CpgA, EF-Tu and the stressosome protein YezB are substrates of the Ser/Thr kinase/phosphatase couple, PrkC/PrpC, in Bacillus subtilis

Microbiology (Reading). 2009 Mar;155(Pt 3):932-943. doi: 10.1099/mic.0.022475-0.

Abstract

The conserved prpC, prkC, cpgA locus in Bacillus subtilis encodes respectively a Ser/Thr phosphatase, the cognate sensor kinase (containing an external PASTA domain suggested to bind peptidoglycan precursors) and CpgA, a small ribosome-associated GTPase that we have shown previously is implicated in shape determination and peptidoglycan deposition. In this study, in a search for targets of PrkC and PrpC, we showed that, in vitro, CpgA itself is phosphorylated on serine and threonine, and another GTPase, the translation factor EF-Tu, is also phosphorylated by the kinase on the conserved T384 residue. Both substrates are dephosphorylated by PrpC in vitro. In addition, we identified YezB, a 10.3 kDa polypeptide, and a component of the stressosome, as a substrate for both enzymes in vitro and apparently in vivo. We propose that the PrpC/PrkC/CpgA system constitutes an important element of a regulatory network involved in the coordination of cell wall expansion and growth in B. subtilis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bacillus subtilis / enzymology*
  • Bacillus subtilis / genetics
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism*
  • Escherichia coli / genetics
  • Mutagenesis, Site-Directed
  • Peptide Elongation Factor Tu / genetics
  • Peptide Elongation Factor Tu / metabolism*
  • Phosphoprotein Phosphatases / genetics
  • Phosphoprotein Phosphatases / metabolism*
  • Phosphorylation
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / genetics
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / metabolism*
  • Serine / metabolism
  • Substrate Specificity
  • Threonine / metabolism

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Threonine
  • Serine
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • Phosphoprotein Phosphatases
  • Peptide Elongation Factor Tu