Nucleoprotein filament formation is the structural basis for bacterial protein H-NS gene silencing

Ci Ji Lim, Sin Yi Lee, Linda J. Kenney, Jie Yan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

80 Scopus citations

Abstract

H-NS is an abundant nucleoid-associated protein in bacteria that globally silences genes, including horizontally-acquired genes related to pathogenesis. Although it has been shown that H-NS has multiple modes of DNA-binding, which mode is employed in gene silencing is still unclear. Here, we report that in H-NS mutants that are unable to silence genes, are unable to form a rigid H-NS nucleoprotein filament. These results indicate that the H-NS nucleoprotein filament is crucial for its gene silencing function, and serves as the fundamental structural basis for gene silencing by H-NS and likely other H-NS-like bacterial proteins.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number509
JournalScientific reports
Volume2
DOIs
StatePublished - 2012
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

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