1
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Lu D, Chen B. Coordinated motion of molecular motors on DNA chains with branch topology. ACTA MECHANICA SINICA = LI XUE XUE BAO 2022; 38:621225. [PMID: 35601132 PMCID: PMC9109741 DOI: 10.1007/s10409-021-09045-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
To understand the macroscopic mechanical behaviors of responsive DNA hydrogels integrated with DNA motors, we constructed a state map for the translocation process of a single FtsKC on a single DNA chain at the molecular level and then investigated the movement of single or multiple FtsKC motors on DNA chains with varied branch topologies. Our studies indicate that multiple FtsKC motors can have coordinated motion, which is mainly due to the force-responsive behavior of individual FtsKC motors. We further suggest the potential application of motors of FtsKC, together with DNA chains of specific branch topology, to serve as strain sensors in hydrogels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Di Lu
- Department of Engineering Mechanics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058 China
| | - Bin Chen
- Department of Engineering Mechanics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058 China
- Key Laboratory of Soft Machines and Smart Devices of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310027 China
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2
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Meunier A, Cornet F, Campos M. Bacterial cell proliferation: from molecules to cells. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2021; 45:5912836. [PMID: 32990752 PMCID: PMC7794046 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuaa046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial cell proliferation is highly efficient, both because bacteria grow fast and multiply with a low failure rate. This efficiency is underpinned by the robustness of the cell cycle and its synchronization with cell growth and cytokinesis. Recent advances in bacterial cell biology brought about by single-cell physiology in microfluidic chambers suggest a series of simple phenomenological models at the cellular scale, coupling cell size and growth with the cell cycle. We contrast the apparent simplicity of these mechanisms based on the addition of a constant size between cell cycle events (e.g. two consecutive initiation of DNA replication or cell division) with the complexity of the underlying regulatory networks. Beyond the paradigm of cell cycle checkpoints, the coordination between the DNA and division cycles and cell growth is largely mediated by a wealth of other mechanisms. We propose our perspective on these mechanisms, through the prism of the known crosstalk between DNA replication and segregation, cell division and cell growth or size. We argue that the precise knowledge of these molecular mechanisms is critical to integrate the diverse layers of controls at different time and space scales into synthetic and verifiable models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alix Meunier
- Centre de Biologie Intégrative de Toulouse (CBI Toulouse), Laboratoire de Microbiologie et Génétique Moléculaires (LMGM), Université de Toulouse, UPS, CNRS, IBCG, 165 rue Marianne Grunberg-Manago, 31062 Toulouse, France
| | - François Cornet
- Centre de Biologie Intégrative de Toulouse (CBI Toulouse), Laboratoire de Microbiologie et Génétique Moléculaires (LMGM), Université de Toulouse, UPS, CNRS, IBCG, 165 rue Marianne Grunberg-Manago, 31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Manuel Campos
- Centre de Biologie Intégrative de Toulouse (CBI Toulouse), Laboratoire de Microbiologie et Génétique Moléculaires (LMGM), Université de Toulouse, UPS, CNRS, IBCG, 165 rue Marianne Grunberg-Manago, 31062 Toulouse, France
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3
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Mohapatra S, Lin CT, Feng XA, Basu A, Ha T. Single-Molecule Analysis and Engineering of DNA Motors. Chem Rev 2019; 120:36-78. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.9b00361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Taekjip Ha
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
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4
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DNA-Membrane Anchor Facilitates Efficient Chromosome Translocation at a Distance in Bacillus subtilis. mBio 2019; 10:mBio.01117-19. [PMID: 31239381 PMCID: PMC6593407 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01117-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
To properly segregate their chromosomes, organisms tightly regulate the organization and dynamics of their DNA. Aspects of the process by which DNA is translocated during sporulation are not yet fully understood, such as what factors indirectly influence the activity of the motor protein SpoIIIE. In this work, we have shown that a DNA-membrane tether mediated by RacA contributes to the activity of SpoIIIE. Loss of RacA nearly doubles the time of translocation, despite the physically distinct locations these proteins and their activities occupy within the cell. This is a rare example of an explicit effect that DNA-membrane connections can have on cell physiology and demonstrates that distant changes to the state of the chromosome can influence motor proteins which act upon it. Chromosome segregation in sporulating Bacillus subtilis involves the tethering of sister chromosomes at opposite cell poles. RacA is known to mediate chromosome tethering by interacting with both centromere-like elements in the DNA and with DivIVA, a membrane protein which localizes to the cell poles. RacA has a secondary function in which it assists in nucleoid condensation. Here we demonstrate that, in addition to positioning and condensing the chromosome, RacA contributes to efficient transport of DNA by the chromosome segregation motor SpoIIIE. When RacA is deleted, one-quarter of cells fail to capture DNA in the nascent spore, yet 70% of cells fail to form viable spores without RacA. This discrepancy indicates that RacA possesses a role in sporulation beyond DNA capture and condensation. We observed that the mutant cells had reduced chromosome translocation into the forespore across the entire length of the chromosome, requiring nearly twice as much time to move a given DNA locus. Additionally, functional abolition of the RacA-DivIVA interaction reduced translocation to a similar degree as in a racA deletion strain, demonstrating the importance of the RacA-mediated tether in translocation and chromosome packaging during sporulation. We propose that the DNA-membrane anchor facilitates efficient translocation by SpoIIIE, not through direct protein-protein contacts but by virtue of physical effects on the chromosome that arise from anchoring DNA at a distance.
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5
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Hendrickson HL, Barbeau D, Ceschin R, Lawrence JG. Chromosome architecture constrains horizontal gene transfer in bacteria. PLoS Genet 2018; 14:e1007421. [PMID: 29813058 PMCID: PMC5993296 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2018] [Revised: 06/08/2018] [Accepted: 05/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite significant frequencies of lateral gene transfer between species, higher taxonomic groups of bacteria show ecological and phenotypic cohesion. This suggests that barriers prevent panmictic dissemination of genes via lateral gene transfer. We have proposed that most bacterial genomes have a functional architecture imposed by Architecture IMparting Sequences (AIMS). AIMS are defined as 8 base pair sequences preferentially abundant on leading strands, whose abundance and strand-bias are positively correlated with proximity to the replication terminus. We determined that inversions whose endpoints lie within a single chromosome arm, which would reverse the polarity of AIMS in the inverted region, are both shorter and less frequent near the replication terminus. This distribution is consistent with the increased selection on AIMS function in this region, thus constraining DNA rearrangement. To test the hypothesis that AIMS also constrain DNA transfer between genomes, AIMS were identified in genomes while ignoring atypical, potentially laterally-transferred genes. The strand-bias of AIMS within recently acquired genes was negatively correlated with the distance of those genes from their genome’s replication terminus. This suggests that selection for AIMS function prevents the acquisition of genes whose AIMS are not found predominantly in the permissive orientation. This constraint has led to the loss of at least 18% of genes acquired by transfer in the terminus-proximal region. We used completely sequenced genomes to produce a predictive road map of paths of expected horizontal gene transfer between species based on AIMS compatibility between donor and recipient genomes. These results support a model whereby organisms retain introgressed genes only if the benefits conferred by their encoded functions outweigh the detriments incurred by the presence of foreign DNA lacking genome-wide architectural information. The potential success of horizontal gene transfer events is historically equated to the benefits conferred by encoded products. Here we show that gene transfer events are observed less frequently if the introduced genes disrupt important patterns of genomic information, suggesting that this disruption would confer an unacceptable cost. As a result, gene transfer events are less likely to be successful if the potential donor genomes have incompatible genome architecture. Because more distantly-related genes are less compatible, chromosome architecture serves as a mechanism to bias gene transfer events to those involving closer relatives, thereby providing a mechanism for the genotypic and phenotypic cohesion of higher taxonomic groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather L. Hendrickson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Institute of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Dominique Barbeau
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Robin Ceschin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Jeffrey G. Lawrence
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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6
