Cooperative Function of TraJ and ArcA in Regulating the F Plasmid tra Operon

The F plasmid tra operon encodes most of the proteins required for bacterial conjugation. TraJ and ArcA are known activators of the tra operon promoter P_Y, which is subject to H-NS-mediated silencing. Donor ability and promoter activity assays indicated that P_Y is inactivated by silencers and requires both TraJ and ArcA for activation to support efficient F conjugation. The observed low-level, ArcA-independent F conjugation is caused by tra expression from upstream alternative promoters. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays showed that TraJ alone weakly binds to P_Y regulatory DNA; however, TraJ binding is significantly enhanced by ArcA binding to the same DNA, indicating cooperativity of the two proteins. Analysis of binding affinities between ArcA and various DNA fragments in the P_Y regulatory region defined a 22-bp tandem repeat sequence (from -76 to -55 of P_Y) sufficient for optimal ArcA binding, which is immediately upstream of the predicted TraJ-binding site (from -54 to -34). Deletion analysis of the P_Y promoter in strains deficient in TraJ, ArcA, and/or H-NS determined that sequences upstream of -103 are required by silencers including H-NS for P_Y silencing, whereas sequences downstream of -77 are targeted by TraJ and ArcA for activation. TraJ and ArcA appear not only to counteract P_Y silencers but also to directly activate P_Y in a cooperative manner. Our data reveal the cooperativity of TraJ and ArcA during P_Y activation and provide insights into the regulatory circuit controlling F-family plasmid-mediated bacterial conjugation.IMPORTANCE Conjugation is a major mechanism for dissemination of antibiotic resistance and virulence among bacterial populations. The tra operon in the F family of conjugative plasmids encodes most of the proteins involved in bacterial conjugation. This work reveals that activation of tra operon transcription requires two proteins, TraJ and ArcA, to bind cooperatively to adjacent sites immediately upstream of the major tra promoter P_Y The interaction of TraJ and ArcA with the tra operon not only relieves P_Y from silencers but also directly activates it. These findings provide insights into the regulatory circuit of the F-family plasmid-mediated bacterial conjugation.