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Regulation of the rpsU-dnaG-rpoD macromolecular synthesis operon and the initiation of DNA replication in Escherichia coli K-12

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Summary

We have fused the E. coli dnaG 5′ regulatory region to the TcR structural gene in the promoter probe plasmids pPV33 and pKK175-6 to demonstrate that a promoter activity is located on a 250 bp SacII-HindIII restriction fragment and that a transcription terminator, previously reported by nucleotide sequence (Smiley et al. 1982) to immediately precede the dnaG gene, acts as such in vivo. We have determined the complete nucleotide sequence of this controlling region and report: 1) tandem promoters on the same SacII-HindIII restriction fragment which promotes tet expression in the gene fusion experiments, 2) an open reading frame between these promoters and the dnaG gene which is the rpsU (ribosomal protein S21) gene, 3) a sequence homologous to the λ nut site, 4) a possible LexA protein binding site on one of the dnaG promoters. This places the order on the E. coli genetic map at 66 min in the clockwise direction as rpsU-dnaG-rpoD which are all contained in a single macromolecular synthesis operon. We postulate a model for regulation of the initiation of DNA replication based on antitermination of the rpsU-dnaG-rpoD operon.

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Abbreviations

Tc:

tetracycline

TcR :

tetracycline resistance

Ap:

ampicillin

bp:

base pair

kb:

kilobases

term:

terminator

P:

promoter

nuteq :

nut equivalent site

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, N.Y.U. Medical Center, 550 First Avenue, 10016, New York, New York, USA

    James R. Lupski, Bob L. Smiley & G. Nigel Godson

Authors
  1. James R. Lupski
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  2. Bob L. Smiley
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  3. G. Nigel Godson
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Communicated by H.W. Boyer

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Lupski, J.R., Smiley, B.L. & Godson, G.N. Regulation of the rpsU-dnaG-rpoD macromolecular synthesis operon and the initiation of DNA replication in Escherichia coli K-12. Molec Gen Genet 189, 48–57 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00326054

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00326054

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