title: A transcriptional response to replication status mediated by the conserved bacterial replication protein DnaA.
abstract: Organisms respond to perturbations in DNA replication. We characterized the global transcriptional response to inhibition of DNA replication in Bacillus subtilis. We focused on changes that were independent of the known recA-dependent global DNA damage (SOS) response. We found that overlapping sets of genes are affected by perturbations in replication elongation or initiation and that this transcriptional response serves to inhibit cell division and maintain cell viability. Approximately 20 of the operons (>50 genes) affected have potential DnaA-binding sites and are probably regulated directly by DnaA, the highly conserved replication initiation protein and transcription factor. Many of these genes have homologues and recognizable DnaA-binding sites in other bacteria, indicating that a DnaA-mediated response, elicited by changes in DNA replication status, may be conserved.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Alexi I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Goranov
authors.forename: Luba
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Katz
authors.forename: Adam M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Breier
authors.forename: Christopher B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Burge
authors.forename: Alan D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Grossman
mesh_terms: D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000235:genetics*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D001665:Binding Sites; D002455:Cell Division; D004261:DNA Replication / Q000235:genetics*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D005798:Genes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D009876:Operon / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011938:Rec A Recombinases / Q000235:genetics; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C066312:DnaA protein, Bacteria; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C422745:suppressor of DnaA, Bacillus subtilis; D011938:Rec A Recombinases