Cryo-EM structure and evolutionary history of the conjugation surface exclusion protein TraT

Conjugation plays a major role in dissemination of antimicrobial resistance genes. Following transfer of IncF-like plasmids, recipients become refractory to a second wave of conjugation with the same plasmid via entry (TraS) and surface (TraT) exclusion mechanisms. Here, we show that TraT from the p...

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Veröffentlicht in:Nature communications 2025-01, Vol.16 (1), p.659-15, Article 659
Hauptverfasser: Seddon, Chloe, David, Sophia, Wong, Joshua L. C., Ishimoto, Naito, He, Shan, Bradshaw, Jonathan, Low, Wen Wen, Frankel, Gad, Beis, Konstantinos
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Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:Conjugation plays a major role in dissemination of antimicrobial resistance genes. Following transfer of IncF-like plasmids, recipients become refractory to a second wave of conjugation with the same plasmid via entry (TraS) and surface (TraT) exclusion mechanisms. Here, we show that TraT from the pKpQIL and F plasmids (TraT pKpQIL and TraT F ) exhibits plasmid surface exclusion specificity. The cryo-EM structures of TraT pKpQIL and TraT F reveal that they oligomerise into decameric champagne bottle cork-like structures, which are anchored to the outer membrane via a diacylglycerol and palmitic acid modified α-helical barrel domain. Unexpectedly, we identify chromosomal TraT homologues from multiple Gram-negative phyla which form numerous divergent lineages in a phylogenetic tree of TraT sequences. Plasmid-associated TraT sequences are found in multiple distinct lineages, including two separate clades incorporating TraT from Enterobacteriaceae IncF/F-like and Legionellaceae F-like plasmids. These findings suggest that different plasmid backbones have acquired and co-opted TraT on independent occasions. Outer membrane protein TraT protects bacteria from secondary F plasmid conjugation. Here, the authors report cryo-EM structure of decameric cork-like TraT and its evolutionary history as a chromosomal gene that has been incorporated into multiple plasmid families.
ISSN:2041-1723
2041-1723
DOI:10.1038/s41467-025-55834-w