Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Structures of ISCth4 transpososomes reveal the role of asymmetry in copy-out/paste-in DNA transposition

Journal Article · · EMBO Journal
Copy-out/paste-in transposition is a major bacterial DNA mobility pathway. It contributes significantly to the emergence of antibiotic resistance, often by upregulating expression of downstream genes upon integration. Unlike other transposition pathways, it requires both asymmetric and symmetric strand transfer steps. Here, we report the first structural study of a copy-out/paste-in transposase and demonstrate its ability to catalyze all pathway steps in vitro. X-ray structures of ISCth4 transposase, a member of the IS256 family of insertion sequences, bound to DNA substrates corresponding to three sequential steps in the reaction reveal an unusual asymmetric dimeric transpososome. During transposition, an array of N-terminal domains binds a single transposon end while the catalytic domain moves to accommodate the varying substrates. These conformational changes control the path of DNA flanking the transposon end and the generation of DNA-binding sites. Our results explain the asymmetric outcome of the initial strand transfer and show how DNA binding is modulated by the asymmetric transposase to allow the capture of a second transposon end and to integrate a circular intermediate.
Research Organization:
Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Advanced Photon Source (APS)
Sponsoring Organization:
National Institutes of Health (NIH); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Grant/Contract Number:
W-31109-ENG-38
OSTI ID:
1718960
Journal Information:
EMBO Journal, Journal Name: EMBO Journal Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 40; ISSN 0261-4189
Publisher:
EMBO PressCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
ENGLISH

References (91)

