This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Abajy, M. Y.
Right arrow Articles by Grohmann, E.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Abajy, M. Y.
Right arrow Articles by Grohmann, E.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Bacteriology, March 2007, p. 2487-2496, Vol. 189, No. 6
0021-9193/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.01491-06
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

A Type IV-Secretion-Like System Is Required for Conjugative DNA Transport of Broad-Host-Range Plasmid pIP501 in Gram-Positive Bacteria{triangledown}

Mohammad Y. Abajy,1 Jolanta Kopec,1,2 Katarzyna Schiwon,1 Michal Burzynski,1,{dagger} Mike Döring,1 Christine Bohn,1 and Elisabeth Grohmann1*

Department of Environmental Microbiology/Genetics, University of Technology, D-10587 Berlin, Germany,1 Institute for Chemistry, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, A-8010 Graz, Austria2

Received 21 September 2006/ Accepted 24 December 2006

Plasmid pIP501 has a very broad host range for conjugative transfer among a wide variety of gram-positive bacteria and gram-negative Escherichia coli. Functionality of the pIP501 transfer (tra) genes in E. coli was proven by pIP501 retrotransfer to Enterococcus faecalis (B. Kurenbach, C. Bohn, J. Prabhu, M. Abudukerim, U. Szewzyk, and E. Grohmann, Plasmid 50:86-93, 2003). The 15 pIP501 tra genes are organized in a single operon (B. Kurenbach, J. Kopec, M. Mägdefrau, K. Andreas, W. Keller, C. Bohn, M. Y. Abajy, and E. Grohmann, Microbiology 152:637-645, 2006). The pIP501 tra operon is negatively autoregulated at the transcriptional level by the conjugative DNA relaxase TraA. Three of the 15 pIP501-encoded Tra proteins show significant sequence similarity to the Agrobacterium type IV secretion system proteins VirB1, VirB4, and VirD4. Here we report a comprehensive protein-protein interaction map of all of the pIP501-encoded Tra proteins determined by the yeast two-hybrid assay. Most of the interactions were verified in vitro by isolation of the protein complexes with pull-down assays. In conjunction with known or postulated functions of the pIP501-encoded Tra proteins and computer-assisted prediction of their cellular location, we propose a model for the first type IV-secretion-like system encoded by a conjugative plasmid from gram-positive bacteria.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Environmental Microbiology/Genetics, FR1-2, Franklinstrasse 28/29, University of Technology Berlin, D-10587 Berlin, Germany. Phone: (49) 30-31473187. Fax: (49) 30-31473673. E-mail: elisabeth.grohmann{at}tu-berlin.de.

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 5 January 2007.

{dagger} Present address: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland.

Journal of Bacteriology, March 2007, p. 2487-2496, Vol. 189, No. 6
0021-9193/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.01491-06
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Smyth, D. S., Robinson, D. A. (2009). Integrative and Sequence Characteristics of a Novel Genetic Element, ICE6013, in Staphylococcus aureus. J. Bacteriol. 191: 5964-5975 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Wu, J., Xi, C. (2009). Evaluation of Different Methods for Extracting Extracellular DNA from the Biofilm Matrix. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 75: 5390-5395 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Steen, J. A., Bannam, T. L., Teng, W. L., Devenish, R. J., Rood, J. I. (2009). The Putative Coupling Protein TcpA Interacts with Other pCW3-Encoded Proteins To Form an Essential Part of the Conjugation Complex. J. Bacteriol. 191: 2926-2933 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Timmery, S., Modrie, P., Minet, O., Mahillon, J. (2009). Plasmid Capture by the Bacillus thuringiensis Conjugative Plasmid pXO16. J. Bacteriol. 191: 2197-2205 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Tomita, H., Ike, Y. (2008). Genetic Analysis of the Enterococcus Vancomycin Resistance Conjugative Plasmid pHT{beta}: Identification of the Region Involved in Cell Aggregation and traB, a Key Regulator Gene for Plasmid Transfer and Cell Aggregation. J. Bacteriol. 190: 7739-7753 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Chen, Y., Zhang, X., Manias, D., Yeo, H.-J., Dunny, G. M., Christie, P. J. (2008). Enterococcus faecalis PcfC, a Spatially Localized Substrate Receptor for Type IV Secretion of the pCF10 Transfer Intermediate. J. Bacteriol. 190: 3632-3645 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Garcia-Quintanilla, M., Ramos-Morales, F., Casadesus, J. (2008). Conjugal Transfer of the Salmonella enterica Virulence Plasmid in the Mouse Intestine. J. Bacteriol. 190: 1922-1927 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»