Abstract
Dps, a ferritin-like DNA-binding protein, protects bacterial DNA against oxidative stress and hyper-compacts the nucleoid into a crystalline-like structure. In Escherichia coli, transcription of dps from a single promoter is directed by sigma S-RNA polymerase in stationary phase and by sigma 70-RNA polymerase in fast-dividing cells exposed to oxidative stress. In this issue of Molecular Microbiology, Grainger and co-workers demonstrate that the nucleoid-associated proteins, FIS and H-NS, control sigma factor selection at the dps promoter by a novel mechanism. The finding suggests a simple mechanism of growth phase control of Dps production and has implications for the response to oxidative stress by pathogenic enterobacteria.
MeSH terms
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Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / genetics*
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Bacterial Proteins / genetics
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Bacterial Proteins / metabolism*
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DNA, Bacterial / genetics*
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DNA-Binding Proteins / genetics
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DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism*
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Escherichia coli / genetics
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Escherichia coli / growth & development*
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Escherichia coli / metabolism
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Escherichia coli Proteins / genetics*
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Escherichia coli Proteins / metabolism*
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Factor For Inversion Stimulation Protein / genetics
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Factor For Inversion Stimulation Protein / metabolism*
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Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial
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Promoter Regions, Genetic
Substances
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Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins
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Bacterial Proteins
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DNA, Bacterial
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DNA-Binding Proteins
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Escherichia coli Proteins
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Factor For Inversion Stimulation Protein
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Fis protein, E coli
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H-NS protein, bacteria
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dps protein, E coli