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Wegrzyn K, Konieczny I. Toward an understanding of the DNA replication initiation in bacteria. Front Microbiol 2024; 14:1328842. [PMID: 38249469 PMCID: PMC10797057 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1328842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Although the mechanism of DNA replication initiation has been investigated for over 50 years, many important discoveries have been made related to this process in recent years. In this mini-review, we discuss the current state of knowledge concerning the structure of the origin region in bacterial chromosomes and plasmids, recently discovered motifs recognized by replication initiator proteins, and proposed in the literature models describing initial origin opening. We review structures of nucleoprotein complexes formed by replication initiators at chromosomal and plasmid replication origins and discuss their functional implications. We also discuss future research challenges in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Wegrzyn
- Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
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Wegrzyn K, Oliwa M, Nowacka M, Zabrocka E, Bury K, Purzycki P, Czaplewska P, Pipka J, Giraldo R, Konieczny I. Rep protein accommodates together dsDNA and ssDNA which enables a loop-back mechanism to plasmid DNA replication initiation. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:10551-10567. [PMID: 37713613 PMCID: PMC10602881 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/17/2023] Open
Abstract
For DNA replication initiation in Bacteria, replication initiation proteins bind to double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) and interact with single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) at the replication origin. The structural-functional relationship of the nucleoprotein complex involving initiator proteins is still elusive and different models are proposed. In this work, based on crosslinking combined with mass spectrometry (MS), the analysis of mutant proteins and crystal structures, we defined amino acid residues essential for the interaction between plasmid Rep proteins, TrfA and RepE, and ssDNA. This interaction and Rep binding to dsDNA could not be provided in trans, and both are important for dsDNA melting at DNA unwinding element (DUE). We solved two crystal structures of RepE: one in a complex with ssDNA DUE, and another with both ssDNA DUE and dsDNA containing RepE-specific binding sites (iterons). The amino acid residues involved in interaction with ssDNA are located in the WH1 domain in stand β1, helices α1 and α2 and in the WH2 domain in loops preceding strands β1' and β2' and in these strands. It is on the opposite side compared to RepE dsDNA-recognition interface. Our data provide evidence for a loop-back mechanism through which the plasmid replication initiator molecule accommodates together dsDNA and ssDNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Wegrzyn
- Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, University of Gdansk, Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Monika Oliwa
- Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, University of Gdansk, Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Marzena Nowacka
- Laboratory of Protein Structure, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw, Księcia Trojdena 4, 02-109 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Elżbieta Zabrocka
- Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, University of Gdansk, Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Bury
- Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, University of Gdansk, Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Piotr Purzycki
- Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, University of Gdansk, Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Paulina Czaplewska
- Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, University of Gdansk, Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Justyna Pipka
- Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, University of Gdansk, Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Rafael Giraldo
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas – CSIC, E28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Igor Konieczny
- Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, University of Gdansk, Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland
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Wegrzyn K, Zabrocka E, Bury K, Tomiczek B, Wieczor M, Czub J, Uciechowska U, Moreno-Del Alamo M, Walkow U, Grochowina I, Dutkiewicz R, Bujnicki JM, Giraldo R, Konieczny I. Defining a novel domain that provides an essential contribution to site-specific interaction of Rep protein with DNA. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:3394-3408. [PMID: 33660784 PMCID: PMC8034659 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Revised: 02/04/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
An essential feature of replication initiation proteins is their ability to bind to DNA. In this work, we describe a new domain that contributes to a replication initiator sequence-specific interaction with DNA. Applying biochemical assays and structure prediction methods coupled with DNA–protein crosslinking, mass spectrometry, and construction and analysis of mutant proteins, we identified that the replication initiator of the broad host range plasmid RK2, in addition to two winged helix domains, contains a third DNA-binding domain. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that the composition of this unique domain is typical within the described TrfA-like protein family. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments involving the constructed TrfA mutant proteins showed that the newly identified domain is essential for the formation of the protein complex with DNA, contributes to the avidity for interaction with DNA, and the replication activity of the initiator. The analysis of mutant proteins, each containing a single substitution, showed that each of the three domains composing TrfA is essential for the formation of the protein complex with DNA. Furthermore, the new domain, along with the winged helix domains, contributes to the sequence specificity of replication initiator interaction within the plasmid replication origin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Wegrzyn
- Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, University of Gdansk, Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Elzbieta Zabrocka
- Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, University of Gdansk, Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Bury
- Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, University of Gdansk, Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Bartlomiej Tomiczek
- Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, University of Gdansk, Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Milosz Wieczor
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Gdańsk University of Technology, Narutowicza 11/12, 80-233 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Jacek Czub
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Gdańsk University of Technology, Narutowicza 11/12, 80-233 Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Urszula Uciechowska
- Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, University of Gdansk, Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland
| | - María Moreno-Del Alamo
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas - CSIC, E28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Urszula Walkow
- Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, University of Gdansk, Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Igor Grochowina
- Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, University of Gdansk, Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Rafal Dutkiewicz
- Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, University of Gdansk, Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Janusz M Bujnicki
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Protein Engineering, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw, Księcia Trojdena 4, 02-109 Warsaw, Poland.,Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61-614 Poznan, Poland
| | - Rafael Giraldo
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas - CSIC, E28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Igor Konieczny
- Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, University of Gdansk, Abrahama 58, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland
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Kim JW, Bugata V, Cortés-Cortés G, Quevedo-Martínez G, Camps M. Mechanisms of Theta Plasmid Replication in Enterobacteria and Implications for Adaptation to Its Host. EcoSal Plus 2020; 9:10.1128/ecosalplus.ESP-0026-2019. [PMID: 33210586 PMCID: PMC7724965 DOI: 10.1128/ecosalplus.esp-0026-2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Plasmids are autonomously replicating sequences that help cells adapt to diverse stresses. Theta plasmids are the most frequent plasmid class in enterobacteria. They co-opt two host replication mechanisms: replication at oriC, a DnaA-dependent pathway leading to replisome assembly (theta class A), and replication fork restart, a PriA-dependent pathway leading to primosome assembly through primer extension and D-loop formation (theta classes B, C, and D). To ensure autonomy from the host's replication and to facilitate copy number regulation, theta plasmids have unique mechanisms of replication initiation at the plasmid origin of replication (ori). Tight plasmid copy number regulation is essential because of the major and direct impact plasmid gene dosage has on gene expression. The timing of plasmid replication and segregation are also critical for optimizing plasmid gene expression. Therefore, we propose that plasmid replication needs to be understood in its biological context, where complex origins of replication (redundant origins, mosaic and cointegrated replicons), plasmid segregation, and toxin-antitoxin systems are often present. Highlighting their tight functional integration with ori function, we show that both partition and toxin-antitoxin systems tend to be encoded in close physical proximity to the ori in a large collection of Escherichia coli plasmids. We also propose that adaptation of plasmids to their host optimizes their contribution to the host's fitness while restricting access to broad genetic diversity, and we argue that this trade-off between adaptation to host and access to genetic diversity is likely a determinant factor shaping the distribution of replicons in populations of enterobacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay W Kim
- Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
| | - Vega Bugata
- Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
| | - Gerardo Cortés-Cortés
- Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
| | - Giselle Quevedo-Martínez
- Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
| | - Manel Camps
- Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064
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Wegrzyn KE, Gross M, Uciechowska U, Konieczny I. Replisome Assembly at Bacterial Chromosomes and Iteron Plasmids. Front Mol Biosci 2016; 3:39. [PMID: 27563644 PMCID: PMC4980987 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2016.00039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2016] [Accepted: 07/25/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The proper initiation and occurrence of DNA synthesis depends on the formation and rearrangements of nucleoprotein complexes within the origin of DNA replication. In this review article, we present the current knowledge on the molecular mechanism of replication complex assembly at the origin of bacterial chromosome and plasmid replicon containing direct repeats (iterons) within the origin sequence. We describe recent findings on chromosomal and plasmid replication initiators, DnaA and Rep proteins, respectively, and their sequence-specific interactions with double- and single-stranded DNA. Also, we discuss the current understanding of the activities of DnaA and Rep proteins required for replisome assembly that is fundamental to the duplication and stability of genetic information in bacterial cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna E Wegrzyn
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk Gdansk, Poland
| | - Marta Gross
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk Gdansk, Poland
| | - Urszula Uciechowska
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk Gdansk, Poland
| | - Igor Konieczny
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk Gdansk, Poland
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Abstract
Iteron-containing plasmids are model systems for studying the metabolism of extrachromosomal genetic elements in bacterial cells. Here we describe the current knowledge and understanding of the structure of iteron-containing replicons, the structure of the iteron plasmid encoded replication initiation proteins, and the molecular mechanisms for iteron plasmid DNA replication initiation. We also discuss the current understanding of control mechanisms affecting the plasmid copy number and how host chaperone proteins and proteases can affect plasmid maintenance in bacterial cells.
