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The coupling between ftsZ transcription and initiation of DNA replication is not mediated by the DnaA‐boxes upstream of ftsZ or by DnaA
Author(s) -
Smith Richard W. P.,
McAteer Sean,
Masters Millicent
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
molecular microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.857
H-Index - 247
eISSN - 1365-2958
pISSN - 0950-382X
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2958.1996.6431365.x
Subject(s) - dnaa , ftsz , biology , dna replication , transcription (linguistics) , microbiology and biotechnology , dna binding protein , gene , cell division , genetics , transcription factor , origin of replication , escherichia coli , cell , linguistics , philosophy
The DnaA protein of Escherichia coli is a multifunctional protein which, in addition to promoting initiation of replication, can regulate the initiation or termination of transcription of a variety of genes. It acts by binding to DNA at a defined sequence, termed a DnaA‐box. Three candidate DnaA‐boxes which occur within the essential cell‐division genes, ftsQ and ftsA, have been hypothesized to mediate the response of the downstream ftsZ gene to intracellular levels of DnaA, and thus to couple the processes of initiation and cell division. We show here that, although transcription from promoters upstream of ftsZ is increased when initiation of chromosome replication is blocked by DnaA inactivation, this response is not mediated by the DnaA‐boxes near these promoters, nor is it specific to DnaA. We show, furthermore, that mutational inactivation of the putative DnaA‐binding sites in the fts region of the chromosome does not lead to impaired growth or reduced survival of cells.