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Stabilization of bacteriophage Mu repressor‐operator complexes by the Escherichia coli integration host factor protein
Author(s) -
Gama MariaJosé,
Toussaint Ariane,
Higgins N. Patrick
Publication year - 1992
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.1365-2958.1992.tb00896.x
Subject(s) - biology , bacteriophage , escherichia coli , repressor , operator (biology) , host (biology) , host factor , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics , dna , gene , transcription factor
Summary All of the previously described effects of integration host factor (IHF) on bacteriophage Mu development have supported the view that IHF favours transposition‐replication over the alternative state of lysogenic phage growth. In this report we show that, consistent with a model in which Mu repressor binding to its operators requires a particular topology of the operator DNA, IHF stimulates repressor binding to the Ol and O2 operators and enhances Mu repression. IHF would thus be one of the keys, besides supercoiling and the H‐NS protein, that lock the operator region into the appropriate topological conformation for high‐affinity binding not only of the phage transposase but also of the phage repressor.