Identification of the Unwinding Region in the Chromosomal Origin of Replication.

Faithful DNA replication is crucial for viability of cells across all kingdoms. Targeting DNA replication is a viable strategy for inhibition of bacterial pathogens. is an important enteropathogen that causes potentially fatal intestinal inflammation. Knowledge about DNA replication in this organism is limited and no data is available on the very first steps of DNA replication. Here, we use a combination of predictions and experiments to demonstrate that employs a bipartite origin of replication that shows DnaA-dependent melting at , located in the - intergenic region. Analysis of putative origins of replication in different clostridia suggests that the main features of the origin architecture are conserved. This study is the first to characterize aspects of the origin region of and contributes to our understanding of the initiation of DNA replication in clostridia.