Mycoplasma Pneumoniae Terminal Organelle
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MYCOPLASMA PNEUMONIAE TERMINAL ORGANELLE DEVELOPMENT AND GLIDING MOTILITY by BENJAMIN MICHAEL HASSELBRING (Under the Direction of Duncan Charles Krause) ABSTRACT With a minimal genome containing less than 700 open reading frames and a cell volume < 10% of that of model prokaryotes, Mycoplasma pneumoniae is considered among the smallest and simplest organisms capable of self-replication. And yet, this unique wall-less bacterium exhibits a remarkable level of cellular complexity with a dynamic cytoskeleton and a morphological asymmetry highlighted by a polar, membrane-bound terminal organelle containing an elaborate macromolecular core. The M. pneumoniae terminal organelle functions in distinct, and seemingly disparate cellular processes that include cytadherence, cell division, and presumably gliding motility, as individual cells translocate over surfaces with the cell pole harboring the structure engaged as the leading end. While recent years have witnessed a dramatic increase in the knowledge of protein interactions required for core stability and adhesin trafficking, the mechanism of M. pneumoniae gliding has not been defined nor have interdependencies between the various terminal organelle functions been assessed. The studies presented in the current volume describe the first genetic and molecular investigations into the location, components, architecture, and regulation of the M. pneumoniae gliding machinery. The data indicate that cytadherence and gliding motility are separable properties, and identify a subset of M. pneumoniae proteins contributing directly to the latter process. Characterizations of novel gliding-deficient mutants confirm that the terminal organelle contains the molecular gliding machinery, revealing that with the loss of a single terminal organelle cytoskeletal element, protein P41, terminal organelles detach from the cell body but retain gliding function. The current studies additionally reveal that an intricate balance of transient activation and repression of the gliding machinery is required for normal terminal organelle development and cell division. A second terminal organelle protein, P24, which is normally transcribed with the gene encoding P41, is shown to directly contribute towards this regulation in a P41-dependent manner. INDEX WORDS: mycoplasma, terminal organelle, gliding motility, cell division, cytadherence, protein trafficking MYCOPLASMA PNEUMONIAE TERMINAL ORGANELLE DEVELOPMENT AND GLIDING MOTILITY by BENJAMIN MICHAEL HASSELBRING B.S., Indiana University, 2002 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ATHENS, GEORGIA 2006 © 2006 Benjamin Michael Hasselbring All Rights Reserved MYCOPLASMA PNEUMONIAE TERMINAL ORGANELLE DEVELOPMENT AND GLIDING MOTILITY by BENJAMIN MICHAEL HASSELBRING Major Professor: Duncan C. Krause Committee: Mark A. Farmer Lawrence J. Shimkets Eric V. Stabb Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia December 2006 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES....................................................................................................................vii LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................viii INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................1 CHAPTER 1 Review of the Literature ............................................................................................5 Mollicutes History, Classification, and General Characteristics .............................5 The Mycoplasmataceae .......................................................................................10 Pathogenesis........................................................................................................13 History of Mycoplasma pneumoniae....................................................................16 M. pneumoniae Disease.......................................................................................17 M. pneumoniae Genetics .....................................................................................20 M. pneumoniae Cellular Biology.........................................................................22 Terminal Organelle Functions .............................................................................24 References...........................................................................................................43 2 Mutant Analysis Reveals a Specific Requirement for Protein P30 in Mycoplasma pneumoniae Gliding Motility The Journal of Bacteriology, 187: 6281-89..............................................................59 Abstract...............................................................................................................60 Introduction.........................................................................................................60 iv Materials and Methods ........................................................................................64 Results ................................................................................................................68 Discussion...........................................................................................................76 Acknowledgements .............................................................................................82 References...........................................................................................................82 3 Terminal Organelle Development in the Cell Wall-less Bacterium Mycoplasma pneumoniae Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 103: 16478-83 .........................90 Abstract...............................................................................................................91 Introduction.........................................................................................................91 Results ................................................................................................................93 Discussion......................................................................................................... 104 Materials and Methods ...................................................................................... 108 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................... 110 References......................................................................................................... 110 Supplementary Materials and Methods.............................................................. 112 Supplementary Movie Legends ......................................................................... 114 4 Transposon Mutagenesis Identifies Genes Associated with Mycoplasma pneumoniae Gliding Motility The Journal of Bacteriology, 188: 6335-45 ............................................................ 116 Abstract............................................................................................................. 117 Introduction....................................................................................................... 118 Materials and Methods ...................................................................................... 120 v Results .............................................................................................................. 122 Discussion......................................................................................................... 135 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................... 144 References......................................................................................................... 144 5 Cytoskeletal Protein P41 is Required to Anchor the Terminal Organelle of the Wall-less Prokaryote Mycoplasma pneumoniae Molecular Microbiology, in press .......................................................................... 152 Summary........................................................................................................... 153 Introduction....................................................................................................... 153 Results .............................................................................................................. 157 Discussion......................................................................................................... 166 Experimental Procedures................................................................................... 171 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................... 173 References......................................................................................................... 173 Supplementary Movie Legends ......................................................................... 177 6 Analysis of P41 and P24 Function in Mycoplasma pneumoniae Terminal Organelle Development and Gliding Motility ......................................... 181 Abstract............................................................................................................. 182 Results .............................................................................................................. 182 References........................................................................................................