ribbon-helix-helix domains of nickel responsive transcription factor NikR, antitoxins HicB, ParD, and MazE, and similar proteins
This family includes the N-terminal domain of NikR, C-terminal domains of antitoxins HicB and ParD, as well as antitoxin MazE, and similar proteins, all of which belong to the ribbon-helix-helix (RHH) family of transcription factors. NikR is a nickel-responsive transcription factor that consists of an N-terminal DNA-binding RHH domain and a C-terminal metal-binding domain (MBD) with four nickel ions. In Helicobacter pylori, which colonizes the gastric epithelium of humans leading to gastric ulcers and gastric cancers, NikR (HpNikR) regulates multiple genes. It regulates urease, which protects H. pylori from acidic shock at low pH, by converting urea to ammonia and bicarbonate. It also plays a complex role in the intracellular physiology of nickel; occupation of nickel-binding sites results in NikR binding to its operator in the nickel permease nikABCDE promoter. Thus, there is weaker repression of NikABCDE transcription at low intracellular free nickel concentrations while strong repression prevails at higher concentrations, which would be potentially toxic. Antitoxin HicB is part of the HicAB toxin-antitoxin (TA) system, where the toxins are RNases, found in many bacteria. In the pathogen Burkholderia pseudomallei, the HicAB system plays a role in regulating the frequency of persister cells and may therefore play a role in disease. Structural studies of Yersinia pestis HicB show that it acts as an autoregulatory protein and HicA acts as an mRNase. In Escherichia coli, an excess of HicA has been shown to de-repress a HicB-DNA complex and restore transcription of HicB. Similarly, Caulobacter crescentus ParD antitoxin neutralizes the effect of cognate ParE toxin. In Bacillus subtilis, during stress conditions, antitoxin MazE binds to toxin MazF, an mRNA interferase, and inactivates it and cleaves mRNAs in a sequence-specific manner, resulting in cellular growth arrest.
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