Overview of Current Methods in Sedimentation Velocity and Sedimentation Equilibrium Analytical Ultracentrifugation journal February 2013
Transposase-induced excision and circularization of the bacterial insertion sequence IS911. journal December 1992
Transposons: the agents of antibiotic resistance in bacteria journal August 2018
Linearization and transposition of circular molecules of insertion sequence IS3 journal November 1999
IS911 transposition is regulated by protein-protein interactions via a leucine zipper motif journal February 2000
The terminal inverted repeats of IS911: requirements for synaptic complex assembly and activity journal May 2001
A Modular Polycistronic Expression System for Overexpressing Protein Complexes in Escherichia coli journal February 2001
Novel rearrangements of IS30 carrying plasmids leading to the reactivation of gene expression journal May 1987
Genetic structure, function and regulation of the transposable element IS21 journal February 1989
Isolation, characterization and transposition of an (IS2)2 intermediate journal June 1996
Analysis of the DDE Motif in the Mutator Superfamily journal November 2008
Functional promoters created by the insertion of transposable element IS1 journal October 1986
A family of cloning vectors containing the lacUV5 promoter journal July 1982
Size-Distribution Analysis of Macromolecules by Sedimentation Velocity Ultracentrifugation and Lamm Equation Modeling journal March 2000
The N-terminal domain of the insertion sequence 30 transposase interacts specifically with the terminal inverted repeats of the element. journal March 1990
Analytical Ultracentrifugation: Sedimentation Velocity and Sedimentation Equilibrium book January 2008
Molecular Mechanisms of Antibacterial Multidrug Resistance journal March 2007
Molecular Architecture of the Mos1 Paired-End Complex: The Structural Basis of DNA Transposition in a Eukaryote journal September 2009
Structural Basis of hAT Transposon End Recognition by Hermes, an Octameric DNA Transposase from Musca domestica journal July 2014
Overview: Global and Local Impact of Antibiotic Resistance journal June 2016
Inference of Macromolecular Assemblies from Crystalline State journal September 2007
Identifying promoters for gene expression in Clostridium thermocellum journal December 2015
The analysis of macromolecular interactions by sedimentation equilibrium journal May 2011
Sleeping Beauty Transposition: Biology and Applications for Molecular Therapy journal February 2004
Protocols for Molecular Modeling with Rosetta3 and RosettaScripts journal August 2016
Approaching Elastic Network Models to Molecular Dynamics Flexibility journal August 2010
Transposable genetic elements as agents of gene instability and chromosomal rearrangements journal July 1977
Junk DNA as an evolutionary force journal October 2006
Antibiotic resistance: The last resort journal July 2013
The Mu transpososome structure sheds light on DDE recombinase evolution journal November 2012
Crystal structure of the V(D)J recombinase RAG1–RAG2 journal February 2015
Zinc-binding to the cytoplasmic PAS domain regulates the essential WalK histidine kinase of Staphylococcus aureus journal July 2019
Structures of a RAG-like transposase during cut-and-paste transposition journal November 2019
DNA melting initiates the RAG catalytic pathway journal July 2018
Structure of a P element transposase–DNA complex reveals unusual DNA structures and GTP-DNA contacts journal October 2019
Cutting antiparallel DNA strands in a single active site journal February 2020
Requirement of IS911 replication before integration defines a new bacterial transposition pathway journal September 2004
Two abundant intramolecular transposition products, resulting from reactions initiated at a single end, suggest that IS 2 transposes by an unconventional pathway journal August 1997
Phage Mu transposition immunity reflects supercoil domain structure of the chromosome journal May 1999
The basis of asymmetry in IS2 transposition journal November 2001
Host processing of branched DNA intermediates is involved in targeted transposition of IS911 journal February 2004
The catalytic domain of all eukaryotic cut-and-paste transposase superfamilies journal April 2011
Molecular model for the transposition and replication of bacteriophage Mu and other transposable elements. journal April 1979
The impact of insertion sequences on bacterial genome plasticity and adaptability journal April 2017
Benchmarking fold detection by DaliLite v.5 journal July 2019
Assembly of a strong promoter following IS911 circularization and the role of circles in transposition journal June 1997
A new set of Mu DNA transposition intermediates: alternate pathways of target capture preceding strand transfer journal September 1997
Transient promoter formation: a new feedback mechanism for regulation of IS911 transposition journal October 2001
Sequence similarity of putative transposases links the maizeMutatorautonomous element and a group of bacterial insertion sequences journal January 1994
An efficient and accurate integration of mini-Mu transposons in vitro: a general methodology for functional genetic analysis and molecular biology applications journal July 1999
The helix-turn-helix motif of bacterial insertion sequence IS911 transposase is required for DNA binding journal February 2004
ISfinder: the reference centre for bacterial insertion sequences journal January 2006
ISbrowser: an extension of ISfinder for visualizing insertion sequences in prokaryotic genomes journal November 2009
iMODS: internal coordinates normal mode analysis server journal April 2014
Transposition of Mutator–like transposable elements (MULEs) resembles hAT and Transib elements and V(D)J recombination journal May 2017
An in vivo transposase-catalyzed single-stranded DNA circularization reaction. journal November 1995
Phaser crystallographic software journal July 2007
Improved methods for building protein models in electron density maps and the location of errors in these models journal March 1991
Generation, representation and flow of phase information in structure determination: recent developments in and around SHARP 2.0 journal October 2003
Substructure search procedures for macromolecular structures journal October 2003
XDS journal January 2010
PHENIX: a comprehensive Python-based system for macromolecular structure solution journal January 2010
Features and development of Coot journal March 2010
Crystallography & NMR System: A New Software Suite for Macromolecular Structure Determination journal September 1998
Analysis of the N-terminal DNA binding domain of the IS30 transposase journal August 2004
Three-Dimensional Structure of the Tn5 Synaptic Complex Transposition Intermediate journal July 2000
Influence of IS 256 on Genome Variability and Formation of Small-Colony Variants in Staphylococcus aureus journal August 2017
Relative Strengths of Promoters Provided by Common Mobile Genetic Elements Associated with Resistance Gene Expression in Gram-Negative Bacteria journal August 2015
A Transposon Mutagenesis System for Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum Based on an IS 3 Family Insertion Sequence, IS Blo11 journal September 2018
Mobile Genetic Elements Associated with Antimicrobial Resistance journal August 2018
Characterization of the Transposase Encoded by IS 256 , the Prototype of a Major Family of Bacterial Insertion Sequence Elements journal August 2010
Bias between the Left and Right Inverted Repeats during IS 911 Targeted Insertion journal September 2008
Functional Organization of the Inverted Repeats of IS 30 journal July 2010
Mutations that affect Tn5 insertion into pBR322: importance of local DNA supercoiling journal October 1990
Characterization of IS905, a new multicopy insertion sequence identified in lactococci journal June 1994
Transposase-Dependent Formation of Circular IS 256 Derivatives in Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus journal September 2002
Diversity of Tn 4001 Transposition Products: the Flanking IS 256 Elements Can Form Tandem Dimers and IS Circles journal January 2002
The Left End of IS 2 : a Compromise between Transpositional Activity and an Essential Promoter Function That Regulates the Transposition Pathway journal February 2004
Insertion Sequences journal September 1998
Transposition in Shigella dysenteriae: isolation and analysis of IS911, a new member of the IS3 group of insertion sequences journal July 1990
Formation of potent hybrid promoters of the mutant llm gene by IS256 transposition in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus journal November 1997
Everyman's Guide to Bacterial Insertion Sequences journal April 2015
Copy-out–Paste-in Transposition of IS 911 : A Major Transposition Pathway journal July 2015
Integrating DNA: Transposases and Retroviral Integrases journal October 1999
A model for the molecular organisation of the IS911 transpososome journal June 2010
Soluble expression, purification and characterization of the full length IS2 Transposase journal January 2011
Protein-DNA interactions define the mechanistic aspects of circle formation and insertion reactions in IS2 transposition journal January 2012
Rapid, low-input, low-bias construction of shotgun fragment libraries by high-density in vitro transposition journal January 2010
Genomic exploration of sequential clinical isolates reveals a distinctive molecular signature of persistent Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia journal August 2018
Hsmar1 Transposition Is Sensitive to the Topology of the Transposon Donor and the Target journal January 2013
The emergence of Clostridium thermocellum as a high utility candidate for consolidated bioprocessing applications journal August 2014

Similar Records

Intramolecular transposition by a synthetic IS50 (Tn5) derivative
Journal Article · Wed Oct 31 23:00:00 EST 1990 · Journal of Bacteriology; (USA) · OSTI ID:5948514

Casposase structure and the mechanistic link between DNA transposition and spacer acquisition by CRISPR-Cas
Journal Article · Tue Jan 07 19:00:00 EST 2020 · eLife · OSTI ID:1833697

Phosphate coordination and movement of DNA in the Tn5 synaptic complex: role of the (R)YREK motif
Journal Article · Wed Jan 14 23:00:00 EST 2009 · Nucleic Acids Res. · OSTI ID:1006916