2ntz

Publication Abstract from PubMed

The plasmid partition process is essential for plasmid propagation and is mediated by par systems, consisting of centromere-like sites and two proteins, ParA and ParB. In the first step of partition by the archetypical P1 system, ParB binds a complicated centromere-like site to form a large nucleoprotein segrosome. ParB is a dimeric DNA-binding protein that can bridge between both A-boxes and B-boxes located on the centromere. Its helix-turn-helix domains bind A-boxes and the dimer domain binds B-boxes. Binding of the first ParB dimer nucleates the remaining ParB molecules onto the centromere site, which somehow leads to the formation of a condensed segrosome superstructure. To further understand this unique DNA spreading capability of ParB, we crystallized and determined the structure of a 1:2 ParB-(142-333):A3-B2-box complex to 3.35A resolution. The structure reveals a remarkable four-way, protein-DNA bridged complex in which both ParB helix-turn-helix domains simultaneously bind adjacent A-boxes and the dimer domain bridges between two B-boxes. The multibridging capability and the novel dimer domain-B-box interaction, which juxtaposes the DNA sites close in space, suggests a mechanism for the formation of the wrapped solenoid-like segrosome superstructure. This multibridging capability of ParB is likely critical in its partition complex formation and pairing functions.

Structure of a four-way bridged ParB-DNA complex provides insight into P1 segrosome assembly.,Schumacher MA, Mansoor A, Funnell BE J Biol Chem. 2007 Apr 6;282(14):10456-64. Epub 2007 Feb 9. PMID:17293348^[1]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.