Loss of Hda activity stimulates replication initiation from I-box, but not R4 mutant origins in Escherichia coli |
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Authors: | Leise Riber,Kazuyuki Fujimitsu,Tsutomu Katayama, Anders Lø bner-Olesen |
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Affiliation: | Department of Science, Systems and Models, Roskilde University, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark.; Department of Molecular Biology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812–8582, Japan. |
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Abstract: | Initiation of chromosome replication in Escherichia coli is limited by the initiator protein DnaA associated with ATP. Within the replication origin, binding sites for DnaA associated with ATP or ADP (R boxes) and the DnaAATP specific sites (I-boxes, τ-boxes and 6-mer sites) are found. We analysed chromosome replication of cells carrying mutations in conserved regions of oriC . Cells carrying mutations in DnaA-boxes I2, I3, R2, R3 and R5 as well as FIS and IHF binding sites resembled wild-type cells with respect to origin concentration. Initiation of replication in these mutants occurred in synchrony or with slight asynchrony only. Furthermore, lack of Hda stimulated initiation in all these mutants. The DnaAATP containing complex that leads to initiation can therefore be formed in the absence of several of the origin DnaA binding sites including both DnaAATP specific I-boxes. However, competition between I-box mutant and wild-type origins , revealed a positive role of I-boxes on initiation. On the other hand, mutations affecting DnaA-box R4 were found to be compromised for initiation and could not be augmented by an increase in cellular DnaAATP/DnaAADP ratio. Compared with the sites tested here, R4 therefore seems to contribute to initiation most critically. |
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