Compact archived record and sequence evidence for P18004
Gene Ontology annotation based on UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot Subcellular Location vocabulary mapping, accompanied by conservative changes to GO terms applied by UniProt
Nucleotide sequence of the F plasmid gene, traC, and identification of its product.
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Establishes the traC coding region as 875 residues, matching the length of the UniProt entry, and states the pilus-assembly requirement.
"The traC gene of the F plasmid tra operon is required for the assembly of mature F-pilin subunits into extended F pili."
A traC mutant that retains sensitivity to f1 bacteriophage but lacks F pili.
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The traC1044 mutant pairs with recipients but transfers conjugal DNA at greatly reduced frequency, linking TraC to conjugative transfer by mutant phenotype.
"Mutant cells were able to pair with recipient cells during bacterial conjugation, but transfer of conjugal DNA occurred at a greatly reduced frequency."
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Mature pilin accumulates normally in the mutant, so TraC acts at pilus assembly and not at pilin processing.
"Membranes of hosts carrying the F' mutation contained a full complement of mature F-pilin subunits, so the product of traC is presumably required for pilus assembly but not for pilin processing."
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Complementation with a traC-bearing plasmid restores piliation and conjugation efficiency, confirming the gene assignment.
"When a plasmid carrying traC was introduced into hosts harboring the F' mutation, phage sensitivity, the ability to elaborate F pili, and conjugation efficiency were restored."
Localization of TraC, a protein involved in assembly of the F conjugative pilus.
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TraC is cytoplasmic when expressed alone and membrane-associated when expressed from F, so its inner-membrane association is peripheral and partner-dependent rather than via its own anchor.
"These data suggest that TraC is normally associated with the membrane through interactions with other proteins specified by the tra region."
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TraC is not part of the pilus tip.
"TraC does not appear to be part of the tip of the F pilus, as neither anti-TraC antibodies nor purified TraC had any effect on the infection of F-containing bacteria by the filamentous bacteriophage f1."