Multi-subunit ring-ATPases carry out a myriad of biological functions, including genome packaging in viruses. Though the basic structures and functions of these motors have been well-established, the mechanisms of ATPase firing and motor coordination are poorly understood. Here, using single-molecule fluorescence, we determine that the active bacteriophage T4 DNA packaging motor consists of five subunits of gp17. By systematically doping motors with an ATPase-defective subunit and selecting single motors containing a precise number of active or inactive subunits, we find that the packaging motor can tolerate an inactive subunit. However, motors containing one or more inactive subunits exhibit fewer DNA engagements, a higher failure rate in encapsidation, reduced packaging velocity, and increased pausing. These findings suggest a DNA packaging model in which the motor, by re-adjusting its grip on DNA, can skip an inactive subunit and resume DNA translocation, suggesting that strict coordination amongst motor subunits of packaging motors is not crucial for function.
Function of a viral genome packaging motor from bacteriophage T4 is insensitive to DNA sequence
Abstract Many viruses employ ATP-powered motors during assembly to translocate DNA into procapsid shells. Previous reports raise the question if motor function is modulated by substrate DNA sequence: (i) the phage T4 motor exhibits large translocation rate fluctuations and pauses and slips; (ii) evidence suggests that the phage phi29 motor contacts DNA bases during translocation; and (iii) one theoretical model, the ‘B-A scrunchworm’, predicts that ‘A-philic’ sequences that transition more easily to A-form would alter motor function. Here, we use single-molecule optical tweezers measurements to compare translocation of phage, plasmid, and synthetic A-philic, GC rich sequences by the T4 motor. We observed no significant differences in motor velocities, even with A-philic sequences predicted to show higher translocation rate at high applied force. We also observed no significant changes in motor pausing and only modest changes in slipping. To more generally test for sequence dependence, we conducted correlation analyses across pairs of packaging events. No significant correlations in packaging rate, pausing or slipping versus sequence position were detected across repeated measurements with several different DNA sequences. These studies suggest that viral genome packaging is insensitive to DNA sequence and fluctuations in packaging motor velocity, pausing and slipping are primarily stochastic temporal events.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1817709
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10275870
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Nucleic Acids Research
- Volume:
- 48
- Issue:
- 20
- ISSN:
- 0305-1048
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 11602 to 11614
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Abstract -
Bacteriophage (phage) T4 has served as an extraordinary model to elucidate biological structures and mechanisms. Recent discoveries on the T4 head (capsid) structure, portal vertex, and genome packaging add a significant body of new literature to phage biology. Head structures in unexpanded and expanded conformations show dramatic domain movements, structural remodeling, and a ~70% increase in inner volume while creating high-affinity binding sites for the outer decoration proteins Soc and Hoc. Small changes in intercapsomer interactions modulate angles between capsomer planes, leading to profound alterations in head length. The in situ cryo-EM structure of the symmetry-mismatched portal vertex shows the remarkable structural morphing of local regions of the portal protein, allowing similar interactions with the capsid protein in different structural environments. Conformational changes in these interactions trigger the structural remodeling of capsid protein subunits surrounding the portal vertex, which propagate as a wave of expansion throughout the capsid. A second symmetry mismatch is created when a pentameric packaging motor assembles at the outer “clip” domains of the dodecameric portal vertex. The single-molecule dynamics of the packaging machine suggests a continuous burst mechanism in which the motor subunits adjusted to the shape of the DNA fire ATP hydrolysis, generating speeds as high as 2000 bp/s.more » « less
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkaa875
