Nucleoids Dynamic in Escherichia coli: A Growth Phase Dependent Process

Abstract

Bacterial DNA compacts in nucleoid bodies. The organization of nucleoid body depends on the association of genomic DNA with a numbers of histone-like proteins. The relax nucleoids organization in rapidly growing Escherichia coli cells associate with six major proteins, Fis, HU, Hfq, H-NS, StpA and IHF, but at stationary phase the nucleoids further tightly pack with Dps. The final steps of compact nucleoids formation occurs with association of MukBEF complex - a bacterial condensin. The change of nucleoid proteins composition in stationary phase accompanies compact DNA organization and genes silencing. Thus, compact nucleoid organization and gene silencing may be crucial for cell survival in stationary phase.