title: Interaction of the Escherichia coli replication terminator protein (Tus) with DNA: a model derived from DNA-binding studies of mutant proteins by surface plasmon resonance.
abstract: The Escherichia coli replication terminator protein (Tus) binds tightly and specifically to termination sites such as TerB in order to halt DNA replication. To better understand the process of Tus-TerB interaction, an assay based on surface plasmon resonance was developed to allow the determination of the equilibrium dissociation constant of the complex (K(D)) and association and dissocation rate constants for the interaction between Tus and various DNA sequences, including TerB, single-stranded DNA, and two nonspecific sequences that had no relationship to TerB. The effects of factors such as the KCl concentration, the orientation and length of the DNA, and the presence of a single-stranded tail on the binding were also examined. The K(D) measured for the binding of wild type and His(6)-Tus to TerB was 0.5 nM in 250 mM KCl. Four variants of Tus containing single-residue mutations were assayed for binding to TerB and the nonspecific sequences. Three of these substitutions (K89A, R198A, and Q250A) increased K(D) by 200-300-fold, whereas the A173T substitution increased K(D) by 4000-fold. Only the R198A substitution had a significant effect on binding to the nonspecific sequences. The kinetic and thermodynamic data suggest a model for Tus binding to TerB which involves an ordered series of events that include structural changes in the protein.
authors.affiliation: Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Neylon
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: A V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Kralicek
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Miles
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Love
authors.forename: N E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Dixon
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D004261:DNA Replication / Q000235:genetics*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D007700:Kinetics; D008956:Models, Chemical; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D011189:Potassium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology; D011485:Protein Binding / Q000235:genetics; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D020349:Surface Plasmon Resonance; D013728:Terminator Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C062011:DNA replication terminus site-binding protein, E coli; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C061910:tus protein, Bacteria; C489236:tus protein, E coli; D011189:Potassium Chloride