Article
Microbiology
Yan Liao, Verena Vogel, Sabine Hauber, Juergen Bartel, Omer S. Alkhnbashi, Sandra Maass, Thandi S. Schwarz, Rolf Backofen, Doerte Becher, Iain G. Duggin, Anita Marchfelder
Summary: The transcription factor CdrS plays a central role in coordinating metabolism and cell division in the archaeon Haloferax volcanii. It regulates the expression of genes associated with cell division, protein degradation, and metabolism. Additionally, CdrS has multiple DNA-binding sites and is involved in the regulation of essential cell division genes, suggesting its sophisticated role in coordinating cellular pathways.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Alexei Cooper, Andrea M. Makkay, R. Thane Papke
Summary: Deletion mutants of all eight tubulin-like genes in Haloferax volcanii significantly impact cell morphology, suggesting that these genes indeed have a function.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sebastian Zahn, Nina Kubatova, Dennis J. Pyper, Liam Cassidy, Krishna Saxena, Andreas Tholey, Harald Schwalbe, Joerg Soppa
Summary: The genome of the halophilic archaeon Haloferax volcanii encodes more than 40 one-domain zinc finger mu-proteins. Among them, HVO_2753 stands out for containing four C(P)XCG motifs, indicating the presence of two zinc binding pockets (ZBPs). Surprisingly, despite having two ZBPs, HVO_2753 only binds to one zinc ion, with all four C(P)XCG motifs being essential for folding and function. This study represents the first in-depth analysis of a zinc finger mu-protein in all three domains of life.
Article
Microbiology
Deniz Ueresin, Dennis J. Pyper, Andreas Borst, Lydia Hadjeras, Rick Gelhausen, Rolf Backofen, Cynthia Sharma, Harald Schwalbe, Joerg Soppa
Summary: It is increasingly recognized that very small proteins, called mu-proteins, are ubiquitously found in all species of the three domains of life, and they fulfill important functions. Through in-depth analysis of two C(P)XCG proteins in Haloferax volcanii, it was found that they play pivotal roles in the swarming behavior and biofilm formation of H. volcanii.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Theopi Rados, Katherine Andre, Micaela Cerletti, Alex Bisson
Summary: This study developed a new xylose-inducible promoter, Pxyl, and characterized its function using msfGFP as a reporter gene. The results showed that the Pxyl promoter exhibited higher levels of gene expression in the presence of xylose compared to the previously described inducible promoter, PtnaA. Additionally, the study validated the inducibility of Pxyl by reproducing morphological phenotypes through the overexpression of FtsZ1 and FtsZ2 genes.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tomas Alarcon-Schumacher, Adit Naor, Uri Gophna, Susanne Erdmann
Summary: Viruses play important roles in various environments as ecological, biogeochemical, and evolutionary drivers. Some viruses cause the lysis of their host cells upon infection, while others exhibit chronic infections without cell lysis. The nature and impact of chronic infections in prokaryotic host organisms are not well understood. This study characterizes a novel haloarchaeal virus, HFPV-1, which causes a chronic infection without cell lysis in the model haloarchaeon H. volcanii DS2. The study shows that HFPV-1 and H. volcanii provide a great model system to study virus-host interactions in archaea. HFPV-1 has a wide host range among haloarchaea and may be developed into a genetic tool for studying other inaccessible haloarchaea.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Daniel Wasser, Andreas Borst, Mathias Hammelmann, Katharina Ludt, Jorg Soppa
Summary: Research has shown that unselected intermolecular gene conversion is highly efficient in archaea, with longer conversion tracts compared to bacteria. Gene conversion frequency is independent of genome differences, and even a single nucleotide difference can trigger conversion.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Microbiology
Rosana E. De Castro, Maria I. Gimenez, Micaela Cerletti, Roberto A. Paggi, Mariana I. Costa
Summary: This article discusses the role of archaeal membrane proteases in cell physiology and their importance in adapting to hostile environments.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Frank Braun, Alejandra Recalde, Heike Bahre, Roland Seifert, Sonja-Verena Albers
Summary: This study analyzed cell extracts of two major archaeal model organisms and detected a variety of nucleotide-based second messengers. The presence of multiple nucleotides in both species confirms the potential existence of these signaling molecules in archaea.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Phillip Nussbaum, Maren Gerstner, Marie Dingethal, Celine Erb, Sonja-Verena Albers
Summary: Cell division in most bacteria and many archaea relies on the proteins FtsZ and SepF, but a homolog of SepF in archaea, such as Haloferax volcanii, also plays a crucial role in cell division by interacting with FtsZ1 and FtsZ2. The archaeal SepF lacks a conserved glycine residue important for polymerization in bacteria, suggesting a different mechanism of action in archaea.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Marianna Zaretsky, Ziqiang Guan, Raz Zarivach, Jerry Eichler
Summary: The archaeon Haloferax volcanii relies on the dolichol phosphate (DolP)mannose synthase AgID to charge the lipid DolP with mannose for glycoprotein synthesis. Structural similarities between AgID and Pyrococcus furiosus PF0058 were revealed, and truncated versions of AgID were generated to study its functional domains. AgID mutants lacking certain membrane-spanning regions still catalyzed mannose-charging of DolP, but failed to deliver mannose to protein-linked tetrasaccharide, suggesting additional functions of AgID in N-glycosylation.
JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Shamphavi Sivabalasarma, Hanna Wetzel, Phillip Nussbaum, Chris van der Does, Morgan Beeby, Sonja-Verena Albers
Summary: Through electron cryo-tomography and fluorescence microscopy, it has been observed that halophilic archaea form cell-cell bridges during mating, which can facilitate exchange of cellular components.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Friedhelm Pfeiffer, Mike Dyall-Smith
Summary: Annotation ambiguities and errors are common challenges in genomics. This study identified incorrectly annotated proteins in Haloferax volcanii and proposed alternative, possibly correct, functions as well as likely invalid functions. By compiling and summarizing these issues, the study aims to improve the evaluation of protein function assignments and provide a framework for experimental validation or discovery of unexpected functions in the scientific community.
Article
Cell Biology
Andriko von Kugelgen, Vikram Alva, Tanmay A. M. Bharat
Summary: The S-layer is an ordered proteinaceous structure covering prokaryotic cells, with SLPs being the most abundant macromolecules in prokaryotes and playing critical roles in cellular physiology. Research reveals that the S-layer is mainly composed of a hexagonal array of tightly interacting immunoglobulin-like domains, while cellular tomography shows the nearly continuous presence of the S-layer on the cell surface.
Article
Microbiology
Alisa Jost, Regine Knitsch, Kerstin Voelkner, Felicitas Pfeifer
Summary: Despite their relatedness, the three homologous proteins GvpA, GvpJ, and GvpM have unique features and cannot substitute each other.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)