The second messenger cyclic di-AMP negatively regulates the expression of Mycobacterium smegmatis recA and attenuates DNA strand exchange through binding to the C-terminal motif of mycobacterial RecA proteins

What is it about?

Cyclic di-AMP, a second messenger produced in bacteria and archaea, regulates various cellular processes including DNA repair, cell wall metabolism, virulence and gene expression. Here we reveal that cyclic-di-AMP is involved in recA gene expression and DNA damage repair; it attenuates the DNA strand exchange promoted by MsRecA as well as MtRecA through disassembly of RecA nucleoprotein filaments, whereas the nucleoprotein structure and DNA strand exchange activity of E. coli RecA nucleoprotein filaments remain totally unaffected.

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