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ABSTRACT Posttranscriptional modifications to tRNA are critical elements for the folding and functionality of these adaptor molecules. Sulfur modifications in tRNA are installed by specialized enzymes that act on cognate tRNA substrates at specific locations. Most studied organisms contain a general cysteine desulfurase to mobilize sulfur for the synthesis of S-tRNA and other thio-cofactors. Bacillus subtilis and other Gram-positive bacteria encode multiple cysteine desulfurases that partner with specific sulfur acceptors in the biosynthesis of thio-cofactors. This metabolic layout suggests an alternate mode of regulation in these biosynthetic pathways. In this study, tRNA modifications were exploited as a readout for the functionality of pathways involving cysteine desulfurases. These analyses showed that the relative abundance of 2-thiouridine-modified tRNA (s 2 U) responds to sulfur availability in the growth medium in a dose-dependent manner. This study found that low sulfur concentrations lead to decreased levels of the s 2 U cysteine desulfurase YrvO and thiouridylase MnmA, without altering the levels of other cysteine desulfurases, SufS, NifS, and NifZ. Analysis of pathway metabolites that depend on the activity of cysteine desulfurases indicates that sulfur nutrient availability specifically impacts s 2 U accumulation while having no effect on the levels of other S-modified tRNA or activity levels of Fe-S enzymes. Collectively, these results support a model in which s 2 U tRNA serves as a marker for sulfur availability in B. subtilis . IMPORTANCE The 2-thiouridine (s 2 U) tRNA modification is found ubiquitously across all domains of life. YrvO and MnmA, the enzymes involved in this modification, are essential in B. subtilis , confirming the well-established role of s 2 U in maintaining translational efficiency and, consequently, cellular viability. Herein, we show that in the model Gram-positive organism Bacillus subtilis , the levels of s 2 U are responsive to sulfur availability. Downregulation of the s 2 U biosynthetic components leads to lower s 2 U levels, which may serve as a signal for the slowing of the translational apparatus during cellular nutrient insufficiency. Our findings provide the basis for the identification of a potential bacterial mode of regulation during S-metabolite depletion that may use s 2 U as a marker of suboptimal metabolic status. 

ABSTRACT Microbial communities occupy diverse niches in nature, and community members routinely exchange a variety of nutrients among themselves. While large-scale metagenomic and metabolomic studies shed some light on these exchanges, the contribution of individual species and the molecular details of specific interactions are difficult to track. In this study, we follow the exchange of vitamin B 1 (thiamin) and its intermediates between microbes within synthetic cocultures of Escherichia coli and Vibrio anguillarum . Thiamin contains two moieties, 4-amino-5-hydroxymethyl-2-methylpyrimidine (HMP) and 4-methyl-5-(2-hydroxyethyl)thiazole (THZ), which are synthesized by distinct pathways using enzymes ThiC and ThiG, respectively, and then coupled by ThiE to form thiamin. Even though E. coli Δ thiC , Δ thiE , and Δ thiG mutants are thiamin auxotrophs, we observed that cocultures of Δ thiC -Δ thiE and Δ thiC -Δ thiG mutants are able to grow in a thiamin-deficient medium, whereas the Δ thiE -Δ thiG coculture does not. Further, the exchange of thiamin and its intermediates in V. anguillarum cocultures and in mixed cocultures of V. anguillarum and E. coli revealed that there exist specific patterns for thiamin metabolism and exchange among these microbes. Our findings show that HMP is shared more frequently than THZ, concurrent with previous observations that free HMP and HMP auxotrophy is commonly found in various environments. Furthermore, we observe that the availability of exogenous thiamin in the media affects whether these strains interact with each other or grow independently. These findings collectively underscore the importance of the exchange of essential metabolites as a defining factor in building and modulating synthetic or natural microbial communities. IMPORTANCE Vitamin B 1 (thiamin) is an essential nutrient for cellular metabolism. Microorganisms that are unable to synthesize thiamin either fully or in part exogenously obtain it from their environment or via exchanges with other microbial members in their community. In this study, we created synthetic microbial cocultures that rely on sharing thiamin and its biosynthesis intermediates and observed that some of them are preferentially exchanged. We also observed that the coculture composition is dictated by the production and/or availability of thiamin and its intermediates. Our studies with synthetic cocultures provide the molecular basis for understanding thiamin sharing among microorganisms and lay out broad guidelines for setting up synthetic microbial cocultures by using the exchange of an essential metabolite as their foundation.