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The Escherichia coli terB sequence affects maintenance of a plasmid with the M13 phage replication origin

M Uzest1, S D Ehrlich, B Michel

  • 1Laboratoire de Génétique Microbienne, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Jouy en Josas, France.

Journal of Bacteriology
|December 1, 1991
PubMed

Insights

Replication initiation in bacteriophage M13 is influenced by the termination signal terB and Tus protein. Overproducing M13 protein II can overcome this replication inhibition.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Virology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Bacteriophage M13 replication relies on specific DNA sequences and proteins.
  • Termination signals (terB) and binding proteins (Tus) can regulate DNA replication.
  • Protein II is a key initiator protein for M13 replication.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the interaction between bacteriophage M13 replication, termination signals, and the Tus protein.
  • To determine if M13 protein II can modulate the inhibitory effect of the terB-Tus complex on replication initiation.

Main Methods:

  • In vitro replication assays using M13 origin.
  • Co-expression and purification of M13 protein II and Tus protein.
  • Analysis of replication initiation in the presence of terB, Tus, and varying levels of protein II.

Main Results:

  • The terB-Tus complex, when properly oriented, inhibits M13 replication initiation.
  • Overproduction of M13 protein II alleviates the inhibitory effect of the terB-Tus complex.
  • This suggests a mechanism for regulating M13 replication through protein-DNA interactions.

Conclusions:

  • Bacteriophage M13 replication initiation is sensitive to termination signals and Tus protein binding.
  • M13 protein II plays a crucial role in overcoming replication blockades imposed by the terB-Tus complex.
  • This highlights a regulatory interplay between replication initiation and termination in phage M13.

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