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Coordinated regulation of gene expression by E ... - Jacobs University

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RESULTS<br />

3 Results<br />

Growth phase-dependent transcription <strong>regulation</strong> has been studied in the current work at<br />

two levels <strong>of</strong> complexity, global and the local. Global <strong>regulation</strong>, explained in the first<br />

section details the effects <strong>of</strong> DNA supercoiling and chromatin proteins FIS and H-NS in<br />

coordinating the growth phase dependent transcription. In the second section the<br />

mechanism <strong>of</strong> transcriptional <strong>regulation</strong> <strong>by</strong> chromatin protein FIS and supercoiling is<br />

studied at the molecular level in a model system <strong>of</strong> a stable RNA promoter.<br />

3.1 Growth phase dependent global transcriptional<br />

<strong>regulation</strong><br />

Regulation <strong>of</strong> growth is managed <strong>by</strong> the interplay <strong>of</strong> chromatin proteins, topology <strong>of</strong> the<br />

DNA and the transcription machinery. Using DNA microarrays we have tried to address<br />

the relationship between the organization <strong>of</strong> chromosomal supercoiling and growth<br />

phase dependent <strong>gene</strong> <strong>expression</strong> patterns. Since chromosomal supercoiling is tightly<br />

connected to the function <strong>of</strong> abundant chromatin proteins, we used mutants <strong>of</strong> fis and<br />

hns <strong>gene</strong>s known as global transcriptional regulators. We compared the <strong>expression</strong><br />

pr<strong>of</strong>iles <strong>of</strong> wild-type with each mutant separately during three different phases <strong>of</strong><br />

growth and at different superhelicities induced <strong>by</strong> addition <strong>of</strong> a topoisomerase poison.<br />

Our experimental design enabled us to reveal the relationships between the effects <strong>of</strong><br />

chromatin proteins and supercoiling in global transcriptional <strong>regulation</strong>.<br />

3.1.1 Growth <strong>of</strong> CSH50 and LZ strains<br />

All the strains, CSH50 wild-type, CSH50 fis::kan and CSH50 hns-205::Tn10 mutants<br />

and LZ41, LZ54 and their fis::cm and hns-205::Tn10 derivatives were grown in double<br />

YT medium. The CSH50 strains were grown for 24 hours during which three time<br />

34

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