Intrinsic bends and integration host factor binding at F plasmid oriT

Tsai, Mei-Mei; Fu, Yang; Deonier, Richard C.

doi:10.1128/jb.172.8.4603-4609.1990

Cited by 58 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 25 publications

(23 reference statements)

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“…This activity is facilitated in vivo (Everett and Willetts, 1980;McIntire and Willetts, 1980) by the binding of TraY protein to its recognition sequences in this region (Inamoto and Ohtsubo, 1990;Lahue and Matson, 1990). Integration host factor (IHF) of Escherichia coli also binds to DNA in this region, inducing localized variation in the DNA structure (Dempsey and Fee, 1990;Tsai et al, 1990). Presence of the IHF in combination with TraY is known to stimulate the efficiency of the nicking reaction catalysed by TraI at the transfer origin (Nelson et al, 1995).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

TraM of plasmid R1 controls transfer gene expression as an integrated control element in a complex regulatory network

Pölzleitner

Zechner

Renner

et al. 1997

Molecular Microbiology

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SummarySite-directed mutagenesis was used to investigate the functions of the traM gene in plasmid R1-mediated bacterial conjugation. Three mutant alleles, a null mutation, a sense mutation and a stop mutation, were recombined back into the R1-16 plasmid, a transferderepressed (finO ¹ ) variant of plasmid R1. The frequency of conjugative transfer of the traM null mutant derivative of R1-16 was 10 7 -fold lower than that of the isogenic parent plasmid, showing the absolute requirement for this gene in conjugative transfer of plasmid R1. Measurements of the abundance of plasmid specified traJ, traA and traM mRNAs, TraM protein levels, and complementation studies indicated that the traM gene of plasmid R1 has at least two functions in conjugation: (i) positive control of transfer gene expression; and (ii) a function in a process distinct from gene expression. Since expression of the negatively autoregulated traM gene is itself affected positively by the expression of the transfer operon genes, this gene constitutes a decisive element within a regulatory circuit that co-ordinates expression of the genes necessary for horizontal DNA transfer. Based on our studies, we present a novel model for the regulation of the transfer genes of plasmid R1 that might also be applicable to other IncF plasmids.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

TraM of plasmid R1 controls transfer gene expression as an integrated control element in a complex regulatory network

Pölzleitner

Zechner

Renner

et al. 1997

Molecular Microbiology

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“…It was recently shown in vivo that the nicking reaction of TraI is stimulated by TraY and the integration host factor (IHF) of E. coli (18). Both proteins bend DNA when bound to specific sites within the oriT region (14,15,17,19,26). Nelson and coworkers (18) propose that TraY and IHF form a nucleoprotein complex with oriT DNA which consequently can be recognized and nicked by TraI more efficiently.…”

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The cytoplasmic DNA-binding protein TraM binds to the inner membrane protein TraD in vitro

Disqué-Kochem

Dreiseikelmann

1997

J Bacteriol

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The cytoplasmic protein TraM is one of four essential gene products of the F factor which are involved in DNA transfer after mating pair formation. TraM binds to three specific sites within the oriT region. Besides regulation of its own synthesis, the precise function of TraM during conjugation is not yet known. In the present work, the affinity of TraM to TraD was studied in vitro by an overlay assay and by affinity chromatography. Whether the interaction between TraM and TraD causes a transient or permanent anchoring of the F factor to the site of transfer is discussed. A 35-kDa host membrane protein of yet unknown function also shows affinity to TraM and may be involved in this anchoring process as well.Bacterial conjugation is a process during which DNA is transferred from a donor to a recipient across the envelope of both cells. One of the best-studied conjugative plasmids is the F factor of Escherichia coli (for review, see references 7, 8, 11, and 27). After pilus synthesis and mating pair formation during the conjugation of the F factor, four additional gene products of the tra operon are directly involved in a successful DNA translocation across the envelope of the donor. These products are encoded by the genes traI, traY, traD, and traM. Of these four essential Tra proteins, TraI is the best characterized. The TraI protein, also called helicase I, catalyzes the strand-and site-specific nicking of the F factor at oriT (16,22). Furthermore, TraI unwinds duplex DNA in an ATP-hydrolysis-dependent reaction (1-3). The precise functions of TraY, TraD, and TraM are not yet known. It was recently shown in vivo that the nicking reaction of TraI is stimulated by TraY and the integration host factor (IHF) of E. coli (18). Both proteins bend DNA when bound to specific sites within the oriT region (14,15,17,19,26). Nelson and coworkers (18) propose that TraY and IHF form a nucleoprotein complex with oriT DNA which consequently can be recognized and nicked by TraI more efficiently.While TraI and TraM function in the processing of the F DNA, TraD seems to be a component of the DNA transfer apparatus. It is generally accepted that export of the singlestranded F DNA across the envelope of the donor cell proceeds through a complex pore formed by or with participation of various Tra proteins. One of these proteins is probably TraD. The TraD protein with a molecular mass of about 82 kDa is located in the inner membrane (12,20) and was shown to bind to DNA cellulose, indicating nonspecific binding to nucleic acids (20). The amino acid sequence deduced from the nucleotide sequence contains an ATP-binding motif (9) and preliminary data suggest a DNA-dependent ATPase activity of TraD (20).TraM is a cytoplasmic protein with a molecular mass of 14.5 kDa. In the past, investigations of the TraM protein have mainly been focused on its regulatory function. Maximal traM transcription requires TraY in addition to expression of the tra operon. TraM binds to three sites within the oriT region of F (6). Two sites with high affinity fo...

