TY - JOUR
T1 - Delineation of a lactococcal conjugation system reveals a restriction-modification evasion system
AU - Ortiz Charneco, Guillermo
AU - Kelleher, Philip
AU - Buivydas, Andrius
AU - Dashko, Sofia
AU - de Waal, Paul P.
AU - van Peij, Noël N.M.E.
AU - Roberts, Richard J.
AU - Mahony, Jennifer
AU - van Sinderen, Douwe
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors. Microbial Biotechnology published by Applied Microbiology International and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
PY - 2023/6
Y1 - 2023/6
N2 - Plasmid pUC11B is a 49.3-kb plasmid harboured by the fermented meat isolate Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis UC11. Among other features, pUC11B encodes a pMRC01-like conjugation system and tetracycline-resistance. In this study, we demonstrate that this plasmid can be conjugated at high frequencies to recipient strains. Mutational analysis of the 22 genes encompassing the presumed pUC11B conjugation cluster revealed the presence of several genes with essential conjugation functions, as well as a gene, trsR, encoding a putative transcriptional repressor of this conjugation cluster. Furthermore, plasmid pUC11B encodes an anti-restriction protein, TrsAR, which facilitates higher conjugation frequencies when pUC11B is transferred into recipient strains containing Type II or Type III RM systems. These findings demonstrate how RM mechanisms can be circumvented when they act as a biological barrier for conjugation events.
AB - Plasmid pUC11B is a 49.3-kb plasmid harboured by the fermented meat isolate Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis UC11. Among other features, pUC11B encodes a pMRC01-like conjugation system and tetracycline-resistance. In this study, we demonstrate that this plasmid can be conjugated at high frequencies to recipient strains. Mutational analysis of the 22 genes encompassing the presumed pUC11B conjugation cluster revealed the presence of several genes with essential conjugation functions, as well as a gene, trsR, encoding a putative transcriptional repressor of this conjugation cluster. Furthermore, plasmid pUC11B encodes an anti-restriction protein, TrsAR, which facilitates higher conjugation frequencies when pUC11B is transferred into recipient strains containing Type II or Type III RM systems. These findings demonstrate how RM mechanisms can be circumvented when they act as a biological barrier for conjugation events.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85150907233
U2 - 10.1111/1751-7915.14221
DO - 10.1111/1751-7915.14221
M3 - Article
C2 - 36942662
AN - SCOPUS:85150907233
SN - 1751-7907
VL - 16
SP - 1250
EP - 1263
JO - Microbial Biotechnology
JF - Microbial Biotechnology
IS - 6
ER -