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Journal of Bacteriology, June 2006, p. 4362-4372, Vol. 188, No. 12
0021-9193/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.01922-05
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Characterization of a Novel Partition System Encoded by the and Genes from the Streptococcal Plasmid pSM19035

Micha Dmowski,^* Izabela Sitkiewicz, and Piotr Cegowski

Department of Microbial Biochemistry, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Pawiskiego 5A, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland

Received 15 December 2005/ Accepted 13 March 2006

High segregational stability of the streptococcal plasmid pSM19035 is achieved by the concerted action of systems involved in plasmid copy number control, multimer resolution, and postsegregational killing. In this study, we demonstrate the role of two genes, and , in plasmid stabilization by a partition mechanism. We show that these two genes can stabilize the native pSM19035 replicon as well as other - and -type plasmids in Bacillus subtilis. In contrast to other known partition systems, in this case the two genes are transcribed separately; however, they are coregulated by the product of the parB-like gene . Analysis of mutants of the parA-like gene showed that the Walker A ATPase motif is necessary for plasmid stabilization. The ParB-like product of the gene binds to three regions containing repeated WATCACW heptamers, localized in the copS (regulation of plasmid copy number), , and promoter regions. We demonstrate that all three of these regions can cause partition-mediated incompatibility. Moreover, our data suggest that each of these could play the role of a centromere-like sequence. We conclude that and constitute a novel type of plasmid stabilization system.

Present address: Center for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research, The Methodist Hospital Research Institute, and Department of Pathology, The Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX 77030.

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