Efficient Tn10 transposition into a DNA insertion hot spot in vivo requires the 5-methyl groups of symmetrically disposed thymines within the hot-spot consensus sequence

The STM4195 gene product (PanS) transports coenzyme A precursors in Salmonella enterica

Coenzyme A (CoA) is a ubiquitous coenzyme involved in fundamental metabolic processes. CoA is synthesized from pantothenic acid by a pathway that is largely conserved among bacteria and eukaryotes and consists of five enzymatic steps. While higher organisms, including humans, must scavenge pantothenate from the environment, most bacteria and plants are capable of de novo pantothenate biosynthesis. In Salmonella enterica, precursors to pantothenate can be salvaged, but subsequent intermediates are not transported due to their phosphorylated state, and thus the pathway from pantothenate to CoA is considered essential. Genetic analyses identified the STM4195 gene product of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium as a transporter of pantothenate precursors, ketopantoate and pantoate and, to a lesser extent, pantothenate. Further results indicated that STM4195 transports a product of CoA degradation that serves as a precursor to CoA and enters the biosynthetic pathway between PanC and CoaBC (dfp). The relevant CoA derivative is distinguishable from pantothenate, pantetheine, and pantethine and has spectral properties indicating the adenine moiety of CoA is intact. Taken together, the results presented here provide evidence of a transport mechanism for the uptake of ketopantoate, pantoate, and pantothenate and demonstrate a role for STM4195 in the salvage of a CoA derivative of unknown structure. The STM4195 gene is renamed panS to reflect participation in pantothenate salvage that was uncovered herein.

IMPORTANCE

This manuscript describes a transporter for two pantothenate precursors in addition to the existence and transport of a salvageable coenzyme A (CoA) derivative. Specifically, these studies defined a function for an STM protein in S. enterica that was distinct from the annotated role and led to its designation as PanS (pantothenate salvage). The presence of a salvageable CoA derivative and a transporter for it suggests the possibility that this compound is present in the environment and may serve a role in CoA synthesis for some organisms. As such, this work raises important question about CoA salvage that can be pursued with future studies in bacteria and other organisms.

Conservation of Dcm-mediated cytosine DNA methylation in Escherichia coli

In Escherichia coli, cytosine DNA methylation is catalyzed by the DNA cytosine methyltransferase (Dcm) protein and occurs at the second cytosine in the sequence 5'CCWGG3'. Although the presence of cytosine DNA methylation was reported over 35 years ago, the biological role of 5-methylcytosine in E. coli remains unclear. To gain insight into the role of cytosine DNA methylation in E. coli, we (1) screened the 72 strains of the ECOR collection and 90 recently isolated environmental samples for the presence of the full-length dcm gene using the polymerase chain reaction; (2) examined the same strains for the presence of 5-methylcytosine at 5'CCWGG3' sites using a restriction enzyme isoschizomer digestion assay; and (3) quantified the levels of 5-methyl-2'-deoxycytidine in selected strains using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Dcm-mediated cytosine DNA methylation is conserved in all 162 strains examined, and the level of 5-methylcytosine ranges from 0.86% to 1.30% of the cytosines. We also demonstrate that Dcm reduces the expression of ribosomal protein genes during stationary phase, and this may explain the highly conserved nature of this DNA modification pathway.

Transposition of Mboumar-9: identification of a new naturally active mariner-family transposon

Although mariner transposons are widespread in animal genomes, the vast majority harbor multiple inactivating mutations and only two naturally occurring elements are known to be active. Previously, we discovered a mariner-family transposon, Mboumar, in the satellite DNA of the ant Messor bouvieri. Several copies of the transposon contain a full-length open reading frame, including Mboumar-9, which has 64% nucleotide identity to Mos1 of Drosophila mauritiana. To determine whether Mboumar is currently active, we expressed and purified the Mboumar-9 transposase and demonstrate that it is able to catalyze the movement of a transposon from one plasmid to another in a genetic in vitro hop assay. The efficiency is comparable to that of the well-characterized mariner transposon Mos1. Transposon insertions were precise and were flanked by TA duplications, a hallmark of mariner transposition. Mboumar has been proposed to have a role in the evolution and maintenance of satellite DNA in M. bouvieri and its activity provides a means to examine the involvement of the transposon in the genome dynamics of this organism.

