title: Identification of two new genes, mukE and mukF, involved in chromosome partitioning in Escherichia coli.
abstract: We have previously reported that the MukB protein is essential for chromosome partitioning in Escherichia coli and that mukB mutants produce anucleate cells and are temperature-sensitive for colony formation. The mukB gene maps at 21 min on the E. coli chromosome and smtA-mukF-mukE-mukB genes might comprise an operon, which is transcribed in a clockwise direction. Here, we report that mukF and mukE null mutants are both temperature-sensitive for colony formation and produce anucleate cells even at the permissive temperature. These phenotypes are the same as those observed in the mukB null mutant. The primary sequence of MukF includes a leucine zipper structure and an acidic domain. Mutational analysis revealed that both are required for MukF function. When the MukF protein was overproduced in the wild-type strain, anucleate cells were produced. In contrast, overproduction of either MukE or MukB did not cause the defect. In null mutants for the mukF, mukE, and mukB genes, the synchronous initiation of chromosome replication was not affected. The mini-F plasmid was as stably maintained in these mutants as in the wild-type strain. These results indicate that the MukF, MukE, and MukB proteins are involved in the chromosome partitioning steps, but are not required for mini-F plasmid partitioning.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Institute of Molecular Embryology and Genetics, Kumamoto University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamanaka
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ogura
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Niki
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hiraga
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D002455:Cell Division / Q000235:genetics; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; D002876:Chromosomes, Bacterial / Q000378:metabolism*; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000648:ultrastructure; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000378:metabolism; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D005798:Genes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D007211:Indoles / Q000378:metabolism; D016350:Leucine Zippers; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D010641:Phenotype; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D007211:Indoles; C067035:MukB protein, E coli; D012097:Repressor Proteins; C087115:mukE protein, E coli; C087116:mukF protein, E coli; C007293:DAPI