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Allantoin is a good source of ammonium for many organisms, and in Escherichia coli it is utilized under anaerobic conditions. We provide evidence that allantoinase (AllB) is allosterically activated by direct binding of the allantoin catabolic enzyme, glycerate 2-kinase (GlxK) in the presence of glyoxylate. Glyoxylate is known to be an effector of the AllR repressor which regulates the allantoin utilization operons in E. coli. AllB has low affinity for allantoin, but its activation by GlxK leads to increased affinity for its substrate. We also show that the predicted allantoin transporter YbbW (re-named AllW) has allantoin specificity and the protein-protein interaction with AllB. Our results show that the AllB-dependent allantoin degradative pathway is subject to previously unrecognized regulatory mechanisms involving direct protein-protein interactions.

Over the last 25 years, biology has entered the genomic era and is becoming a science of 'big data'. Most interpretations of genomic analyses rely on accurate functional annotations of the proteins encoded by more than 500 000 genomes sequenced to date. By different estimates, only half the predicted sequenced proteins carry an accurate functional annotation, and this percentage varies drastically between different organismal lineages. Such a large gap in knowledge hampers all aspects of biological enterprise and, thereby, is standing in the way of genomic biology reaching its full potential. A brainstorming meeting to address this issue funded by the National Science Foundation was held during 3-4 February 2022. Bringing together data scientists, biocurators, computational biologists and experimentalists within the same venue allowed for a comprehensive assessment of the current state of functional annotations of protein families. Further, major issues that were obstructing the field were identified and discussed, which ultimately allowed for the proposal of solutions on how to move forward.

Folate derivatives are important cofactors for enzymes in several metabolic processes. Folate-related inhibition and resistance mechanisms in bacteria are potential targets for antimicrobial therapies and therefore a significant focus of current research. Here, we report that the activity of Escherichia coli poly-γ-glutamyl tetrahydrofolate/dihydrofolate synthase (FolC) is regulated by glutamate/glutamine-sensing uridylyltransferase (GlnD), THF-dependent tRNA modification enzyme (MnmE), and UDP-glucose dehydrogenase (Ugd) as shown by direct in vitro protein-protein interactions. Using kinetics analyses, we observed that GlnD, Ugd, and MnmE activate FolC many-fold by decreasing the K half of FolC for its substrate l-glutamate. Moreover, FolC inhibited the GTPase activity of MnmE at low GTP concentrations. The growth phenotypes associated with these proteins are discussed. These results, obtained using direct in vitro enzyme assays, reveal unanticipated networks of allosteric regulatory interactions in the folate pathway in E. coli and indicate regulation of polyglutamylated tetrahydrofolate biosynthesis by the availability of nitrogen sources, signaled by the glutamine-sensing GlnD protein.

Amino sugars are good sources of both ammonia and fructose-6-phosphate, produced by the glucosamine 6-phosphate deaminase, NagB. NagB is known to be allosterically regulated by N-acetylglucosamine 6-phosphate (GlcNAc-6P) and the phosphocarrier protein of the bacterial phosphotransferase system, HPr, in Escherichia coli We provide evidence that NanE, GlcNAc-6P epimerase, and the uridylylated PII protein (U-PII) also allosterically activate NagB by direct protein-protein interactions. NanE is essential for neuraminic acid (NANA) and N-acetylmannosamine (ManNAc) utilization, and PII is known to be a central metabolic nitrogen regulator. We demonstrate that uridylylated PII (but not underivatized PII) activates NagB >10-fold at low concentrations of substrate, whereas NanE increases NagB activity >2-fold. NanE activates NagB in the absence or presence of GlcNAc-6P, but HPr and U-PII activation requires the presence of GlcNAc-6P. Activation of NagB by HPr and uridylylated PII, as well as by NanE and HPr (but not by NanE and U-PII), is synergistic, and the modeling, which suggests specific residues involved in complex formation, provides possible explanations. Specific physiological functions for the regulation of NagB by its three protein activators are proposed. Each regulatory agent is suggested to mediate signal transduction in response to a different stimulus.IMPORTANCE The regulation of amino sugar utilization is important for the survival of bacteria in a competitive environment. NagB, a glucosamine 6-phosphate deaminase in Escherichia coli, is essential for amino sugar utilization and is known to be allosterically regulated by N-acetylglucosamine 6-phosphate (GlcNAc-6P) and the histidine-phosphorylatable phosphocarrier protein, HPr. We provide evidence here that NanE, GlcNAc-6P epimerase, and the uridylylated PII protein allosterically activate NagB by direct protein-protein interactions. NanE is essential for N-acetylneuraminic acid (NANA) and N-acetylmannosamine (ManNAc) utilization, and the PII protein is known to be a central metabolic nitrogen regulator. Regulatory links between carbon and nitrogen metabolism are important for adaptation of metabolism to different growth conditions.

