A widely conserved protein Rof inhibits transcription termination factor Rho and promotes Salmonella virulence program

Jing Zhang, Shuo Zhang, Wei Zhou, Xiang Zhang, Guanjin Li, Ruoxuan Li, Xingyu Lin, Ziying Chen, Fang Liu, Pan Shen, Xiaogen Zhou, Yue Gao (), Zhenguo Chen (), Yanjie Chao () and Chengyuan Wang ()
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Jing Zhang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Shuo Zhang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Wei Zhou: Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine
Xiang Zhang: Fudan University
Guanjin Li: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Ruoxuan Li: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Xingyu Lin: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Ziying Chen: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Fang Liu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Pan Shen: Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine
Xiaogen Zhou: Zhejiang University of Technology
Yue Gao: Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine
Zhenguo Chen: Fudan University
Yanjie Chao: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Chengyuan Wang: Chinese Academy of Sciences

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract Transcription is crucial for the expression of genetic information and its efficient and accurate termination is required for all living organisms. Rho-dependent termination could rapidly terminate unwanted premature RNAs and play important roles in bacterial adaptation to changing environments. Although Rho has been discovered for about five decades, the regulation mechanisms of Rho-dependent termination are still not fully elucidated. Here we report that Rof is a conserved antiterminator and determine the cryogenic electron microscopy structure of Rho-Rof antitermination complex. Rof binds to the open-ring Rho hexamer and inhibits the initiation of Rho-dependent termination. Rof’s N-terminal α-helix undergoes conformational changes upon binding with Rho, and is key in facilitating Rof-Rho interactions. Rof binds to Rho’s primary binding site (PBS) and excludes Rho from binding with PBS ligand RNA at the initiation step. Further in vivo analyses in Salmonella Typhimurium show that Rof is required for virulence gene expression and host cell invasion, unveiling a physiological function of Rof and transcription termination in bacterial pathogenesis.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47438-7

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