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Connolley L, Schnabel L, Thanbichler M, Murray SM. Partition complex structure can arise from sliding and bridging of ParB dimers. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4567. [PMID: 37516778 PMCID: PMC10387095 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40320-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/31/2023] Open
Abstract
In many bacteria, chromosome segregation requires the association of ParB to the parS-containing centromeric region to form the partition complex. However, the structure and formation of this complex have been unclear. Recently, studies have revealed that CTP binding enables ParB dimers to slide along DNA and condense the centromeric region through the formation of DNA bridges. Using semi-flexible polymer simulations, we demonstrate that these properties can explain partition complex formation. Transient ParB bridges organize DNA into globular states or hairpins and helical structures, depending on bridge lifetime, while separate simulations show that ParB sliding reproduces the multi-peaked binding profile observed in Caulobacter crescentus. Combining sliding and bridging into a unified model, we find that short-lived ParB bridges do not impede sliding and can reproduce both the binding profile and condensation of the nucleoprotein complex. Overall, our model elucidates the mechanism of partition complex formation and predicts its fine structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara Connolley
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology and Center for Synthetic Microbiology, 35043, Marburg, Germany
| | - Lucas Schnabel
- Department of Biology, University of Marburg, 35043, Marburg, Germany
| | - Martin Thanbichler
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology and Center for Synthetic Microbiology, 35043, Marburg, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Marburg, 35043, Marburg, Germany
| | - Seán M Murray
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology and Center for Synthetic Microbiology, 35043, Marburg, Germany.
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2
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Picker MA, Karney MMA, Gerson TM, Karabachev A, Duhart J, McKenna J, Wing H. Localized modulation of DNA supercoiling, triggered by the Shigella anti-silencer VirB, is sufficient to relieve H-NS-mediated silencing. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:3679-3695. [PMID: 36794722 PMCID: PMC10164555 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Revised: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
In Bacteria, nucleoid structuring proteins govern nucleoid dynamics and regulate transcription. In Shigella spp., at ≤30°C, the histone-like nucleoid structuring protein (H-NS) transcriptionally silences many genes on the large virulence plasmid. Upon a switch to 37°C, VirB, a DNA binding protein and key transcriptional regulator of Shigella virulence, is produced. VirB functions to counter H-NS-mediated silencing in a process called transcriptional anti-silencing. Here, we show that VirB mediates a loss of negative DNA supercoils from our plasmid-borne, VirB-regulated PicsP-lacZ reporter in vivo. The changes are not caused by a VirB-dependent increase in transcription, nor do they require the presence of H-NS. Instead, the VirB-dependent change in DNA supercoiling requires the interaction of VirB with its DNA binding site, a critical first step in VirB-dependent gene regulation. Using two complementary approaches, we show that VirB:DNA interactions in vitro introduce positive supercoils in plasmid DNA. Subsequently, by exploiting transcription-coupled DNA supercoiling, we reveal that a localized loss of negative supercoils is sufficient to alleviate H-NS-mediated transcriptional silencing independently of VirB. Together, our findings provide novel insight into VirB, a central regulator of Shigella virulence and, more broadly, a molecular mechanism that offsets H-NS-dependent silencing of transcription in bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A Picker
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154-4004, USA
| | - Monika M A Karney
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154-4004, USA
| | - Taylor M Gerson
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154-4004, USA
| | | | - Juan C Duhart
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154-4004, USA
| | - Joy A McKenna
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154-4004, USA
| | - Helen J Wing
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154-4004, USA
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3
