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The ABCs of plasmid replication and segregation

Nature Reviews Microbiology volume 10, pages 755–765 (2012)Cite this article

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Abstract

To ensure faithful transmission of low-copy plasmids to daughter cells, these plasmids must replicate once per cell cycle and distribute the replicated DNA to the nascent daughter cells. RepABC family plasmids are found exclusively in alphaproteobacteria and carry a combined replication and partitioning locus, the repABC cassette, which is also found on secondary chromosomes in this group. RepC and a replication origin are essential for plasmid replication, and RepA, RepB and the partitioning sites distribute the replicons to predivisional cells. Here, we review our current understanding of the transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of the Rep proteins and of their functions in plasmid replication and partitioning.

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Figure 1: Replication and partitioning of low-copy plasmids.
Figure 2: Genetic organization of repABC systems from representative RepABC plasmids.
Figure 3: Regulation of the repABC operon of octopine-type tumour-inducing (Ti) plasmids.
Figure 4: RNA RepE on the control of repC expression.

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Acknowledgements

The work from the author's laboratory that is described in this article was supported by a grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, US National Institutes of Health (GM042893). U.M.P. acknowledges financial support from the Brazilian government through the Coordenação de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (Capes). K.M.P. acknowledges the University of Athens (Greece) Research Committee (grant 70/4/7809).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Alimentos, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Morro do Cruzeiro, Ouro Preto, 35400-000, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Uelinton M. Pinto

  2. Department of Genetics & Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Athens, Athens, 15701, Greece

    Katherine M. Pappas

  3. Department of Microbiology, 361A Wing Hall

    Stephen C. Winans

  4. Cornell University, Ithaca, 14853, New York, USA

    Stephen C. Winans

Authors
  1. Uelinton M. Pinto
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  2. Katherine M. Pappas
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  3. Stephen C. Winans
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Correspondence to Stephen C. Winans.

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Supplementary information

Supplementary information Table S1

In format provided by Pinto et al (NOVEMBER 2012) (XLS 611 kb)

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FURTHER INFORMATION

Katherine M. Pappas's homepage

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Genbank

Glossary

Alphaproteobacteria

A group of Gram-negative, generally flagellated bacteria.

Plasmids

Semi-autonomous DNA sequences that are dispensable for bacterial growth but often confer useful new survival and colonization strategies on their bacterial hosts.

Partitioning

The distribution (or segregation) of newly replicated daughter plasmids to each of two nascent daughter cells.

Replicons

Autonomously replicating DNA molecules.

Chromids

Replicons with both plasmid- and chromosome-like features: chromids have similar GC contents to cognate primary chromosomes and carry genes that are essential for core physiology, but they use plasmid-like partitioning and replication systems. The term chromid is largely synonymous with the term secondary chromosome.

Conjugative transfer

A form of interbacterial plasmid transfer that requires contact between a donor cell and a recipient cell.

Origin of replication

The minimal DNA region that supports autonomous replication. In plasmids, this is called oriV.

ParA and ParB

Proteins that mediate the partitioning of plasmids, prophages or chromosomes to nascent daughter cells.

dnaA

A gene encoding a protein that binds to bacterial replication origins and recruits other components of the replication machinery.

Counter-transcribed RNA

A term used in plasmid biology to describe a type of antisense RNA that is synthesized from the DNA strand which is complementary to its target RNA. Like other antisense RNAs, counter-transcribed RNAs form a duplex with their targets, usually leading to degradation of both strands.

Copy number

The number of copies of a plasmid per bacterial cell; this number is generally held constant by the replication machinery.

Autorepression

The ability of a protein to repress the promoter of the gene encoding that protein.

CtrA

A transcription factor of Caulobacter crescentus that is synthesized and phosphorylated during a particular portion of the cell cycle to regulate the expression of various promoters.

VirG

A transcription factor of Agrobacterium spp. that is phosphorylated by VirA in response to plant-released phenolic compounds and activates transcription of plasmid tumour-inducing vir genes, which direct the transfer of tumorigenic DNA fragments into host cell nuclei.

Quorum sensing

A form of transcriptional regulation in bacteria. Quorum sensing systems consist of a bacterial pheromone (which accumulates at high population density), a pheromone synthase and a pheromone receptor, and they most often function to activate target genes in the presence of the pheromone.

Dam methylase

A DNA methylase that is found in enterobacteria and methylates the A residues of GATC motifs. Cells can recognize newly synthesized DNA by its lack of methylation.

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Pinto, U., Pappas, K. & Winans, S. The ABCs of plasmid replication and segregation. Nat Rev Microbiol 10, 755–765 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro2882

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