Origin of Replication of Mycoplasma genitalium

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 272; no. 5262; pp. 745 - 746
• Main Author: Lobry, J. R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Society for the Advancement of Science 03.05.1996; American Association for the Advancement of Science; American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
• Subjects: Bacteriology; Base Composition; Biological and medical sciences; Chromosomes, Bacterial - genetics; DNA Replication; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genome, Bacterial; Growth, nutrition, cell differenciation; Life Sciences; Microbiology; Mycoplasma - genetics; Mycoplasma genitalium; Other; Replication Origin; Technical Comments; Mollicutes; Genetic mapping; Origin; Mycoplasmatales; Replication initiation; Bacteria; Mycoplasma genitalium; Method; Mycoplasmataceae
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.272.5262.745

The complete sequence of the genome of Mycoplasma genitalium was reported and analyzed by Claire M. Fraser et al. (1). The origin of replication of the chromosome was not localized precisely because of the lack of consensus patterns, "DnaA boxes," in this species, but it was suggested that the origin might be in an untranscribed AT-rich region between dnaA and dnaN. This location can be confirmed using a new method based on the results of the mathematical analysis of the model of DNA evolution under no-strand-bias conditions (2) -- that is, when there is no strand-bias for the mutation process or for the selective process between the two strands of DNA.