title: Bacterial partitioning proteins affect the subcellular location of broad-host-range plasmid RK2.
abstract: It has been demonstrated that plasmids are not randomly distributed but are located symmetrically in mid-cell, or (1/4), (3/4) positions in bacterial cells. In this work we compared the localization of broad-host-range plasmid RK2 mini-replicons, which lack an active partitioning system, in Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas putida cells. In E. coli the location of the plasmid mini-replicon cluster was at the cell poles. In contrast, in Pseudomonas cells, as a result of the interaction of chromosomally encoded ParB protein with RK2 centromere-like sequences, these mini-derivatives were localized in the proximity of mid-cell, or (1/4), (3/4) positions. The expression of the Pseudomonas parAB genes in E. coli resulted in a positional change in the RK2 mini-derivative to the mid-cell or (1/4), (3/4) positions. Moreover, in a P. putida parAB mutant, both RK2 mini-derivatives and the entire RK2 plasmid exhibited disturbances of subcellular localization. These observations raise the possibility that in certain bacteria chromosomally encoded partitioning machinery could affect subcellular plasmid positioning.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdansk, Kladki 24, 80-822 Gdansk, Poland.
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kolatka
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdansk, Kladki 24, 80-822 Gdansk, Poland.
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Witosinska
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdansk, Kladki 24, 80-822 Gdansk, Poland.
authors.forename: Marcin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pierechod
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdansk, Kladki 24, 80-822 Gdansk, Poland.
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Konieczny