A SeqA hyperstructure and its interactions direct the replication and sequestration of DNA.
A level of explanation in biology intermediate between macromolecules and cells has recently been proposed. This level is that of hyperstructures. One class of hyperstructures comprises the genes, mRNA, proteins and lipids that assemble to fulfil a particular function and disassemble when no longer required. To reason in terms of hyperstructures, it is essential to understand the factors responsible for their formation. These include the local concentration of sites on DNA and their cognate DNA-binding proteins. In Escherichia coli, the formation of a SeqA hyperstructure via the phenomenon of local concentration may explain how the binding of SeqA to hemimethylated GATC sequences leads to the sequestration of newly replicated origins of replication.
Norris
V
V
Laboratoire des Processus Intégratifs Cellulaires, UPRES A CNRS 6037, IFR 'Systèmes Intégrés', Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université de Rouen, F76821 Mont Saint Aignan Cedex, France. vjn@univ-rouen.fr
Fralick
J
J
Danchin
A
A
D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism*; D004261:DNA Replication / Q000502:physiology*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D011487:Protein Conformation; D014157:Transcription Factors
D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; C089746:SeqA protein, E coli; D014157:Transcription Factors; D004247:DNA