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Rakowski SA, Filutowicz M. Plasmid R6K replication control. Plasmid 2013; 69:231-42. [PMID: 23474464 DOI: 10.1016/j.plasmid.2013.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2012] [Revised: 02/14/2013] [Accepted: 02/16/2013] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
The focus of this minireview is the replication control of the 39.9-kb plasmid R6K and its derivatives. Historically, this plasmid was thought to have a narrow host range but more recent findings indicate that its derivatives can replicate in a variety of enteric and non-enteric bacterial species (Wild et al., 2004). In the four-plus decades since it was first described, R6K has proven to be an excellent model for studies of plasmid DNA replication. In part this is because of its similarities to other systems in which replication is activated and regulated by Rep protein and iteron-containing DNA. However its apparent idiosynchracies have also added to its significance (e.g., independent and co-dependent replication origins, and Rep dimers that stably bind iterons). Here, we survey the current state of knowledge regarding R6K replication and place individual regulatory elements into a proposed homeostatic model with implications for the biological significance of R6K and its multiple origins of replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheryl A Rakowski
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
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Rajewska M, Wegrzyn K, Konieczny I. AT-rich region and repeated sequences - the essential elements of replication origins of bacterial replicons. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2011; 36:408-34. [PMID: 22092310 DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6976.2011.00300.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2011] [Accepted: 07/07/2011] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Repeated sequences are commonly present in the sites for DNA replication initiation in bacterial, archaeal, and eukaryotic replicons. Those motifs are usually the binding places for replication initiation proteins or replication regulatory factors. In prokaryotic replication origins, the most abundant repeated sequences are DnaA boxes which are the binding sites for chromosomal replication initiation protein DnaA, iterons which bind plasmid or phage DNA replication initiators, defined motifs for site-specific DNA methylation, and 13-nucleotide-long motifs of a not too well-characterized function, which are present within a specific region of replication origin containing higher than average content of adenine and thymine residues. In this review, we specify methods allowing identification of a replication origin, basing on the localization of an AT-rich region and the arrangement of the origin's structural elements. We describe the regularity of the position and structure of the AT-rich regions in bacterial chromosomes and plasmids. The importance of 13-nucleotide-long repeats present at the AT-rich region, as well as other motifs overlapping them, was pointed out to be essential for DNA replication initiation including origin opening, helicase loading and replication complex assembly. We also summarize the role of AT-rich region repeated sequences for DNA replication regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Rajewska
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
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Application of the bacteriophage Mu-driven system for the integration/amplification of target genes in the chromosomes of engineered Gram-negative bacteria--mini review. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2011; 91:857-71. [PMID: 21698377 PMCID: PMC3145075 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-011-3416-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2011] [Revised: 05/24/2011] [Accepted: 05/24/2011] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
The advantages of phage Mu transposition-based systems for the chromosomal editing of plasmid-less strains are reviewed. The cis and trans requirements for Mu phage-mediated transposition, which include the L/R ends of the Mu DNA, the transposition factors MuA and MuB, and the cis/trans functioning of the E element as an enhancer, are presented. Mini-Mu(LR)/(LER) units are Mu derivatives that lack most of the Mu genes but contain the L/R ends or a properly arranged E element in cis to the L/R ends. The dual-component system, which consists of an integrative plasmid with a mini-Mu and an easily eliminated helper plasmid encoding inducible transposition factors, is described in detail as a tool for the integration/amplification of recombinant DNAs. This chromosomal editing method is based on replicative transposition through the formation of a cointegrate that can be resolved in a recombination-dependent manner. (E-plus)- or (E-minus)-helpers that differ in the presence of the trans-acting E element are used to achieve the proper mini-Mu transposition intensity. The systems that have been developed for the construction of stably maintained mini-Mu multi-integrant strains of Escherichia coli and Methylophilus methylotrophus are described. A novel integration/amplification/fixation strategy is proposed for consecutive independent replicative transpositions of different mini-Mu(LER) units with “excisable” E elements in methylotrophic cells.
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Evolutionary competitiveness of two natural variants of the IncQ-like plasmids, pRAS3.1 and pRAS3.2. J Bacteriol 2010; 192:6182-90. [PMID: 20889750 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00176-10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmids pRAS3.1 and pRAS3.2 are natural variants of the IncQ-2 plasmid family, that except for two differences, have identical plasmid backbones. Plasmid pRAS3.1 has four 22-bp iterons in its oriV region, while pRAS3.2 has only three 6-bp repeats and pRAS3.1 has five 6-bp repeats in the promoter region of the mobB-mobA/repB genes and pRAS3.2 has only four. In previous work, we showed that the overall effect of these differences was that when the plasmid was in an Escherichia coli host, the copy numbers of pRAS3.1 and pRAS3.2 were approximately 41 and 30, respectively. As pRAS3.1 and pRAS3.2 are likely to have arisen from the same ancestor, we addressed the question of whether one of the variants had an evolutionary advantage over the other. By constructing a set of identical plasmids with the number of 22-bp iterons varying from three to seven, it was found that plasmids with four or five iterons displaced plasmids with three iterons even though they had lower copy numbers. Furthermore, the metabolic load that the plasmids placed on E. coli host cells compared with plasmid-free cells increased with copy number from 10.9% at a copy number of 59 to 2.6% at a copy number of 15. Plasmid pRAS3.1 with four 22-bp iterons was able to displace pRAS3.2 with three iterons when both were coresident in the same host. However, the lower-copy-number pRAS3.2 placed 2.8% less of a metabolic burden on an E. coli host population, and therefore, pRAS3.2 has a competitive advantage over pRAS3.1 at the population level, as pRAS3.2-containing cells would be expected to outgrow pRAS3.1-containing cells.