Substrate recognition and induced DNA deformation by transposase at the target-capture stage of Tn10 transposition

The bacterial transposon Tn10 inserts preferentially into sites that conform to a 9 bp consensus sequence: 5' NGCTNAGCN 3'. However, this sequence is not on its own sufficient to confer target specificity as the base-pairs flanking this sequence also contribute significantly to target-site selection. We have performed a series of "contact-probing experiments" to define directly the protein-DNA interactions that govern target-site selection in the Tn10 system. The HisG1 hotspot for Tn10 insertion was the main focus here. We infer that there is a rather broad zone ( approximately 24 bp) of contact between transposase and target DNA in the target-capture complex. This includes base-specific contacts at all of the purine residues in the consensus positions of the target core and primarily backbone contacts out to 7-8 bp in the two flanking regions immediately adjacent to the core. Also, highly localized sites of chemical hypersensitivity are identified that reveal symmetrically disposed deformations in DNA structure in the target-capture complex. Furthermore, the level of strand transfer is shown to be reduced by phosphorothioate substitution of phosphate groups at or close to the sites of target DNA deformation. Interestingly, for one particular target DNA, a mutant form of HisG1 called MutF, the above phosphorothioate inhibition of strand transfer is suppressed by replacing Mg(2+) with Mn(2+). Based on these results a model for sequence-specific target capture is proposed which attempts to define possible relationships between transposase interactions with the target core and flanking sequences, transposase-induced DNA deformation of the target site and divalent metal ion binding to the target-capture complex.

Abr1, a transposon-like element in the genome of the cultivated mushroom Agaricus bisporus (Lange) Imbach

A 300-bp repetitive element was found in the genome of the white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus, and designated Abr1. It is present in approximately 15 copies per haploid genome in the commercial strain Horst U1. Analysis of seven copies showed 89 to 97% sequence identity. The repeat has features typical of class II transposons (i.e., terminal inverted repeats, subterminal repeats, and a target site duplication of 7 bp). The latter shows a consensus sequence. When used as probe on Southern blots, Abr1 identifies relatively little variation within traditional and present-day commercial strains, indicating that most strains are identical or have a common origin. In contrast to these cultivars, high variation is found among field-collected strains. Furthermore, a remarkable difference in copy numbers of Abr1 was found between A. bisporus isolates with a secondarily homothallic life cycle and those with a heterothallic life cycle. Abr1 is a type II transposon not previously reported in basidiomycetes and appears to be useful for the identification of strains within the species A. bisporus.

Factors responsible for target site selection in Tn10 transposition: a role for the DDE motif in target DNA capture

Tn10, like several other transposons, exhibits a marked preference for integration into particular target sequences. Such sequences are referred to as integration hotspots and have been used to define a consensus target site in Tn10 transposition. We demonstrate that a Tn10 hotspot called HisG1, which was identified originally in vivo, also functions as an integration hotspot in vitro in a reaction where the HisG1 sequence is present on a short DNA oligomer. We use this in vitro system to define factors which are important for the capture of the HisG1 target site. We demonstrate that although divalent metal ions are not essential for HisG1 target capture, they greatly facilitate capture of a mutated HisG1 site. Analysis of catalytic transposase mutants further demonstrates that the DDE motif plays a critical role in 'divalent metal ion-dependent' target capture. Analysis of two other classes of transposase mutants, Exc+ Int- (which carry out transposon excision but not integration) and ATS (altered target specificity), demonstrates that while a particular ATS transposase binds HisG1 mutants better than wild-type transposase, Exc+ Int- mutants are defective in HisG1 capture, further defining the properties of these classes of mutants. Possible mechanisms for the above observations are considered.

Target site selection in transposition

Transposable elements are discrete mobile DNA segments that can insert into non-homologous target sites. Diverse patterns of target site selectivity are observed: Some elements display considerable target site selectivity and others display little obvious selectivity, although none appears to be truly "random." A variety of mechanisms for target site selection are used: Some elements use direct interactions between the recombinase and target DNA whereas other elements depend upon interactions with accessory proteins that communicate both with the target DNA and the recombinase. The study of target site selectivity is useful in probing recombination mechanisms, in studying genome structure and function, and also in providing tools for genome manipulation.

