Concerted action of NIC relaxase and auxiliary protein MobC in RA3 plasmid conjugation.
Conjugative transfer of the broad-host-range RA3 plasmid, the archetype of the IncU group, relies on the relaxase NIC that belongs to the as yet uncharacterized MOBP4 subfamily. NIC contains the signature motifs of HUH relaxases involved in Tyr nucleophilic attack. However, it differs in the residue involved in His activation for cation coordination and was shown here to have altered divalent cation requirements. NIC is encoded in the mobC-nic operon preceded directly by oriT, where mobC encodes an auxiliary transfer protein with a dual function: autorepressor and stimulator of conjugative transfer. Here an interplay between MobC and NIC was demonstrated. MobC is required for efficient NIC cleavage of oriT in supercoiled DNA whereas NIC assists MobC in repression of the mobC-nic operon. A 7-bp arm of IR3 (IR3a) was identified as the binding site for NIC and the crucial nucleotides in IR3a for NIC recognition were defined. Fully active oriTRA3 was delineated to a 47-bp DNA segment encompassing a conserved cleavage site sequence, the NIC binding site IR3a and the MobC binding site OM . This highly efficient RA3 conjugative system with defined requirements for minimal oriT could find ample applications in biotechnology and computational biology where simple conjugative systems are needed.
Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics PAS, Department of Microbial Biochemistry, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland.|Warsaw University of Life Sciences (WULS-SGGW), Faculty of Human Nutrition and Consumer Sciences, Laboratory of Food Chemistry, 02-776, Warsaw, Poland.
Jolanta
J
Godziszewska
Departamento de Biología Molecular and Instituto de Biomedicina y Biotecnología de Cantabria (IBBTEC), Universidad de Cantabria-CSIC, C/Albert Einstein 22, 39011, Santander, Spain.
Gabriel
G
Moncalián
Departamento de Biología Molecular and Instituto de Biomedicina y Biotecnología de Cantabria (IBBTEC), Universidad de Cantabria-CSIC, C/Albert Einstein 22, 39011, Santander, Spain.
Matilde
M
Cabezas
Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics PAS, Department of Microbial Biochemistry, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland.
Aneta A
AA
Bartosik
Departamento de Biología Molecular and Instituto de Biomedicina y Biotecnología de Cantabria (IBBTEC), Universidad de Cantabria-CSIC, C/Albert Einstein 22, 39011, Santander, Spain.
Fernando
F
de la Cruz
Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics PAS, Department of Microbial Biochemistry, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland.
Grazyna
G
Jagura-Burdzy
D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D003227:Conjugation, Genetic; D004247:DNA; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004278:DNA, Superhelical / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004706:Endodeoxyribonucleases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D022761:Gene Transfer, Horizontal; D009876:Operon; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics*; D000072417:Protein Domains; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004278:DNA, Superhelical; D004247:DNA; D004706:Endodeoxyribonucleases