TraY DNA recognition of its two F factor binding sites

Reappraisal of the DNA phosphorothioate modification machinery: uncovering neglected functional modalities and identification of new counter-invader defense systems

The DndABCDE systems catalysing the unusual phosphorothioate (PT) DNA backbone modification, and the DndFGH systems, which restrict invasive DNA, have enigmatic and paradoxical features. Using comparative genomics and sequence-structure analyses, we show that the DndABCDE module is commonly functionally decoupled from the DndFGH module. However, the modification gene-neighborhoods encode other nucleases, potentially acting as the actual restriction components or suicide effectors limiting propagation of the selfish elements. The modification module's core consists of a coevolving gene-pair encoding the DNA-scanning apparatus - a DndD/CxC-clade ABC ATPase and DndE with two ribbon-helix-helix (MetJ/Arc) DNA-binding domains. Diversification of DndE's DNA-binding interface suggests a multiplicity of target specificities. Additionally, many systems feature DNA cytosine methylase genes instead of PT modification, indicating the DndDE core can recruit other nucleobase modifications. We show that DndFGH is a distinct counter-invader system with several previously uncharacterized domains, including a nucleotide kinase. These likely trigger its restriction endonuclease domain in response to multiple stimuli, like nucleotides, while blocking protective modifications by invader methylases. Remarkably, different DndH variants contain a HerA/FtsK ATPase domain acquired from multiple sources, including cellular genome-segregation systems and mobile elements. Thus, we uncovered novel HerA/FtsK-dependent defense systems that might intercept invasive DNA during replication, conjugation, or packaging.

Identification of oriT and a recombination hot spot in the IncA/C plasmid backbone

Dissemination of multiresistance has been accelerating among pathogenic bacteria in recent decades. The broad host-range conjugative plasmids of the IncA/C family are effective vehicles of resistance determinants in Gram-negative bacteria. Although more than 150 family members have been sequenced to date, their conjugation system and other functions encoded by the conserved plasmid backbone have been poorly characterized. The key cis-acting locus, the origin of transfer (oriT), has not yet been unambiguously identified. We present evidence that IncA/C plasmids have a single oriT locus immediately upstream of the mobI gene encoding an indispensable transfer factor. The fully active oriT spans ca. 150-bp AT-rich region overlapping the promoters of mobI and contains multiple inverted and direct repeats. Within this region, the core domain of oriT with reduced but detectable transfer activity was confined to a 70-bp segment containing two inverted repeats and one copy of a 14-bp direct repeat. In addition to oriT, a second locus consisting of a 14-bp imperfect inverted repeat was also identified, which mimicked the function of oriT but which was found to be a recombination site. Recombination between two identical copies of these sites is RecA-independent, requires a plasmid-encoded recombinase and resembles the functioning of dimer-resolution systems.

Concerted action of NIC relaxase and auxiliary protein MobC in RA3 plasmid conjugation

Conjugative transfer of the broad-host-range RA3 plasmid, the archetype of the IncU group, relies on the relaxase NIC that belongs to the as yet uncharacterized MOBP4 subfamily. NIC contains the signature motifs of HUH relaxases involved in Tyr nucleophilic attack. However, it differs in the residue involved in His activation for cation coordination and was shown here to have altered divalent cation requirements. NIC is encoded in the mobC-nic operon preceded directly by oriT, where mobC encodes an auxiliary transfer protein with a dual function: autorepressor and stimulator of conjugative transfer. Here an interplay between MobC and NIC was demonstrated. MobC is required for efficient NIC cleavage of oriT in supercoiled DNA whereas NIC assists MobC in repression of the mobC-nic operon. A 7-bp arm of IR3 (IR3a) was identified as the binding site for NIC and the crucial nucleotides in IR3a for NIC recognition were defined. Fully active oriTRA3 was delineated to a 47-bp DNA segment encompassing a conserved cleavage site sequence, the NIC binding site IR3a and the MobC binding site OM . This highly efficient RA3 conjugative system with defined requirements for minimal oriT could find ample applications in biotechnology and computational biology where simple conjugative systems are needed.

Structure and function of AvtR, a novel transcriptional regulator from a hyperthermophilic archaeal lipothrixvirus

The structural and functional analysis of the protein AvtR encoded by Acidianus filamentous virus 6 (AFV6), which infects the archaeal genus Acidianus, revealed its unusual structure and involvement in transcriptional regulation of several viral genes. The crystal structure of AvtR (100 amino acids) at 2.6-Å resolution shows that it is constituted of a repeated ribbon-helix-helix (RHH) motif, which is found in a large family of bacterial transcriptional regulators. The known RHH proteins form dimers that interact with DNA using their ribbon to create a central β-sheet. The repeated RHH motifs of AvtR superpose well on such dimers, but its central sheet contains an extra strand, suggesting either conformational changes or a different mode of DNA binding. Systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) experiments combined with systematic mutational and computational analysis of the predicted site revealed 8 potential AvtR targets in the AFV6 genome. Two of these targets were studied in detail, and the complex role of AvtR in the transcriptional regulation of viral genes was established. Repressing transcription from its own gene, gp29, AvtR can also act as an activator of another gene, gp30. Its binding sites are distant from both genes' TATA boxes, and the mechanism of AvtR-dependent regulation appears to include protein oligomerization starting from the protein's initial binding sites. Many RHH transcriptional regulators of archaeal viruses could share this regulatory mechanism.

