recA gene expression in a streptomycete is mediated by the unusual C-terminus of RecA protein

• Published in: FEMS microbiology letters Vol. 248; no. 1; pp. 119 - 124
• Main Authors: Ahel, Ivan, Mikoc, Andreja, Gamulin, Vera
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Elsevier B.V 01.07.2005; Blackwell Publishing Ltd; Blackwell; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; C-Terminus; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA Damage; DNA damage response; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene Deletion; Gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; Genetics; Microbiology; Molecular Sequence Data; Phylogeny; Promoter; Promoter Regions, Genetic - genetics; Proteins; Rec A Recombinases - chemistry; Rec A Recombinases - genetics; Rec A Recombinases - metabolism; RecA; RecA protein; Streptomyces; Streptomyces - genetics; Streptomyces - metabolism; Streptomyces rimosus; Structure-Activity Relationship; Transcription; Promoter; Streptomyces; Transcription; DNA damage response; C-terminus; RecA; Streptomycetaceae; Phylogenetic tree; Sequence alignment; Stress; Actinomycetales; RecA protein; Bacteria; Actinomycetes
• ISSN: 0378-1097; 1574-6968
• DOI: 10.1016/j.femsle.2005.05.030

Streptomyces RecA proteins are characterized by a conserved, positively charged extension of unknown function appended at their C-termini. To investigate the function of this element, we introduced the Streptomyces rimosus recA gene and its mutant form encoding the protein with a C-terminal deletion into S. rimosus. Both transcript and protein levels were dramatically increased in the strain expressing the truncated gene compared to the strain bearing the wild-type recA, indicating involvement of the characteristic C-terminal extension in regulating the recA expression in Streptomyces. Considering that RecA acts as a major regulator of DNA damage response in bacteria, this mode of regulation is expected to have broader implications and significance that outreaches our current understanding of RecA autoregulation.