An unorthodox flagellin paralog integrates cell cycle and flagellar assembly cues for flagellin translation (RNA-seq)
How cellular checkpoints couple the orderly assembly of macromolecular machines with cell cycle progression is poorly understood. The alpha-proteobacterium Caulobacter crescentus assembles a single polar flagellum during each cell cycle. We discovered that expression of multiple flagellin transcripts is licensed by a translational checkpoint responsive to a dual input signal: a secretion-competent hook-basal-body (HBB) structure and a surge in the FlaF secretion chaperone during cytokinesis, instructed by the cell cycle circuitry. We find that the unorthodox FljJ flagellin, one of six flagellin paralogs, acts as checkpoint linchpin, binding both FlaF and the FlbT translational regulator. FljJ recruits FlbT to inhibit translation at the 5' untranslated region in other flagellin transcripts before HBB assembly. Once FlaF is synthesized and stabilized, it directs FljJ secretion through the HBB, thereby separating FlbT from its co-activator and relieving translational inhibition. The FlbT/FlaF pair is wide-spread and functional properties are conserved in alpha-proteobacteria, including pathogens. Overall design: Global transcriptome profiling (gene expression) by RNA-Seq in Caulobacter crescentus WT and ?flaF backgrounds.