Bacterial Mitosis: ParM of Plasmid R1 Moves Plasmid DNA by an Actin-like Insertional Polymerization Mechanism
Open Access
- 31 December 2003
- journal article
- Published by Elsevier BV in Molecular Cell
- Vol. 12 (6), 1477-1487
- https://doi.org/10.1016/s1097-2765(03)00451-9
Abstract
Bacterial DNA segregation takes place in an active and ordered fashion. In the case of Escherichia coli plasmid R1, the partitioning system (par) separates paired plasmid copies and moves them to opposite cell poles. Here we address the mechanism by which the three components of the R1 par system act together to generate the force required for plasmid movement during segregation. ParR protein binds cooperatively to the centromeric parC DNA region, thereby forming a complex that interacts with the filament-forming actin-like ParM protein in an ATP-dependent manner, suggesting that plasmid movement is powered by insertional polymerization of ParM. Consistently, we find that segregating plasmids are positioned at the ends of extending ParM filaments. Thus, the process of R1 plasmid segregation in E. coli appears to be mechanistically analogous to the actin-based motility operating in eukaryotic cells. In addition, we find evidence suggesting that plasmid pairing is required for ParM polymerization.Keywords
This publication has 38 references indexed in Scilit:
- Dynamic proteins in bacteriaCurrent Opinion in Microbiology, 2002
- Partitioning of plasmid R1. The ParM protein exhibits ATPase activity and interacts with the centromere-like ParR-parC complexJournal of Molecular Biology, 1997
- The centromere‐like parC locus of plasmid R1 Molecular Microbiology, 1996
- Partitioning of plasmid R1 The parA operon is autoregulated by parR and its transcription is highly stimulated by a downstream activating elementJournal of Molecular Biology, 1994
- Partitioning of plasmid R1 Ten direct repeats flanking the parA promoter constitute a centromere-like partition site parC, that expresses incompatibilityJournal of Molecular Biology, 1994
- Sequence logos: a new way to display consensus sequencesNucleic Acids Research, 1990
- Genetic organization and nucleotide sequence of the stability locus of IncFII plasmid NR1Journal of Molecular Biology, 1988
- Partitioning of plasmid R1: Structural and functional analysis of the parA locusJournal of Molecular Biology, 1986
- Improved M13 phage cloning vectors and host strains: nucleotide sequences of the M13mpl8 and pUC19 vectorsGene, 1985
- Analysis of gene control signals by DNA fusion and cloning in Escherichia coliJournal of Molecular Biology, 1980