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Single-Molecule Tracking of DNA Translocases in Bacillus subtilis Reveals Strikingly Different Dynamics of SftA, SpoIIIE, and FtsA. Appl Environ Microbiol 2018; 84:AEM.02610-17. [PMID: 29439991 DOI: 10.1128/aem.02610-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2017] [Accepted: 01/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Like many bacteria, Bacillus subtilis possesses two DNA translocases that affect chromosome segregation at different steps. Prior to septum closure, nonsegregated DNA is moved into opposite cell halves by SftA, while septum-entrapped DNA is rescued by SpoIIIE. We have used single-molecule fluorescence microscopy and tracking (SMT) experiments to describe the dynamics of the two different DNA translocases, the cell division protein FtsA and the glycolytic enzyme phosphofructokinase (PfkA), in real time. SMT revealed that about 30% of SftA molecules move through the cytosol, while a fraction of 70% is septum bound and static. In contrast, only 35% of FtsA molecules are static at midcell, while SpoIIIE molecules diffuse within the membrane and show no enrichment at the septum. Several lines of evidence suggest that FtsA plays a role in septal recruitment of SftA: an ftsA deletion results in a significant reduction in septal SftA recruitment and a decrease in the average dwell time of SftA molecules. FtsA can recruit SftA to the membrane in a heterologous eukaryotic system, suggesting that SftA may be partially recruited via FtsA. Therefore, SftA is a component of the division machinery, while SpoIIIE is not, and it is otherwise a freely diffusive cytosolic enzyme in vivo Our developed SMT script is a powerful technique to determine if low-abundance proteins are membrane bound or cytosolic, to detect differences in populations of complex-bound and unbound/diffusive proteins, and to visualize the subcellular localization of slow- and fast-moving molecules in live cells.IMPORTANCE DNA translocases couple the late events of chromosome segregation to cell division and thereby play an important role in the bacterial cell cycle. The proteins fall into one of two categories, integral membrane translocases or nonintegral translocases. We show that the membrane-bound translocase SpoIIIE moves slowly throughout the cell membrane in B. subtilis and does not show a clear association with the division septum, in agreement with the idea that it binds membrane-bound DNA, which can occur through cell division across nonsegregated chromosomes. In contrast, SftA behaves like a soluble protein and is recruited to the division septum as a component of the division machinery. We show that FtsA contributes to the recruitment of SftA, revealing a dual role of FtsA at the division machinery, but it is not the only factor that binds SftA. Our work represents a detailed in vivo study of DNA translocases at the single-molecule level.
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7
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Liu N, Chistol G, Cui Y, Bustamante C. Mechanochemical coupling and bi-phasic force-velocity dependence in the ultra-fast ring ATPase SpoIIIE. eLife 2018; 7:32354. [PMID: 29504934 PMCID: PMC5858925 DOI: 10.7554/elife.32354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2017] [Accepted: 03/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Multi-subunit ring-shaped ATPases are molecular motors that harness chemical free energy to perform vital mechanical tasks such as polypeptide translocation, DNA unwinding, and chromosome segregation. Previously we reported the intersubunit coordination and stepping behavior of the hexameric ring-shaped ATPase SpoIIIE (Liu et al., 2015). Here we use optical tweezers to characterize the motor’s mechanochemistry. Analysis of the motor response to external force at various nucleotide concentrations identifies phosphate release as the likely force-generating step. Analysis of SpoIIIE pausing indicates that pauses are off-pathway events. Characterization of SpoIIIE slipping behavior reveals that individual motor subunits engage DNA upon ATP binding. Furthermore, we find that SpoIIIE’s velocity exhibits an intriguing bi-phasic dependence on force. We hypothesize that this behavior is an adaptation of ultra-fast motors tasked with translocating DNA from which they must also remove DNA-bound protein roadblocks. Based on these results, we formulate a comprehensive mechanochemical model for SpoIIIE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ninning Liu
- Jason L. Choy Laboratory of Single Molecule Biophysics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States.,Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Gheorghe Chistol
- Jason L. Choy Laboratory of Single Molecule Biophysics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States.,Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Yuanbo Cui
- Jason L. Choy Laboratory of Single Molecule Biophysics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States.,California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States
| | - Carlos Bustamante
- Jason L. Choy Laboratory of Single Molecule Biophysics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States.,Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States.,Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States.,California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States.,Department of Chemistry and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States.,Physical Biosciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, United States.,Kavli Energy NanoSciences Institute at the University of California, Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, United States
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8
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Misra HS, Maurya GK, Chaudhary R, Misra CS. Interdependence of bacterial cell division and genome segregation and its potential in drug development. Microbiol Res 2018; 208:12-24. [DOI: 10.1016/j.micres.2017.12.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2017] [Revised: 12/05/2017] [Accepted: 12/31/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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9
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Bose B, Reed SE, Besprozvannaya M, Burton BM. Missense Mutations Allow a Sequence-Blind Mutant of SpoIIIE to Successfully Translocate Chromosomes during Sporulation. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0148365. [PMID: 26849443 PMCID: PMC4744071 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0148365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2015] [Accepted: 01/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
SpoIIIE directionally pumps DNA across membranes during Bacillus subtilis sporulation and vegetative growth. The sequence-reading domain (γ domain) is required for directional DNA transport, and its deletion severely impairs sporulation. We selected suppressors of the spoIIIEΔγ sporulation defect. Unexpectedly, many suppressors were intragenic missense mutants, and some restore sporulation to near-wild-type levels. The mutant proteins are likely not more abundant, faster at translocating DNA, or sequence-sensitive, and rescue does not involve the SpoIIIE homolog SftA. Some mutants behave differently when co-expressed with spoIIIEΔγ, consistent with the idea that some, but not all, variants may form mixed oligomers. In full-length spoIIIE, these mutations do not affect sporulation, and yet the corresponding residues are rarely found in other SpoIIIE/FtsK family members. The suppressors do not rescue chromosome translocation defects during vegetative growth, indicating that the role of the γ domain cannot be fully replaced by these mutations. We present two models consistent with our findings: that the suppressors commit to transport in one arbitrarily-determined direction or delay spore development. It is surprising that missense mutations somehow rescue loss of an entire domain with a complex function, and this raises new questions about the mechanism by which SpoIIIE pumps DNA and the roles SpoIIIE plays in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baundauna Bose
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Sydney E. Reed
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Marina Besprozvannaya
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Briana M. Burton
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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10
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Liu N, Chistol G, Bustamante C. Two-subunit DNA escort mechanism and inactive subunit bypass in an ultra-fast ring ATPase. eLife 2015; 4. [PMID: 26452092 PMCID: PMC4728128 DOI: 10.7554/elife.09224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2015] [Accepted: 10/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
SpoIIIE is a homo-hexameric dsDNA translocase responsible for completing chromosome segregation in Bacillus subtilis. Here, we use a single-molecule approach to monitor SpoIIIE translocation when challenged with neutral-backbone DNA and non-hydrolyzable ATP analogs. We show that SpoIIIE makes multiple essential contacts with phosphates on the 5'→3' strand in the direction of translocation. Using DNA constructs with two neutral-backbone segments separated by a single charged base pair, we deduce that SpoIIIE’s step size is 2 bp. Finally, experiments with non-hydrolyzable ATP analogs suggest that SpoIIIE can operate with non-consecutive inactive subunits. We propose a two-subunit escort translocation mechanism that is strict enough to enable SpoIIIE to track one DNA strand, yet sufficiently compliant to permit the motor to bypass inactive subunits without arrest. We speculate that such a flexible mechanism arose for motors that, like SpoIIIE, constitute functional bottlenecks where the inactivation of even a single motor can be lethal for the cell. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.09224.001 Bacillus subtilis is a bacterium that lives in the soil. When food is in short supply, B. subtilis stops reproducing and individual bacterial cells transform into spores that lay dormant until conditions improve. While, B subtilis is generally harmless, it forms spores in a similar way to other bacteria that cause diseases such as anthrax. During spore formation, a membrane forms to divide the cell into a large mother cell and a smaller “forespore” cell. Then, a copy of the mother cell’s DNA – which is made of building blocks called bases – moves into the forespore. A group of proteins called SpoIIIE is instrumental in this process as it uses energy from a molecule called ATP to pump the DNA across the membrane at the rapid speed of 5,000 base pairs of DNA per second. SpoIIIE contains six individual protein subunits that form a ring-shaped motor structure that spans the membrane. It belongs to a large family of proteins that are found in all living organisms and drive many vital processes. How does SpoIIIE interact with DNA and how do the individual subunits coordinate their behaviour? Liu, Chistol et al. address these questions by using instruments called optical tweezers, which use a laser beam to hold and manipulate tiny objects. The experiments show that to move a fragment of DNA across a membrane, SpoIIIE only makes contact with one of the two strands that make up the DNA molecule. The experiments suggest that the DNA is handed over from one SpoIIIE subunit to another in a sequential order. This would allow the DNA to remain bound to SpoIIIE at all times as it passes through the membrane. Next, Liu, Chistol et al. measured how SpoIIIE steps along the DNA and found that each subunit takes a small two base pair step when energy is released from a single molecule of ATP. There is an element of flexibility in the system, because SpoIIIE can still move DNA normally even if some subunits cannot use energy from ATP. This provides a fail-safe mechanism that still allows the cells to form spores in the event that one subunit is disabled. Future work will concentrate in understanding how the subunits communicate around the ring to coordinate their sequential use of ATP and their DNA pumping activity. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.09224.002
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Affiliation(s)
- Ninning Liu
- Jason L. Choy Laboratory of Single Molecule Biophysics, University of California, Berkeley, United States.,Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, United States
| | - Gheorghe Chistol
- Jason L. Choy Laboratory of Single Molecule Biophysics, University of California, Berkeley, United States.,Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, United States
| | - Carlos Bustamante
- Jason L. Choy Laboratory of Single Molecule Biophysics, University of California, Berkeley, United States.,Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, United States.,Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, United States.,California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, Berkeley, United States.,Department of Chemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Berkeley, United States.,Physical Biosciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, United States.,Kavli Energy NanoSciences Institute at the University of California, Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, United States
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11
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Gruber S. Multilayer chromosome organization through DNA bending, bridging and extrusion. Curr Opin Microbiol 2015; 22:102-10. [PMID: 25460803 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2014.09.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2014] [Revised: 09/24/2014] [Accepted: 09/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
All living cells have to master the extraordinarily extended and tangly nature of genomic DNA molecules — in particular during cell division when sister chromosomes are resolved from one another and confined to opposite halves of a cell. Bacteria have evolved diverse sets of proteins, which collectively ensure the formation of compact and yet highly dynamic nucleoids. Some of these players act locally by changing the path of DNA through the bending of its double helical backbone. Other proteins have wider or even global impact on chromosome organization, for example by interconnecting two distant segments of chromosomal DNA or by actively relocating DNA within a cell. Here, I highlight different modes of chromosome organization in bacteria and on this basis consider models for the function of SMC protein complexes, whose mechanism of action is only poorly understood so far.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan Gruber
- Chromosome Organization and Dynamics, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18, 82152 Martinsried, Germany.
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12
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Assembly, translocation, and activation of XerCD-dif recombination by FtsK translocase analyzed in real-time by FRET and two-color tethered fluorophore motion. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112:E5133-41. [PMID: 26324908 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1510814112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The FtsK dsDNA translocase functions in bacterial chromosome unlinking by activating XerCD-dif recombination in the replication terminus region. To analyze FtsK assembly and translocation, and the subsequent activation of XerCD-dif recombination, we extended the tethered fluorophore motion technique, using two spectrally distinct fluorophores to monitor two effective lengths along the same tethered DNA molecule. We observed that FtsK assembled stepwise on DNA into a single hexamer, and began translocation rapidly (∼ 0.25 s). Without extruding DNA loops, single FtsK hexamers approached XerCD-dif and resided there for ∼ 0.5 s irrespective of whether XerCD-dif was synapsed or unsynapsed. FtsK then dissociated, rather than reversing. Infrequently, FtsK activated XerCD-dif recombination when it encountered a preformed synaptic complex, and dissociated before the completion of recombination, consistent with each FtsK-XerCD-dif encounter activating only one round of recombination.
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13
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Crozat E, Rousseau P, Fournes F, Cornet F. The FtsK family of DNA translocases finds the ends of circles. J Mol Microbiol Biotechnol 2015; 24:396-408. [PMID: 25732341 DOI: 10.1159/000369213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
A global view of bacterial chromosome choreography during the cell cycle is emerging, highlighting as a next challenge the description of the molecular mechanisms and factors involved. Here, we review one such factor, the FtsK family of DNA translocases. FtsK is a powerful and fast translocase that reads chromosome polarity. It couples segregation of the chromosome with cell division and controls the last steps of segregation in time and space. The second model protein of the family SpoIIIE acts in the transfer of the Bacillus subtilis chromosome during sporulation. This review focuses on the molecular mechanisms used by FtsK and SpoIIIE to segregate chromosomes with emphasis on the latest advances and open questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Estelle Crozat
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie et de Génétique Moléculaires, CNRS, and Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
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14
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Besprozvannaya M, Burton BM. Do the same traffic rules apply? Directional chromosome segregation by SpoIIIE and FtsK. Mol Microbiol 2014; 93:599-608. [PMID: 25040776 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.12708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/03/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Over a decade of studies have tackled the question of how FtsK/SpoIIIE translocases establish and maintain directional DNA translocation during chromosome segregation in bacteria. FtsK/SpoIIIE translocases move DNA in a highly processive, directional manner, where directionality is facilitated by sequences on the substrate DNA molecules that are being transported. In recent years, structural, biochemical, single-molecule and high-resolution microscopic studies have provided new insight into the mechanistic details of directional DNA segregation. Out of this body of work, a series of models have emerged and, ultimately, yielded two seemingly opposing models: the loading model and the target search model. We review these recent mechanistic insights into directional DNA movement and discuss the data that may serve to unite these suggested models, as well as propose future directions that may ultimately solve the debate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Besprozvannaya
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, 16 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
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15
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Hughes CD, Simons M, Mackenzie CE, Van Houten B, Kad NM. Single molecule techniques in DNA repair: a primer. DNA Repair (Amst) 2014; 20:2-13. [PMID: 24819596 DOI: 10.1016/j.dnarep.2014.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2014] [Accepted: 02/03/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
A powerful new approach has become much more widespread and offers insights into aspects of DNA repair unattainable with billions of molecules. Single molecule techniques can be used to image, manipulate or characterize the action of a single repair protein on a single strand of DNA. This allows search mechanisms to be probed, and the effects of force to be understood. These physical aspects can dominate a biochemical reaction, where at the ensemble level their nuances are obscured. In this paper we discuss some of the many technical advances that permit study at the single molecule level. We focus on DNA repair to which these techniques are actively being applied. DNA repair is also a process that encompasses so much of what single molecule studies benefit--searching for targets, complex formation, sequential biochemical reactions and substrate hand-off to name just a few. We discuss how single molecule biophysics is poised to transform our understanding of biological systems, in particular DNA repair.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craig D Hughes
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK
| | - Michelle Simons
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK
| | - Cassidy E Mackenzie
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK
| | - Bennett Van Houten
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Neil M Kad
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK.
