Helicase delivery and activation by DnaA and TrfA proteins during the initiation of replication of the broad host range plasmid RK2

Specific binding of the plasmid-encoded protein, TrfA, and the Escherichia coli DnaA protein to the origin region (oriV) is required for the initiation of replication of the broad host range plasmid RK2. It has been shown that the DnaA protein which binds to DnaA boxes upstream of the TrfA-binding sites (iterons) cannot by itself form an open complex, but it enhances the formation of the open complex by TrfA (Konieczny, I., Doran, K. S., Helinski, D. R., Blasina, A. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 20173). In this study an in vitro replication system is reconstituted from purified TrfA protein and E. coli proteins. With this system, a specific interaction between the DnaA and DnaB proteins is required for delivery of the helicase to the RK2 origin region. Although the DnaA protein directs the DnaB-DnaC complex to the plasmid replication origin, it cannot by itself activate the helicase. Both DnaA and TrfA proteins are required for DnaB-induced template unwinding. We propose that specific changes in the nucleoprotein structure mediated by TrfA result in a repositioning of the DnaB helicase within the open origin region and an activation of the DnaB protein for template unwinding.