Abstract
Nucleoid-associated proteins belong to a group of small but abundant proteins in bacterial cells. These transcription regulators are responsible for many important cellular processes and also are involved in pathogenesis of bacteria. The best-known nucleoid-associated proteins, such as HU, FIS, H-NS, and IHF, are often discussed. The most important findings in research concerning HU protein are described in this mini review. Its roles in DNA compaction, shape modulation, and negative supercoiling induction have been studied intensively. HU protein regulates bacteria survival, growth, SOS response, virulence genes expression, cell division, and many other cell processes. Elucidating the mechanism of HU protein action has been the subject of many research projects. This mini review provides a comprehensive overview of the HU protein.
Highlights
Elucidating the regulation of bacterial virulence has been a subject of interest for many years
Bacterial pathogenesis is dependent on synthesis of various virulence factors whose production is under specific gene regulation control mediated by various transcription factors
The importance of HU protein in bacterial metabolic cell cycles has been established at the DNA, RNA, and protein levels
Summary
Elucidating the regulation of bacterial virulence has been a subject of interest for many years. Prokaryotic cells contain this abundant group of small proteins which are similar to eukaryotic histones They are called histone-like or nucleoid-associated proteins, and it is presumed that they fulfill similar biological functions as do their eukaryotic counterparts (Pettijohn, 1988). The former designation “histone-like proteins” is derived from their physical and chemical behavior. The more accurate term for this protein group is nucleoid-associated proteins (NAPs), so named for their localization in nucleosomes (Azam and Ishihama, 1999) Due to their influence on important molecular processes, these proteins can play key roles in basic metabolic pathways, stress response, virulence, and interaction with host cells.
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