Phosphorylation of Bacterial Response Regulator Proteins by Low Molecular Weight Phospho-Donors

Bacterial motility and gene expression are controlled by a family of phosphorylated response regulators whose activities are modulated by an associated family of protein-histidine kinases. In chemotaxis there are two response regulators, CheY and CheB, that receive phosphoryl groups from the histidi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 1992-01, Vol.89 (2), p.718-722
Main Authors: Lukat, Gudrun S., McCleary, William R., Stock, Ann M., Stock, Jeffrey B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acetates
Aspartic Acid - chemistry
Bacterial Proteins - metabolism
Bacteriology
Biochemistry
Biological and medical sciences
CheB protein
Chemotactic Factors - metabolism
Chemotaxis
Escherichia coli
Escherichia coli - physiology
Escherichia coli Proteins
Fluorescence
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Histidine Kinase
Low molecular weights
Membrane Proteins - metabolism
Methyl-Accepting Chemotaxis Proteins
Microbiology
Molecular Weight
Motility, taxis
Phosphates
Phosphoproteins - physiology
Phosphorylation
Physiological regulation
Proteins
Regulator genes
Securities and Exchange Commission regulation
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Summary:Bacterial motility and gene expression are controlled by a family of phosphorylated response regulators whose activities are modulated by an associated family of protein-histidine kinases. In chemotaxis there are two response regulators, CheY and CheB, that receive phosphoryl groups from the histidine kinase, CheA. Here we show that the response regulators catalyze their own phosphorylation in that both CheY and CheB can be phosphorylated in the complete absence of any auxiliary protein. Both CheY and CheB use the N-phosphoryl group in phosphoramidate (NH2PO2- 3) as a phospho-donor. This enzymatic activity probably reflects the general ability of response regulators to accept phosphoryl groups from phosphohistidines in their associated kinases. It provides a general method for the study of activated response regulators in the absence of kinase proteins. CheY can also use intermediary metabolites such as acetyl phosphate and carbamoyl phosphate as phospho-donors. These reactions may provide a mechanism to modulate cell behavior in response to altered metabolic states.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.89.2.718