FlgM is a primary regulator of sigmaD activity, and its absence restores motility to a sinR mutant

We have used mini-Tn1O mutagenesis to identify negative regulators of sigmaD activity. Nine independent insertions were mapped to five genes: flgM, flgK, fliD, fliS, and fliT, suggesting that FlgM export is regulated similarly in Bacillus subtilis and Salmonella typhimurium. We show that a deletion of flgM can restore sigmaD activity to a sinR null mutant of B. subtilis, although fla/che operon expression is affected by neither SinR nor FlgM.

Two classes of Tn10 transposase mutants that suppress mutations in the Tn10 terminal inverted repeat

Tn10 transposition requires IS10 transposase and essential sequences at the two ends of the element. Mutations in terminal basepairs 6-13 confer particularly strong transposition defects. We describe here the identification of transposase mutations that suppress the transposition defects of such terminus mutations. These mutations are named "SEM" for suppression of ends mutations. All of the SEM mutations suppress more than a single terminus mutation and thus are not simple alterations of transposase/end recognition specificity. The mutations identified fall into two classes on the basis of genetic tests, location within the protein and nature of the amino acid substitution. Class I mutations, which are somewhat allele specific, appear to define a small structural and functional domain of transposase in which hydrophobic interactions are important at an intermediate stage of the transposition reaction, after an effective interaction between the ends but before transposon excision. Class II mutations, which are more general in their effects, occur at a single residue in a small noncritical amino-terminal proteolytic domain of transposase and exert their affects by altering a charge interaction; these mutations may affect act early in the reaction, before or during establishment of an effective interaction between the ends.

Conjugating plasmids are preferred targets for Tn7

Most transposons display target site selectivity, inserting preferentially into sites that contain particular features. The bacterial transposon Tn7 possesses the unusual ability to recognize two different classes of target sites. Tn7 inserts into these classes of target sites through two transposition pathways mediated by different combinations of the five Tn7-encoded transposition proteins. In one transposition pathway, Tn7 inserts into a unique site in the bacterial chromosome, attTn7, through specific recognition of sequences in attTn7; the other transposition pathway ignores the attTn7 target. Here we examine targets of the non-attTn7 pathway and find that Tn7 preferentially inserts into bacterial plasmids that can conjugate between cells. Furthermore, Tn7 appears to recognize preferred targets through the conjugation process, as we show that Tn7 inserts poorly into plasmids containing mutations that block plasmid transfer. We propose that Tn7 recognizes preferred targets through features of the conjugation process, a distinctive target specificity that offers Tn7 the ability to spread efficiently through bacterial populations.

Transposon mutagenesis of coryneform bacteria

The Corynebacterium glutamicum insertion sequence IS31831 was used to construct two artificial transposons: Tn31831 and miniTn31831. The transposition vectors were based on a gram-negative replication origin and do not replicate in coryneform bacteria. Strain Brevibacterium flavum MJ233C was mutagenized by miniTn31831 at an efficiency of 4.3 x 10(4) mutants per microgram DNA. Transposon insertions occurred at different locations on the chromosome and produced a variety of mutants. Auxotrophs could be recovered at a frequency of approximately 0.2%. Transposition of IS31831 derivatives led not only to simple insertion, but also to cointegrate formation (5%). No multiple insertions were observed. Chromosomal loci of B. flavum corresponding to auxotrophic and pigmentation mutants could be rescued in Escherichia coli, demonstrating that these transposable elements are useful genetic tools for studying the biology of coryneform bacteria.

Efficient integration of artificial transposons into plasmid targets in vitro: a useful tool for DNA mapping, sequencing and genetic analysis

We have developed efficient methods for creating artificial transposons and inserting these transposons into plasmid targets in vitro, primarily for the purpose of DNA mapping and sequencing. A novel plasmid has been engineered to convert virtually any DNA sequence, or combination of sequences, into an artificial transposon; hence, custom transposons containing any desired feature can be easily designed and constructed. Such transposons are then efficiently inserted into plasmid targets, in vitro, using the integrase activity present in yeast Ty1 virus-like particles. A single in vitro integration reaction, which resembles a simple restriction digestion in the complexity of the reaction, gives rise to thousands of recoverable insertion events within DNA target molecules; this frequency approaches one insertion per phosphodiester bond in typical plasmids. Importantly, transposon insertions are recovered from all regions of DNA inserts carried on plasmid targets, indicating that integration is a random or nearly-random process. Because of its versatility, this technology offers a generalized method of generating recombinant DNA molecules of a desired structure. We have adapted this system for DNA sequencing by developing a customized artificial transposon to insert new primer binding sites into internal regions of DNA inserts carried on cloning vectors. Transposon insertions have been generated throughout several different yeast and human DNA inserts carried on plasmids, allowing the efficient recovery of sequence information from these inserts. Our results demonstrate the overall utility of this method for both small and large-scale DNA sequencing, as well as general DNA restructuring, and indicate that it could be adapted for use with a number of additional applications including functional genetic analysis.

