title: Identification of the DNA binding domain of the phage lambda cII transcriptional activator and the direct correlation of cII protein stability with its oligomeric forms.
abstract: The bacteriophage lambda transcriptional activator protein cII is a DNA-binding protein that coordinately regulates transcription from phage promoters important for lysogenic growth. We have genetically and structurally characterized more than 80 different single amino acid substitutions in this 97-amino-acid protein. A subset of 25 of these variant proteins was utilized for detailed biochemical analysis, which allows us to define specific domains critical for sequence-selective DNA recognition, nonspecific DNA binding, and protein oligomerization. The mutation studies also demonstrated the remarkable correlation of oligomeric structure of cII protein to its stability within the bacterial host. An Escherichia coli HtpR- strain has been identified that greatly stabilizes these highly unstable cII mutants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Genetics, SmithKline Laboratory, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania 19406-0939.
authors.forename: Y S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Mahoney
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Wulff
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rosenberg
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D010582:Bacteriophage lambda / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001665:Binding Sites; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005814:Genes, Viral; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D011487:Protein Conformation; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014764:Viral Proteins
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D014764:Viral Proteins; C039000:cII protein, bacteriophage lambda