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16
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Silverstein TD, Gibb B, Greene EC. Visualizing protein movement on DNA at the single-molecule level using DNA curtains. DNA Repair (Amst) 2014; 20:94-109. [PMID: 24598576 DOI: 10.1016/j.dnarep.2014.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2013] [Revised: 02/01/2014] [Accepted: 02/03/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
A fundamental feature of many nucleic-acid binding proteins is their ability to move along DNA either by diffusion-based mechanisms or by ATP-hydrolysis driven translocation. For example, most site-specific DNA-binding proteins must diffuse to some extent along DNA to either find their target sites, or to otherwise fulfill their biological roles. Similarly, nucleic-acid translocases such as helicases and polymerases must move along DNA to fulfill their functions. In both instances, the proteins must also be capable of moving in crowded environments while navigating through DNA-bound obstacles. These types of behaviors can be challenging to analyze by bulk biochemical methods because of the transient nature of the interactions, and/or heterogeneity of the reaction intermediates. The advent of single-molecule methodologies has overcome some of these problems, and has led to many new insights into the mechanisms that contribute to protein motion along DNA. We have developed DNA curtains as a tool to facilitate single molecule observations of protein-nucleic acid interactions, and we have applied these new research tools to systems involving both diffusive-based motion as well as ATP directed translocation. Here we highlight these studies by first discussing how diffusion contributes to target searches by proteins involved in post-replicative mismatch repair. We then discuss DNA curtain assays of two different DNA translocases, RecBCD and FtsK, which participate in homologous DNA recombination and site-specific DNA recombination, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy D Silverstein
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Bryan Gibb
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Eric C Greene
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, USA.
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17
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Besprozvannaya M, Pivorunas VL, Feldman Z, Burton BM. SpoIIIE protein achieves directional DNA translocation through allosteric regulation of ATPase activity by an accessory domain. J Biol Chem 2013; 288:28962-74. [PMID: 23974211 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m113.484055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial chromosome segregation utilizes highly conserved directional translocases of the SpoIIIE/FtsK family. These proteins employ an accessory DNA-binding domain (γ) to dictate directionality of DNA transport. It remains unclear how the interaction of γ with specific recognition sequences coordinates directional DNA translocation. We demonstrate that the γ domain of SpoIIIE inhibits ATPase activity of the motor domain in the absence of DNA but stimulates ATPase activity through sequence-specific DNA recognition. Furthermore, we observe that communication between γ subunits is necessary for both regulatory roles. Consistent with these findings, the γ domain is necessary for robust DNA transport along the length of the chromosome in vivo. Together, our data reveal that directional activation involves allosteric regulation of ATP turnover through coordinated action of γ domains. Thus, we propose a coordinated stimulation model in which γ-γ communication is required to translate DNA sequence information from each γ to its respective motor domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Besprozvannaya
- From the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
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18
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Fiche JB, Cattoni DI, Diekmann N, Langerak JM, Clerte C, Royer CA, Margeat E, Doan T, Nöllmann M. Recruitment, assembly, and molecular architecture of the SpoIIIE DNA pump revealed by superresolution microscopy. PLoS Biol 2013; 11:e1001557. [PMID: 23667326 PMCID: PMC3646729 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1001557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2012] [Accepted: 03/27/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Super-resolution and fluctuation microscopy in a model DNA-segregation system reveal the architecture and assembly mechanism of the motor responsible for DNA translocation during bacterial cell division. ATP-fuelled molecular motors are responsible for rapid and specific transfer of double-stranded DNA during several fundamental processes, such as cell division, sporulation, bacterial conjugation, and viral DNA transport. A dramatic example of intercompartmental DNA transfer occurs during sporulation in Bacillus subtilis, in which two-thirds of a chromosome is transported across a division septum by the SpoIIIE ATPase. Here, we use photo-activated localization microscopy, structured illumination microscopy, and fluorescence fluctuation microscopy to investigate the mechanism of recruitment and assembly of the SpoIIIE pump and the molecular architecture of the DNA translocation complex. We find that SpoIIIE assembles into ∼45 nm complexes that are recruited to nascent sites of septation, and are subsequently escorted by the constriction machinery to the center of sporulation and division septa. SpoIIIE complexes contain 47±20 SpoIIIE molecules, a majority of which are assembled into hexamers. Finally, we show that directional DNA translocation leads to the establishment of a compartment-specific, asymmetric complex that exports DNA. Our data are inconsistent with the notion that SpoIIIE forms paired DNA conducting channels across fused membranes. Rather, our results support a model in which DNA translocation occurs through an aqueous DNA-conducting pore that could be structurally maintained by the divisional machinery, with SpoIIIE acting as a checkpoint preventing membrane fusion until completion of chromosome segregation. Our findings and proposed mechanism, and our unique combination of innovating methodologies, are relevant to the understanding of bacterial cell division, and may illuminate the mechanisms of other complex machineries involved in DNA conjugation and protein transport across membranes. Molecular motors are implicated in myriad cellular processes, notably in the transcription, replication, and segregation of DNA. Segregation or packaging of DNA is essential for production of viable viral particles, proper division of bacterial cells, and production of spores. A dramatic example of this process occurs during sporulation in Bacillus subtilis, in which a large proportion of the chromosome is actively transferred across a division septum by the SpoIIIE motor protein. Here, we use advanced microscopy methods to study the mechanism of recruitment and assembly of the SpoIIIE pump and the architecture of its complex with DNA. We found that SpoIIIE complexes are recruited before the beginning of cell division, and are subsequently escorted by the constriction machinery to the center of the septum. We show that the directionality of DNA transport by SpoIIIE results in the establishment of an asymmetric complex that exports DNA into the nascent spore. Our data are inconsistent with previous models that predicted the formation of a membrane-spanning DNA-conducting channel. Instead, the greater resolution afforded by our approach supports a model in which DNA movement occurs through an open pore structurally maintained by the division apparatus, with SpoIIIE working as a checkpoint preventing membrane fusion until completion of chromosome segregation. Our findings and proposed model may illuminate the mechanisms of other complex machineries involved in DNA conjugation and protein transport across membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Bernard Fiche
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 5048, Centre de Biochimie Structurale, Montpellier, France
- Institut National de la Santé et la Recherche Médicale, Unité 1054, Montpellier, France
- Universités Montpellier I et II, Montpellier, France
| | - Diego I. Cattoni
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 5048, Centre de Biochimie Structurale, Montpellier, France
- Institut National de la Santé et la Recherche Médicale, Unité 1054, Montpellier, France
- Universités Montpellier I et II, Montpellier, France
| | - Nele Diekmann
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 5048, Centre de Biochimie Structurale, Montpellier, France
- Institut National de la Santé et la Recherche Médicale, Unité 1054, Montpellier, France
- Universités Montpellier I et II, Montpellier, France
| | - Julio Mateos Langerak
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Génomique Humaine, Montpellier, France
| | - Caroline Clerte
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 5048, Centre de Biochimie Structurale, Montpellier, France
- Institut National de la Santé et la Recherche Médicale, Unité 1054, Montpellier, France
- Universités Montpellier I et II, Montpellier, France
| | - Catherine A. Royer
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 5048, Centre de Biochimie Structurale, Montpellier, France
- Institut National de la Santé et la Recherche Médicale, Unité 1054, Montpellier, France
- Universités Montpellier I et II, Montpellier, France
| | - Emmanuel Margeat
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 5048, Centre de Biochimie Structurale, Montpellier, France
- Institut National de la Santé et la Recherche Médicale, Unité 1054, Montpellier, France
- Universités Montpellier I et II, Montpellier, France
| | - Thierry Doan
- Laboratoire de Chimie Bactérienne, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 7283, Marseille, France
| | - Marcelo Nöllmann
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 5048, Centre de Biochimie Structurale, Montpellier, France
- Institut National de la Santé et la Recherche Médicale, Unité 1054, Montpellier, France
- Universités Montpellier I et II, Montpellier, France
- * E-mail:
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Demarre G, Galli E, Barre FX. The FtsK Family of DNA Pumps. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2013; 767:245-62. [PMID: 23161015 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4614-5037-5_12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Interest for proteins of the FtsK family initially arose from their implication in many primordial processes in which DNA needs to be transported from one cell compartment to another in eubacteria. In the first section of this chapter, we address a list of the cellular functions of the different members of the FtsK family that have been so far studied. Soon after their discovery, interest for the FstK proteins spread because of their unique biochemical properties: most DNA transport systems rely on the assembly of complex multicomponent machines. In contrast, six FtsK proteins are sufficient to assemble into a fast and powerful DNA pump; the pump transports closed circular double stranded DNA molecules without any covalent-bond breakage nor topological alteration; transport is oriented despite the intrinsic symmetrical nature of the double stranded DNA helix and can occur across cell membranes. The different activities required for the oriented transport of DNA across cell compartments are achieved by three separate modules within the FtsK proteins: a DNA translocation module, an orientation module and an anchoring module. In the second part of this chapter, we review the structural and biochemical properties of these different modules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaëlle Demarre
- Centre de Génétique Moléculaire, CNRS, Gif sur Yvette, Cedex, France,
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20
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Abstract
Cells are capable of a variety of dramatic stimuli-responsive mechanical behaviors. These capabilities are enabled by the pervading cytoskeletal network, an active gel composed of structural filaments (e.g., actin) that are acted upon by motor proteins (e.g., myosin). Here, we describe the synthesis and characterization of an active gel using noncytoskeletal components. We use methods of base-pair-templated DNA self assembly to create a hybrid DNA gel containing stiff tubes and flexible linkers. We then activate the gel by adding the motor FtsK50C, a construct derived from the bacterial protein FtsK that, in vitro, has a strong and processive DNA contraction activity. The motors stiffen the gel and create stochastic contractile events that affect the positions of attached beads. We quantify the fluctuations of the beads and show that they are comparable both to measurements of cytoskeletal systems and to theoretical predictions for active gels. Thus, we present a DNA-based active gel whose behavior highlights the universal aspects of nonequilibrium, motor-driven networks.
