Alternative interactions between the Tn7 transposase and the Tn7 target DNA binding protein regulate target immunity and transposition

Zachary Skelding, Jennie Queen-Baker, Nancy L. Craig

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

23 Scopus citations

Abstract

The Tn7 transposon avoids inserting into a target DNA that contains a pre-existing copy of Tn7. This phenomenon, known as 'target immunity', is established when TnsB, a Tn7 transposase subunit, binds to Tn7 sequences in the target DNA and mediates displacement of TnsC, a critical transposase activator, from the DNA. Paradoxically, TnsB-TnsC interactions are also required to promote transposon insertion. We have probed Tn7 target immunity by isolating TnsB mutants that mediate more frequent insertions into a potentially immune target DNA because they fail to provoke dissociation of TnsC from the DNA. We show that a single region of TnsB mediates the TnsB-TnsC interaction that underlies both target immunity and transposition, but that TnsA, the other transposase subunit, channels the TnsB-TnsC interaction toward transposition.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)5904-5917
Number of pages14
JournalEMBO Journal
Volume22
Issue number21
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 3 2003
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • DNA transposition
  • Enzyme activation
  • Target immunity
  • Tn7
  • Transposase

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Neuroscience
  • Molecular Biology
  • General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
  • General Immunology and Microbiology

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