cAMP-regulated protein lysine acetylases in mycobacteria

J Biol Chem. 2010 Aug 6;285(32):24313-23. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M110.118398. Epub 2010 May 27.

Abstract

Cyclic AMP synthesized by Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been shown to play a role in pathogenesis. However, the high levels of intracellular cAMP found in both pathogenic and non-pathogenic mycobacteria suggest that additional and important biological processes are regulated by cAMP in these organisms. We describe here the biochemical characterization of novel cAMP-binding proteins in M. smegmatis and M. tuberculosis (MSMEG_5458 and Rv0998, respectively) that contain a cyclic nucleotide binding domain fused to a domain that shows similarity to the GNAT family of acetyltransferases. We detect protein lysine acetylation in mycobacteria and identify a universal stress protein (USP) as a substrate of MSMEG_5458. Acetylation of a lysine residue in USP is regulated by cAMP, and using a strain deleted for MSMEG_5458, we show that USP is indeed an in vivo substrate for MSMEG_5458. The Rv0998 protein shows a strict cAMP-dependent acetylation of USP, despite a lower affinity for cAMP than MSMEG_5458. Thus, this report not only represents the first demonstration of protein lysine acetylation in mycobacteria but also describes a unique functional interplay between a cyclic nucleotide binding domain and a protein acetyltransferase.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acetylation
  • Acetylesterase / chemistry*
  • Allosteric Site
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Cloning, Molecular
  • Cyclic AMP / metabolism*
  • Lysine / chemistry
  • Models, Biological
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mutagenesis
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / metabolism*
  • Phylogeny
  • Protein Binding
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • Signal Transduction

Substances

  • Cyclic AMP
  • Acetylesterase
  • Lysine