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Browsing by Author "Miller, M. Clarke"

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    Eubacterial SpoVG Homologs Constitute a New Family of Site-Specific DNA-Binding Proteins
    Jutras, Brandon L.; Chenail, Alicia M.; Rowland, Christi L.; Carroll, Dustin W.; Miller, M. Clarke; Bykowski, Tomasz; Stevenson, Brian (PLOS, 2013-06-20)
    A site-specific DNA-binding protein was purified from Borrelia burgdorferi cytoplasmic extracts, and determined to be a member of the highly conserved SpoVG family. This is the first time a function has been attributed to any of these ubiquitous bacterial proteins. Further investigations into SpoVG orthologues indicated that the Staphylococcus aureus protein also binds DNA, but interacts preferentially with a distinct nucleic acid sequence. Site-directed mutagenesis and domain swapping between the S. aureus and B. burgdorferi proteins identified that a 6-residue stretch of the SpoVG a-helix contributes to DNA sequence specificity. Two additional, highly conserved amino acid residues on an adjacent b-sheet are essential for DNA-binding, apparently by contacts with the DNA phosphate backbone. Results of these studies thus identified a novel family of bacterial DNA-binding proteins, developed a model of SpoVG-DNA interactions, and provide direction for future functional studies on these wide-spread proteins.