title: Localized DNA melting and structural pertubations in the origin of replication, oriC, of Escherichia coli in vitro and in vivo.
abstract: The leftmost region of the Escherichia coli origin of DNA replication (oriC) contains three tandemly repeated AT-rich 13mers which have been shown to become single-stranded during the early stages of initiation in vitro. Melting is induced by the ATP form of DnaA, the initiator protein of DNA replication. KMnO4 was used to probe for single-stranded regions and altered DNA conformation during the initiation of DNA replication at oriC in vitro and in vivo. Unpairing in the AT-rich 13mer region is thermodynamically stable even in the absence of DnaA protein, but only when divalent cations are omitted from the reaction. In the presence of Mg2+, oriC melting is strictly DnaA dependent. The sensitive region is distinct from that detected in the absence of DnaA as it is located further to the left within the minimal origin. In addition, the DNA is severely distorted between the three 13mers and the IHF binding site in oriC. A change of conformation can also be observed during the initiation of DNA replication in vivo. This is the first in vivo evidence for a structural change at the 13mers during initiation complex formation.
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck-Institut für Immunbiologie, Spemann Laboratories, Freiburg, FRG.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gille
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Messer
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D002413:Cations, Divalent; D004261:DNA Replication; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics*; D008345:Manganese / Q000737:chemistry; D017895:Manganese Compounds; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D010087:Oxides / Q000737:chemistry; D010957:Plasmids; D012045:Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D002413:Cations, Divalent; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C066312:DnaA protein, Bacteria; D017895:Manganese Compounds; D010087:Oxides; C048856:permanganic acid; D008345:Manganese