Internalization and accumulation of model lignin breakdown products in bacteria and fungi.

BACKGROUND: Valorization of lignin has the potential to significantly improve the economics of lignocellulosic biorefineries. However, its complex structure makes conversion to useful products elusive. One promising approach is depolymerization of lignin and subsequent bioconversion of breakdown products into value-added compounds. Optimizing transport of these depolymerization products into one or more organism(s) for biological conversion is important to maximize carbon utilization and minimize toxicity. Current methods assess internalization of depolymerization products indirectly-for example, growth on, or toxicity of, a substrate. Furthermore, no method has been shown to provide visualization of depolymerization products in individual cells. RESULTS: We applied mass spectrometry to provide direct measurements of relative internalized concentrations of several lignin depolymerization compounds and single-cell microscopy methods to visualize cell-to-cell differences in internalized amounts of two lignin depolymerization compounds. We characterized internalization of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid, p-coumaric acid, syringic acid, and the model dimer guaiacylglycerol-beta-guaiacyl ether (GGE) in the lignolytic organisms Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Enterobacter lignolyticus and in the non-lignolytic but genetically tractable organisms Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Escherichia coli. The results show varying degrees of internalization in all organisms for all the tested compounds, including the model dimer, GGE. Phanerochaete chrysosporium internalizes all compounds in non-lignolytic and lignolytic conditions at comparable levels, indicating that the transporters for these compounds are not specific to the lignolytic secondary metabolic system. Single-cell microscopy shows that internalization of vanillic acid and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid analogs varies greatly among individual fungal and bacterial cells in a given population. Glucose starvation and chemical inhibition of ATP hydrolysis during internalization significantly reduced the internalized amount of vanillic acid in bacteria. CONCLUSIONS: Mass spectrometry and single-cell microscopy methods were developed to establish a toolset for providing direct measurement and visualization of relative internal concentrations of mono- and di-aryl compounds in microbes. Utilizing these methods, we observed broad variation in intracellular concentration between organisms and within populations and this may have important consequences for the efficiency and productivity of an industrial process for bioconversion. Subsequent application of this toolset will be useful in identifying and characterizing specific transporters for lignin-derived mono- and di-aryl compounds.

Multifunctional, Tunable Metal-Organic Framework Materials Platform for Bioimaging Applications.

Herein, we describe a novel multifunctional metal-organic framework (MOF) materials platform that displays both porosity and tunable emission properties as a function of the metal identity (Eu, Nd, and tuned compositions of Nd/Yb). Their emission collectively spans the deep red to near-infrared (NIR) spectral region (∼614-1350 nm), which is highly relevant for in vivo bioimaging. These new materials meet important prerequisites as relevant to biological processes: they are minimally toxic to living cells and retain structural integrity in water and phosphate-buffered saline. To assess their viability as optical bioimaging agents, we successfully synthesized the nanoscale Eu analog as a proof-of-concept system in this series. In vitro studies show that it is cell-permeable in individual RAW 264.7 mouse macrophage and HeLa human cervical cancer tissue culture cells. The efficient discrimination between the Eu emission and cell autofluorescence was achieved with hyperspectral confocal fluorescence microscopy, used here for the first time to characterize MOF materials. Importantly, this is the first report that documents the long-term conservation of the intrinsic emission in live cells of a fluorophore-based MOF to date (up to 48 h). This finding, in conjunction with the materials' very low toxicity, validates the biocompatibility in these systems and qualifies them as promising for use in long-term tracking and biodistribution studies.

Lateral Segregation of Photosystem I in Cyanobacterial Thylakoids.

Photosystem I (PSI) is the dominant photosystem in cyanobacteria and it plays a pivotal role in cyanobacterial metabolism. Despite its biological importance, the native organization of PSI in cyanobacterial thylakoid membranes is poorly understood. Here, we use atomic force microscopy (AFM) to show that ordered, extensive macromolecular arrays of PSI complexes are present in thylakoids from Thermosynechococcus elongatus, Synechococcus sp PCC 7002, and Synechocystis sp PCC 6803. Hyperspectral confocal fluorescence microscopy and three-dimensional structured illumination microscopy of Synechocystis sp PCC 6803 cells visualize PSI domains within the context of the complete thylakoid system. Crystallographic and AFM data were used to build a structural model of a membrane landscape comprising 96 PSI trimers and 27,648 chlorophyll a molecules. Rather than facilitating intertrimer energy transfer, the close associations between PSI primarily maximize packing efficiency; short-range interactions with Complex I and cytochrome b6f are excluded from these regions of the membrane, so PSI turnover is sustained by long-distance diffusion of the electron donors at the membrane surface. Elsewhere, PSI-photosystem II contact zones provide sites for docking phycobilisomes and the formation of megacomplexes. PSI-enriched domains in cyanobacteria might foreshadow the partitioning of PSI into stromal lamellae in plants, similarly sustained by long-distance diffusion of electron carriers.