Mobile genetic elements in the genus Bacteroides, and their mechanism(s) of dissemination

Bacteroides spp organisms, the predominant commensal bacteria in the human gut have become increasingly resistant to many antibiotics. They are now also considered to be reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes due to their capacity to harbor and disseminate these genes via mobile transmissible elements that occur in bewildering variety. Gene dissemination occurs within and from Bacteroides spp primarily by conjugation, the molecular mechanisms of which are still poorly understood in the genus, even though the need to prevent this dissemination is urgent. One current avenue of research is thus focused on interventions that use non-antibiotic methodologies to prevent conjugation-based DNA transfer.

Conjugative DNA metabolism in Gram-negative bacteria

Bacterial conjugation in Gram-negative bacteria is triggered by a signal that connects the relaxosome to the coupling protein (T4CP) and transferosome, a type IV secretion system. The relaxosome, a nucleoprotein complex formed at the origin of transfer (oriT), consists of a relaxase, directed to the nic site by auxiliary DNA-binding proteins. The nic site undergoes cleavage and religation during vegetative growth, but this is converted to a cleavage and unwinding reaction when a competent mating pair has formed. Here, we review the biochemistry of relaxosomes and ponder some of the remaining questions about the nature of the signal that begins the process.

Regulation of bacterial conjugation in microaerobiosis by host-encoded functions ArcAB and sdhABCD

The virulence plasmid of Salmonella enterica (pSLT) is an F-like conjugative plasmid. High rates of pSLT transfer occur in the mammalian gut, a microaerobic environment. In this study, we describe genetic screens for host-encoded activators and repressors of the transfer operon (tra) of pSLT. We show that the transcription factor ArcA is an activator of conjugation, especially under microaerobiosis. In turn, succinate dehydrogenase (SdhABCD) is a repressor of mating in aerobiosis. ArcA binds upstream of the main tra promoter (p(traY)) and activates tra transcription, as previously described in F, R1, and R100. In the absence of ArcA, transfer of pSLT decreased 7-fold in aerobiosis and >100-fold in microaerobiosis. In aerobiosis, ArcA activates the traY promoter in an ArcB-independent manner, as described in other F-like plasmids. In microaerobiosis, however, the ArcB sensor is necessary for activation of p(traY). Lack of Sdh causes a >20-fold increase in pSLT transfer in aerobiosis, but has little effect under microaerobiosis. Sdh inhibits conjugal transfer by reducing traJ transcription, probably in an indirect manner. In turn, the sdhCDAB operon is repressed by the ArcAB system under microaerobiosis. Hence, the ArcAB two-component system of S. enterica stimulates pSLT transfer under microaerobiosis by two concerted actions: activation of the tra operon and repression of the sdhCDAB operon.

A novel fold in the TraI relaxase-helicase c-terminal domain is essential for conjugative DNA transfer

TraI relaxase-helicase is the central catalytic component of the multiprotein relaxosome complex responsible for conjugative DNA transfer (CDT) between bacterial cells. CDT is a primary mechanism for the lateral propagation of microbial genetic material, including the spread of antibiotic resistance genes. The 2.4-A resolution crystal structure of the C-terminal domain of the multifunctional Escherichia coli F (fertility) plasmid TraI protein is presented, and specific structural regions essential for CDT are identified. The crystal structure reveals a novel fold composed of a 28-residue N-terminal alpha-domain connected by a proline-rich loop to a compact alpha/beta-domain. Both the globular nature of the alpha/beta-domain and the presence as well as rigidity of the proline-rich loop are required for DNA transfer and single-stranded DNA binding. Taken together, these data establish the specific structural features of this noncatalytic domain that are essential to DNA conjugation.

TraY and integration host factor oriT binding sites and F conjugal transfer: sequence variations, but not altered spacing, are tolerated

Bacterial conjugation is the process by which a single strand of a conjugative plasmid is transferred from donor to recipient. For F plasmid, TraI, a relaxase or nickase, binds a single plasmid DNA strand at its specific origin of transfer (oriT) binding site, sbi, and cleaves at a site called nic. In vitro studies suggest TraI is recruited to sbi by its accessory proteins, TraY and integration host factor (IHF). TraY and IHF bind conserved oriT sites sbyA and ihfA, respectively, and bend DNA. The resulting conformational changes may propagate to nic, generating the single-stranded region that TraI can bind. Previous deletion studies performed by others showed transfer efficiency of a plasmid containing F oriT decreased progressively as increasingly longer segments, ultimately containing both sbyA and ihfA, were deleted. Here we describe our efforts to more precisely define the role of sbyA and ihfA by examining the effects of multiple base substitutions at sbyA and ihfA on binding and plasmid mobilization. While we observed significant decreases in in vitro DNA-binding affinities, we saw little effect on plasmid mobilization even when sbyA and ihfA variants were combined. In contrast, when half or full helical turns were inserted between the relaxosome protein-binding sites, mobilization was dramatically reduced, in some cases below the detectable limit of the assay. These results are consistent with TraY and IHF recognizing sbyA and ihfA with limited sequence specificity and with relaxosome proteins requiring proper spacing and orientation with respect to each other.

The F plasmid‐encoded TraM protein stimulates relaxosome‐mediated cleavage atoriTthrough an interaction with TraI

Conjugative DNA transfer is a highly conserved process for the direct transfer of DNA from a donor to a recipient. The conjugative initiator proteins are key players in the DNA processing reactions that initiate DNA transfer - they introduce a site- and strand-specific break in the DNA backbone via a transesterification that leaves the initiator protein covalently bound on the 5'-end of the cleaved DNA strand. The action of the initiator protein at the origin of transfer (oriT) is governed by auxiliary proteins that alter the architecture of the DNA molecule, allowing binding of the initiator protein. In the F plasmid system, two auxiliary proteins have roles in establishing the relaxosome: the host-encoded IHF and the plasmid-encoded TraY. Together, these proteins direct the loading of TraI which contains the catalytic centre for the transesterification. The F-oriT sequence includes a binding site for another plasmid-encoded protein, TraM, which is required for DNA transfer. Here the impact of TraM protein on the formation and activity of the F plasmid relaxosome has been examined. Purified TraM stimulates the formation of relaxed DNA in a reaction that requires the minimal components of the relaxosome, TraI, TraY and IHF. Unlike TraY and IHF, TraM is not essential for the formation of the relaxosome in vitro and TraM cannot substitute for either TraY or IHF in this process. The TraM binding site sbmC, along with both IHF binding sites, is essential for stimulation of the relaxase reaction. In addition, stimulation of transesterification appears to require the C-terminal domain of TraI suggesting that TraM and TraI may interact through this domain on TraI. Taken together, these results provide additional evidence of a role for TraM as a component of the relaxosome, suggest a previously unknown interaction between TraI and TraM, and allow us to propose a molecular role for the C-terminal domain of TraI.

Cut and move: protein machinery for DNA processing in bacterial conjugation

Conjugation is a paradigmatic example of horizontal or lateral gene transfer, whereby DNA is translocated between bacterial cells. It provides a route for the rapid acquisition of new genetic information. Increased antibiotic resistance among pathogens is a troubling consequence of this microbial capacity. DNA transfer across cell membranes requires a sophisticated molecular machinery that involves the participation of several proteins in DNA processing and replication, cell recruitment, and the transport of DNA and proteins from donor to recipient cells. Although bacterial conjugation was first reported in the 1940s, only now are we beginning to unravel the molecular mechanisms behind this process. In particular, structural biology is revealing the detailed molecular architecture of several of the pieces involved.

The metal- and DNA-binding activities of Helicobacter pylori NikR

The pathogenic bacteria Helicobacter pylori require nickel as a cofactor of the enzymes urease and hydrogenase. One of the proteins that controls nickel homeostasis in this organism is Helicobacter pylori NikR (HpNikR), a homologue of nickel-dependent transcription factors from other organisms, which regulates the expression of multiple proteins such as the urease structural subunits and itself. To examine the properties of this protein, metal analysis was used to demonstrate that HpNikR can bind stoichiometric nickel or copper, and electronic absorption spectroscopy revealed that HpNikR binds nickel with picomolar affinity in what is likely a conserved square-planar site. In vitro DNA-binding assays revealed that HpNikR can bind directly to the promoter region of the ureA operon in response to nickel, and the location of the binding site was defined. Nickel also induces DNA binding to the nikR promoter sequence but the complex is much weaker. These experiments suggest that HpNikR directly controls the expression of multiple genes by binding to separate DNA sequences, and the possible mechanisms for differential regulation are discussed.

ParG, a protein required for active partition of bacterial plasmids, has a dimeric ribbon-helix-helix structure

The ParG protein (8.6 kDa) is an essential component of the DNA partition complex of multidrug resistance plasmid TP228. ParG is a dimer in solution, interacts with DNA sequences upstream of the parFG genes and also with the ParF partition protein both in the absence and presence of target DNA. Here, the solution nuclear magnetic resonance structure of ParG is reported. The ParG dimer is composed of a folded domain formed by two closely intertwined C-terminal parts (residues 33-76), and two highly mobile tails consisting of N-terminal regions (residues 1-32). The folded part of ParG has the ribbon-helix-helix (RHH) architecture similar to that of the Arc/MetJ superfamily of DNA-binding transcriptional repressors, although the primary sequence similarity is very low. ParG interacts with DNA predominantly via its folded domain; this interaction is coupled with ParG oligomerization. The dimeric RHH structure of ParG suggests that it binds to DNA by inserting the double-stranded beta-sheet into the major groove of DNA, in a manner similar to transcriptional repressors from the Arc/MetJ superfamily, and that ParG can function as a transcriptional repressor itself. A new classification of proteins belonging to the Arc/MetJ superfamily and ParG homologues is proposed, based on the location of a conserved positively charged residue at either the beginning or at the end of the beta-strand which forms part of the DNA recognition motif.