Xenogeneic modulation of the ClpCP protease of Bacillus subtilis by a phage-encoded adaptor-like protein

authored by

Nancy Mulvenna, Ingo Hantke, Lynn Burchell, Sophie Nicod, David Bell, Kürşad Turgay, Sivaramesh Wigneshweraraj

Abstract

Like eukaryotic and archaeal viruses, which coopt the host's cellular pathways for their replication, bacteriophages have evolved strategies to alter the metabolism of their bacterial host. SPO1 bacteriophage infection of

Bacillus subtilis results in comprehensive remodeling of cellular processes, leading to conversion of the bacterial cell into a factory for phage progeny production. A cluster of 26 genes in the SPO1 genome, called the host takeover module, encodes for potentially cytotoxic proteins that specifically shut down various processes in the bacterial host, including transcription, DNA synthesis, and cell division. However, the properties and bacterial targets of many genes of the SPO1 host takeover module remain elusive. Through a systematic analysis of gene products encoded by the SPO1 host takeover module, here we identified eight gene products that attenuated

B. subtilis growth. Of the eight phage gene products that attenuated bacterial growth, a 25-kDa protein called Gp53 was shown to interact with the AAA+ chaperone protein ClpC of the ClpCP protease of

B. subtilis Our results further reveal that Gp53 is a phage-encoded adaptor-like protein that modulates the activity of the ClpCP protease to enable efficient SPO1 phage progeny development. In summary, our findings indicate that the bacterial ClpCP protease is the target of xenogeneic (dys)regulation by a SPO1 phage-derived factor and add Gp53 to the list of antibacterial products that target bacterial protein degradation and therefore may have utility for the development of novel antibacterial agents.

Organisation(s)

Institute of Microbiology

External Organisation(s)

Imperial College London
Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens (MPUSP)

Type

Article

Journal

Journal of Biological Chemistry

Volume

294

Pages

17501-17511

No. of pages

ISSN

0021-9258

Publication date

15.11.2019

Publication status

Published

Peer reviewed

Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Cell Biology

Electronic version(s)

https://doi.org/10.1101/569657 (Access: Open)
https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.RA119.010007 (Access: Open)
https://doi.org/10.15488/10186 (Access: Open)