Bacillus subtilis RarA forms damage-inducible foci that scan the entire cell

Little is known about the activity and dynamics of ATPase RarA in B. subtilis, proposed to act at stalled DNA replication forks due to DNA damage. We performed fluorescence microscopy time lapse experiments with a functional RarA-mVenus fusion to visualize the dynamics of RarA during conditions that generate DNA damage.

In exponentially growing cells, we observed that 15% of the cells contained single RarA-mV (mVenus fluorescent fusion) foci moving throughout the entire cell between 3 min intervals. This percentage remained constant at different time points, indicating that focus formation during unperturbed growth is maintained at about a constant rate. When cells were exposed to stress conditions, the population of cells containing RarA-mV foci tripled after 60 min. Cells exposed to two DNA-damaging drugs, to 5 mM MMS or to 0.5 mM H₂O₂, showed a similar type of response, with RarA-mVenus foci moving more slowly than during unperturbed growth. It is likely that RarA-mV contributes to the repair of H₂O₂-induced lesions, and to a minor extent to MMS-induced lesions. The presence of foci in growing cells suggests that RarA also plays a role during the cell cycle, at least in a fraction of cells, possibly contributing to heterogeneity of response to DNA damage.