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BACTERIAL PHYSIOLOGY

Crosstalking second messengers

Nature Microbiology volume 6, pages 9–10 (2021)Cite this article

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By competing for the same binding site on SmbA, a regulatory nucleotide-binding protein, the bacterial second messengers c-di-GMP and (p)ppGpp inversely balance cell cycle re-entry of growth-arrested swarmer cells of Caulobacter crescentus.

With the discovery of the cyclic dinucleotides c-di-GMP and c-di-AMP, second messenger research in bacteria has experienced a renaissance that has also led to new studies of classics such as (p)ppGpp and cAMP. In particular, the nearly ubiquitous c-di-GMP has been characterized as a highly versatile signalling molecule that can bind to diverse proteins and mRNAs (riboswitches) and thereby control functions that range from cellular adhesion and biofilm formation to the cell cycle and virulence of bacterial pathogens1. In addition, stringent responses are now known to involve many more (p)ppGpp-bound targets other than RNA polymerase, as originally found in Escherichia coli2. In some of the systems studied, the spectrum of functions controlled by c-di-GMP and (p)ppGpp seems to overlap3. Closer inspection of the underlying molecular mechanism usually revealed indirect interlinkages at the transcriptional level. For instance, (p)ppGpp was shown to control transcription of a gene encoding a c-di-GMP-degrading phosphodiesterase, thereby promoting biofilm dispersal in Pseudomonas putida4. In E. coli, cAMP, (p)ppGpp and c-di-GMP all play multiple, distinct roles in a regulatory network of several sigma factors and transcription factor cascades that control the synthesis of amyloid curli fibres and cellulose, which are major biofilm matrix components5.

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Fig. 1: Regulation of the cell cycle of C. crescentus by second messengers.

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  1. Institut für Biologie/Mikrobiologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Regine Hengge

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  1. Regine Hengge
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Correspondence to Regine Hengge.

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Hengge, R. Crosstalking second messengers. Nat Microbiol 6, 9–10 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-020-00842-3

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