a density-dependent manner. Quorum-sensing bacteria secrete a signal molecule known as an autoinducer and express a specific receptor that binds to it with high affinity, resulting in the activation of a specific cellular response (1). Quorum sensing often regulates the secretion of public goods or other cooperative traits that benefit the community, at a cost to the individual responding cell (2).The regulation of cooperation by a secreted autoinducer allows for the evolution of cheater genotypes that do not produce the autoinducer or do not respond to it (3, 4). Mutants of the latter type were shown to act as cheaters in a variety of different species (3-7). The elimination of these cheater mutants could occur by kin selection, where cooperation is preferentially directed toward other cooperators (3,(7)(8)(9).In contrast to the rarity of quorum-sensing response null alleles in wild populations, many species display a high degree of intraspecific genetic variation in functional quorum-sensing alleles, called pherotypes (Fig. 1A). Each allele codes for both receptor and autoinducer genes, where an autoinducer coded by one pherotype will activate its coencoded receptor, but not the receptors encoded by other pherotypes (10-14). Pherotypes differ in their receptor-autoinducer specificity but not in the pathways regulated by the receptor. In addition, many pherotypes show patterns of intraspecific horizontal gene transfer (10, 12) and coexist in the same environment (15, 16).The mechanisms that lead to the diversification of pherotypes, to the maintenance of their diversity, and to their rapid horizontal gene transfer are not well understood. We have previously proposed, by analyzing a theoretical model, that if quorum sensing regulates cooperation, novel pherotypes can arise adaptivel...

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“…These genomic analyses confirm that LM1212 is a Bt strain. Moreover, the LM1212 genome contains genes for PlcR and NprR, which are quorum-sensing regulators specific to the B. cereus group bacteria (Slamti and Lereclus, 2005;Perchat et al, 2011). The sequences of the sensor regulators (PlcR and NprR) and of their cognate peptides (PapR and NprX) from LM1212 were 100% identical to those of B. cereus G9241 (data not shown), a strain encoding the entire anthrax toxin biosynthetic complex and that was responsible for a human anthrax case (Hoffmaster et al, 2004).…”

Section: Phenotypic and Genetic Characterization Of Lm1212mentioning

confidence: 97%

Division of labour and terminal differentiation in a novel Bacillus thuringiensis strain

et al. 2014

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A major challenge in bacterial developmental biology has been to understand the mechanisms underlying cell fate decisions. Some differentiated cell types display cooperative behaviour. Cooperation is one of the greatest mysteries of evolutionary biology and microbes have been considered as an excellent system for experimentally testing evolution theories. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a spore-forming bacterium, which is genetically closely related to B. anthracis, the agent of anthrax, and to B. cereus, an opportunistic human pathogen. The defining feature that distinguishes Bt from its relatives is its ability to produce crystal inclusions in the sporulating cells. These toxins are solubilized after ingestion and are cooperative public goods in insect hosts. In this study, we describe a Bt strain LM1212 that presents the unique ability to terminally differentiate into crystal producers and spore formers. Transcriptional analysis based on lacZ and gfp reporter genes suggested that this phenotype is the consequence of a new type of cell differentiation associated with a novel regulation mode of cry gene expression. The differentiating crystal-producer phenotype has higher spore productivity than a typical Bt strain and is better able to compete with Cry toxin null 'cheaters'. Potentially, this division of labour provides additional fitness benefits in terms of spore viability or durability of Cry toxin.

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Specificity and Polymorphism of the PlcR-PapR Quorum-Sensing System in theBacillus cereusGroup

Cited by 91 publications

References 28 publications

Structural basis for the activation mechanism of the PlcR virulence regulator by the quorum-sensing signal peptide PapR

Structural basis for the activation mechanism of the PlcR virulence regulator by the quorum-sensing signal peptide PapR

Facultative cheating supports the coexistence of diverse quorum-sensing alleles

Division of labour and terminal differentiation in a novel Bacillus thuringiensis strain

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