Structure of the enterococcal T4SS protein PrgL reveals unique dimerization interface in the VirB8 protein family

Multidrug resistant bacteria are one of the most important current threats to public health and a serious problem in hospital acquired infections (HAIs). Most antibiotic resistance genes are acquired via conjugative gene transfer, in a process that is mediated by a protein machinery called the Type 4 Secretion System (T4SS). The core of the T4SS is a multiprotein complex that spans both the cell wall and cellular membrane(s), serving as a channel for macromolecular secretion. Although the majority of multidrug resistant bacteria responsible for HAIs are of Gram-positive origin, with Enterococci being major contributors, mostly Gram-negative T4SSs have been characterized. Here we describe the structure and organisation of PrgL, one of the seven membrane proteins forming the translocation channel of the T4SS encoded by the pCF10 plasmid from Enterococcus faecalis. We present the structure of the C-terminal domain of PrgL, which displays similarity to VirB8 proteins of Gram-negative secretion systems. PrgL forms dimers and higher order oligomers but does not interact strongly with the other T4SS components. In vitro experiments show that the soluble domain alone is enough to drive both dimerization and dodecamerisation, with a dimerization interface that differs from all other known VirB8-like proteins. Our findings provide insight into the molecular building blocks of Gram-positive T4SS, highlighting similarities but also unique features in PrgL compared to other VirB8-like proteins.