Conjugation between bacterial and mammalian cells

Waters, Virginia L.

doi:10.1038/ng779

Cited by 166 publications

(109 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…The largest subfamily, the conjugation systems, are found in most species of Gram-negative and Grampositive bacteria. These systems mediate DNA transfer both within and between phylogenetically diverse species, and some systems even deliver DNA to fungi, plants and human cells 2,[9][10][11][12][13] . Conjugation is an important contributor to genome plasticity, and therefore bacterial fitness under changing environmental conditions, as encountered during infection of the human host.…”

Section: The T4s Familymentioning

confidence: 99%

The versatile bacterial type IV secretion systems

Cascales¹,

Christie²

2003

Nat Rev Microbiol

601

559

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Bacteria use type IV secretion systems for two fundamental objectives related to pathogenesisgenetic exchange and the delivery of effector molecules to eukaryotic target cells. Whereas gene acquisition is an important adaptive mechanism that enables pathogens to cope with a changing environment during invasion of the host, interactions between effector and host molecules can suppress defence mechanisms, facilitate intracellular growth and even induce the synthesis of nutrients that are beneficial to bacterial colonization. Rapid progress has been made towards defining the structures and functions of type IV secretion machines, identifying the effector molecules, and elucidating the mechanisms by which the translocated effectors subvert eukaryotic cellular processes during infection. The year 2003 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the first description of a TYPE IV SECRETION (T4S)SYSTEM: the CONJUGATION apparatus of the F plasmid 1 . This is a dynamic bacterial surface organelle, the activities of which are now known to include the contact-dependent delivery of DNA to bacterial recipients and the assembly and retraction of a conjugal PILUS 2 . In the past decade, reports describing systems that are ancestrally related to the F-transfer system and other conjugation machines have emerged. Instead of mediating DNA transfer between bacteria, these systems deliver DNA or protein substrates, known as effectors, to eukaryotic target cells during infection [3][4][5] . More recently, several new T4S systems have been described that are also ancestrally related to the conjugation machines, but these systems mediate the exchange of DNA with the extracellular milieu [6][7][8] . Collectively, this diversity of function in the face of a common ancestry makes the T4S machines attractive subjects for comparative studies that explore the dynamics of organelle assembly and action. Additionally, from a medical perspective, it is of enormous interest to develop a detailed understanding of how the inter-kingdom transfer of type IV effector molecules contributes to pathogenesis. This review will summarize the recent advances in our knowledge of T4S, NIH Public Access Author ManuscriptNat Rev Microbiol. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2013 December 27. NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscriptwith an emphasis on machine structure and function, and the activities of effectors after translocation into the eukaryotic host. The T4S familyThis fascinatingly versatile translocation family can be classified into three subfamilies, each of which contributes in unique ways to pathogenesis ( Fig. 1; Table 1). The largest subfamily, the conjugation systems, are found in most species of Gram-negative and Grampositive bacteria. These systems mediate DNA transfer both within and between phylogenetically diverse species, and some systems even deliver DNA to fungi, plants and human cells 2,9-13 . Conjugation is an important contributor to genome plasticity, and therefore bacterial fitness under changing en...

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Section: The T4s Familymentioning

confidence: 99%

The versatile bacterial type IV secretion systems

Cascales¹,

Christie²

2003

Nat Rev Microbiol

601

559

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…The transfer of narrow host range plasmids is limited at one of the steps required for successful transfer, such as the formation of mating pairs, the avoidance of the recipient's restriction system or the correct expression of its replication and maintenance systems in the recipient (Thomas and Nielsen, 2005). Some broad host range plasmids can transfer across bacterial phyla and even across domains of life (Heinemann and Sprague, 1989;Waters, 2001), and several genetic determinants conferring broad host transfer capability have been identified (Jain and Srivastava, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Broad host range plasmids can invade an unexpectedly diverse fraction of a soil bacterial community

et al. 2014

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Conjugal plasmids can provide microbes with full complements of new genes and constitute potent vehicles for horizontal gene transfer. Conjugal plasmid transfer is deemed responsible for the rapid spread of antibiotic resistance among microbes. While broad host range plasmids are known to transfer to diverse hosts in pure culture, the extent of their ability to transfer in the complex bacterial communities present in most habitats has not been comprehensively studied. Here, we isolated and characterized transconjugants with a degree of sensitivity not previously realized to investigate the transfer range of IncP-and IncPromA-type broad host range plasmids from three proteobacterial donors to a soil bacterial community. We identified transfer to many different recipients belonging to 11 different bacterial phyla. The prevalence of transconjugants belonging to diverse Gram-positive Firmicutes and Actinobacteria suggests that inter-Gram plasmid transfer of IncP-1 and IncPromAtype plasmids is a frequent phenomenon. While the plasmid receiving fractions of the community were both plasmid-and donor-dependent, we identified a core super-permissive fraction that could take up different plasmids from diverse donor strains. This fraction, comprising 80% of the identified transconjugants, thus has the potential to dominate IncP-and IncPromA-type plasmid transfer in soil. Our results demonstrate that these broad host range plasmids have a hitherto unrecognized potential to transfer readily to very diverse bacteria and can, therefore, directly connect large proportions of the soil bacterial gene pool. This finding reinforces the evolutionary and medical significances of these plasmids.

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“…Many of the conjugative plasmids are supplied with broad host range properties among Gram-negative species and a small number of these plasmids can also transfer between and replicate in both Gramnegative and Gram-positive bacteria (Charpentier et al, 1999;Gormley and Davis, 1991;Kurenbach et al, 2003;Trieu-Cuot et al, 1987). Intriguingly, conjugative DNA transfer between bacteria and eukaryotic cells has also been reported (Heinemann and Sprague, 1989;Waters, 2001), demonstrating that bacterial conjugation contributes to genetic exchange going even beyond the bacterial kingdom.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The mating pair formation system of conjugative plasmids—A versatile secretion machinery for transfer of proteins and DNA

Schröder

Lanka

2005

Plasmid

190

146

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The mating pair formation (Mpf) system functions as a secretion machinery for intercellular DNA transfer during bacterial conjugation. The components of the Mpf system, comprising a minimal set of 10 conserved proteins, form a membrane-spanning protein complex and a surface-exposed sex pilus, which both serve to establish intimate physical contacts with a recipient bacterium. To function as a DNA secretion apparatus the Mpf complex additionally requires the coupling protein (CP). The CP interacts with the DNA substrate and couples it to the secretion pore formed by the Mpf system. Mpf/CP conjugation systems belong to the family of type IV secretion systems (T4SS), which also includes DNA-uptake and -release systems, as well as eVector protein translocation systems of bacterial pathogens such as Agrobacterium tumefaciens (VirB/VirD4) and Helicobacter pylori (Cag). The increased eVorts to unravel the molecular mechanisms of type IV secretion have largely advanced our current understanding of the Mpf/CP system of bacterial conjugation systems. It has become apparent that proteins coupled to DNA rather than DNA itself are the actively transported substrates during bacterial conjugation. We here present a uniWed and updated view of the functioning and the molecular architecture of the Mpf/CP machinery. 

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Conjugation between bacterial and mammalian cells

Cited by 166 publications

References 15 publications

The versatile bacterial type IV secretion systems

The versatile bacterial type IV secretion systems

Broad host range plasmids can invade an unexpectedly diverse fraction of a soil bacterial community

The mating pair formation system of conjugative plasmids—A versatile secretion machinery for transfer of proteins and DNA

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