Ignacio Arechaga, Alejandro Peña, Sandra Zunzunegui, María del Carmen Fernández-Alonso, Germán Rivas and Fernando de la Cruz.
Type IV secretion systems (T4SS) mediate the transfer of DNA and protein substrates to target cells. TrwK, encoded by the conjugative plasmid R388, is a member of the VirB4 family, the largest and most conserved protein of T4SS. VirB4 was suggested to be an ATPase involved in energizing pilus assembly and substrate transport. However, conflicting experimental evidence concerning VirB4 ATP hydrolase activity was reported. Here, we demonstrate that TrwK is able to hydrolyze ATP in vitro in the absence of its potential macromolecular substrates and other T4SS components. The kinetic parameters of its ATPase activity have been characterized. TrwK oligomerization state was investigated by analytical ultracentrifugation and electron microscopy, and its effects on the ATPase activity were analyzed. The results suggest that the hexameric form of TrwK is the catalytically active state, much like the structurally related protein TrwB, the conjugative coupling protein. http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/JB.00321-08
Type IV secretion systems (T4SS) mediate the transfer of DNA and protein substrates to target cells. TrwK, encoded by the conjugative plasmid R388, is a member of the VirB4 family, the largest and most conserved protein of T4SS. VirB4 was suggested to be an ATPase involved in energizing pilus assembly and substrate transport. However, conflicting experimental evidence concerning VirB4 ATP hydrolase activity was reported. Here, we demonstrate that TrwK is able to hydrolyze ATP in vitro in the absence of its potential macromolecular substrates and other T4SS components. The kinetic parameters of its ATPase activity have been characterized. TrwK oligomerization state was investigated by analytical ultracentrifugation and electron microscopy, and its effects on the ATPase activity were analyzed. The results suggest that the hexameric form of TrwK is the catalytically active state, much like the structurally related protein TrwB, the conjugative coupling protein. http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/JB.00321-08