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“…The molecular mechanisms of these early steps of plasmid strand transfer remain poorly understood. Genetic and biochemical approaches have characterized the role of auxiliary factors in assisting the nic-specific cleavage reaction as well as the contribution of origin DNA sequence and topology (23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(42)(43)(44). Nonetheless, the product of that reaction, the open circular form, is not directly accessible to the duplex unwinding activity of the physically linked DNA helicase domain.…”

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Extent of Single-stranded DNA Required for Efficient TraI Helicase Activity in Vitro

Csitkovits

Zechner

2003

Journal of Biological Chemistry

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The IncF plasmid protein TraI functions during bacterial conjugation as a site-and strand-specific DNA transesterase and a highly processive 5 to 3 DNA helicase. The N-terminal DNA transesterase domain of TraI localizes the protein to nic and cleaves this site within the plasmid transfer origin. In the cell the C-terminal DNA helicase domain of TraI is essential for driving the 5 to 3 unwinding of plasmid DNA from nic to provide the strand destined for transfer. In vitro, however, purified TraI protein cannot enter and unwind nicked plasmid DNA and instead requires a 5 tail of singlestranded DNA at the duplex junction. In this study we evaluate the extent of single-stranded DNA adjacent to the duplex that is required for efficient TraI-catalyzed DNA unwinding in vitro. A series of linear partial duplex DNA substrates containing a central stretch of singlestranded DNA of defined length was created and its structure verified. We found that substrates containing >27 nucleotides of single-stranded DNA 5 to the duplex were unwound efficiently by TraI, whereas substrates containing 20 or fewer nucleotides were not. These results imply that during conjugation localized unwinding of >20 nucleotides at nic is necessary to initiate unwinding of plasmid DNA strands.Helicases are ubiquitous enzymes involved in nucleic acid metabolism (for review, see Refs. 1-4). The TraI protein of IncF plasmids (first characterized as DNA helicase I of Escherichia coli (5)) is essential for the transmission of bacterial genes during conjugation (6, 7). In that process a copy of a conjugative plasmid is transferred unidirectionally in single-stranded form from one bacterial cell to another (for reviews, see Refs. 8 and 9). The TraI protein of IncF plasmids contributes to conjugative transfer in several ways. It is a component of a nucleoprotein complex, the relaxosome, which assembles with site specificity at the plasmid origin of transfer (oriT). Relaxosomes initiate the series of DNA-processing reactions that prepare plasmid DNA for transfer to a recipient cell. They are common to all self-transmissible and mobilizable plasmids in different degrees of complexity (for reviews, see Refs. 8, 10, and 11). The simplest systems employ a plasmid-encoded DNA transesterase, or relaxase, protein that acts on a specific phosphodiester bond, nic, in the transfer origin. Cleavage at this site provides a point of origin for the directed 5Ј to 3Ј transmission of the plasmid genome to a recipient cell. Relaxase proteins are also active in relaxosomes containing auxiliary DNA-binding proteins of host or plasmid origin. IncF, IncW, IncP, and IncQ systems offer well studied examples (12-21). Among IncF plasmids factors known to stimulate nic cleavage include E. coli integration host factor and plasmid proteins . In the case of IncW plasmid R388, TrwA protein performs this role (13,14). The IncF system and the functionally analogous IncW-IncN family of DNA-mobilizing systems are (thus far) unique in that they additionally specify a DNA helicase activity esse...

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Intrinsic bends and integration host factor binding at F plasmid oriT

Cited by 58 publications

References 25 publications

TraM of plasmid R1 controls transfer gene expression as an integrated control element in a complex regulatory network

TraM of plasmid R1 controls transfer gene expression as an integrated control element in a complex regulatory network

The cytoplasmic DNA-binding protein TraM binds to the inner membrane protein TraD in vitro

Extent of Single-stranded DNA Required for Efficient TraI Helicase Activity in Vitro

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