Interaction of lipoprotein QseG with sensor kinase QseE in the periplasm controls the phosphorylation state of the two-component system QseE/QseF in Escherichia coli

Histidine kinase QseE and response regulator QseF compose a two-component system in Enterobacteriaceae. In Escherichia coli K-12 QseF activates transcription of glmY and of rpoE from Sigma 54-dependent promoters by binding to upstream activating sequences. Small RNA GlmY and RpoE (Sigma 24) are important regulators of cell envelope homeostasis. In pathogenic Enterobacteriaceae QseE/QseF are required for virulence. In enterohemorrhagic E. coli QseE was reported to sense the host hormone epinephrine and to regulate virulence genes post-transcriptionally through employment of GlmY. The qseEGF operon contains a third gene, qseG, which encodes a lipoprotein attached to the inner leaflet of the outer membrane. Here, we show that QseG is essential and limiting for activity of QseE/QseF in E. coli K-12. Metabolic 32P-labelling followed by pull-down demonstrates that phosphorylation of the receiver domain of QseF in vivo requires QseE as well as QseG. Accordingly, QseG acts upstream and through QseE/QseF by stimulating activity of kinase QseE. 32P-labelling also reveals an additional phosphorylation in the QseF C-terminus of unknown origin, presumably at threonine/serine residue(s). Pulldown and two-hybrid assays demonstrate interaction of QseG with the periplasmic loop of QseE. A mutational screen identifies the Ser58Asn exchange in the periplasmic loop of QseE, which decreases interaction with QseG and concomitantly lowers QseE/QseF activity, indicating that QseG activates QseE by interaction. Finally, epinephrine is shown to have a moderate impact on QseE activity in E. coli K-12. Epinephrine slightly stimulates QseF phosphorylation and thereby glmY transcription, but exclusively during stationary growth and this requires both, QseE and QseG. Our data reveal a three-component signaling system, in which the phosphorylation state of QseE/QseF is governed by interaction with lipoprotein QseG in response to a signal likely derived from the cell envelope.