HJURP interaction with the condensin II complex during G1 promotes CENP-A deposition.

Centromeric chromatin is required for kinetochore assembly during mitosis and accurate chromosome segregation. A unique nucleosome containing the histone H3-specific variant CENP-A is the defining feature of centromeric chromatin. In humans, CENP-A nucleosome deposition occurs in early G1 just after mitotic exit at the time when the CENP-A deposition machinery localizes to centromeres. The mechanism by which CENP-A is deposited onto an existing, condensed chromatin template is not understood. Here we identify the selective association of the CENP-A chaperone HJURP with the condensin II complex and not condensin I. We show CAPH2 is present at centromeres during early G1 at the time when CENP-A deposition is occurring. CAPH2 localization to early G1 centromeres is dependent on HJURP. The CENP-A chaperone and assembly factor HJURP induces decondensation of a noncentromeric LacO array, and this decondensation is modulated by the condensin II complex. We show that condensin II function at the centromere is required for new CENP-A deposition in human cells. These data demonstrate that HJURP selectively recruits the condensin II chromatin-remodeling complex to facilitate CENP-A deposition in human cells.

Centromere licensing: Mis18 is required to Polo-ver.

The Mis18 complex is a critical player in determining when and where centromeres are built. A new study identifies Polo-like kinase (Plk1) as a positive regulator required for the localization of Mis18 to centromeres. This is a critical step that is essential for proper centromere function and maintaining the integrity of the genome.

Dimerization of the CENP-A assembly factor HJURP is required for centromeric nucleosome deposition.

The epigenetic mark of the centromere is thought to be a unique centromeric nucleosome that contains the histone H3 variant, centromere protein-A (CENP-A). The deposition of new centromeric nucleosomes requires the CENP-A-specific chromatin assembly factor HJURP (Holliday junction recognition protein). Crystallographic and biochemical data demonstrate that the Scm3-like domain of HJURP binds a single CENP-A-histone H4 heterodimer. However, several lines of evidence suggest that HJURP forms an octameric CENP-A nucleosome. How an octameric CENP-A nucleosome forms from individual CENP-A/histone H4 heterodimers is unknown. Here, we show that HJURP forms a homodimer through its C-terminal domain that includes the second HJURP_C domain. HJURP exists as a dimer in the soluble preassembly complex and at chromatin when new CENP-A is deposited. Dimerization of HJURP is essential for the deposition of new CENP-A nucleosomes. The recruitment of HJURP to centromeres occurs independent of dimerization and CENP-A binding. These data provide a mechanism whereby the CENP-A pre-nucleosomal complex achieves assembly of the octameric CENP-A nucleosome through the dimerization of the CENP-A chaperone HJURP.

HJURP uses distinct CENP-A surfaces to recognize and to stabilize CENP-A/histone H4 for centromere assembly.

Centromeres are defined by the presence of chromatin containing the histone H3 variant, CENP-A, whose assembly into nucleosomes requires the chromatin assembly factor HJURP. We find that whereas surface-exposed residues in the CENP-A targeting domain (CATD) are the primary sequence determinants for HJURP recognition, buried CATD residues that generate rigidity with H4 are also required for efficient incorporation into centromeres. HJURP contact points adjacent to the CATD on the CENP-A surface are not used for binding specificity but rather to transmit stability broadly throughout the histone fold domains of both CENP-A and H4. Furthermore, an intact CENP-A/CENP-A interface is a requirement for stable chromatin incorporation immediately upon HJURP-mediated assembly. These data offer insight into the mechanism by which HJURP discriminates CENP-A from bulk histone complexes and chaperones CENP-A/H4 for a substantial portion of the cell cycle prior to mediating chromatin assembly at the centromere.