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21
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Single-molecule imaging of DNA curtains reveals mechanisms of KOPS sequence targeting by the DNA translocase FtsK. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012; 109:6531-6. [PMID: 22493241 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1201613109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
FtsK is a hexameric DNA translocase that participates in the final stages of bacterial chromosome segregation. Here we investigate the DNA-binding and translocation activities of FtsK in real time by imaging fluorescently tagged proteins on nanofabricated curtains of DNA. We show that FtsK preferentially loads at 8-bp KOPS (FtsK Orienting Polar Sequences) sites and that loading is enhanced in the presence of ADP. We also demonstrate that FtsK locates KOPS through a mechanism that does not involve extensive 1D diffusion at the scale of our resolution. Upon addition of ATP, KOPS-bound FtsK translocates in the direction dictated by KOPS polarity, and once FtsK has begun translocating it does not rerecognize KOPS from either direction. However, FtsK can abruptly change directions while translocating along DNA independent of KOPS, suggesting that the ability to reorient on DNA does not arise from DNA sequence-specific effects. Taken together, our data support a model in which FtsK locates KOPS through random collisions, preferentially engages KOPS in the ADP-bound state, translocates in the direction dictated by the polar orientation of KOPS, and is incapable of recognizing KOPS while translocating along DNA.
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22
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Allemand JF, Maier B, Smith DE. Molecular motors for DNA translocation in prokaryotes. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2012; 23:503-9. [PMID: 22226958 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2011.12.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2011] [Revised: 12/08/2011] [Accepted: 12/19/2011] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
DNA transport is an essential life process. From chromosome separation during cell division or sporulation, to DNA virus ejection or encapsidation, to horizontal gene transfer, it is ubiquitous in all living organisms. Directed DNA translocation is often energetically unfavorable and requires an active process that uses energy, namely the action of molecular motors. In this review we present recent advances in the understanding of three molecular motors involved in DNA transport in prokaryotes, paying special attention to recent studies using single-molecule techniques. We first discuss DNA transport during cell division, then packaging of DNA in phage capsids, and then DNA import during bacterial transformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-François Allemand
- Laboratoire de Physique Statistique, Ecole Normale Supérieure, UMR 8550 CNRS, Universités Pierre et Marie Curie and Paris Diderot, Département de Physique, 24 rue Lhomond, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France.
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23
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Domazet-Lošo M, Haubold B. Alignment-free detection of horizontal gene transfer between closely related bacterial genomes. Mob Genet Elements 2011; 1:230-235. [PMID: 22312592 DOI: 10.4161/mge.1.3.18065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2011] [Accepted: 09/13/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial epidemics are often caused by strains that have acquired their increased virulence through horizontal gene transfer. Due to this association with disease, the detection of horizontal gene transfer continues to receive attention from microbiologists and bioinformaticians alike. Most software for detecting transfer events is based on alignments of sets of genes or of entire genomes. But despite great advances in the design of algorithms and computer programs, genome alignment remains computationally challenging. We have therefore developed an alignment-free algorithm for rapidly detecting horizontal gene transfer between closely related bacterial genomes. Our implementation of this algorithm is called alfy for "ALignment Free local homologY" and is freely available from http://guanine.evolbio.mpg.de/alfy/. In this comment we demonstrate the application of alfy to the genomes of Staphylococcus aureus. We also argue that-contrary to popular belief and in spite of increasing computer speed-algorithmic optimization is becoming more, not less, important if genome data continues to accumulate at the present rate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirjana Domazet-Lošo
- Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing; Department of Applied Computing; University of Zagreb; Zagreb, Croatia
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24
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Sepulveda E, Vogelmann J, Muth G. A septal chromosome segregator protein evolved into a conjugative DNA-translocator protein. Mob Genet Elements 2011; 1:225-229. [PMID: 22479692 DOI: 10.4161/mge.1.3.18066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2011] [Revised: 09/12/2011] [Accepted: 09/13/2011] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Streptomycetes, Gram-positive soil bacteria well known for the production of antibiotics feature a unique conjugative DNA transfer system. In contrast to classical conjugation which is characterized by the secretion of a pilot protein covalently linked to a single-stranded DNA molecule, in Streptomyces a double-stranded DNA molecule is translocated during conjugative transfer. This transfer involves a single plasmid encoded protein, TraB. A detailed biochemical and biophysical characterization of TraB, revealed a close relationship to FtsK, mediating chromosome segregation during bacterial cell division. TraB translocates plasmid DNA by recognizing 8-bp direct repeats located in a specific plasmid region clt. Similar sequences accidentally also occur on chromosomes and have been shown to be bound by TraB. We suggest that TraB mobilizes chromosomal genes by the interaction with these chromosomal clt-like sequences not relying on the integration of the conjugative plasmid into the chromosome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edgardo Sepulveda
- Interfakultaeres Institut für Mikrobiologie und Infektionsmedizin Tuebingen IMIT; Mikrobiologie/Biotechnologie; Eberhard Karls Universitaet Tuebingen; Tuebingen, Germany
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25
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Deghorain M, Pagès C, Meile JC, Stouf M, Capiaux H, Mercier R, Lesterlin C, Hallet B, Cornet F. A defined terminal region of the E. coli chromosome shows late segregation and high FtsK activity. PLoS One 2011; 6:e22164. [PMID: 21799784 PMCID: PMC3140498 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0022164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2011] [Accepted: 06/16/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The FtsK DNA-translocase controls the last steps of chromosome segregation in E. coli. It translocates sister chromosomes using the KOPS DNA motifs to orient its activity, and controls the resolution of dimeric forms of sister chromosomes by XerCD-mediated recombination at the dif site and their decatenation by TopoIV. Methodology We have used XerCD/dif recombination as a genetic trap to probe the interaction of FtsK with loci located in different regions of the chromosome. This assay revealed that the activity of FtsK is restricted to a ∼400 kb terminal region of the chromosome around the natural position of the dif site. Preferential interaction with this region required the tethering of FtsK to the division septum via its N-terminal domain as well as its translocation activity. However, the KOPS-recognition activity of FtsK was not required. Displacement of replication termination outside the FtsK high activity region had no effect on FtsK activity and deletion of a part of this region was not compensated by its extension to neighbouring regions. By observing the fate of fluorescent-tagged loci of the ter region, we found that segregation of the FtsK high activity region is delayed compared to that of its adjacent regions. Significance Our results show that a restricted terminal region of the chromosome is specifically dedicated to the last steps of chromosome segregation and to their coupling with cell division by FtsK.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Deghorain
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie et de Génétique Moléculaire, CNRS, Toulouse, France
- Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
- Université Catholique de Louvain, Institut des Sciences de la Vie, Unité de Génétique, Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Carine Pagès
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie et de Génétique Moléculaire, CNRS, Toulouse, France
- Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Jean-Christophe Meile
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie et de Génétique Moléculaire, CNRS, Toulouse, France
- Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Mathieu Stouf
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie et de Génétique Moléculaire, CNRS, Toulouse, France
- Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Hervé Capiaux
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie et de Génétique Moléculaire, CNRS, Toulouse, France
- Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Romain Mercier
