Widespread prevalence of a methylation-dependent switch to activate an essential DNA damage response in bacteria.

ABSTRACT: DNA methylation plays central roles in diverse cellular processes, ranging from error-correction during replication to regulation of bacterial defense mechanisms. Nevertheless, certain aberrant methylation modifications can have lethal consequences. The mechanisms by which bacteria detect and respond to such damage remain incompletely understood. Here, we discover a highly conserved but previously uncharacterized transcription factor (Cada2), which orchestrates a methylation-dependent adaptive response in Caulobacter. This response operates independently of the SOS response, governs the expression of genes crucial for direct repair, and is essential for surviving methylation-induced damage. Our molecular investigation of Cada2 reveals a cysteine methylation-dependent posttranslational modi

SUBMITTER: Kamat A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10957082 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature