title: Bacillus subtilis sequence-independent DNA-binding and DNA-bending protein Hbsu negatively controls its own synthesis.
abstract: Transcription of the hbs gene under vegetative growth condition is subject to repression when cells enter in late exponential phase. We have determined the sites at which transcription of the hbs gene initiates in vitro. On a supercoiled template, transcription of the hbs gene is initiated by sigmaARNAP at two overlapping hbs promoters (P1 and P3). We have demonstrated that highly purified Hbsu protein acts as a repressor of its own synthesis. The binding of the sequence-independent DNA-binding and DNA-bending Hbsu protein does not seem to exclude sigmaARNAP from the promoters. In this report we show that Hbsu, in vitro, does not repress transcription by a mere steric hindrance on sigmaARNAP binding.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbial Biotechnology, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología, CSIC, Campus Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fernández
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Alonso
mesh_terms: D019677:Artificial Gene Fusion; D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001483:Base Sequence; D004247:DNA; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011485:Protein Binding
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C075779:Hbsu protein, bacteria; D004247:DNA; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases; C113275:RNA polymerase alpha subunit