摘要
YfiBNR is a recently identified bis-（3＇-5＇）-cyclic dimeric GMP （c-di-GMP） signaling system in opportunistic pathogens. It is a key regulator of biofilm formation, which is correlated with prolonged persistence of infection and antibiotic drug resistance. In response to cell stress, YfiB in the outer membrane can sequester the pariplasmic protein YfiR, releasing its inhibition of YfiN on the inner membrane and thus provoking the diguanylate cyclase activity of YfiN to induce c-di-GMP production. However, the detailed regulatory mechanism remains elusive. Here, we report the crystal struc- tures of YfiB alone and of an active mutant YfiB^L43P complexed with YfiR with 2：2 stoichiometry. Structural analyses revealed that in contrast to the compact conformation of the dimeric YfiB alone, YfiB^L43P adopts a stretched conformation allowing activated YfiB to penebate the peptidoglycan （PG） layer and access YfiR. YfiBL43P shows a more compact PG-binding pocket and much higher PG binding affinity than wild-type YflB, suggesting a tight correlation between PG binding and YfiB activation. In addition, our crystallographic analyses revealed that YflR binds Vitamin B6 （VB6） or L-Trp at a YfiB-binding site and that both VB6 and L-Trp are able to reduce YfiBL43P-induced biofilm formation. Based on the structural and biochemical data, we propose an updated regulatory model of the YfiBNR system.
YfiBNR is a recently identified bis-（3＇-5＇）-cyclic dimeric GMP （c-di-GMP） signaling system in opportunistic pathogens. It is a key regulator of biofilm formation, which is correlated with prolonged persistence of infection and antibiotic drug resistance. In response to cell stress, YfiB in the outer membrane can sequester the pariplasmic protein YfiR, releasing its inhibition of YfiN on the inner membrane and thus provoking the diguanylate cyclase activity of YfiN to induce c-di-GMP production. However, the detailed regulatory mechanism remains elusive. Here, we report the crystal struc- tures of YfiB alone and of an active mutant YfiB^L43P complexed with YfiR with 2：2 stoichiometry. Structural analyses revealed that in contrast to the compact conformation of the dimeric YfiB alone, YfiB^L43P adopts a stretched conformation allowing activated YfiB to penebate the peptidoglycan （PG） layer and access YfiR. YfiBL43P shows a more compact PG-binding pocket and much higher PG binding affinity than wild-type YflB, suggesting a tight correlation between PG binding and YfiB activation. In addition, our crystallographic analyses revealed that YflR binds Vitamin B6 （VB6） or L-Trp at a YfiB-binding site and that both VB6 and L-Trp are able to reduce YfiBL43P-induced biofilm formation. Based on the structural and biochemical data, we propose an updated regulatory model of the YfiBNR system.
