Identification of high-specificity H-NS binding site in LEE5 promoter of enteropathogenic Esherichia coli (EPEC)

J Microbiol. 2014 Jul;52(7):626-9. doi: 10.1007/s12275-014-3562-x. Epub 2014 Mar 7.

Abstract

Histone-like nucleoid structuring protein (H-NS) is a small but abundant protein present in enteric bacteria and is involved in compaction of the DNA and regulation of the transcription. Recent reports have suggested that H-NS binds to a specific AT rich DNA sequence than to intrinsically curved DNA in sequence independent manner. We detected two high-specificity H-NS binding sites in LEE5 promoter of EPEC centered at -110 and -138, which were close to the proposed consensus H-NS binding motif. To identify H-NS binding sequence in LEE5 promoter, we took a random mutagenesis approach and found the mutations at around -138 were specifically defective in the regulation by H-NS. It was concluded that H-NS exerts maximum repression via the specific sequence at around -138 and subsequently contacts a subunit of RNAP through oligomerization.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism*
  • Binding Sites
  • DNA Mutational Analysis
  • DNA, Bacterial / metabolism*
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism*
  • DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases / metabolism
  • Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli / genetics*
  • Escherichia coli Proteins / genetics*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial*
  • Phosphoproteins / genetics*
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic*

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • DNA, Bacterial
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • Escherichia coli Proteins
  • H-NS protein, bacteria
  • LEE protein, E coli
  • Phosphoproteins
  • DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases