The ParB-parS Chromosome Segregation System Modulates Competence Development in Streptococcus pneumoniae.

ABSTRACT:

Unlabelled

ParB proteins bind centromere-like DNA sequences called parS sites and are involved in plasmid and chromosome segregation in bacteria. We previously showed that the opportunistic human pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae contains four parS sequences located close to the origin of replication which are bound by ParB. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), we found here that ParB spreads out from one of these parS sites, parS(-1.6°), for more than 5 kb and occupies the nearby comCDE operon, which drives competence development. Competence allows S. pneumoniae to take up DNA from its environment, thereby mediating horizontal gene transfer, and is also employed as a general stress response. Mutating parS(-1.6°) or deleting parB resulted in transcriptional up-regulation of

SUBMITTER: Attaiech L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4488948 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature