A three-dimensional ParF meshwork assembles through the nucleoid to mediate plasmid segregation.

ABSTRACT: Genome segregation is a fundamental step in the life cycle of every cell. Most bacteria rely on dedicated DNA partition proteins to actively segregate chromosomes and low copy-number plasmids. Here, by employing super resolution microscopy, we establish that the ParF DNA partition protein of the ParA family assembles into a three-dimensional meshwork that uses the nucleoid as a scaffold and periodically shuttles between its poles. Whereas ParF specifies the territory for plasmid trafficking, the ParG partner protein dictates the tempo of ParF assembly cycles and plasmid segregation events by stimulating ParF adenosine triphosphate hydrolysis. Mutants in which this ParG temporal regulation is ablated show partition deficient phenotypes as a result of either altered ParF structure or dynamic

SUBMITTER: McLeod BN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5389482 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature