Game of Tug-of-war: ParA2 oscillations spatially regulates Vibrio cholerae chromosome 2 segregation

Dynamic protein gradients are exploited for the spatial organization and segregation of replicated bacterial chromosomes. However, mechanisms of protein gradient formation and how that spatially organizes chromosomes remain poorly understood. ParA2 ATPase is an essential spatial regulator of chromosome 2 segregation in the multichromosome bacterium, Vibrio cholerae. We found that ParA2 gradients dynamically oscillates pole-to-pole in V. cholerae cells. We examined the kinetics of ParA2 ATPase cycle and interactions with its cognate partner, ParB2, and DNA. Our results support a tug-of-war mechanism that uses opposing ParA2 waves to symmetrically position and segregate chromosome 2.