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Journal of Bacteriology, September 2002, p. 4838-4845, Vol. 184, No. 17
0021-9193/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.184.17.4838-4845.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

A New Type IV Secretion System Promotes Conjugal Transfer in Agrobacterium tumefaciens

Lishan Chen,,{dagger} Yuching Chen,,{ddagger} Derek W. Wood, and Eugene W. Nester*

Department of Microbiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-7242

Received 25 January 2002/ Accepted 5 June 2002

Two DNA transfer systems encoded by the tumor-inducing (Ti) plasmid have been previously identified in Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The virB operon is required for the transfer of transferred DNA to the plant host, and the trb system encodes functions required for the conjugal transfer of the Ti plasmid between cells of Agrobacterium. Recent availability of the genome sequence of Agrobacterium allowed us to identify a third system that is most similar to the VirB type IV secretion system of Bartonella henselae. We have designated this system avhB for Agrobacterium virulence homologue virB. The avhB loci reside on pAtC58 and encode at least 10 proteins (AvhB2 through AvhB11), 7 of which display significant similarity to the corresponding virulence-associated VirB proteins of the Ti plasmid. However, the AvhB system is not required for tumor formation; rather, it mediates the conjugal transfer of the pAtC58 cryptic plasmid between cells of Agrobacterium. This transfer occurs in the absence of the Ti plasmid-encoded VirB and Trb systems. Like the VirB system, AvhB products promote the conjugal transfer of the IncQ plasmid RSF1010, suggesting that these products comprise a mating-pair formation system. The presence of plasmid TiC58 or plasmid RSF1010 reduces the conjugal transfer efficiency of pAtC58 10- or 1,000-fold, respectively. These data suggest that complex substrate interactions exist among the three DNA transfer systems of Agrobacterium.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbiology, Box 357242, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-7242. Phone: (206) 616-8588. Fax: (206) 543-8297. E-mail: gnester{at}u.washington.edu.

{dagger} Present address: Department of Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195.

{ddagger} Present address: Gene Function and Target Validation Group, Celltech R&D, Bothell, WA 98021.

Journal of Bacteriology, September 2002, p. 4838-4845, Vol. 184, No. 17
0021-9193/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.184.17.4838-4845.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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