This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Ball, C A Articles by Johnson, R C Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Ball, C A Articles by Johnson, R C

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

J Bacteriol. 1991 July; 173(13): 4032-4038

research-article

Multiple effects of Fis on integration and the control of lysogeny in phage lambda.

C A Ball and R C Johnson

Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles 90024.

ABSTRACT

Fis is a small, basic, site-specific DNA-binding protein present in Escherichia coli. A Fis-binding site (F) has been previously identified in the attP recombination site of phage lambda (J. F. Thompson, L. Moitoso de Vargas, C. Koch, R. Kahmann, and A. Landy, Cell 50:901-908, 1987). The present study demonstrates that in the absence of the phage-encoded Xis protein, the binding of Fis to F can stimulate integrative recombination and therefore increase the frequency of lambda lysogeny in vivo. Additionally, Fis exerts a stimulatory effect on both integration and lysogeny that is independent of binding to the attP F site. Maintenance of the lysogenic state also appears to be enhanced in the presence of Fis, as shown by the increased sensitivity of lambda prophages encoding temperature-sensitive repressors to partial thermoinduction in a fis mutant. In the presence of Xis, however, Fis binding to F interferes with integration by stimulating excision, the competing back-reaction. Since Fis stimulates both excision and integration, depending on the presence or absence of Xis, respectively, we conclude that Xis binding to X1 is the key determinant directing the formation of an excisive complex.

---

J Bacteriol. 1991 July; 173(13): 4032-4038

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Mattis, A. N., Gumport, R. I., Gardner, J. F. (2008). Purification and Characterization of Bacteriophage P22 Xis Protein. J. Bacteriol. 190: 5781-5796 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Hirsch, M., Elliott, T. (2005). Fis Regulates Transcriptional Induction of RpoS in Salmonella enterica. J. Bacteriol. 187: 1568-1580 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Frye, J. G., Porwollik, S., Blackmer, F., Cheng, P., McClelland, M. (2005). Host Gene Expression Changes and DNA Amplification during Temperate Phage Induction. J. Bacteriol. 187: 1485-1492 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Esposito, D., Gerard, G. F. (2003). The Escherichia coli Fis Protein Stimulates Bacteriophage {lambda} Integrative Recombination In Vitro. J. Bacteriol. 185: 3076-3080 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Kazmierczak, R. A., Swalla, B. M., Burgin, A. B., Gumport, R. I., Gardner, J. F. (2002). Regulation of site-specific recombination by the C-terminus of {lambda} integrase. Nucleic Acids Res 30: 5193-5204 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Walker, K. A., Atkins, C. L., Osuna, R. (1999). Functional Determinants of the Escherichia coli fis Promoter: Roles of -35, -10, and Transcription Initiation Regions in the Response to Stringent Control and Growth Phase-Dependent Regulation. J. Bacteriol. 181: 1269-1280 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Beach, M. B., Osuna, R. (1998). Identification and Characterization of the fis Operon in Enteric Bacteria. J. Bacteriol. 180: 5932-5946 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Esposito, D., Scocca, J. J. (1997). Purification and Characterization of HP1 Cox and Definition of Its Role in Controlling the Direction of Site-specific Recombination. J. Biol. Chem. 272: 8660-8670 [Abstract] [Full Text]