Identification and structural modeling of the chlamydial RNA polymerase omega subunit

Abstract

Gene transcription in bacteria is carried out by the multisubunit RNA polymerase (RNAP), which is composed of a catalytic core enzyme and a promoter-recognizing {sigma} factor. RNAP core enzyme comprises two subunits, one {beta} subunit, one {beta} s subunit, and one {omega} (omega) subunit. Across multiple bacterial taxa, the RNAP {omega} subunit plays critical roles in the assembly of RNAP core enzyme and in other cellular functions, including regulation of bacterial growth, stress response, and biofilm formation. However, for several intracellular bacterium, including the obligate intracellular bacterium Chlamydia, no RNAP {omega} subunit previously has been identified. Here, we report the identification of Chlamydia trachomatis hypothetical protein CTL0286 as the chlamydial RNAP {omega} ortholog, based on sequence, synteny, and AlphaFold and AlphaFold-Multimer three-dimensional-structure predictions. We conclude that CTL0286 functions as the previously missing chlamydial {omega} ortholog. Extensions of our analysis indicate that all obligate intracellular bacteria have {omega} orthologs. IMPORTANCEChlamydiae are common mammalian pathogens. Chlamydiae have a unique developmental cycle characterized with an infectious but nondividing elementary body (EB), which can temporarily survive outside host cells, and a noninfectious reticulate body (RB), which replicates only intracellularly. Chlamydial development inside host cells can be arrested during persistence in response to adverse environmental conditions. Transcription plays a central role in the progression of the chlamydial developmental cycle as well as entry into and recovery from persistence. The identification of the elusive {omega} subunit of chlamydial RNAP makes possible future study of its regulatory roles in gene expression during chlamydial growth, development, and stress responses. This discovery also paves the way to prepare and study the intact chlamydial RNAP and its interactions with inhibitors in vitro.