2020
A regulatory pathway that selectively up-regulates elongasome function in the absence of class A PBPs
Patel Y, Zhao H, Helmann J. A regulatory pathway that selectively up-regulates elongasome function in the absence of class A PBPs. ELife 2020, 9: e57902. PMID: 32897856, PMCID: PMC7478892, DOI: 10.7554/elife.57902.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPenicillin-binding proteinsAlternative sigma factor σClass A penicillin-binding proteinsSigma factor σSuppressor analysisMreB homologsPeptidoglycan assemblyCell elongationWall synthesisPeptidoglycan synthesisRegulatory pathwaysCell shapeTransglycosylase activityStress responseFunction mutationsFactor σAPBPsDependent upregulationRodAMreBHFtsWHomologCellsPeptidoglycanAutolysin
2019
Deciphering the essentiality and function of the anti‐σM factors in Bacillus subtilis
Zhao H, Roistacher D, Helmann J. Deciphering the essentiality and function of the anti‐σM factors in Bacillus subtilis. Molecular Microbiology 2019, 112: 482-497. PMID: 30715747, PMCID: PMC6679829, DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14216.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH KeywordsBacillus subtilisBacterial ProteinsDNA-Directed RNA PolymerasesGene Expression Regulation, BacterialPromoter Regions, GeneticSigma FactorConceptsAnti-sigma factorAlternative sigma factorSigma factorRNA polymerase core enzymeCell wall homeostasisStress conditionsSigma factor activitySevere growth defectBeta prime subunitCell wall synthesisAbility of mutationsDepletion strainCore enzymeTranscriptional landscapeSuppressor mutationsGrowth defectMerodiploid strainsRNA polymeraseWall synthesisMutations mapWall homeostasisAccessory proteinsPositive feedback loopBacillus subtilisFactor activity
2017
Don’t let sleeping dogmas lie: new views of peptidoglycan synthesis and its regulation
Zhao H, Patel V, Helmann J, Dörr T. Don’t let sleeping dogmas lie: new views of peptidoglycan synthesis and its regulation. Molecular Microbiology 2017, 106: 847-860. PMID: 28975672, PMCID: PMC5720918, DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13853.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH KeywordsAnti-Bacterial AgentsBacillus subtilisBacterial ProteinsCell WallCytoskeletal ProteinsEscherichia coliEscherichia coli ProteinsPeptidoglycanConceptsCell wall biogenesisCell wall synthesisWall biogenesisWall synthesisBacterial cell wall biogenesisCell wall synthesis processRod-shaped bacteriaBacterial cell wall synthesisSingle-molecule trackingPeptidoglycan synthesisCell wallMolecule trackingIntense research focusBiogenesisBacteriaCircumstantial evidencePowerful antibioticsFundamental questionsRegulationTechnical limitationsBiochemistryNew dataTemporal mappingSynthesisOld observations
2016
Depletion of Undecaprenyl Pyrophosphate Phosphatases Disrupts Cell Envelope Biogenesis in Bacillus subtilis
Zhao H, Sun Y, Peters J, Gross C, Garner E, Helmann J. Depletion of Undecaprenyl Pyrophosphate Phosphatases Disrupts Cell Envelope Biogenesis in Bacillus subtilis. Journal Of Bacteriology 2016, 198: 2925-2935. PMID: 27528508, PMCID: PMC5055597, DOI: 10.1128/jb.00507-16.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsUndecaprenyl pyrophosphateCRISPRi systemCell envelope stress responseSynthetic lethal gene pairsTranscriptional repression systemWall teichoic acid synthesisBacillus subtilisEnvelope stress responseCell envelope biogenesisCell envelope synthesisSet of genesLipid II cycleLipid-linked precursorsShort palindromic repeats (CRISPR) systemTeichoic acid synthesisPalindromic repeats systemWall teichoic acidBacterial cell envelopeHigh turgor pressureGenetic redundancyEnvelope biogenesisEssential genesLipid phosphataseRepression systemFunctional redundancy
2014
Accumulation of heptaprenyl diphosphate sensitizes Bacillus subtilis to bacitracin: implications for the mechanism of resistance mediated by the BceAB transporter
Kingston A, Zhao H, Cook G, Helmann J. Accumulation of heptaprenyl diphosphate sensitizes Bacillus subtilis to bacitracin: implications for the mechanism of resistance mediated by the BceAB transporter. Molecular Microbiology 2014, 93: 37-49. PMID: 24806199, PMCID: PMC4077933, DOI: 10.1111/mmi.12637.Peer-Reviewed Original Research