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Picker MA, Karney MMA, Gerson TM, Karabachev AD, Duhart JC, McKenna JA, Wing HJ. Localized modulation of DNA supercoiling, triggered by the Shigella anti-silencer VirB, is sufficient to relieve H-NS-mediated silencing. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.09.523335. [PMID: 36711906 PMCID: PMC9882051 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.09.523335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
In Bacteria, nucleoid structuring proteins govern nucleoid dynamics and regulate transcription. In Shigella spp ., at ≤ 30 °C, the histone-like nucleoid structuring protein (H-NS) transcriptionally silences many genes on the large virulence plasmid. Upon a switch to 37 °C, VirB, a DNA binding protein and key transcriptional regulator of Shigella virulence, is produced. VirB functions to counter H-NS-mediated silencing in a process called transcriptional anti-silencing. Here, we show that VirB mediates a loss of negative DNA supercoils from our plasmid-borne, VirB-regulated PicsP-lacZ reporter, in vivo . The changes are not caused by a VirB-dependent increase in transcription, nor do they require the presence of H-NS. Instead, the VirB-dependent change in DNA supercoiling requires the interaction of VirB with its DNA binding site, a critical first step in VirB-dependent gene regulation. Using two complementary approaches, we show that VirB:DNA interactions in vitro introduce positive supercoils in plasmid DNA. Subsequently, by exploiting transcription-coupled DNA supercoiling, we reveal that a localized loss of negative supercoils is sufficient to alleviate H-NS-mediated transcriptional silencing, independently of VirB. Together, our findings provide novel insight into VirB, a central regulator of Shigella virulence and more broadly, a molecular mechanism that offsets H-NS-dependent silencing of transcription in bacteria.
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4
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Physical Modeling of a Sliding Clamp Mechanism for the Spreading of ParB at Short Genomic Distance from Bacterial Centromere Sites. iScience 2020; 23:101861. [PMID: 33319179 PMCID: PMC7725951 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Revised: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial ParB partitioning proteins involved in chromosomes and low-copy-number plasmid segregation are cytosine triphosphate (CTP)-dependent molecular switches. CTP-binding converts ParB dimers to DNA clamps, allowing unidimensional diffusion along the DNA. This sliding property has been proposed to explain the ParB spreading over large distances from parS centromere sites where ParB is specifically loaded. We modeled such a "clamping and sliding" mechanism as a typical reaction-diffusion system, compared it to the F plasmid ParB DNA binding pattern, and found that it can account neither for the long range of ParB binding to DNA nor for the rapid assembly kinetics observed in vivo after parS duplication. Also, it predicts a strong effect on the F plasmid ParB binding pattern from the presence of a roadblock that is not observed in ChIP-sequencing (ChIP-seq). We conclude that although "clamping and sliding" can occur at short distances from parS, another mechanism must apply for ParB recruitment at larger genomic distances.
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Addressing the role of centromere sites in activation of ParB proteins for partition complex assembly. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0226472. [PMID: 32379828 PMCID: PMC7205306 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0226472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2019] [Accepted: 04/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The ParB-parS partition complexes that bacterial replicons use to ensure their faithful inheritance also find employment in visualization of DNA loci, as less intrusive alternatives to fluorescent repressor-operator systems. The ability of ParB molecules to interact via their N-terminal domains and to bind to non-specific DNA enables expansion of the initial complex to a size both functional in partition and, via fusion to fluorescent peptides, visible by light microscopy. We have investigated whether it is possible to dispense with the need to insert parS in the genomic locus of interest, by determining whether ParB fused to proteins that bind specifically to natural DNA sequences can still assemble visible complexes. In yeast cells, coproduction of fusions of ParB to a fluorescent peptide and to a TALE protein targeting an endogenous sequence did not yield visible foci; nor did any of several variants of these components. In E.coli, coproduction of fusions of SopB (F plasmid ParB) to fluorescent peptide, and to dCas9 together with specific guide RNAs, likewise yielded no foci. The result of coproducing analogous fusions of SopB proteins with distinct binding specificities was also negative. Our observations imply that in order to assemble higher order partition complexes, ParB proteins need specific activation through binding to their cognate parS sites.
