Regulation of sister chromosome cohesion by the replication fork tracking protein SeqA.

Analogously to chromosome cohesion in eukaryotes, newly replicated DNA in E. coli is held together by inter-sister linkages before partitioning into daughter nucleoids. In both cases, initial joining is apparently mediated by DNA catenation, in which replication-induced positive supercoils diffuse behind the fork, causing newly replicated duplexes to twist around each other. Type-II topoisomerase-catalyzed sister separation is delayed by the well-characterized cohesin complex in eukaryotes, but cohesion control in E. coli is not currently understood. We report that the abundant fork tracking protein SeqA is a strong positive regulator of cohesion, and is responsible for markedly prolonged cohesion observed at "snap" loci. Epistasis analysis suggests that SeqA stabilizes cohesion by antagonizing Topo IV-mediated sister resolution, and possibly also by a direct bridging mechanism. We show that variable cohesion observed along the E. coli chromosome is caused by differential SeqA binding, with oriC and snap loci binding disproportionally more SeqA. We propose that SeqA binding results in loose inter-duplex junctions that are resistant to Topo IV cleavage. Lastly, reducing cohesion by genetic manipulation of Topo IV or SeqA resulted in dramatically slowed sister locus separation and poor nucleoid partitioning, indicating that cohesion has a prominent role in chromosome segregation.

Structure and function of interacting IcmR-IcmQ domains from a type IVb secretion system in Legionella pneumophila.

During infection, Legionella pneumophila creates a replication vacuole within eukaryotic cells and this requires a Type IVb secretion system (T4bSS). IcmQ plays a critical role in the translocase and associates with IcmR. In this paper, we show that the N-terminal domain of IcmQ (Qn) mediates self-dimerization, whereas the C-terminal domain with a basic linker promotes membrane association. In addition, the binding of IcmR to IcmQ prevents self-dimerization and also blocks membrane permeabilization. However, IcmR does not completely block membrane binding by IcmQ. We then determined crystal structures of Qn with the interacting region of IcmR. In this complex, each protein forms an alpha-helical hairpin within a parallel four-helix bundle. The amphipathic nature of helices in Qn suggests two possible models for membrane permeabilization by IcmQ. The Rm-Qn structure also suggests how IcmR-like proteins in other L. pneumophila species may interact with their IcmQ partners.

IcmR-regulated membrane insertion and efflux by the Legionella pneumophila IcmQ protein.

Legionella pneumophila proliferates within alveolar macrophages as a central property of Legionnaires' disease. Intracellular growth involves formation of a replicative phagosome, which requires the bacterial Dot/Icm system, a multiprotein secretion apparatus that translocates proteins from the bacterium across the macrophage plasma membrane. Two components of this system, IcmR and IcmQ, are proposed to exhibit a chaperone/substrate relationship similar to that observed in other protein translocation systems. We report here that IcmQ inserts into lipid membranes and forms pores that allow the efflux of the dye calcein but not Dextran 3000. Both membrane insertion and pore formation were inhibited by IcmR. Trypsin digestion mapping demonstrated that IcmQ is subdivided into two functional domains. The N-terminal region of IcmQ was necessary and sufficient for insertion into lipid membranes and calcein efflux. The C-terminal domain was necessary for efficient association of the protein with lipid bilayers. IcmR was found to bind to the N-terminal portion of the protein thus providing a mechanism for its ability to inhibit IcmQ pore-forming activity. Localization of IcmQ on the surface of the L. pneumophila shortly after infection as well as its pore-forming capacities suggest a role for IcmQ in forming a channel that leads translocated effectors out of the bacterium.