title: Circular permutation of DNA cytosine-N4 methyltransferases: in vivo coexistence in the BcnI system and in vitro probing by hybrid formation.
abstract: Sequence analysis of the BcnI restriction-modification system from Bacillus centrosporus revealed four open reading frames (bcnIC, bcnIR, bcnIB and bcnIA) that are arranged as two converging collinear pairs. One pair encodes a putative small regulatory protein, C.BcnI, and the restriction endonuclease R.BcnI. The other two gene products are the DNA cytosine-N4 methyltransferases M.BcnIA and M.BcnIB, which differ by circular permutation of conserved sequence motifs. The BcnI methyltransferases are isospecific on double-stranded DNA [methylation specificity CC(C/G)GG], but M.BcnIA can also methylate the target sites in single-stranded DNA. Functional analysis shows that bcnIA is dispensable (bcnIB is capable of protecting the DNA against the in vivo activity of bcnIR); in contrast, no stable clones were obtained if bcnIB alone was deleted from the system. By analogy with the DpnII system, the second methylase M.BcnIA may play a role in the transformation proficiency of its gram-positive host. The interchangeability of homologous elements in the beta class of cytosine-N4 methylases was probed by hybrid formation between M.BcnIB and its closest homolog M.Cfr9I (CCCGGG) employing a novel semi-random strategy combined with selection for catalytic activity. The fusion points in the active hybrids mapped in a narrow region located between sequence motifs X and I. Our data illustrate that recombination of two related sequences by circular permutation may serve as an evolutionary mechanism for creating new specificities of amino MTases.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biotechnology, GraiQióno 8, LT-2028 Vilnius, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Giedrius
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vilkaitis
authors.forename: Arvydas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lubys
authors.forename: Egle
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Merkiene
authors.forename: Albertas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Timinskas
authors.forename: Arvydas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Janulaitis
authors.forename: Saulius
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Klimasauskas
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001407:Bacillus / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics; D015280:DNA Restriction-Modification Enzymes / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D015257:DNA-Cytosine Methylases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008837:Micrococcus / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D015280:DNA Restriction-Modification Enzymes; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D015257:DNA-Cytosine Methylases