IHF and Fis as Escherichia coli Cell Cycle Regulators: Activation of the Replication Origin oriC and the Regulatory Cycle of the DnaA Initiator

Abstract

This review summarizes current knowledge about the mechanisms of timely binding and dissociation of two nucleoid proteins, IHF and Fis, which play fundamental roles in the initiation of chromosomal DNA replication in Escherichia coli. Replication is initiated from a unique replication origin called oriC and is tightly regulated so that it occurs only once per cell cycle. The timing of replication initiation at oriC is rigidly controlled by the timely binding of the initiator protein DnaA and IHF to oriC. The first part of this review presents up-to-date knowledge about the timely stabilization of oriC-IHF binding at oriC during replication initiation. Recent advances in our understanding of the genome-wide profile of cell cycle-coordinated IHF binding have revealed the oriC-specific stabilization of IHF binding by ATP-DnaA oligomers at oriC and by an initiation-specific IHF binding consensus sequence at oriC. The second part of this review summarizes the mechanism of the timely regulation of DnaA activity via the chromosomal loci DARS2 (DnaA-reactivating sequence 2) and datA. The timing of replication initiation at oriC is controlled predominantly by the phosphorylated form of the adenosine nucleotide bound to DnaA, i.e., ATP-DnaA, but not ADP-ADP, is competent for initiation. Before initiation, DARS2 increases the level of ATP-DnaA by stimulating the exchange of ADP for ATP on DnaA. This DARS2 function is activated by the site-specific and timely binding of both IHF and Fis within DARS2. After initiation, another chromosomal locus, datA, which inactivates ATP-DnaA by stimulating ATP hydrolysis, is activated by the timely binding of IHF. A recent study has shown that ATP-DnaA oligomers formed at DARS2-Fis binding sites competitively dissociate Fis via negative feedback, whereas IHF regulation at DARS2 and datA still remains to be investigated. This review summarizes the current knowledge about the specific role of IHF and Fis in the regulation of replication initiation and proposes a mechanism for the regulation of timely IHF binding and dissociation at DARS2 and datA.