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Post-replicative pairing of sister ter regions in Escherichia coli involves multiple activities of MatP

TitlePost-replicative pairing of sister ter regions in Escherichia coli involves multiple activities of MatP
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2020
AuthorsCrozat, E, Tardin, C, Salhi, M, Rousseau, P, Lablaine, A, Bertoni, T, Holcman, D, Sclavi, B, Cicuta, P, Cornet, F
JournalNature Commun
Volume11
Issue1
Pagination3796
Date Published2020/07/30
ISBN Number2041-1723
Abstract

The ter region of the bacterial chromosome, where replication terminates, is the last to be segregated before cell division in Escherichia coli. Delayed segregation is controlled by the MatP protein, which binds to specific sites (matS) within ter, and interacts with other proteins such as ZapB. Here, we investigate the role of MatP by combining short-time mobility analyses of the ter locus with biochemical approaches. We find that ter mobility is similar to that of a non ter locus, except when sister ter loci are paired after replication. This effect depends on MatP, the persistence of catenanes, and ZapB. We characterise MatP/DNA complexes and conclude that MatP binds DNA as a tetramer, but bridging matS sites in a DNA-rich environment remains infrequent. We propose that tetramerisation of MatP links matS sites with ZapB and/or with non-specific DNA to promote optimal pairing of sister ter regions until cell division.

URLhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-17606-6
Short TitleNature Communications

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