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- Title
Conjugal plasmid transfer in Streptomyces resembles bacterial chromosome segregation by FtsK/SpoIIIE.
- Authors
Vogelmann, Jutta; Ammelburg, Moritz; Finger, Constanze; Guezguez, Jamil; Linke, Dirk; Flötenmeyer, Matthias; Stierhof, York-Dieter; Wohlleben, Wolfgang; Muth, Günther
- Abstract
Conjugation is a major route of horizontal gene transfer, the driving force in the evolution of bacterial genomes. Antibiotic producing soil bacteria of the genus Streptomyces transfer DNA in a unique process involving a single plasmid-encoded protein TraB and a double-stranded DNA molecule. However, the molecular function of TraB in directing DNA transfer from a donor into a recipient cell is unknown. Here, we show that TraB constitutes a novel conjugation system that is clearly distinguished from DNA transfer by a type IV secretion system. We demonstrate that TraB specifically recognizes and binds to repeated 8 bp motifs on the conjugative plasmid. The specific DNA recognition is mediated by helix α3 of the C-terminal winged-helix-turn-helix domain of TraB. We show that TraB assembles to a hexameric ring structure with a central ∼3.1 nm channel and forms pores in lipid bilayers. Structure, sequence similarity and DNA binding characteristics of TraB indicate that TraB is derived from an FtsK-like ancestor protein, suggesting that Streptomyces adapted the FtsK/SpoIIIE chromosome segregation system to transfer DNA between two distinct Streptomyces cells.
- Publication
The EMBO journal, 2011, Vol 30, Issue 11, p2246
- ISSN
1460-2075
- Publication type
Journal Article
- DOI
10.1038/emboj.2011.121