title: Helicobacter hepaticus Dps protein plays an important role in protecting DNA from oxidative damage.
abstract: The ferritin-like DNA-binding protein from starved cells (Dps) family proteins are present in a number of pathogenic bacteria. Dps in the enterohepatic pathogen, Helicobacter hepaticus is characterized and a H. hepaticus dps mutant was generated by insertional mutagenesis. While the wild type H. hepaticus cells were able to survive in an atmosphere containing up to 6.0% O2, the dps mutant failed to grow in 3.0% O2, and it was also more sensitive to oxidative reagents like H2O2, cumene hydroperoxide and t-butyl hydroperoxide. Upon air exposure, the dps- cells had more damaged DNA than the wild type; they became coccoid or lysed and they contained approximately 6-fold higher amount of 8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG) DNA lesions than wild type cells. Purified H. hepaticus Dps was shown to be able to bind both iron and DNA. The iron-loaded form of Dps protein had much greater DNA binding ability than the native Dps or the iron-free Dps.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Ge
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Maier
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D048430:Cell Shape; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism*; D004249:DNA Damage; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D006147:Guanine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D044923:Helicobacter hepaticus / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism; D011485:Protein Binding
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C083911:DPS protein, Bacteria; C024829:8-hydroxyguanine; D006147:Guanine; D004247:DNA; D007501:Iron; D010100:Oxygen