DNA methylation by CcrM contributes to genome maintenance in the Agrobacterium tumefaciens plant pathogen

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Serval ID
serval:BIB_336924D9FAFA
Type
Autre: use this type when nothing else fits.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
DNA methylation by CcrM contributes to genome maintenance in the Agrobacterium tumefaciens plant pathogen
Author(s)
Martin Sandra, Fournes Florian, Ambrosini Giovanna, Iseli Christian, BOJKOWSKA Karolina, Marquis Julien, Guex Nicolas, Collier Justine
Issued date
28/11/2023
Language
english
Abstract
The cell cycle-regulated DNA methyltransferase CcrM is conserved in most Alphaproteobacteria, but its role in bacteria with complex or multicentric genomes remains unexplored. Here, we compare the methylome, the transcriptome and the phenotypes of wild-type and CcrM-depleted Agrobacterium tumefaciens cells with a dicentric genome with two essential replication origins. We find that DNA methylation has a pleiotropic impact on motility, biofilm formation and viability. Remarkably, CcrM promotes the expression of the repABCCh2 operon, encoding proteins required for replication initiation/partitioning at ori2, and inhibits gcrA, encoding a conserved global cell cycle regulator. Imaging ori1 and ori2 in live cells, we show that replication from ori2 is often delayed in cells with a hypo-methylated genome, while ori2 over-initiates in cells with a hyper-methylated genome. We thus propose that methylation by CcrM stimulates RepABC-dependent chromosomal origins, uncovering a novel and original connection between CcrM-dependent DNA methylation and genome maintenance in an Alphaproteobacterial pathogen.
Keywords
Agrobacterium tumefaciens, epigenetics, DNA methylation, DNA replication
Create date
30/11/2023 16:57
Last modification date
01/12/2023 8:30
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