Prokaryotic Replication Origins: Structure and Function in the Initiation of DNA Replication

Replication origins are cis-acting sequences of a few hundred base pairs required for the replication of adjacent DNA. Their function is recognition of the correct start site and assembly of replication forks at this site.

Keywords: DnaA; initiator protein; initiation of replication; oriC; replication origin

Figure 1. Map location and structure of the Escherichia coli replication origin, oriC. Triangles indicate promoters. FIS, factor for inversion stimulation; IHF, integration host factor.
Figure 2. Stages in the initiation of replication at oriC of Escherichia coli. ADP, adenosine diphosphate; ATP, adenosine triphosphate; Pol, polymerase.
Figure 3. Structures of some bacterial replication origins.
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 References
    Bramhill D and Kornberg A (1988) Duplex opening by DnaA protein at novel sequences in initiation of replication at the origin of the E.coli chromosome. Cell 52: 743–755.
    Del Solar G, Giraldo R, Ruiz-Echevarría MJ, Espinosa M and Díaz-Orejas R (1998) Replication and control of circular bacterial plasmids. Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews 62: 434–464.
    Erzberger JP, Pirruccello MM and Berger JM (2002) The structure of bacterial DnaA: implications for general mechanisms underlying DNA replication initiation. EMBO Journal 21: 4763–4773.
    Fang LH, Davey MJ and O'Donnell M (1999) Replisome assembly at oriC, the replication origin of E. coli, reveals an explanation for initiation sites outside an origin. Molecular Cell 4: 541–553.
    Fuller RS and Kornberg A (1983) Purified dnaA protein in initiation of replication at the Escherichia coli chromosomal origin of replication. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 80: 5817–5821.
    Helmstetter CE, Cooper S, Pierucci D and Revelas E (1968) The bacterial life cycle. Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology 33: 809–822.
    Katayama T, Kubota T, Kurokawa K, Crooke E and Sekimizu K (1998) The initiator function of DnaA protein is negatively regulated by the sliding clamp of the E. coli chromosomal replicase. Cell 94: 61–71.
    Kogoma T (1997) Stable DNA replication: interplay between DNA replication, homologous recombination, and transcription. Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews 61: 212–238.
    Lanka E and Pansegrau W (1996) Enzymology of DNA transfer by conjugative mechanisms. Progress in Nucleic Acids Research and Molecular Biology 54: 197–251.
    Messer W (2002) The bacterial initiator DnaA. DnaA and oriC, the bacterial mode to initiate DNA replication. FEMS Microbiology Reviews 26: 355–374.
    book Messer W and Weigel C (1996) "Initiation of chromosome replication". In: Neidhardt FC Curtiss, R III and Ingraham J et al. (eds) "Escherichia coli and Salmonella",. Cellular and Molecular Biology, pp. 1579–1601. Washington, DC: ASM Press.
    Messer W and Weigel C (1997) DnaA initiator – also a transcription factor. Molecular Microbiology 24: 1–6.
    Moriya S, Firshein W, Yoshikawa H and Ogasawara N (1994) Replication of a Bacillus subtilis oriC plasmid in vitro. Molecular Microbiology 12: 469–478.
    Roth A and Messer W (1995) The DNA binding domain of the initiator protein DnaA. EMBO Journal 14: 2106–2111.
    Sekimizu K, Bramhill D and Kornberg A (1988) Sequential early stages in the in vitro initiation of replication at the origin of the Escherichia coli chromosome. Journal of Biological Chemistry 263: 7124–7130.
    Speck C and Messer W (2001) Mechanism of origin unwinding: sequential binding of DnaA initiator protein to double-stranded and single-stranded DNA in the AT-rich region of the replication origin. EMBO Journal 20: 1469–1476.
    book Yoshikawa H and Wake RG (1993) "Initiation and termination of chromosome replication". In: Sonenshein AL, Hoch JA and Losick R (eds) Bacillus subtilis and Other Gram-Positive Bacteria: Biochemistry, Physiology, and Molecular Genetics, pp. 507–528. Washington, DC: ASM Press.
 Further Reading
    Del Solar G, Giraldo R, Ruiz-Echevarría MJ, Espinosa M and Díaz-Orejas R (1998) Replication and control of circular bacterial plasmids. Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews 62: 434–464.
    book Helinski DR, Toukdarian AE and Novick RP (1996) "Replication control and other stable maintenance mechanisms of plasmids". In: Neidhardt FC, Curtiss R III, Ingraham JL et al. (eds) Escherichia coli and Salmonella, Cellular and Molecular Biology, pp. 2295–2324. Washington, DC: ASM Press.
    book Helmstetter CE (1996) "Timing of synthetic activities in the cell cycle". In: Neidhardt FC, Curtiss R III, Ingraham JL et al. (eds) Escherichia coli and Salmonella, Cellular and Molecular Biology, pp 1627–1639 Washington, DC: ASM Press.
    Kaguni JM (1997) Escherichia coli DnaA protein: the replication initiator. Molecules and Cells 7: 145–157.
    book Kornberg A and Baker TA (1992) DNA Replication. New York: Freeman.
    Marians KJ (1992) Prokaryotic DNA replication. Annual Review of Biochemistry 61: 673–719.
    Messer W (2002) The bacterial initiator DnaA. DnaA and oriC, the bacterial mode to initiate DNA replication. FEMS Microbiology Reviews 26: 355–374.
    book Messer W and Weigel C (1996) "Initation of chromosome replication". In: Neidhardt FC, Curtiss R III and Ingraham J et al. (eds) Escherichia coli and Salmonella, Cellular and Molecular Biology, pp. 1579–1601. Washington, DC: ASM Press.
    Skarstad K and Boye E (1994) The initiator protein DnaA: evolution, properties and function. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 1217: 111–130.
    book Yoshikawa H and Wake RG (1993) "Initiation and termination of chromosome replication". In: Sonenshein AL, Hoch JA and Losick R (eds) Bacillus subtilis and Other Gram-Positive Bacteria: Biochemistry, Physiology, and Molecular Genetics, pp. 507–528. Washington, DC: ASM Press.
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Messer, Walter(May 2005) Prokaryotic Replication Origins: Structure and Function in the Initiation of DNA Replication. In: eLS. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester. http://www.els.net [doi: 10.1038/npg.els.0003900]