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie et de Génétique Moléculaire, CNRS, Toulouse, France
- Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Christian Lesterlin
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie et de Génétique Moléculaire, CNRS, Toulouse, France
- Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Bernard Hallet
- Université Catholique de Louvain, Institut des Sciences de la Vie, Unité de Génétique, Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium
| | - François Cornet
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie et de Génétique Moléculaire, CNRS, Toulouse, France
- Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
- * E-mail:
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26
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Crozat E, Grainge I. FtsK DNA translocase: the fast motor that knows where it's going. Chembiochem 2011; 11:2232-43. [PMID: 20922738 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201000347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
FtsK is a double-stranded DNA translocase, a motor that converts the chemical energy of binding and hydrolysing ATP into movement of a DNA substrate. It moves DNA at an amazing rate->5000 bp per second-and is powerful enough to remove other proteins from the DNA. In bacteria it is localised to the site of cell division, the septum, where it functions as a DNA pump at the late stages of the cell cycle, to expedite cytokinesis and chromosome segregation. The N terminus of the protein is involved in the cell-cycle-specific localisation and assembly of the cell-division machinery, whereas the C terminus forms the motor. The motor portion of FtsK has been studied by a combination of biochemistry, genetics, X-ray crystallography and single-molecule mechanical assays, and these will be the focus here. The motor can be divided into three subdomains: α, β and γ. The α and β domains multimerise to produce a hexameric ring with a central channel for dsDNA, and contain a RecA-like nucleotide-binding/hydrolysis fold. The motor is given directionality by the regulatory γ domain, which binds to polarised chromosomal sequences-5'-GGGNAGGG-3', known as KOPS-to ensure that the motor is loaded onto DNA in a specific orientation such that subsequent translocation is always towards the region of the chromosome where replication usually terminates (the terminus), and specifically to the 28 bp dif site, located in this region. Once the FtsK translocase has located the dif site it then interacts with the XerCD site-specific recombinases to activate recombination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Estelle Crozat
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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27
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Sequence-specific assembly of FtsK hexamers establishes directional translocation on DNA. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2010; 107:20263-8. [PMID: 21048089 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1007518107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
FtsK is a homohexameric, RecA-like dsDNA translocase that plays a key role in bacterial chromosome segregation. The FtsK regulatory γ-subdomain determines directionality of translocation through its interaction with specific 8 base pair chromosomal sequences [(KOPS); FtsK Orienting/Polarizing Sequence(s)] that are cooriented with the direction of replication in the chromosome. We use millisecond-resolution ensemble translocation and ATPase assays to analyze the assembly, initiation, and translocation of FtsK. We show that KOPS are used to initiate new translocation events rather than reorient existing ones. By determining kinetic parameters, we show sigmoidal dependences of translocation and ATPase rates on ATP concentration that indicate sequential cooperative coupling of ATP hydrolysis to DNA motion. We also estimate the ATP coupling efficiency of translocation to be 1.63-2.11 bp of dsDNA translocated/ATP hydrolyzed. The data were used to derive a model for the assembly, initiation, and translocation of FtsK hexamers.
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28
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Thanbichler M. Synchronization of chromosome dynamics and cell division in bacteria. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2010; 2:a000331. [PMID: 20182599 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a000331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Bacterial cells have evolved a variety of regulatory circuits that tightly synchronize their chromosome replication and cell division cycles, thereby ensuring faithful transmission of genetic information to their offspring. Complex multicomponent signaling cascades are used to monitor the progress of cytokinesis and couple replication initiation to the separation of the two daughter cells. Moreover, the cell-division apparatus actively participates in chromosome partitioning and, particularly, in the resolution of topological problems that impede the segregation process, thus coordinating chromosome dynamics with cell constriction. Finally, bacteria have developed mechanisms that harness the cell-cycle-dependent positioning of individual chromosomal loci or the nucleoid to define the cell-division site and control the timing of divisome assembly. Each of these systems manages to integrate a complex set of spatial and temporal cues to regulate and execute critical steps in the bacterial cell cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Thanbichler
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl-von-Frisch-Strabetae, D-35043 Marburg, Germany.
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29
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Abstract
DNA pumps play important roles in bacteria during cell division and during the transfer of genetic material by conjugation and transformation. The FtsK/SpoIIIE proteins carry out the translocation of double-stranded DNA to ensure complete chromosome segregation during cell division. In contrast, the complex molecular machines that mediate conjugation and genetic transformation drive the transport of single stranded DNA. The transformation machine also processes this internalized DNA and mediates its recombination with the resident chromosome during and after uptake, whereas the conjugation apparatus processes DNA before transfer. This article reviews these three types of DNA pumps, with attention to what is understood of their molecular mechanisms, their energetics and their cellular localizations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Briana Burton
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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30
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Nolivos S, Pages C, Rousseau P, Le Bourgeois P, Cornet F. Are two better than one? Analysis of an FtsK/Xer recombination system that uses a single recombinase. Nucleic Acids Res 2010. [PMID: 20542912 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkq507.] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteria harbouring circular chromosomes have a Xer site-specific recombination system that resolves chromosome dimers at division. In Escherichia coli, the activity of the XerCD/dif system is controlled and coupled with cell division by the FtsK DNA translocase. Most Xer systems, as XerCD/dif, include two different recombinases. However, some, as the Lactococcus lactis XerS/dif(SL) system, include only one recombinase. We investigated the functional effects of this difference by studying the XerS/dif(SL) system. XerS bound and recombined dif(SL) sites in vitro, both activities displaying asymmetric characteristics. Resolution of chromosome dimers by XerS/dif(SL) required translocation by division septum-borne FtsK. The translocase domain of L. lactis FtsK supported recombination by XerCD/dif, just as E. coli FtsK supports recombination by XerS/dif(SL). Thus, the FtsK-dependent coupling of chromosome segregation with cell division extends to non-rod-shaped bacteria and outside the phylum Proteobacteria. Both the XerCD/dif and XerS/dif(SL) recombination systems require the control activities of the FtsKγ subdomain. However, FtsKγ activates recombination through different mechanisms in these two Xer systems. We show that FtsKγ alone activates XerCD/dif recombination. In contrast, both FtsKγ and the translocation motor are required to activate XerS/dif(SL) recombination. These findings have implications for the mechanisms by which FtsK activates recombination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Nolivos
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie et de Génétique Moléculaire, CNRS and Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, F-31000 Toulouse, France
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Nolivos S, Pages C, Rousseau P, Le Bourgeois P, Cornet F. Are two better than one? Analysis of an FtsK/Xer recombination system that uses a single recombinase. Nucleic Acids Res 2010; 38:6477-89. [PMID: 20542912 PMCID: PMC2965235 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkq507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteria harbouring circular chromosomes have a Xer site-specific recombination system that resolves chromosome dimers at division. In Escherichia coli, the activity of the XerCD/dif system is controlled and coupled with cell division by the FtsK DNA translocase. Most Xer systems, as XerCD/dif, include two different recombinases. However, some, as the Lactococcus lactis XerS/dif(SL) system, include only one recombinase. We investigated the functional effects of this difference by studying the XerS/dif(SL) system. XerS bound and recombined dif(SL) sites in vitro, both activities displaying asymmetric characteristics. Resolution of chromosome dimers by XerS/dif(SL) required translocation by division septum-borne FtsK. The translocase domain of L. lactis FtsK supported recombination by XerCD/dif, just as E. coli FtsK supports recombination by XerS/dif(SL). Thus, the FtsK-dependent coupling of chromosome segregation with cell division extends to non-rod-shaped bacteria and outside the phylum Proteobacteria. Both the XerCD/dif and XerS/dif(SL) recombination systems require the control activities of the FtsKγ subdomain. However, FtsKγ activates recombination through different mechanisms in these two Xer systems. We show that FtsKγ alone activates XerCD/dif recombination. In contrast, both FtsKγ and the translocation motor are required to activate XerS/dif(SL) recombination. These findings have implications for the mechanisms by which FtsK activates recombination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Nolivos
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie et de Génétique Moléculaire, CNRS and Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, F-31000 Toulouse, France
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32
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Force-Extension and Force-Clamp AFM Spectroscopies in Investigating Mechanochemical Reactions and Mechanical Properties of Single Biomolecules. SCANNING PROBE MICROSCOPY IN NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-03535-7_12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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33
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Abstract
The DNA translocase function of Bacillus subtilis SpoIIIE is essential for spore development and is important during vegetative growth for moving trapped chromosomal DNA away from division septa. Two papers in this issue of Molecular Microbiology, from the teams of Peter Graumann and William Burkholder, have characterized a second SpoIIIE/FtsK-like protein in B. subtilis, SftA. This protein lacks any recognizable transmembrane domain possessed by the other characterized members of the family, yet the protein is shown to be associated with the division septum and, like SpoIIIE, is required for clearing DNA from the septum. However, SftA and SpoIIIE act at different stages of septation and together they ensure maximum fidelity in chromosome segregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling Juan Wu
- Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology, Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, The Medical School, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK.
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34
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Perumal SK, Yue H, Hu Z, Spiering MM, Benkovic SJ. Single-molecule studies of DNA replisome function. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2009; 1804:1094-112. [PMID: 19665592 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2009.07.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2009] [Revised: 07/08/2009] [Accepted: 07/28/2009] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Fast and accurate replication of DNA is accomplished by the interactions of multiple proteins in the dynamic DNA replisome. The DNA replisome effectively coordinates the leading and lagging strand synthesis of DNA. These complex, yet elegantly organized, molecular machines have been studied extensively by kinetic and structural methods to provide an in-depth understanding of the mechanism of DNA replication. Owing to averaging of observables, unique dynamic information of the biochemical pathways and reactions is concealed in conventional ensemble methods. However, recent advances in the rapidly expanding field of single-molecule analyses to study single biomolecules offer opportunities to probe and understand the dynamic processes involved in large biomolecular complexes such as replisomes. This review will focus on the recent developments in the biochemistry and biophysics of DNA replication employing single-molecule techniques and the insights provided by these methods towards a better understanding of the intricate mechanisms of DNA replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Senthil K Perumal
- 414 Wartik Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
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35
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Bonné L, Bigot S, Chevalier F, Allemand JF, Barre FX. Asymmetric DNA requirements in Xer recombination activation by FtsK. Nucleic Acids Res 2009; 37:2371-80. [PMID: 19246541 PMCID: PMC2673442 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkp104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In bacteria with circular chromosomes, homologous recombination events can lead to the formation of chromosome dimers. In Escherichia coli, chromosome dimers are resolved by the addition of a crossover by two tyrosine recombinases, XerC and XerD, at a specific site on the chromosome, dif. Recombination depends on a direct contact between XerD and a cell division protein, FtsK, which functions as a hexameric double stranded DNA translocase. Here, we have investigated how the structure and composition of DNA interferes with Xer recombination activation by FtsK. XerC and XerD each cleave a specific strand on dif, the top and bottom strand, respectively. We found that the integrity and nature of eight bottom-strand nucleotides and three top-strand nucleotides immediately adjacent to the XerD-binding site of dif are crucial for recombination. These nucleotides are probably not implicated in FtsK translocation since FtsK could translocate on single stranded DNA in both the 5′–3′ and 3′–5′ orientation along a few nucleotides. We propose that they are required to stabilize FtsK in the vicinity of dif for recombination to occur because the FtsK–XerD interaction is too transient or too weak in itself to allow for XerD catalysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laetitia Bonné
- CNRS, Centre de Génétique Moléculaire, FRE 3144, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
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36
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Allemand JF, Maier B. Bacterial translocation motors investigated by single molecule techniques. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2009; 33:593-610. [PMID: 19243443 DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6976.2009.00166.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Translocation of DNA and protein fibers through narrow constrictions is a ubiquitous and crucial activity of bacterial cells. Bacteria use specialized machines to support macromolecular movement. A very important step toward a mechanistic understanding of these translocation machines is the characterization of their physical properties at the single molecule level. Recently, four bacterial transport processes have been characterized by nanomanipulation at the single molecule level, DNA translocation by FtsK and SpoIIIE, DNA import during transformation, and the related process of a type IV pilus retraction. With all four processes, the translocation rates, processivity, and stalling forces were remarkably high as compared with single molecule experiments with other molecular motors. Although substrates of all four processes proceed along a preferential direction of translocation, directionality has been shown to be controlled by distinct mechanisms.
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37
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Löwe J, Ellonen A, Allen MD, Atkinson C, Sherratt DJ, Grainge I. Molecular mechanism of sequence-directed DNA loading and translocation by FtsK. Mol Cell 2008; 31:498-509. [PMID: 18722176 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2008.05.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2007] [Revised: 03/10/2008] [Accepted: 05/29/2008] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Dimeric circular chromosomes, formed by recombination between monomer sisters, cannot be segregated to daughter cells at cell division. XerCD site-specific recombination at the Escherichia coli dif site converts these dimers to monomers in a reaction that requires the DNA translocase FtsK. Short DNA sequences, KOPS (GGGNAGGG), which are polarized toward dif in the chromosome, direct FtsK translocation. FtsK interacts with KOPS through a C-terminal winged helix domain gamma. The crystal structure of three FtsKgamma domains bound to 8 bp KOPS DNA demonstrates how three gamma domains recognize KOPS. Using covalently linked dimers of FtsK, we infer that three gamma domains per hexamer are sufficient to recognize KOPS and load FtsK and subsequently activate recombination at dif. During translocation, FtsK fails to recognize an inverted KOPS sequence. Therefore, we propose that KOPS act solely as a loading site for FtsK, resulting in a unidirectionally oriented hexameric motor upon DNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Löwe
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK.
| | - Antti Ellonen
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Mark D Allen
- Centre for Protein Engineering, MRC, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK
| | - Claire Atkinson
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - David J Sherratt
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Ian Grainge
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK.
