A new l-serine binding orphan SerBP affects indole synthesis in Pantoea ananatis

作者:Zhang, Lei; Yu, Jiajia; Zheng, Jing; Wu, Liqing; Zhou, Xinyi; Ban, Yali; Sun, Yuanhao; Zhang, Haotian; Feng, Yongjun*
来源:Journal of Basic Microbiology, 2023, 63(12): 1348-1360.
DOI:10.1002/jobm.202300165

摘要

Indole is traditionally known as a metabolite of l-tryptophan and now as an important signaling molecule in bacteria, however, the understanding of its upstream synthesis regulation is very limited. Pantoea ananatis YJ76, a predominant diazotrophic endophyte isolated from rice (Oryza sativa), can produce indole to regulate various physiological and biochemical behaviors. We constructed a mutant library of YJ76 using the mTn5 transposon insertion mutation method, from which an indole-deficient mutant was screened out. Via high-efficiency thermal asymmetric interlaced PCR (hiTAIL-PCR), the transposon was determined to be inserted in a gene (RefSeq: WP014605468.1) of unknown function that is highly conserved at the intraspecific level. Bioinformatics analysis implied that the protein (Protein ID: WP089517194.1) encoded by the mutant gene is most likely to be a new orphan substrate-binding protein (SBP) for amino acid ABC transporters. Amino acid supplement cultivation experiments and surface plasmon resonance revealed that the protein could bind to l-serine (K-D = 6.149 x 10(-5) M). Therefore, the SBP was named as SerBP. This is the first case that a SBP responds to l-serine ABC transports. As a precursor of indole synthesis, the transmembrane transported l-serine was directly correlated with indole signal production and the mutation of serBP gene weakened the resistance of YJ76 to antibiotics, alkali, heavy metals, and starvation. This study provided a new paradigm for exploring the upstream regulatory pathway for indole synthesis of bacteria.

  • 单位
    北京理工大学; 5

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