title: Plasmid-encoded antirestriction protein ArdA can discriminate between type I methyltransferase and complete restriction-modification system.
abstract: Many promiscuous plasmids encode the antirestriction proteins ArdA (alleviation of restriction of DNA) that specifically affect the restriction activity of heterooligomeric type I restriction-modification (R-M) systems in Escherichia coli cells. In addition, a lot of the putative ardA genes encoded by plasmids and bacterial chromosomes are found as a result of sequencing of complete genomic sequences, suggesting that ArdA proteins and type I R-M systems that seem to be widespread among bacteria may be involved in the regulation of gene transfer among bacterial genomes. Here, the mechanism of antirestriction action of ArdA encoded by IncI plasmid ColIb-P9 has been investigated in comparison with that of well-studied T7 phage-encoded antirestriction protein Ocr using the mutational analysis, retardation assay and His-tag affinity chromatography. Like Ocr, ArdA protein was shown to be able to efficiently interact with EcoKI R-M complex and affect its in vivo and in vitro restriction activity by preventing its interaction with specific DNA. However, unlike Ocr, ArdA protein has a low binding affinity to EcoKI Mtase and the additional C-terminal tail region (VF-motif) is needed for ArdA to efficiently interact with the type I R-M enzymes. It seems likely that this ArdA feature is a basis for its ability to discriminate between activities of EcoKI Mtase (modification) and complete R-M system (restriction) which may interact with unmodified DNA in the cells independently. These findings suggest that ArdA may provide a very effective and delicate control for the restriction and modification activities of type I systems and its ability to discriminate against DNA restriction in favour of the specific modification of DNA may give some advantage for efficient transmission of the ardA-encoding promiscuous plasmids among different bacterial populations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetic Engineering, National Cardiology Research and Development Center, Moscow 121552, Russia.
authors.forename: Sergei V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Nekrasov
authors.forename: Olga V
authors.initials: OV
authors.lastname: Agafonova
authors.forename: Nataly G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Belogurova
authors.forename: Eugene P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Delver
authors.forename: Anatol A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Belogurov
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes / Q000378:metabolism*; D015280:DNA Restriction-Modification Enzymes / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D010957:Plasmids / Q000378:metabolism; D011484:Protein-Arginine N-Methyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism*; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C096738:ArdA protein, E coli; D015280:DNA Restriction-Modification Enzymes; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; C440255:Ocr protein, bacteriophage T7; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins; D011484:Protein-Arginine N-Methyltransferases; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes; C089629:endodeoxyribonuclease EcoKI