title: The conserved C-terminus of the PcrA/UvrD helicase interacts directly with RNA polymerase.
abstract: UvrD-like helicases play diverse roles in DNA replication, repair and recombination pathways. An emerging body of evidence suggests that their different cellular functions are directed by interactions with partner proteins that target unwinding activity to appropriate substrates. Recent studies in E. coli have shown that UvrD can act as an accessory replicative helicase that resolves conflicts between the replisome and transcription complexes, but the mechanism is not understood. Here we show that the UvrD homologue PcrA interacts physically with B. subtilis RNA polymerase, and that an equivalent interaction is conserved in E. coli where UvrD, but not the closely related helicase Rep, also interacts with RNA polymerase. The PcrA-RNAP interaction is direct and independent of nucleic acids or additional mediator proteins. A disordered but highly conserved C-terminal region of PcrA, which distinguishes PcrA/UvrD from otherwise related enzymes such as Rep, is both necessary and sufficient for interaction with RNA polymerase.
authors.affiliation: DNA:Protein Interactions Unit, School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Emma J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Gwynn
authors.forename: Abigail J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Colin P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Guy
authors.forename: Nigel J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Savery
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McGlynn
authors.forename: Mark S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Dillingham
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004265:DNA Helicases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004261:DNA Replication / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000201:enzymology*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011485:Protein Binding
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; C084217:pcrA protein, Bacteria; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases; C506746:UvrD protein, E coli; D004265:DNA Helicases