Mechanism of DNA A protein-dependent pBR322 DNA replication. DNA A protein-mediated trans-strand loading of the DNA B protein at the origin of pBR322 DNA.

pBR322 DNA can be replicated via a DNA A-dependent pathway mediated by its binding to the two DNA A-binding sites (dnaA boxes) present near the plasmid origin. DNA synthesis requires the transcription of RNA II (the leading-strand primer precursor) to generate a specific unwound structure in the region containing the dnaA boxes. In this structure, the DNA containing the dnaA boxes can take the form of either a RNA II-parental H strand pBR322 DNA hybrid opposed by the displaced parental L strand (in the absence of RNase H and DNA polymerase I), or a nascent leading strand-parental H strand DNA duplex opposed by the displaced parental L strand (in the presence of RNase H and DNA polymerase I). These findings defined three types of potential sites for productive DNA A binding: (i) the displaced parental L single strand, (ii) a hairpin formed by the inverted repeat of the two dnaA boxes, and (iii) either the RNA-DNA duplex or the nascent leading strand-parental DNA duplex. By using a combination of: (i) inhibition of the replication of a plasmid carrying oriC by oligonucleotides of various dnaA box sequences and conformation, (ii) a gel mobility shift assay to measure DNA A binding to the same oligonucleotide substrates, (iii) replication of pBR322 DNA templates with either one or no dnaA box, and (iv) photocross-linking to demonstrate DNA A binding to an RNA-DNA hybrid, evidence is presented here that DNA A-mediated pBR322 DNA replication proceeds by a mechanism in which DNA A binds to the duplex side of the unwound origin structures and loads the DNA B protein in trans to the displaced parental L strand DNA.