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Constraints in chromosomal inversions in Escherichia coli are not explained by replication pausing at inverted terminator‐like sequences
Author(s) -
François V.,
Louarn J.,
Patte J.,
Rebollo J.E.,
Louarn J.M.
Publication year - 1990
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 - 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1990.tb00621.x
Subject(s) - biology , genetics , terminator (solar) , ter protein , chromosome , escherichia coli , dna replication , gene , replication (statistics) , chromosomal inversion , origin of replication , karyotype , virology , ionosphere , physics , astronomy
Summary Regions close to the replication terminus of the Escherichia coli chromosome are strongly refractory to genomic inversions (Rebollo et al. , 1988). Since these regions also harbour polar replication terminator‐like sequences or pause sites (François et al. , 1989), we have investigated the possibility that slowing of replication as a result of pausing at inverted pause sites is responsible for inability to isolate stable inversions affecting these regions. A mutation in the tus gene is known to abolish replication pausing at terminators (Hill et al. , 1988). We show here that the distribution of invertible and noninvertible segments along the chromosome is not affected by tus mutations. This observation eliminates replication pausing as a cause for the reduced fitness of bacteria harbouring certain chromosomal inversions.