YeeE-like bacterial SoxT proteins mediate sulfur import for oxidation and signal transduction

Abstract Many sulfur-oxidizing prokaryotes oxidize sulfur compounds through a combination of initial extracytoplasmic and downstream cytoplasmic reactions. Facultative sulfur oxidizers adjust transcription to sulfur availability. While sulfur-oxidizing enzymes and transcriptional repressors have bee...

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Main Authors: Jingjing Li, Fabienne Göbel, Hsun Yun Hsu, Julian Nikolaus Koch, Natalie Hager, Wanda Antonia Flegler, Tomohisa Sebastian Tanabe, Christiane Dahl
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2024-11-01
Series:Communications Biology
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-024-07270-7
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author Jingjing Li
Fabienne Göbel
Hsun Yun Hsu
Julian Nikolaus Koch
Natalie Hager
Wanda Antonia Flegler
Tomohisa Sebastian Tanabe
Christiane Dahl
author_facet Jingjing Li
Fabienne Göbel
Hsun Yun Hsu
Julian Nikolaus Koch
Natalie Hager
Wanda Antonia Flegler
Tomohisa Sebastian Tanabe
Christiane Dahl
author_sort Jingjing Li
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Many sulfur-oxidizing prokaryotes oxidize sulfur compounds through a combination of initial extracytoplasmic and downstream cytoplasmic reactions. Facultative sulfur oxidizers adjust transcription to sulfur availability. While sulfur-oxidizing enzymes and transcriptional repressors have been extensively studied, sulfur import into the cytoplasm and how regulators sense external sulfur are poorly understood. Addressing this gap, we show that SoxT1A and SoxT1B, which resemble YeeE/YedE-family thiosulfate transporters and are encoded alongside sulfur oxidation and transcriptional regulation genes, fulfill these roles in the Alphaproteobacterium Hyphomicrobium denitrificans. SoxT1A mutants are sulfur oxidation-negative despite high transcription levels of sulfur oxidation genes, showing that SoxT1A delivers sulfur to the cytoplasm for its further oxidation. SoxT1B serves as a signal transduction unit for the transcriptional repressor SoxR, as SoxT1B mutants are sulfur oxidation-negative due to low transcription unless SoxR is also absent. Thus, SoxT1A and SoxT1B play essential but distinct roles in oxidative sulfur metabolism and its regulation.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2399-3642
language English
publishDate 2024-11-01
publisher Nature Portfolio
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series Communications Biology
spelling doaj-art-63d8d6e8a8764173b8816a8f155789422024-11-24T12:39:01ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Biology2399-36422024-11-017111210.1038/s42003-024-07270-7YeeE-like bacterial SoxT proteins mediate sulfur import for oxidation and signal transductionJingjing Li0Fabienne Göbel1Hsun Yun Hsu2Julian Nikolaus Koch3Natalie Hager4Wanda Antonia Flegler5Tomohisa Sebastian Tanabe6Christiane Dahl7Institut für Mikrobiologie & Biotechnologie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität BonnInstitut für Mikrobiologie & Biotechnologie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität BonnInstitut für Mikrobiologie & Biotechnologie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität BonnInstitut für Mikrobiologie & Biotechnologie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität BonnInstitut für Mikrobiologie & Biotechnologie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität BonnInstitut für Mikrobiologie & Biotechnologie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität BonnInstitut für Mikrobiologie & Biotechnologie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität BonnInstitut für Mikrobiologie & Biotechnologie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität BonnAbstract Many sulfur-oxidizing prokaryotes oxidize sulfur compounds through a combination of initial extracytoplasmic and downstream cytoplasmic reactions. Facultative sulfur oxidizers adjust transcription to sulfur availability. While sulfur-oxidizing enzymes and transcriptional repressors have been extensively studied, sulfur import into the cytoplasm and how regulators sense external sulfur are poorly understood. Addressing this gap, we show that SoxT1A and SoxT1B, which resemble YeeE/YedE-family thiosulfate transporters and are encoded alongside sulfur oxidation and transcriptional regulation genes, fulfill these roles in the Alphaproteobacterium Hyphomicrobium denitrificans. SoxT1A mutants are sulfur oxidation-negative despite high transcription levels of sulfur oxidation genes, showing that SoxT1A delivers sulfur to the cytoplasm for its further oxidation. SoxT1B serves as a signal transduction unit for the transcriptional repressor SoxR, as SoxT1B mutants are sulfur oxidation-negative due to low transcription unless SoxR is also absent. Thus, SoxT1A and SoxT1B play essential but distinct roles in oxidative sulfur metabolism and its regulation.https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-024-07270-7
spellingShingle Jingjing Li
Fabienne Göbel
Hsun Yun Hsu
Julian Nikolaus Koch
Natalie Hager
Wanda Antonia Flegler
Tomohisa Sebastian Tanabe
Christiane Dahl
YeeE-like bacterial SoxT proteins mediate sulfur import for oxidation and signal transduction
Communications Biology
title YeeE-like bacterial SoxT proteins mediate sulfur import for oxidation and signal transduction
title_full YeeE-like bacterial SoxT proteins mediate sulfur import for oxidation and signal transduction
title_fullStr YeeE-like bacterial SoxT proteins mediate sulfur import for oxidation and signal transduction
title_full_unstemmed YeeE-like bacterial SoxT proteins mediate sulfur import for oxidation and signal transduction
title_short YeeE-like bacterial SoxT proteins mediate sulfur import for oxidation and signal transduction
title_sort yeee like bacterial soxt proteins mediate sulfur import for oxidation and signal transduction
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-024-07270-7
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