Recent Articles

Turgay K, Persuh M, Hahn J, Dubnau D.
Roles of the two ClpC ATP binding sites in the regulation of competence and the stress response.
Mol Microbiol 2001 Nov;42(3):717-27
PMID: 11722737

MecA targets the competence transcription factor ComK to ClpC. As a consequence, this factor is degraded by the ClpC/ClpP protease. ClpC is a member of the Clp/HSP100 family of ATPases and possesses two ATP binding sites. We have individually modified the Walker A motifs of these two sites and have also deleted a putative substrate recognition domain of ClpC at the C-terminus. The effects of these mutations were studied in vitro and in vivo. Deletion of the C-terminal domain resulted in a decreased binding affinity for MecA, a decreased ATPase activity in response to MecA addition and decreased degradative activity in vitro. In vivo, this deletion resulted in a failure to degrade ComK and in a decrease in thermal resistance for growth. Mutation of the N-terminal Walker A box (K214Q) caused a drastically decreased ATPase activity in vitro, but did not interfere with MecA binding. In vivo, this mutation had no effect on thermal resistance, but had a clpC null phenotype with respect to competence. Mutation of the C-terminal Walker A motif (K551Q) caused essentially the reverse phenotype both in vivo and in vitro. Although binding to MecA was only moderately impaired with 2 mM ATP, this mutant protein displayed no response to 0.2 mM ATP, unlike the wild-type ClpC and the K214Q mutant protein. The ATPase activity of the K551Q mutant protein, induced by the addition of MecA plus ComS, was decreased about 10-fold but was not eliminated. In vivo, the K551Q mutation showed a partial defect with respect to competence and a profound loss of thermal resistance. Sporulation was reduced drastically by the K551Q and less so by the K214Q mutation, but remained unaffected by deletion of the C-terminal domain. Although the evidence suggests that the functions of the two ATP-binding domains overlap, it appears that the N-terminal nucleotide-binding domain of ClpC is particularly concerned with MecA-related functions, whereas the C-terminal domain plays a more general role in the activities of ClpC.