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Guynet C, Nicolas E, Ton-Hoang B, Bouet JY, Hallet B. First Biochemical Steps on Bacterial Transposition Pathways. Methods Mol Biol 2020; 2075:157-177. [PMID: 31584162 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-9877-7_12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Transposons are found in a wide variety of forms throughout the prokaryotic world where they actively contribute to the adaptive strategies of bacterial communities and hence, to the continuous emergence of new multiresistant pathogens. Contrasting with their biological and societal impact, only a few bacterial transposons have been the subject of detailed molecular studies. In this chapter, we propose a set of reliable biochemical methods as a primary route for studying new transposition mechanisms. These methods include (a) a straightforward approach termed "thermal shift induction" to produce the transposase in a soluble and properly folded configuration prior to its purification, (b) an adaptation of classical electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA) combined to fluorescently labeled DNA substrates to determine the DNA content of different complexes assembled by the transposase, and (c) a highly sensitive "in-gel" DNA footprinting assay to further characterize these complexes at the base pair resolution level. A combination of these approaches was recently applied to decipher the molecular organization of key intermediates in the Tn3-family transposition pathway, a mechanism that has long been refractory to biochemical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Guynet
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie et Génétique Moléculaires, Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Toulouse, UPS, Toulouse, France.
| | - Emilien Nicolas
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Genetics and Ecology (LEGE), Department of Biology-URBE, University of Namur (UNamur), Namur, Belgium
| | - Bao Ton-Hoang
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie et Génétique Moléculaires, Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Toulouse, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Jean-Yves Bouet
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie et Génétique Moléculaires, Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Toulouse, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Bernard Hallet
- Louvain Institute of Biomolecular Science and Technology (LIBST), Université Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
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Debaugny RE, Sanchez A, Rech J, Labourdette D, Dorignac J, Geniet F, Palmeri J, Parmeggiani A, Boudsocq F, Anton Leberre V, Walter JC, Bouet JY. A conserved mechanism drives partition complex assembly on bacterial chromosomes and plasmids. Mol Syst Biol 2018; 14:e8516. [PMID: 30446599 PMCID: PMC6238139 DOI: 10.15252/msb.20188516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2018] [Accepted: 10/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Chromosome and plasmid segregation in bacteria are mostly driven by ParABS systems. These DNA partitioning machineries rely on large nucleoprotein complexes assembled on centromere sites (parS). However, the mechanism of how a few parS-bound ParB proteins nucleate the formation of highly concentrated ParB clusters remains unclear despite several proposed physico-mathematical models. We discriminated between these different models by varying some key parameters in vivo using the F plasmid partition system. We found that "Nucleation & caging" is the only coherent model recapitulating in vivo data. We also showed that the stochastic self-assembly of partition complexes (i) is a robust mechanism, (ii) does not directly involve ParA ATPase, (iii) results in a dynamic structure of discrete size independent of ParB concentration, and (iv) is not perturbed by active transcription but is by protein complexes. We refined the "Nucleation & caging" model and successfully applied it to the chromosomally encoded Par system of Vibrio cholerae, indicating that this stochastic self-assembly mechanism is widely conserved from plasmids to chromosomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roxanne E Debaugny
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie et Génétique Moléculaires, Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Toulouse, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Aurore Sanchez
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie et Génétique Moléculaires, Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Toulouse, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Jérôme Rech
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie et Génétique Moléculaires, Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Toulouse, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | | | - Jérôme Dorignac
- Laboratoire Charles Coulomb, CNRS-Université Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Frédéric Geniet
- Laboratoire Charles Coulomb, CNRS-Université Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - John Palmeri
- Laboratoire Charles Coulomb, CNRS-Université Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Andrea Parmeggiani
- Laboratoire Charles Coulomb, CNRS-Université Montpellier, Montpellier, France
- Dynamique des Interactions Membranaires Normales et Pathologiques, CNRS-Université Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - François Boudsocq
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie et Génétique Moléculaires, Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Toulouse, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | | | - Jean-Charles Walter
- Laboratoire Charles Coulomb, CNRS-Université Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Jean-Yves Bouet
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie et Génétique Moléculaires, Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Toulouse, UPS, Toulouse, France
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8
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Sanchez A, Cattoni D, Walter JC, Rech J, Parmeggiani A, Nollmann M, Bouet JY. Stochastic Self-Assembly of ParB Proteins Builds the Bacterial DNA Segregation Apparatus. Cell Syst 2015; 1:163-73. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2015.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2015] [Revised: 06/15/2015] [Accepted: 07/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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9
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Dendrimer functionalization of gold surface improves the measurement of protein–DNA interactions by surface plasmon resonance imaging. Biosens Bioelectron 2013; 43:148-54. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2012.12.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2012] [Revised: 12/03/2012] [Accepted: 12/04/2012] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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10
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Schumacher MA. Bacterial plasmid partition machinery: a minimalist approach to survival. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2011; 22:72-9. [PMID: 22153351 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2011.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2011] [Revised: 11/05/2011] [Accepted: 11/09/2011] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The accurate segregation or partition of replicated DNA is essential for ensuring stable genome transmission. Partition of bacterial plasmids requires only three elements: a centromere-like DNA site and two proteins, a partition NTPase, and a centromere-binding protein (CBP). Because of this simplicity, partition systems have served as tractable model systems to study the fundamental molecular mechanisms required for DNA segregation at an atomic level. In the last few years, great progress has been made in this endeavor. Surprisingly, these studies have revealed that although the basic partition components are functionally conserved between three types of plasmid partition systems, these systems employ distinct mechanisms of DNA segregation. This review summarizes the molecular insights into plasmid segregation that have been achieved through these recent structural studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria A Schumacher
- Department of Biochemistry, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
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11
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Pillet F, Sanchez A, Lane D, Anton Leberre V, Bouet JY. Centromere binding specificity in assembly of the F plasmid partition complex. Nucleic Acids Res 2011; 39:7477-86. [PMID: 21653553 PMCID: PMC3177203 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkr457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The segregation of plasmid F of Escherichia coli is highly reliable. The Sop partition locus, responsible for this stable maintenance, is composed of two genes, sopA and sopB and a centromere, sopC, consisting of 12 direct repeats of 43 bp. Each repeat carries a 16-bp inverted repeat motif to which SopB binds to form a nucleoprotein assembly called the partition complex. A database search for sequences closely related to sopC revealed unexpected features that appeared highly conserved. We have investigated the requirements for specific SopB-sopC interactions using a surface plasmon resonance imaging technique. We show that (i) only 10 repeats interact specifically with SopB, (ii) no base outside the 16-bp sopC sites is involved in binding specificity, whereas five bases present in each arm are required for interactions, and (iii) the A-C central bases contribute to binding efficiency by conforming to a need for a purine-pyrimidine dinucleotide. We have refined the SopB-sopC binding pattern by electro-mobility shift assay and found that all 16 bp are necessary for optimal SopB binding. These data and the model we propose, define the basis of the high binding specificity of F partition complex assembly, without which, dispersal of SopB over DNA would result in defective segregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flavien Pillet
- Université de Toulouse, INSA, UPS, INP, LISBP, Toulouse, France
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12
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Dam B. A type Ib plasmid segregation machinery of the Advenella kashmirensis plasmid pBTK445. Plasmid 2010; 65:185-91. [PMID: 21192970 DOI: 10.1016/j.plasmid.2010.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2010] [Revised: 12/17/2010] [Accepted: 12/21/2010] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
