The ClpX protease is essential for inactivating the CI master repressor and completing prophage induction in Staphylococcus aureus.

ABSTRACT: Bacteriophages (phages) are the most abundant biological entities on Earth, exerting a significant influence on the dissemination of bacterial virulence, pathogenicity, and antimicrobial resistance. Temperate phages integrate into the bacterial chromosome in a dormant state through intricate regulatory mechanisms. These mechanisms repress lytic genes while facilitating the expression of integrase and the CI master repressor. Upon bacterial SOS response activation, the CI repressor undergoes auto-cleavage, producing two fragments with the N-terminal domain (NTD) retaining significant DNA-binding ability. The process of relieving CI NTD repression, essential for prophage induction, remains unknown. Here we show a specific interaction between the ClpX protease and CI NTD repressor fragment of

SUBMITTER: Thabet MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10584840 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature