Engineering directional phosphoryl flow enables programmable signaling dynamics in bacteria

Abstract

Cells must make critical decisions by integrating information from a constantly changing environment to ensure their survival. They rely on intricate signaling networks to detect external and internal cues to trigger specific responses, yet these systems are generally viewed as components wired with simpler linear connections. Bacterial phosphorelay systems offer a versatile framework for studying more complex connections and engineering new biological circuits. Here, using the well-studied Bacillus subtilis sporulation phosphorelay, we demonstrate that the directionality of information flow can be reprogrammed to generate different dynamic responses. We show that phosphoryl-transfer reversibility is an evolvable trait encoded in conserved, surface-exposed motifs of two-component system proteins. Unidirectional phosphoryl-transfer generates a short-term information storage mechanism, enabling signal integration over time and allowing phosphatases, acting at different levels, to produce different outcomes. In contrast, a bidirectional system enhanced the action of phosphatase activity early in the pathway. The ability to control phosphoryl-transfer equilibria opens exciting avenues for designing sophisticated synthetic signaling systems with enhanced decision-making capabilities.