A distinct single-stranded DNA-binding protein encoded by the Lactococcus lactis bacteriophage bIL67

Single-stranded binding proteins (SSBs) are found to participate in various processes of DNA metabolism in all known organisms. We describe here a SSB protein encoded by the Lactococcus lactis phage bIL67 orf14 gene. It is the first noted attempt at characterizing a SSB protein from a lactococcal phage. The purified Orf14(bIL67) binds unspecifically to ssDNA with the same high affinity as the canonical Bacillus subtilis SSB. Electrophoretic mobility-shift assays performed with mutagenized Orf14(bIL67) protein derivatives suggest that ssDNA-binding occurs via a putative OB-fold structure predicted by three-dimensional modeling. The native Orf14(bIL67) forms homotetramers as determined by gel filtration studies. These results allow distinguishing the first lactococcal phage protein with single-strand binding affinity, which defines a novel cluster of phage SSBs proteins. The possible role of Orf14(bIL67) in phage multiplication cycle is also discussed.