pBTK445 is a newly described large (∼60Kb), low-copy number, conjugative plasmid indigenous to the sulfur-chemolithoautotroph Advenella kashmirensis. Based on its minimal replication region, a shuttle vector, pBTKS was constructed which can be used for diverse Alcaligenaceae members. The construct was found to be stably maintained both in the native host as well as in Escherichia coli in the absence of selective pressure which indicated that pBTKS harbors the stabilizing system of pBTK445, that are commonly coded by low-copy-number plasmids. Deletion analyzes of pBTKS confirmed the essentiality of parA (encoding a Walker-type ATPase of 214 amino acids) and the downstream located small parB (encoding an 85 amino acid protein having no sequence homolog in the database) in the faithful partitioning of pBTK445. A 1075bp PCR product, containing parA, parB and an upstream sequence having nine 11bp direct repeats (parS site) was found to comprise the partition functions of pBTK445, stabilizing both low-copy or high-copy number homologous and heterologous replicons in diverse hosts. The incompatibility determinant and the par promoter, P(par) were both found to be present within a 191bp iterated sequence present upstream of parA. ParB was found to regulate the expression of the Par proteins from P(par). The presence of a typical Walker-type ATPase motif in ParA, a short phylogenetically unrelated ParB, that acts as a repressor of P(par), and location of the iterated parS site upstream of parA, confirm that the active partition system of pBTK445 belongs to the type Ib.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bomba Dam
- Department of Biogeochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Karl Von Frisch Strasse 10, D-35043 Marburg, Germany.
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13
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Soberón NE, Lioy VS, Pratto F, Volante A, Alonso JC. Molecular anatomy of the Streptococcus pyogenes pSM19035 partition and segrosome complexes. Nucleic Acids Res 2010; 39:2624-37. [PMID: 21138966 PMCID: PMC3074150 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkq1245] [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: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Vancomycin or erythromycin resistance and the stability determinants, δω and ωεζ, of Enterococci and Streptococci plasmids are genetically linked. To unravel the mechanisms that promoted the stable persistence of resistance determinants, the early stages of Streptococcus pyogenes pSM19035 partitioning were biochemically dissected. First, the homodimeric centromere-binding protein, ω2, bound parS DNA to form a short-lived partition complex 1 (PC1). The interaction of PC1 with homodimeric δ [δ2 even in the apo form (Apo-δ2)], significantly stimulated the formation of a long-lived ω2·parS complex (PC2) without spreading into neighbouring DNA sequences. In the ATP·Mg2+ bound form, δ2 bound DNA, without sequence specificity, to form a transient dynamic complex (DC). Second, parS bound ω2 interacted with and promoted δ2 redistribution to co-localize with the PC2, leading to transient segrosome complex (SC, parS·ω2·δ2) formation. Third, δ2, in the SC, interacted with a second SC and promoted formation of a bridging complex (BC). Finally, increasing ω2 concentrations stimulated the ATPase activity of δ2 and the BC was disassembled. We propose that PC, DC, SC and BC formation were dynamic processes and that the molar ω2:δ2 ratio and parS DNA control their temporal and spatial assembly during partition of pSM19035 before cell division.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora E Soberón
- Departamento de Biotecnología Microbiana, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, CSIC, 28049 Madrid, Spain
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Plasmid pSM19035, a model to study stable maintenance in Firmicutes. Plasmid 2010; 64:1-17. [PMID: 20403380 DOI: 10.1016/j.plasmid.2010.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2010] [Revised: 04/09/2010] [Accepted: 04/13/2010] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
pSM19035 is a low-copy-number theta-replicating plasmid, which belongs to the Inc18 family. Plasmids of this family, which show a modular organization, are functional in evolutionarily diverse bacterial species of the Firmicutes Phylum. This review summarizes our understanding, accumulated during the last 20 years, on the genetics, biochemistry, cytology and physiology of the five pSM19035 segregation (seg) loci, which map outside of the minimal replicon. The segA locus plays a role both in maximizing plasmid random segregation, and in avoiding replication fork collapses in those plasmids with long inverted repeated regions. The segB1 locus, which acts as the ultimate determinant of plasmid maintenance, encodes a short-lived epsilon(2) antitoxin protein and a long-lived zeta toxin protein, which form a complex that neutralizes zeta toxicity. The cells that do not receive a copy of the plasmid halt their proliferation upon decay of the epsilon(2) antitoxin. The segB2 locus, which encodes two trans-acting, ParA- and ParB-like proteins and six cis-acting parS centromeres, actively ensures equal or roughly equal distribution of plasmid copies to daughter cells. The segC locus includes functions that promote the shift from the use of DNA polymerase I to the replicase (PolC-PolE DNA polymerases). The segD locus, which encodes a trans-acting transcriptional repressor, omega(2), and six cis-acting cognate sites, coordinates the expression of genes that control copy number, better-than-random segregation and partition, and assures the proper balance of these different functions. Working in concert the five different loci achieve almost absolute plasmid maintenance with a minimal growth penalty.
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15
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Schumacher MA, Piro KM, Xu W. Insight into F plasmid DNA segregation revealed by structures of SopB and SopB-DNA complexes. Nucleic Acids Res 2010; 38:4514-26. [PMID: 20236989 PMCID: PMC2910045 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkq161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Accurate DNA segregation is essential for genome transmission. Segregation of the prototypical F plasmid requires the centromere-binding protein SopB, the NTPase SopA and the sopC centromere. SopB displays an intriguing range of DNA-binding properties essential for partition; it binds sopC to form a partition complex, which recruits SopA, and it also coats DNA to prevent non-specific SopA–DNA interactions, which inhibits SopA polymerization. To understand the myriad functions of SopB, we determined a series of SopB–DNA crystal structures. SopB does not distort its DNA site and our data suggest that SopB–sopC forms an extended rather than wrapped partition complex with the SopA-interacting domains aligned on one face. SopB is a multidomain protein, which like P1 ParB contains an all-helical DNA-binding domain that is flexibly attached to a compact (β3–α)2 dimer-domain. Unlike P1 ParB, the SopB dimer-domain does not bind DNA. Moreover, SopB contains a unique secondary dimerization motif that bridges between DNA duplexes. Both specific and non-specific SopB–DNA bridging structures were observed. This DNA-linking function suggests a novel mechanism for in trans DNA spreading by SopB, explaining how it might mask DNA to prevent DNA-mediated inhibition of SopA polymerization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria A Schumacher
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Unit 1000, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
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Ah-Seng Y, Lopez F, Pasta F, Lane D, Bouet JY. Dual role of DNA in regulating ATP hydrolysis by the SopA partition protein. J Biol Chem 2009; 284:30067-75. [PMID: 19740757 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m109.044800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
In bacteria, mitotic stability of plasmids and many chromosomes depends on replicon-specific systems, which comprise a centromere, a centromere-binding protein and an ATPase. Dynamic self-assembly of the ATPase appears to enable active partition of replicon copies into cell-halves, but for Walker-box partition ATPases the molecular mechanism is unknown. ATPase activity appears to be essential for this process. DNA and centromere-binding proteins are known to stimulate the ATPase activity but molecular details of the stimulation mechanism have not been reported. We have investigated the interactions which stimulate ATP hydrolysis by the SopA partition ATPase of plasmid F. By using SopA and SopB proteins deficient in DNA binding, we have found that the intrinsic ability of SopA to hydrolyze ATP requires direct DNA binding by SopA but not by SopB. Our results show that two independent interactions of SopA act in synergy to stimulate its ATPase. SopA must interact with (i) DNA, through its ATP-dependent nonspecific DNA binding domain and (ii) SopB, which we show here to provide an arginine-finger motif. In addition, the latter interaction stimulates ATPase maximally when SopB is part of the partition complex. Hence, our data demonstrate that DNA acts on SopA in two ways, directly as nonspecific DNA and through SopB as centromeric DNA, to fully activate SopA ATP hydrolysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoan Ah-Seng
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie et Génétique Moléculaires, CNRS, F-31000 Toulouse, France
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