The Putative Coupling Protein TcpA Interacts with Other pCW3-Encoded Proteins To Form an Essential Part of the Conjugation Complex

Autor: Julian I. Rood, Wee Lin Teng, Trudi L. Bannam, Rodney J. Devenish, Jennifer A. Steen
Rok vydání: 2009
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of Bacteriology. 191:2926-2933
ISSN: 1098-5530
0021-9193
DOI: 10.1128/jb.00032-09
Popis: Conjugative plasmids encode antibiotic resistance determinants or toxin genes in the anaerobic pathogen Clostridium perfringens . The paradigm conjugative plasmid in this bacterium is pCW3, a 47-kb tetracycline resistance plasmid that encodes the unique tcp transfer locus. The tcp locus consists of 11 genes, intP and tcpA - tcpJ , at least three of which, tcpA , tcpF , and tcpH , are essential for the conjugative transfer of pCW3. In this study we examined protein-protein interactions involving TcpA, the putative coupling protein. Use of a bacterial two-hybrid system identified interactions between TcpA and TcpC, TcpG, and TcpH. This analysis also demonstrated TcpA, TcpC, and TcpG self-interactions, which were confirmed by chemical cross-linking studies. Examination of a series of deletion and site-directed derivatives of TcpA identified the domains and motifs required for these interactions. Based on these results, we have constructed a model for this unique conjugative transfer apparatus.
Databáze: OpenAIRE