EM structure of a helicase-loader complex depicting a 6:2 binding sub-stoichiometry from Geobacillus kaustophilus HTA426

Diverse Mechanisms of Helicase Loading during DNA Replication Initiation in Bacteria

Initiation of DNA replication is required for cell viability and passage of genetic information to the next generation. Studies in Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis have established ATPases associated with diverse cellular activities (AAA+) as essential proteins required for loading of the replicative helicase at replication origins. AAA+ ATPases DnaC in E. coli and DnaI in B. subtilis have long been considered the paradigm for helicase loading during replication in bacteria. Recently, it has become increasingly clear that most bacteria lack DnaC/DnaI homologs. Instead, most bacteria express a protein homologous to the newly described DciA (dnaC/dnaI antecedent) protein. DciA is not an ATPase, and yet it serves as a helicase operator, providing a function analogous to that of DnaC and DnaI across diverse bacterial species. The recent discovery of DciA and of other alternative mechanisms of helicase loading in bacteria has changed our understanding of DNA replication initiation. In this review, we highlight recent discoveries, detailing what is currently known about the replicative helicase loading process across bacterial species, and we discuss the critical questions that remain to be investigated.

Helicobacter pylori helicase loader protein Hp0897 shows unique functions of N- and C-terminal regions

Helicase loaders are required for the loading of helicases at the vicinity of replication origins. In Helicobacter pylori, Hp0897 has been shown to be a potential helicase loader for replicative helicase (HpDnaB) although it does not show any sequence homology with conventional DnaC like helicase loader proteins. Therefore, it is important to investigate the in vivo role of Hp0897 and structure-function analysis with respect to domain mapping of Hp0897 and HpDnaB. Although HporiC is divided into oriC1 and oriC2, the latter has been assigned as functional origin based on loading of initiator protein HpDnaA. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) experiment, we show preferential binding of Hp0897 at oriC2 over oriC1 like HpDnaA highlighting its helicase loader function in vivo. Furthermore, we generated series of deletion mutants for HpDnaB and Hp0897 that enabled us to map the domains of interaction between these two proteins. Interestingly, the C-terminal domain of Hp0897 (Hp0897CTD) shows stronger interaction with HpDnaB over the N-terminal region of Hp0897 (Hp0897NTD). Similar to the full-length protein, Hp0897CTD also stimulates the DNA binding activity of HpDnaB. Furthermore, overexpression of Hp0897 full-length protein in H. pylori leads to an elongated cell phenotype. While the overexpression of Hp0897CTD does not show a phenotype of cell elongation, overexpression of Hp0897NTD shows extensive cell elongation. These results highlight the possible role of Hp0897CTD in helicase loading and Hp0897NTD's unique function linked to cell division that make Hp0897 as a potential drug target against H. pylori.

Cryptic protein interactions regulate DNA replication initiation

DNA replication is a fundamental biological process that is tightly regulated in all cells. In bacteria, DnaA controls when and where replication begins by building a step-wise complex that loads the replicative helicase onto chromosomal DNA. In many low-GC Gram-positive species, DnaA recruits the DnaD and DnaB proteins to function as adaptors to assist in helicase loading. How DnaA, its adaptors and the helicase form a complex at the origin is unclear. We addressed this question using the bacterial two-hybrid assay to determine how the initiation proteins from Bacillus subtilis interact with each other. We show that cryptic interaction sites play a key role in this process and we map these regions for the entire pathway. In addition, we found that the SirA regulator that blocks initiation in sporulating cells binds to a surface on DnaA that overlaps with DnaD. The interaction between DnaA and DnaD was also mapped to the same DnaA surface in the human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus, demonstrating the broad conservation of this surface. Therefore, our study has unveiled key protein interactions essential for initiation and our approach is widely applicable for mapping interactions in other signaling pathways that are governed by cryptic binding surfaces.

Structural analyses of the bacterial primosomal protein DnaB reveal that it is a tetramer and forms a complex with a primosomal re-initiation protein

The DnaB primosomal protein from Gram-positive bacteria plays a key role in DNA replication and restart as a loader protein for the recruitment of replisome cascade proteins. Previous investigations have established that DnaB is composed of an N-terminal domain, a middle domain, and a C-terminal domain. However, structural evidence for how DnaB functions at the atomic level is lacking. Here, we report the crystal structure of DnaB, encompassing the N-terminal and middle domains (residues 1-300), from Geobacillus stearothermophilus (GstDnaB1-300) at 2.8 Å resolution. Our structure revealed that GstDnaB1-300 forms a tetramer with two basket-like architectures, a finding consistent with those from solution studies using analytical ultracentrifugation. Furthermore, our results from both GST pulldown assays and analytical ultracentrifugation show that GstDnaB1-300 is sufficient to form a complex with PriA, the primosomal reinitiation protein. Moreover, with the aid of small angle X-ray scattering experiments, we also determined the structural envelope of full-length DnaB (GstDnaBFL) in solution. These small angle X-ray scattering studies indicated that GstDnaBFL has an elongated conformation and that the protruding density envelopes originating from GstDnaB1-300 could completely accommodate the GstDnaB C-terminal domain (residues 301-461). Taken together with biochemical assays, our results suggest that GstDnaB uses different domains to distinguish the PriA interaction and single-stranded DNA binding. These findings can further extend our understanding of primosomal assembly in replication restart.