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Chen CL, Wang CY, Chu C, Su LH, Chiu CH. Functional and molecular characterization of pSE34 encoding a type IV secretion system inSalmonella entericaserotype Enteritidis phage type 34. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2009; 57:274-83. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-695x.2009.00612.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Norman A, Hansen LH, She Q, Sørensen SJ. Nucleotide sequence of pOLA52: a conjugative IncX1 plasmid from Escherichia coli which enables biofilm formation and multidrug efflux. Plasmid 2008; 60:59-74. [PMID: 18440636 DOI: 10.1016/j.plasmid.2008.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2008] [Revised: 03/11/2008] [Accepted: 03/13/2008] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
The large conjugative multidrug resistance (MDR) plasmid pOLA52 was sequenced and annotated. The plasmid encodes two phenotypes normally associated with the chromosomes of opportunistic pathogens, namely MDR via a resistance-nodulation-division (RND)-type efflux-pump (oqxAB), and the formation of type 3 fimbriae (mrkABCDF). The plasmid was found to be 51,602 bp long with 68 putative genes. About half of the plasmid constituted a conserved IncX1-type backbone with predicted regions for conjugation, replication and partitioning, as well as a toxin/antitoxin (TA) plasmid addiction system. The plasmid was also classified as IncX1 with incompatibility testing. The conjugal transfer and plasmid maintenance regions of pOLA52 therefore seem to represent IncX1 orthologues of the well-characterized IncX2 plasmid R6K. Sequence homology searches in GenBank also suggested a considerably higher prevalence of IncX1 group plasmids than IncX2. The 21 kb 'genetic load' region of pOLA52 was shown to consist of a mosaic, among other things a fragmented Tn3 transposon encoding ampicillin resistance. Most notably the oqxAB and mrkABCDF cassettes were contained within two composite transposons (Tn6010 and Tn6011) that seemed to originate from Klebsiella pneumoniae, thus demonstrating the capability of IncX1 plasmids of facilitating lateral transfer of gene cassettes between different Enterobacteriaceae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anders Norman
- Department of Biology, Evolution and Microbiology Section, University of Copenhagen, Sølvgade 83H, DK-1307 Copenhagen K, Denmark
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Bowers LM, Filutowicz M. Cooperative binding mode of the inhibitors of R6K replication, pi dimers. J Mol Biol 2008; 377:609-15. [PMID: 18295232 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2008.01.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2007] [Revised: 12/24/2007] [Accepted: 01/15/2008] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The replication initiator protein, pi, plays an essential role in the initiation of plasmid R6K replication. Both monomers and dimers of pi bind to iterons in the gamma origin of plasmid R6K, yet monomers facilitate open complex formation, while dimers, the predominant form in the cell, do not. Consequently, pi monomers activate replication, while pi dimers inhibit replication. Recently, it was shown that the monomeric form of pi binds multiple tandem iterons in a strongly cooperative fashion, which might explain how monomers outcompete dimers for replication initiation when plasmid copy number and pi supply are low. Here, we examine cooperative binding of pi dimers and explore the role that these interactions may have in the inactivation of gamma origin. To examine pi dimer/iteron interactions in the absence of competing pi monomer/iteron interactions using wild-type pi, constructs were made with key base changes to each iteron that eliminate pi monomer binding yet have no impact on pi dimer binding. Our results indicate that, in the absence of pi monomers, pi dimers bind with greater cooperativity to alternate iterons than to adjacent iterons, thus preferentially leaving intervening iterons unbound and the origin unsaturated. We discuss new insights into plasmid replication control by pi dimers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa M Bowers
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1550 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA
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Kunnimalaiyaan S, Rakowski SA, Filutowicz M. Structure-based functional analysis of the replication protein of plasmid R6K: key amino acids at the pi/DNA interface. J Bacteriol 2007; 189:4953-6. [PMID: 17449630 PMCID: PMC1913429 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00109-07] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In previous work, we characterized the bases in an iteron of plasmid R6K that are important for the binding of pi protein monomers and dimers. Here we investigate the following six amino acids of pi, encoded by pir, hypothesized to be important for DNA contact: Ser71, Try74, Gly131, Gly211, Arg225, and Arg254.
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Affiliation(s)
- Selvi Kunnimalaiyaan
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin, 420 Henry Mall, Madison, WI 53706, USA
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