title: Identification and characterization of the dnaA upstream region of Thermus thermophilus.
abstract: The gene order in the dnaA region of Thermus thermophilus was determined. Previously, we showed that the putative oriC of T. thermophilus is located in the dnaA-dnaN intergenic region. In the 4 kb region upstream of the dnaA gene four ORFs were found, all orientated in the same direction which is opposite to that of dnaA. The ORFs were identified as T. thermophilus homologs of gidA, gidB, soj and spo0J of Bacillus subtilis. The gene order spo0J-soj-gidB-gidA-dnaA-dnaN resembles that of B. subtilis, Pseudomonas putida, Coxiella burnetii, Streptomyces coelicolor, Mycobacterium leprae, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We identified the transcriptional start point of the dnaA gene. The -10 region shows significant homology to the Escherichia coli -10 consensus sequence. The putative -35 region shows homology neither to the E. coli -35 consensus sequence nor to known -35 sequences of T. thermophilus. There are no DnaA boxes in the promoter region, and consequently dnaA transcription is not repressed by DnaA protein in vitro, i.e. the dnaA gene of T. thermophilus is not autoregulated.
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck-Institut f. molekulare Genetik, Ihnestrasse 73, D-14195, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nardmann
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Messer
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D023061:Gene Order; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D016963:Thermus thermophilus / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C066312:DnaA protein, Bacteria