Functional characterization of the multidomain F plasmid TraI relaxase-helicase

TraI, a bifunctional enzyme containing relaxase and helicase activities, initiates and drives the conjugative transfer of the Escherichia coli F plasmid. Here, we examined the structure and function of the TraI helicase. We show that TraI binds to single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) with a site size of ∼25 nucleotides, which is significantly longer than the site size of other known superfamily I helicases. Low cooperativity was observed with the binding of TraI to ssDNA, and a double-stranded DNA-binding site was identified within the N-terminal region of TraI 1-858, outside the core helicase motifs of TraI. We have revealed that the affinity of TraI for DNA is negatively correlated with the ionic strength of the solution. The binding of AMPPNP or ADP results in a 3-fold increase in the affinity of TraI for ssDNA. Moreover, TraI prefers to bind ssDNA oligomers containing a single type of base. Finally, we elucidated the solution structure of TraI using small angle x-ray scattering. TraI exhibits an ellipsoidal shape in solution with four domains aligning along one axis. Taken together, these data result in the assembly of a model for the multidomain helicase activity of TraI.