Tn10 insertion specificity is strongly dependent upon sequences immediately adjacent to the target-site consensus sequence

Transposon Tn10 inserts preferentially into particular "hotspots" that have been shown by sequence analysis to contain the symmetrical consensus sequence 5'-GCTNAGC-3'. This consensus is necessary but not sufficient to determine insertion specificity. We have mutagenized a known hotspot to identify other determinants for insertion into this site. This genetic dissection of the sequence context of a protein binding site shows that a second major determinant for Tn10 insertion specificity is contributed by the 6-9 base pairs that flank each end of the consensus sequence. Variations in these context base pairs can confer variations of at least 1000-fold in insertion frequency. There is no discernible consensus sequence for the context determinant, suggesting that sequence-specific protein-DNA contacts are not playing a major role. Taken together with previous work, the observations presented suggest a model for the interaction of transposase with the insertion site: symmetrically disposed subunits bind with specific contacts to the major groove of consensus-sequence base pairs, while flanking sequences influence the interaction through effects on DNA helix structure. We also show that the determinants important for insertion into a site are not important for transposition out of that site.

Identification and characterization of virK, a virulence-associated large plasmid gene essential for intercellular spreading of Shigella flexneri

Seven virulence loci have been identified by Tn5 insertion mutagenesis on the large 230 kb plasmid (pMYSH6000) of Shigella flexneri 2a. In this study, we used Tn10 insertion mutagenesis and identified a novel virulence locus on pMYSH6000 responsible for bacterial spread. Characterization of the invading bacteria of the Tn10 insertion mutants in the epithelial cells revealed that the bacteria were capable of at least some intracellular spreading but not intercellular spreading. Immunoblot analysis of lysates of the Tn10 insertion mutants with a VirG-specific antipeptide antibody revealed diminished levels of the 116 kDa VirG protein. The virG mRNA in the mutants, however, was expressed at the same level as that in the wild type. The DNA region required for the virulence phenotype was localized to a 1.6 kb DNA sequence in the SalI-K fragment on the plasmid, and thus the locus was designated virK. Expression of virK in Escherichia coli using a T7 RNA polymerase-dependent promoter system yielded a 36 kDa protein. The nucleotide sequence of 1642 bp encoding VirK function was determined, and an open reading frame encoding 316 amino acid residues was shown to encode the VirK protein. The virK region was highly conserved among the large virulence plasmids of shigellae and enteroinvasive Escherichia coli. These results suggest that VirK function is an essential virulence determinant for shigellae involved in the expression of virG gene product at post-transcriptional level.

Specificity of insertion of IS91, an insertion sequence present in alpha-haemolysin plasmids of Escherichia coli

We have determined the DNA sequences of eight different insertions of IS91 in a specifically engineered recipient plasmid of known DNA sequence (pSU300). The sequences at the termini of IS91 are 5'-CGAGTAGG...CCTATCGAT. IS91 inserts specifically 5' to either one of the tetranucleotides 5'-GAAC or 5'-CAAG, and always in the same relative orientation with respect to the sequence of the target. Except in one special case, no duplications of the recipient DNA were produced at the site of insertion.

Operon structure of flagellar genes in Salmonella typhimurium

In Salmonella typhimurium, more than 40 genes have been shown to be involved in flagellar formation and function and almost all of them have been assigned to three regions of the chromosome, termed region I, region II, and region III. In the present study, a large number of transposon-insertion mutants in these flagellar genes were isolated using Tn10 and Mud1. The flaV gene was found to be a strong hot spot for Tn10 insertion. Complementation analysis of the polarity effects exerted by the transposon-insertion mutants defined 13 different flagellar operons; 3 in region I, 4 in region II, and 6 in region III. These results are compared with the reported arrangement of the corresponding genes in Escherichia coli.