title: Role of Agrobacterium VirB11 ATPase in T-pilus assembly and substrate selection.
abstract: The VirB11 ATPase is a subunit of the Agrobacterium tumefaciens transfer DNA (T-DNA) transfer system, a type IV secretion pathway required for delivery of T-DNA and effector proteins to plant cells during infection. In this study, we examined the effects of virB11 mutations on VirB protein accumulation, T-pilus production, and substrate translocation. Strains synthesizing VirB11 derivatives with mutations in the nucleoside triphosphate binding site (Walker A motif) accumulated wild-type levels of VirB proteins but failed to produce the T-pilus or export substrates at detectable levels, establishing the importance of nucleoside triphosphate binding or hydrolysis for T-pilus biogenesis. Similar findings were obtained for VirB4, a second ATPase of this transfer system. Analyses of strains expressing virB11 dominant alleles in general showed that T-pilus production is correlated with substrate translocation. Notably, strains expressing dominant alleles previously designated class II (dominant and nonfunctional) neither transferred T-DNA nor elaborated detectable levels of the T-pilus. By contrast, strains expressing most dominant alleles designated class III (dominant and functional) efficiently translocated T-DNA and synthesized abundant levels of T pilus. We did, however, identify four types of virB11 mutations or strain genotypes that selectively disrupted substrate translocation or T-pilus production: (i) virB11/virB11* merodiploid strains expressing all class II and III dominant alleles were strongly suppressed for T-DNA translocation but efficiently mobilized an IncQ plasmid to agrobacterial recipients and also elaborated abundant levels of T pilus; (ii) strains synthesizing two class III mutant proteins, VirB11, V258G and VirB11.I265T, efficiently transferred both DNA substrates but produced low and undetectable levels of T pilus, respectively; (iii) a strain synthesizing the class II mutant protein VirB11.I103T/M301L efficiently exported VirE2 but produced undetectable levels of T pilus; (iv) strains synthesizing three VirB11 derivatives with a four-residue (HMVD) insertion (L75.i4, C168.i4, and L302.i4) neither transferred T-DNA nor produced detectable levels of T pilus but efficiently transferred VirE2 to plants and the IncQ plasmid to agrobacterial recipient cells. Together, our findings support a model in which the VirB11 ATPase contributes at two levels to type IV secretion, T-pilus morphogenesis, and substrate selection. Furthermore, the contributions of VirB11 to machine assembly and substrate transfer can be uncoupled by mutagenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, The University of Texas-Houston Medical School, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sagulenko
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sagulenko
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Christie
mesh_terms: D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016960:Agrobacterium tumefaciens / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D000483:Alleles; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001693:Biological Transport, Active; D003227:Conjugation, Genetic; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D005799:Genes, Dominant; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000378:metabolism; D019684:Magnoliopsida / Q000382:microbiology; D018832:Molecular Chaperones / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009024:Morphogenesis; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D010641:Phenotype; D018933:Pili, Sex / Q000378:metabolism*; D010957:Plasmids; D037521:Virulence Factors
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D007473:Ion Channels; D018832:Molecular Chaperones; C036483:T-DNA; D037521:Virulence Factors; C051583:virE2 protein, Agrobacterium; D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases