Characterization of a natural triple-tandem c-di-GMP riboswitch and application of the riboswitch-based dual-fluorescence reporter

Sci Rep. 2016 Feb 19:6:20871. doi: 10.1038/srep20871.

Abstract

c-di-GMP riboswitches are structured RNAs located in the 5'-untranslated regions (5'-UTRs) of mRNAs that regulate expression of downstream genes in response to changing concentrations of the second messenger c-di-GMP. We discovered three complete c-di-GMP riboswitches (Bc3, Bc4 and Bc5 RNA) with similar structures, which are arranged in tandem to constitute a triple-tandem (Bc3-5 RNA) riboswitch in the 5'-UTR of the cspABCDE mRNA in Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. chinensis CT-43. Our results showed that this natural triple-tandem riboswitch controlled the expression of the reporter gene more stringently and digitally than the double-tandem or single riboswitch. A sandwich-like dual-fluorescence reporter was further constructed by fusing the Bc3-5 RNA gene between the two fluorescence protein genes amcyan and turborfp. This reporter strain was found to exhibit detectable fluorescence color changes under bright field in response to intracellular c-di-GMP level altered by induced expression of diguanylate cyclase (DGC) PleD. Using this system, two putative membrane-bound DGCs from B. thuringiensis and Xanthomonas oryzae were verified to be functional by replacing pleD with the corresponding DGC genes. This report represented the first native triple-tandem riboswitch that was applied to serve as a riboswitch-based dual-fluorescence reporter for the efficient and convenient verification of putative DGC activity in vivo.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Base Sequence
  • Computational Biology / methods
  • Cyclic GMP / analogs & derivatives*
  • Escherichia coli / genetics
  • Gene Expression Regulation*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial
  • Genes, Reporter*
  • Nucleic Acid Conformation
  • RNA, Messenger / chemistry
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics
  • Riboswitch*

Substances

  • RNA, Messenger
  • Riboswitch
  • bis(3',5')-cyclic diguanylic acid
  • Cyclic GMP