The sporulation protein SirA inhibits the binding of DnaA to the origin of replication by contacting a patch of clustered amino acids

J Bacteriol. 2011 Mar;193(6):1302-7. doi: 10.1128/JB.01390-10. Epub 2011 Jan 14.

Abstract

Bacteria regulate the frequency and timing of DNA replication initiation by controlling the activity of the replication initiator protein DnaA. SirA is a recently discovered regulator of DnaA in Bacillus subtilis whose synthesis is turned on at the start of sporulation. Here, we demonstrate that SirA contacts DnaA at a patch of 3 residues located on the surface of domain I of the replication initiator protein, corresponding to the binding site used by two unrelated regulators of DnaA found in other bacteria. We show that the interaction of SirA with domain I inhibits the ability of DnaA to bind to the origin of replication. DnaA mutants containing amino acid substitutions of the 3 residues are functional in replication initiation but are immune to inhibition by SirA.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Substitution / genetics
  • Bacillus subtilis / genetics*
  • Bacillus subtilis / metabolism*
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism*
  • Binding Sites
  • DNA Replication*
  • DNA, Bacterial / metabolism*
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / genetics
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism*
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Interaction Domains and Motifs
  • Protein Interaction Mapping*
  • Replication Origin*

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • DNA, Bacterial
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • DnaA protein, Bacteria