MatP local enrichment delays segregation independently of tetramer formation and septal anchoring in Vibrio cholerae

Vibrio cholerae harbours a primary chromosome derived from the monochromosomal ancestor of the Vibrionales (ChrI) and a secondary chromosome derived from a megaplasmid (ChrII). The coordinated segregation of the replication terminus of both chromosomes (TerI and TerII) determines when and where cell division occurs. ChrI encodes a homologue of Escherichia coli MatP, a protein that binds to a DNA motif (matS) that is overrepresented in replication termini. Here, we use a combination of deep sequencing and fluorescence microscopy techniques to show that V. cholerae MatP structures TerI and TerII into macrodomains, targets them to mid-cell during replication, and delays their segregation, thus supporting that ChrII behaves as a bona fide chromosome. We further show that the extent of the segregation delay mediated by MatP depends on the number and local density of matS sites, and is independent of its assembly into tetramers and any interaction with the divisome, in contrast to what has been previously observed in E. coli.