The structure of a polygamous repressor reveals how phage-inducible chromosomal islands spread in nature
Citations Over TimeTop 17% of 2019 papers
Abstract
Stl is a master repressor encoded by Staphylococcus aureus pathogenicity islands (SaPIs) that maintains integration of these elements in the bacterial chromosome. After infection or induction of a resident helper phage, SaPIs are de-repressed by specific interactions of phage proteins with Stl. SaPIs have evolved a fascinating mechanism to ensure their promiscuous transfer by targeting structurally unrelated proteins performing identically conserved functions for the phage. Here we decipher the molecular mechanism of this elegant strategy by determining the structure of SaPIbov1 Stl alone and in complex with two structurally unrelated dUTPases from different S. aureus phages. Remarkably, SaPIbov1 Stl has evolved different domains implicated in DNA and partner recognition specificity. This work presents the solved structure of a SaPI repressor protein and the discovery of a modular repressor that acquires multispecificity through domain recruiting. Our results establish the mechanism that allows widespread dissemination of SaPIs in nature.
Related Papers
- → The Floating (Pathogenicity) Island: A Genomic Dessert(2015)91 cited
- → Horizontal transfer of virulence genes encoded on the Enterococcus faecalis pathogenicity island(2006)78 cited
- → Intra- and inter-generic transfer of pathogenicity island-encoded virulence genes by cos phages(2014)61 cited
- → Investigation of horizontal gene transfer of pathogenicity islands in Escherichia coli using next-generation sequencing(2017)47 cited
- [C1 and cro repressors of lambda phages. Isolation of strains of bacteriophage lambda imm434 superproducing repressor cro].(1984)