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Identification and characterization of a unique, zinc-containing transport ATPase essential for natural transformation in Thermus thermophilus HB27

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Abstract

Thermus thermophilus is a model strain to unravel the molecular basis of horizontal gene transfer in hot environments. Previous genetic studies led to the identification of a macromolecular transport machinery mediating DNA uptake in an energy-dependent manner. Here, we have addressed how the transporter is energized. Inspection of the genome sequence revealed four putative transport (AAA) ATPases but only the deletion of one, PilF, led to a transformation defect. PilF is similar to transport ATPases of type IV and type II secretions systems but has a unique N-terminal sequence that carries a triplicated GSPII domain. To characterize PilF biochemically it was produced in Escherichia coli and purified. The recombinant protein displayed NTPase activity with a preference for ATP. Gel filtration analyses combined with dynamic light scattering demonstrated that PilF is monodispersed in solution and forms a complex of 590 ± 30 kDa, indicating a homooligomer of six subunits. It contains a tetracysteine motif, previously shown to bind Zn2+ in related NTPases. Using atomic absorption spectroscopy, indeed Zn2+ was detected in the enzyme, but in contrast to all known zinc-binding traffic NTPases only one zinc atom was bound to the hexamer. Deletion of the four cysteine residues led to a loss of Zn2+. Nevertheless, the mutant protein retained ATPase activity and hexameric complex formation.

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Acknowledgments

Work from the Averhoff laboratory was supported by grants Av9/4-4, Av9/4-5 and Av9/5-1 from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, the Fonds der Chemischen Industrie, the BMBF and the Center for Membrane Proteomics, Goethe University, Frankfurt. We are especially grateful to Katharina Baatz and Alexandra Friedrich for generating Thermus TTC1844 and TTC1621 mutants and Jose Berenguer (Madrid) for providing S-layer antibodies. Research performed by the laboratory of G. Grüber was supported by a grant from the Ministry of Education, Singapore (ARC 6/06) and the School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Molecular Microbiology and Bioenergetics, Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438, Frankfurt, Germany

    Ilona Rose, Patrick Aderhold, Volker Müller & Beate Averhoff

  2. Division of Structural and Computational Biology, School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore, 637551, Republic of Singapore

    Goran Biuković & Gerhard Grüber

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  1. Ilona Rose
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  2. Goran Biuković
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  3. Patrick Aderhold
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  4. Volker Müller
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  5. Gerhard Grüber
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  6. Beate Averhoff
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Correspondence to Gerhard Grüber or Beate Averhoff.

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Communicated by A. Driessen.

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Rose, I., Biuković, G., Aderhold, P. et al. Identification and characterization of a unique, zinc-containing transport ATPase essential for natural transformation in Thermus thermophilus HB27. Extremophiles 15, 191–202 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00792-010-0343-2

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