Light dependent synthesis of a nucleotide second messenger controls the motility of a spirochete bacterium

Nucleotide second messengers are universally crucial factors for the signal transduction of various organisms. In prokaryotes, cyclic nucleotide messengers are involved in the bacterial life cycle and in functions such as virulence and biofilm formation, mainly via gene regulation. Here, we show tha...

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Published inScientific reports Vol. 12; no. 1; p. 6825
Main Authors Xu, Jun, Koizumi, Nobuo, Morimoto, Yusuke V., Ozuru, Ryo, Masuzawa, Toshiyuki, Nakamura, Shuichi
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Nature Publishing Group UK 26.04.2022
Nature Publishing Group
Nature Portfolio
Subjects
631/326
631/326/1320
Bacteria - genetics
Biofilms
Cyclic AMP
Cyclic AMP - metabolism
E coli
Escherichia coli - genetics
Escherichia coli - metabolism
Flagella
Gene regulation
Humanities and Social Sciences
Leptospira
Life cycles
Localization
Motility
multidisciplinary
Prokaryotes
Random mutagenesis
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Second Messenger Systems
Second messengers
Signal transduction
Soil microorganisms
Spirochaeta - metabolism
Spirochaetales - metabolism
Spirochetes
Swimming
Virulence
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Summary:Nucleotide second messengers are universally crucial factors for the signal transduction of various organisms. In prokaryotes, cyclic nucleotide messengers are involved in the bacterial life cycle and in functions such as virulence and biofilm formation, mainly via gene regulation. Here, we show that the swimming motility of the soil bacterium Leptospira kobayashii is rapidly modulated by light stimulation. Analysis of a loss-of-photoresponsivity mutant obtained by transposon random mutagenesis identified the novel sensory gene, and its expression in Escherichia coli through codon optimization elucidated the light-dependent synthesis of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). GFP labeling showed the localization of the photoresponsive enzyme at the cell poles where flagellar motors reside. These findings suggest a new role for cAMP in rapidly controlling the flagella-dependent motility of Leptospira and highlight the global distribution of the newly discovered photoactivated cyclase among diverse microbial species.
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ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-022-10556-7