Mobile DNA elements: controlling transposition with ATP-dependent molecular switches

• Published in: Trends in Biochemical Sciences Vol. 23; no. 12; pp. 486 - 490
• Main Authors: Stellwagen, Anne E., Craig, Nancy L.
• Format: Book Review Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01-12-1998
• Subjects: Adenosine Triphosphate - metabolism; Bacteriophage mu; DNA binding; DNA Transposable Elements; EF-Tu; Peptide Elongation Factor Tu - metabolism; Phage Mu; Ras; ras Proteins - metabolism; Tn7; Mu; EF-Tu; Tn7; Ras; DNA binding
• ISSN: 0968-0004; 1362-4326
• DOI: 10.1016/S0968-0004(98)01325-5

Nucleotide-binding proteins are often used as molecular switches to control the assembly or activity of macromolecular machines. Recent work has revealed that such molecular switches also regulate the spread of some mobile DNA elements. Bacteriophage Mu and the bacterial transposon Tn7 each use an ATP-dependent molecular switch to select a new site for insertion and to coordinate the assembly of the transposition machinery at that site. Strong parallels between these ATP-dependent transposition proteins and other well-characterized molecular switches, such as Ras and EF-Tu, have emerged.