J Bacteriol. 1991 July; 173(13): 3935-3942
| research-article |
Laboratory of Chromosome Biology, NCI-Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center, Maryland 21702.
ABSTRACT
The core of the P1 plasmid replication origin consists of a series of 7-bp repeats and a G+C-rich stretch. Methylation of the GATC sequences in the repeats is essential. Forty different single-base mutations in the region were isolated and assayed for origin function. A single-base change within any 7-bp repeat could block the origin, irrespective of whether GATC bases were affected. The repeats themselves were critical, but the short intervals between them were not. Mutations in the G+C-rich region showed it to be a spacer whose exact length is important but whose sequence can vary considerably. It maintains a precise distance between the 7-bp repeats and binding sites for the P1 RepA initiator protein. It may also serve as a clamp to limit strand separation during initiation.
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