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Title: The repABC plasmids with quorum-regulated transfer systems in members of the Rhizobiales divide into two structurally and separately evolving groups

Journal Article · · Genome Biology and Evolution
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evv227· OSTI ID:1288452
 [1];  [2];  [1];  [1]
  1. Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL (United States). Dept. of Microbiology
  2. Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL (United States). Dept. of Microbiology and Carl R. Woese Inst. for Genomic Biology
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The large repABC plasmids of the order Rhizobiales with Class I quorum-regulated conjugative transfer systems often define the nature of the bacterium that harbors them. These otherwise diverse plasmids contain a core of highly conserved genes for replication and conjugation raising the question of their evolutionary relationships. In an analysis of 18 such plasmids these elements fall into two organizational classes, Group I and Group II, based on the sites at which cargo DNA is located. Cladograms constructed from proteins of the transfer and quorum-sensing components indicated that those of the Group I plasmids, while coevolving, have diverged from those coevolving proteins of the Group II plasmids. Moreover, within these groups the phylogenies of the proteins usually occupy similar, if not identical, tree topologies. Remarkably, such relationships were not seen among proteins of the replication system; although RepA and RepB coevolve, RepC does not. Nor do the replication proteins coevolve with the proteins of the transfer and quorum-sensing systems. Functional analysis was mostly consistent with phylogenies. TraR activated promoters from plasmids within its group, but not between groups and dimerized with TraR proteins from within but not between groups. However, oriT sequences, which are highly conserved, were processed by the transfer system of plasmids regardless of group. Here, we conclude that these plasmids diverged into two classes based on the locations at which cargo DNA is inserted, that the quorum-sensing and transfer functions are coevolving within but not between the two groups, and that this divergent evolution extends to function.

Research Organization:
Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0006642; AC02-06CH11357
OSTI ID:
1288452
Journal Information:
Genome Biology and Evolution, Vol. 7, Issue 12; ISSN 1759-6653
Publisher:
Society for Molecular Biology and EvolutionCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 20 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Quorum-dependent transfer of the opine-catabolic plasmid pAoF64/95 is regulated by a novel mechanism involving inhibition of the TraR antiactivator TraM journal April 2018
Symbiosis genes show a unique pattern of introgression and selection within a Rhizobium leguminosarum species complex posted_content November 2019
Evolutionary Relatedness and Classification of Tumor-Inducing and Opine-Catabolic Plasmids in Three Rhizobium rhizogenes Strains Isolated from the Same Crown Gall Tumor journal April 2019

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Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
plasmid evolution
RepABC
horizontal transfer
quorum-sensing
Alphaproteobacteria
conjugative transfer genes
multiple sequence alignment
complete nucleotide-sequence
tumefaciens ti plasmid
etli symbiotic plasmid
tumor-inducing ti
trar-like protein
broad-host-range
sp strain ngr234
agrobacterium-tumefaciens
conjugal transfer