A novel SMC-like protein, SbcE (YhaN), is involved in DNA double-strand break repair and competence in Bacillus subtilis.

ABSTRACT: Bacillus subtilis and most Gram positive bacteria possess four SMC like proteins: SMC, SbcC, RecN and the product of the yhaN gene, termed SbcE. SbcE is most similar to SbcC but contains a unique central domain. We show that SbcE plays a role during transformation in competent cells and in DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair. The phenotypes were strongly exacerbated by the additional deletion of recN or of sbcC, suggesting that all three proteins act upstream of RecA and provide distinct avenues for presynapsis. SbcE accumulated at the cell poles in competent cells, and localized as a discrete focus on the nucleoids in 10% of growing cells. This number moderately increased after treatment with DNA damaging agents and in the absence of RecN or of SbcC. Damage-induced foci of SbcE arose ear

SUBMITTER: Krishnamurthy M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2811018 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature