Evolving origin-of-transfer sequences on staphylococcal conjugative and mobilizable plasmids - Who's mimicking whom?
In Staphylococcus aureus, most multiresistance plasmids lack conjugation or mobilization genes for horizontal transfer. However, most are mobilizable due to carriage of origin-of-transfer (oriT) sequences mimicking those of conjugative plasmids related to pWBG749. pWBG749-family plasmids have diverg...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
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OXFORD UNIV PRESS
2021
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1145697 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/89035 |
| _version_ | 1848765144331452416 |
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| author | Yui Eto, K. Kwong, S.M. Labreck, P.T. Crow, J.E. Traore, D.A.K. Parahitiyawa, N. Fairhurst, H.M. Merrell, D.S. Firth, N. Bond, C.S. Ramsay, Josh |
| author_facet | Yui Eto, K. Kwong, S.M. Labreck, P.T. Crow, J.E. Traore, D.A.K. Parahitiyawa, N. Fairhurst, H.M. Merrell, D.S. Firth, N. Bond, C.S. Ramsay, Josh |
| author_sort | Yui Eto, K. |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | In Staphylococcus aureus, most multiresistance plasmids lack conjugation or mobilization genes for horizontal transfer. However, most are mobilizable due to carriage of origin-of-transfer (oriT) sequences mimicking those of conjugative plasmids related to pWBG749. pWBG749-family plasmids have diverged to carry five distinct oriT subtypes and non-conjugative plasmids have been identified that contain mimics of each. The relaxasome accessory factor SmpO, encoded by each conjugative plasmid, determines specificity for its cognate oriT. Here we characterized the binding of SmpO proteins to each oriT. SmpO proteins predominantly formed tetramers in solution and bound 5'-GNNNNC-3' sites within each oriT. Four of the five SmpO proteins specifically bound their cognate oriT. An F7K substitution in pWBG749 SmpO switched oriT-binding specificity in vitro. In vivo, the F7K substitution reduced but did not abolish self-transfer of pWBG749. Notably, the substitution broadened the oriT subtypes that were mobilized. Thus, this substitution represents a potential evolutionary intermediate with promiscuous DNA-binding specificity that could facilitate a switch between oriT specificities. Phylogenetic analysis suggests pWBG749-family plasmids have switched oriT specificity more than once during evolution. We hypothesize the convergent evolution of oriT specificity in distinct branches of the pWBG749-family phylogeny reflects indirect selection pressure to mobilize plasmids carrying non-cognate oriT-mimics. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:30:35Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-89035 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:30:35Z |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| publisher | OXFORD UNIV PRESS |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-890352022-08-19T05:17:53Z Evolving origin-of-transfer sequences on staphylococcal conjugative and mobilizable plasmids - Who's mimicking whom? Yui Eto, K. Kwong, S.M. Labreck, P.T. Crow, J.E. Traore, D.A.K. Parahitiyawa, N. Fairhurst, H.M. Merrell, D.S. Firth, N. Bond, C.S. Ramsay, Josh Science & Technology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Biochemistry & Molecular Biology PROMISCUOUS INTERMEDIATE UNDERLIES ANTIBIOTIC-RESISTANCE PLASMID STRUCTURAL BASIS TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS DNA PROTEIN RECOGNITION SPECIFICITY EVOLUTION REGULATOR In Staphylococcus aureus, most multiresistance plasmids lack conjugation or mobilization genes for horizontal transfer. However, most are mobilizable due to carriage of origin-of-transfer (oriT) sequences mimicking those of conjugative plasmids related to pWBG749. pWBG749-family plasmids have diverged to carry five distinct oriT subtypes and non-conjugative plasmids have been identified that contain mimics of each. The relaxasome accessory factor SmpO, encoded by each conjugative plasmid, determines specificity for its cognate oriT. Here we characterized the binding of SmpO proteins to each oriT. SmpO proteins predominantly formed tetramers in solution and bound 5'-GNNNNC-3' sites within each oriT. Four of the five SmpO proteins specifically bound their cognate oriT. An F7K substitution in pWBG749 SmpO switched oriT-binding specificity in vitro. In vivo, the F7K substitution reduced but did not abolish self-transfer of pWBG749. Notably, the substitution broadened the oriT subtypes that were mobilized. Thus, this substitution represents a potential evolutionary intermediate with promiscuous DNA-binding specificity that could facilitate a switch between oriT specificities. Phylogenetic analysis suggests pWBG749-family plasmids have switched oriT specificity more than once during evolution. We hypothesize the convergent evolution of oriT specificity in distinct branches of the pWBG749-family phylogeny reflects indirect selection pressure to mobilize plasmids carrying non-cognate oriT-mimics. 2021 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/89035 10.1093/nar/gkab303 English http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1145697 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FT170100235 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ OXFORD UNIV PRESS fulltext |
| spellingShingle | Science & Technology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Biochemistry & Molecular Biology PROMISCUOUS INTERMEDIATE UNDERLIES ANTIBIOTIC-RESISTANCE PLASMID STRUCTURAL BASIS TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS DNA PROTEIN RECOGNITION SPECIFICITY EVOLUTION REGULATOR Yui Eto, K. Kwong, S.M. Labreck, P.T. Crow, J.E. Traore, D.A.K. Parahitiyawa, N. Fairhurst, H.M. Merrell, D.S. Firth, N. Bond, C.S. Ramsay, Josh Evolving origin-of-transfer sequences on staphylococcal conjugative and mobilizable plasmids - Who's mimicking whom? |
| title | Evolving origin-of-transfer sequences on staphylococcal conjugative and mobilizable plasmids - Who's mimicking whom? |
| title_full | Evolving origin-of-transfer sequences on staphylococcal conjugative and mobilizable plasmids - Who's mimicking whom? |
| title_fullStr | Evolving origin-of-transfer sequences on staphylococcal conjugative and mobilizable plasmids - Who's mimicking whom? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evolving origin-of-transfer sequences on staphylococcal conjugative and mobilizable plasmids - Who's mimicking whom? |
| title_short | Evolving origin-of-transfer sequences on staphylococcal conjugative and mobilizable plasmids - Who's mimicking whom? |
| title_sort | evolving origin-of-transfer sequences on staphylococcal conjugative and mobilizable plasmids - who's mimicking whom? |
| topic | Science & Technology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Biochemistry & Molecular Biology PROMISCUOUS INTERMEDIATE UNDERLIES ANTIBIOTIC-RESISTANCE PLASMID STRUCTURAL BASIS TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS DNA PROTEIN RECOGNITION SPECIFICITY EVOLUTION REGULATOR |
| url | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1145697 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1145697 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/89035 |