Properties of the Ureaplasma parvum structural maintenance of chromosomes protein related to its interaction with DNA

FEMS Microbiol Lett. 2025 Jan 10:372:fnaf010. doi: 10.1093/femsle/fnaf010.

Abstract

SMC (Structural Maintenance of Chromosomes) ATPase proteins are integral components of complexes bearing the same name, crucial for the spatial organization of DNA across diverse life forms, spanning bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes. It is proposed that in bacteria, SMC complexes facilitate DNA compaction through loop extrusion and aid in the segregation of daughter nucleoids. In this paper, the properties of the SMC ATPase protein from Ureaplasma parvum were investigated by using a spectrum of methods, including conventional biochemical methods as well as advanced single-molecule techniques. Our findings reveal distinctive properties of this protein compared to its extensively studied homologue from Bacillus subtilis. Notably, our results suggest that U. parvum Smc ATPase facilitates DNA compaction even in the absence of ATP.

Keywords: Ureaplasma parvum; DNA segregation; SMC; spatial organization of DNA.

MeSH terms

  • Adenosine Triphosphatases* / genetics
  • Adenosine Triphosphatases* / metabolism
  • Bacillus subtilis / genetics
  • Bacillus subtilis / metabolism
  • Bacterial Proteins* / chemistry
  • Bacterial Proteins* / genetics
  • Bacterial Proteins* / metabolism
  • Cell Cycle Proteins* / genetics
  • Cell Cycle Proteins* / metabolism
  • Chromosomes, Bacterial* / metabolism
  • DNA, Bacterial* / metabolism
  • Ureaplasma* / enzymology
  • Ureaplasma* / genetics
  • Ureaplasma* / metabolism

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • DNA, Bacterial
  • Adenosine Triphosphatases
  • SMC protein, Bacteria
  • Cell Cycle Proteins