Single-molecule study of metalloregulator CueR-DNA interactions using engineered Holliday junctions

Biophys J. 2009 Aug 5;97(3):844-52. doi: 10.1016/j.bpj.2009.05.027.

Abstract

To maintain normal metal metabolism, bacteria use metal-sensing metalloregulators to control transcription of metal resistance genes. Depending on their metal-binding states, the MerR-family metalloregulators change their interactions with DNA to suppress or activate transcription. To understand their functions fundamentally, we study how CueR, a Cu(1+)-responsive MerR-family metalloregulator, interacts with DNA, using an engineered DNA Holliday junction (HJ) as a protein-DNA interaction reporter in single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer measurements. By analyzing the single-molecule structural dynamics of the engineered HJ in the presence of various concentrations of both apo- and holo-CueR, we show how CueR interacts with the two conformers of the engineered HJ, forming variable protein-DNA complexes at different protein concentrations and changing the HJ structures. We also show how apo- and holo-CueR differ in their interactions with DNA, and discuss their similarities and differences with other MerR-family metalloregulators. The surprising finding that holo-CueR binds more strongly to DNA than to apo-CueR suggests functional differences among MerR-family metalloregulators, in particular in their mechanisms of switching off gene transcription after activation. The study also corroborates the general applicability of engineered HJs as single-molecule reporters for protein-DNA interactions, which are fundamental processes in gene replication, transcription, recombination, and regulation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Base Sequence
  • DNA, Cruciform / chemistry*
  • DNA, Cruciform / genetics
  • Escherichia coli
  • Escherichia coli Proteins / chemistry*
  • Escherichia coli Proteins / isolation & purification
  • Fluorescence Polarization
  • Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer
  • Kinetics
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Nucleic Acid Conformation
  • Trans-Activators / chemistry*
  • Trans-Activators / isolation & purification

Substances

  • DNA, Cruciform
  • Escherichia coli Proteins
  • Trans-Activators
  • cueR protein, E coli