Functional interactions of VirB11 traffic ATPases with VirB4 and VirD4 molecular motors in type IV secretion systems.

ABSTRACT: Pilus biogenesis and substrate transport by type IV secretion systems require energy, which is provided by three molecular motors localized at the base of the secretion channel. One of these motors, VirB11, belongs to the superfamily of traffic ATPases, which includes members of the type II secretion system and the type IV pilus and archaeal flagellar assembly apparatus. Here, we report the functional interactions between TrwD, the VirB11 homolog of the conjugative plasmid R388, and TrwK and TrwB, the motors involved in pilus biogenesis and DNA transport, respectively. Although these interactions remained standing upon replacement of the traffic ATPase by a homolog from a phylogenetically related conjugative system, namely, TraG of plasmid pKM101, this homolog could not replace the TrwD fu

SUBMITTER: Ripoll-Rozada J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3754731 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature