Biology subjects

Habestein, B.

Publications and source records attributed to Habestein, B..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

A bacterial lipid triggers membrane mechanosensing immunity in Arabidopsis

The plant immune system engages cell-surface receptors that detect microbe-associated molecular patterns to initiate pattern-triggered immunity (PTI), and intracellular receptors that sense microbe-secreted effectors to activate effector-triggered immunity (ETI). Whether additional modes of microbial detection exist remains unclear. Here, we define membrane mechanosensing immunity (MSI), a third layer of immune signaling. A bacterial lipid, the main diffusible signal factor (DSF) from Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris, acts as a membrane-active molecule that alters plasma membrane biophysical properties, activates Mechanosensitive Channel of Small Conductance (MscS)-like (MSL)-dependent immune signaling, and triggers a broad transcriptional reprogramming that overlaps with PTI and ETI. MSI modulates PTI signaling and requires both PTI and ETI components for effective disease resistance. These findings establish the sensing of metabolite-induced membrane perturbations as a mechanism of microbial detection.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2024

Amyloid signaling in antiphage defense

Immune regulated cell death (RCD) is a defense strategy common to different domains of life involving purposeful sacrifice of infected cells. In animals and fungi, functional amyloids play a role in the control of RCD as molecular switches activating key cell death effectors, rather than causing direct toxicity as seen with pathological amyloids. Here, we describe a novel amyloid-based signal transduction mechanism in an antiphage defense system in Escherichia coli. This antiphage abortive infection (Abi) system is mediated by two proteins, Bab and Agp which share a common amyloid motif and are encoded by adjacent genes. Upon phage infection, Agp activates Bab through amyloid signaling, leading to cell death. We determined the structure of the Bab cell death execution domain, which is distantly related to pore-forming domains present in fungi, animals and plants. We show that Bab and the fungal HET-S amyloid-controlled cell death execution protein are functionally interchangeable in their respective roles in antiphage defense and allorecognition. These findings add antiphage defense to the functional repertoire of amyloids.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2023

Molecular characterization of the N-terminal half of TasA during functional amyloid assembly and its contribution to Bacillus subtilis biofilm formation

Biofilms are bacterial communities that result from a cell differentiation process that leads to the secretion of an extracellular matrix (ECM) by part of the bacterial population. In Bacillus subtilis, the main protein component of the ECM is the functional amyloid TasA, which forms a fiber-based scaffold that confers structure to the ECM. The N-terminal half of TasA is strongly conserved among Bacillus species and contains a protein domain, the amyloid core (AcTasA), which is critical for the formation of the amyloid architecture. In this study, we demonstrate that recombinantly purified AcTasA in vitro retains biochemical properties previously observed for the entire protein. Further analysis of the AcTasA amino acid sequence revealed two amyloidogenic stretches and a region of imperfect amino acid repeats, which are known to contribute to functional amyloid assembly. Biochemical characterization of these amyloidogenic stretches found in AcTasA revealed their amyloid capacity in vitro, contributing to the amyloid nature of AcTasA. Moreover, the study of the imperfect amino acid repeats revealed the critical role of residues D64, K68 and D69 in the structural function of TasA. In vivo and in vitro experiments with versions of TasA carrying the substitutions D64A, K68A, and D69A demonstrated a partial loss of function of the protein either in the assembly of the ECM or in the stability of the core and amyloid polymerization. Taken together, our findings allow us to better understand the polymerization process of TasA during biofilm formation and provide knowledge into the sequence determinants that promote the molecular behavior of functional amyloids.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2018

Avidity-driven polarity establishment via multivalent lipid-GTPase module interactions

While Rho GTPases are indispensible regulators of cellular polarity, the mechanisms underlying their anisotropic activation at membranes have been elusive. Using the budding yeast Cdc42 GTPase module, which includes a Guanine nucleotide Exchange Factor (GEF) Cdc24 and the scaffold Bem1, we find that avidity generated via multivalent anionic lipid interactions is a critical mechanistic constituent of polarity establishment. We identify Cationic-enriched Lipid Interacting Clusters (CLICs) in Bem1 that drive the interaction of the scaffold-GEF complex with anionic lipids at the cell pole. This interaction increases lipid acyl chain ordering, thus contributing to membrane rigidity and feedback between Cdc42 and the membrane environment. Sequential mutation of the Bem1 CLIC motifs, PX domain and the PH domain of Cdc24 lead to a progressive loss of cellular polarity stemming from defective Cdc42 nanoclustering on the plasma membrane and perturbed signaling. Our work demonstrates the importance of avidity via multivalent anionic lipid interactions in the spatial control of GTPase activation.

cell biology↗