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38
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Sequence-directed DNA export guides chromosome translocation during sporulation in Bacillus subtilis. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2008; 15:485-93. [PMID: 18391964 DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2007] [Accepted: 02/22/2008] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
In prokaryotes, the transfer of DNA between cellular compartments is essential for the segregation and exchange of genetic material. SpoIIIE and FtsK are AAA+ ATPases responsible for intercompartmental chromosome translocation in bacteria. Despite functional and sequence similarities, these motors were proposed to use drastically different mechanisms: SpoIIIE was suggested to be a unidirectional DNA transporter that exports DNA from the compartment in which it assembles, whereas FtsK was shown to establish translocation directionality by interacting with highly skewed chromosomal sequences. Here we use a combination of single-molecule, bioinformatics and in vivo fluorescence methodologies to study the properties of DNA translocation by SpoIIIE in vitro and in vivo. These data allow us to propose a sequence-directed DNA exporter model that reconciles previously proposed models for SpoIIIE and FtsK, constituting a unified model for directional DNA transport by the SpoIIIE/FtsK family of AAA+ ring ATPases.
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Becker EC, Pogliano K. Cell-specific SpoIIIE assembly and DNA translocation polarity are dictated by chromosome orientation. Mol Microbiol 2008; 66:1066-79. [PMID: 18001347 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2007.05992.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
SpoIIIE and FtsK are related proteins that translocate chromosomes across septa. Previous results suggested that SpoIIIE exports DNA and that translocation polarity is governed by the cell-specific regulation of its assembly, but that FtsK is a reversible motor for which translocation polarity is governed by its DNA substrate. Seeking to reconcile these conclusions, we used cell-specific GFP tagging to demonstrate that SpoIIIE assembles a complex only in the mother cell, from which DNA is exported, but that DNA translocation-defective SpoIIIE proteins assemble in both cells. Altering chromosome architecture by soj-spo0J and racA soj-spo0J mutations allowed wild-type SpoIIIE to assemble in the forespore and export the forespore chromosome. Combining LacI-CFP tagging of oriC with time-lapse microscopy, we demonstrate that the chromosome is exported from the forespore when oriC fails to be trapped in the forespore. Thus, the position of oriC after septation determines which cell will receive the chromosome and which will assemble SpoIIIE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric C Becker
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive La Jolla, CA 92093-0377, USA
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40
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Abstract
During Bacillus subtilis sporulation, the SpoIIIE DNA translocase moves a trapped chromosome across the sporulation septum into the forespore. The preferential assembly of SpoIIIE complexes in the mother cell provided the idea that SpoIIIE functioned as a DNA exporter, which ensured translocation orientation. In this issue of Molecular Microbiology, Becker and Pogliano reinvestigate the molecular mechanisms that orient the activity of SpoIIIE. Their findings indicate that SpoIIIE reads the polarity of DNA like its Escherichia coli homologue, FtsK.
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Affiliation(s)
- François-Xavier Barre
- CNRS, Centre de Génétique Moléculaire, UPR 2167, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France; Univ Paris-Sud, 910405 Orsay, France.
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41
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Grainge I, Bregu M, Vazquez M, Sivanathan V, Ip SCY, Sherratt DJ. Unlinking chromosome catenanes in vivo by site-specific recombination. EMBO J 2007; 26:4228-38. [PMID: 17805344 PMCID: PMC2230843 DOI: 10.1038/sj.emboj.7601849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2007] [Accepted: 08/14/2007] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
A challenge for chromosome segregation in all domains of life is the formation of catenated progeny chromosomes, which arise during replication as a consequence of the interwound strands of the DNA double helix. Topoisomerases play a key role in DNA unlinking both during and at the completion of replication. Here we report that chromosome unlinking can instead be accomplished by multiple rounds of site-specific recombination. We show that step-wise, site-specific recombination by XerCD-dif or Cre-loxP can unlink bacterial chromosomes in vivo, in reactions that require KOPS-guided DNA translocation by FtsK. Furthermore, we show that overexpression of a cytoplasmic FtsK derivative is sufficient to allow chromosome unlinking by XerCD-dif recombination when either subunit of TopoIV is inactivated. We conclude that FtsK acts in vivo to simplify chromosomal topology as Xer recombination interconverts monomeric and dimeric chromosomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian Grainge
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Migena Bregu
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Mariel Vazquez
- Department of Mathematics, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | - Stephen C Y Ip
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - David J Sherratt
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Division of Molecular Genetics, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK. Tel.: +44 1865 275296; Fax: +44 1865 275297; E-mail:
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42
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Abstract
Many biologically important macromolecules undergo motions that are essential to their function. Biophysical techniques can now resolve the motions of single molecules down to the nanometer scale or even below, providing new insights into the mechanisms that drive molecular movements. This review outlines the principal approaches that have been used for high-resolution measurements of single-molecule motion, including centroid tracking, fluorescence resonance energy transfer, magnetic tweezers, atomic force microscopy, and optical traps. For each technique, the principles of operation are outlined, the capabilities and typical applications are examined, and various practical issues for implementation are considered. Extensions to these methods are also discussed, with an eye toward future application to outstanding biological problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- William J. Greenleaf
- Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305–5030
| | - Michael T. Woodside
- National Institute for Nanotechnology, National Research Council of Canada, Edmonton AB, T6G 2V4, Canada
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2G7, Canada
| | - Steven M. Block
- Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305–5030
- Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305–5030;
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43
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Abstract
The study of chromosome segregation in bacteria has gained strong insights from the use of cytology techniques. A global view of chromosome choreography during the cell cycle is emerging, highlighting as a next challenge the description of the molecular mechanisms and factors involved. Here, we review one of such factor, the FtsK DNA translocase. FtsK couples segregation of the chromosome terminus, the ter region, with cell division. It is a powerful and fast translocase that reads chromosome polarity to find the end, thereby sorting sister ter regions on either side of the division septum, and activating the last steps of segregation. Recent data have revealed the structure of the FtsK motor, how translocation is oriented by specific DNA motifs, termed KOPS, and suggests novel mechanisms for translocation and sensing chromosome polarity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Bigot
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie et de Génétique Moléculaire du CNRS, Université Paul Sabatier--Toulouse III, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062 Toulouse Cedex, France.
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45
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Hopfner KP, Michaelis J. Mechanisms of nucleic acid translocases: lessons from structural biology and single-molecule biophysics. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2006; 17:87-95. [PMID: 17157498 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2006.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2006] [Revised: 10/18/2006] [Accepted: 11/27/2006] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Enzymes that translocate nucleic acids using ATP hydrolysis include DNA and RNA helicases, viral genome packaging motors and chromatin remodeling ATPases. Recent structural analysis, in conjunction with single-molecule studies, has revealed a wealth of new insights into how these enzymes use ATP-driven conformational changes to move on nucleic acids.
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46
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Sivanathan V, Allen MD, de Bekker C, Baker R, Arciszewska LK, Freund SM, Bycroft M, Löwe J, Sherratt DJ. The FtsK gamma domain directs oriented DNA translocation by interacting with KOPS. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2006; 13:965-72. [PMID: 17057717 PMCID: PMC2556771 DOI: 10.1038/nsmb1158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2006] [Accepted: 09/27/2006] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The bacterial septum-located DNA translocase FtsK coordinates circular chromosome segregation with cell division. Rapid translocation of DNA by FtsK is directed by 8-base-pair DNA motifs (KOPS), so that newly replicated termini are brought together at the developing septum, thereby facilitating completion of chromosome segregation. Translocase functions reside in three domains, alpha, beta and gamma. FtsKalphabeta are necessary and sufficient for ATP hydrolysis-dependent DNA translocation, which is modulated by FtsKgamma through its interaction with KOPS. By solving the FtsKgamma structure by NMR, we show that gamma is a winged-helix domain. NMR chemical shift mapping localizes the DNA-binding site on the gamma domain. Mutated proteins with substitutions in the FtsKgamma DNA-recognition helix are impaired in DNA binding and KOPS recognition, yet remain competent in DNA translocation and XerCD-dif site-specific recombination, which facilitates the late stages of chromosome segregation.
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