Bacterial cell envelope protein (CEP) complexes mediate a range of processes, including membrane assembly, antibiotic resistance and metabolic coordination. However, only limited characterization of relevant macromolecules has been reported to date. Here we present a proteomic survey of 1,347 CEPs encompassing 90% inner- and outer-membrane and periplasmic proteins of Escherichia coli. After extraction with non-denaturing detergents, we affinity-purified 785 endogenously tagged CEPs and identified stably associated polypeptides by precision mass spectrometry. The resulting high-quality physical interaction network, comprising 77% of targeted CEPs, revealed many previously uncharacterized heteromeric complexes. We found that the secretion of autotransporters requires translocation and the assembly module TamB to nucleate proper folding from periplasm to cell surface through a cooperative mechanism involving the β-barrel assembly machinery. We also establish that an ABC transporter of unknown function, YadH, together with the Mla system preserves outer membrane lipid asymmetry. This E. coli CEP 'interactome' provides insights into the functional landscape governing CE systems essential to bacterial growth, metabolism and drug resistance.

The histidine-phosphorylatable phosphocarrier protein (HPr) is an essential component of the sugar-transporting phosphotransferase system (PTS) in many bacteria. Recent interactome findings suggested that HPr interacts with several carbohydrate-metabolizing enzymes, but whether HPr plays a regulatory role was unclear. Here, we provide evidence that HPr interacts with a large number of proteins in Escherichia coli We demonstrate HPr-dependent allosteric regulation of the activities of pyruvate kinase (PykF, but not PykA), phosphofructokinase (PfkB, but not PfkA), glucosamine-6-phosphate deaminase (NagB), and adenylate kinase (Adk). HPr is either phosphorylated on a histidyl residue (HPr-P) or non-phosphorylated (HPr). PykF is activated only by non-phosphorylated HPr, which decreases the PykF Khalf for phosphoenolpyruvate by 10-fold (from 3.5 to 0.36 mm), thus influencing glycolysis. PfkB activation by HPr, but not by HPr-P, resulted from a decrease in the Khalf for fructose-6-P, which likely influences both gluconeogenesis and glycolysis. Moreover, NagB activation by HPr was important for the utilization of amino sugars, and allosteric inhibition of Adk activity by HPr-P, but not by HPr, allows HPr to regulate the cellular energy charge coordinately with glycolysis. These observations suggest that HPr serves as a directly interacting global regulator of carbon and energy metabolism and probably of other physiological processes in enteric bacteria.

Herpesviruses constitute a family of large DNA viruses widely spread in vertebrates and causing a variety of different diseases. They possess dsDNA genomes ranging from 120 to 240 kbp encoding between 70 to 170 open reading frames. We previously reported the protein interaction networks of two herpesviruses, varicella-zoster virus (VZV) and Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV). In this study, we systematically tested three additional herpesvirus species, herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1), murine cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus, for protein interactions in order to be able to perform a comparative analysis of all three herpesvirus subfamilies. We identified 735 interactions by genome-wide yeast-two-hybrid screens (Y2H), and, together with the interactomes of VZV and KSHV, included a total of 1,007 intraviral protein interactions in the analysis. Whereas a large number of interactions have not been reported previously, we were able to identify a core set of highly conserved protein interactions, like the interaction between HSV-1 UL33 with the nuclear egress proteins UL31/UL34. Interactions were conserved between orthologous proteins despite generally low sequence similarity, suggesting that function may be more conserved than sequence. By combining interactomes of different species we were able to systematically address the low coverage of the Y2H system and to extract biologically relevant interactions which were not evident from single species.

Herpesviruses constitute a family of large DNA viruses widely spread in vertebrates and causing a variety of different diseases. They possess dsDNA genomes ranging from 120 to 240 kbp encoding between 70 to 170 open reading frames. We previously reported the protein interaction networks of two herpesviruses, varicella-zoster virus (VZV) and Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV). In this study, we systematically tested three additional herpesvirus species, herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1), murine cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus, for protein interactions in order to be able to perform a comparative analysis of all three herpesvirus subfamilies. We identified 735 interactions by genome-wide yeast-two-hybrid screens (Y2H), and, together with the interactomes of VZV and KSHV, included a total of 1,007 intraviral protein interactions in the analysis. Whereas a large number of interactions have not been reported previously, we were able to identify a core set of highly conserved protein interactions, like the interaction between HSV-1 UL33 with the nuclear egress proteins UL31/UL34. Interactions were conserved between orthologous proteins despite generally low sequence similarity, suggesting that function may be more conserved than sequence. By combining interactomes of different species we were able to systematically address the low coverage of the Y2H system and to extract biologically relevant interactions which were not evident from single species.