The Escherichia coli K-12 MntR miniregulon includes dps, which encodes the major stationary-phase DNA-binding protein.

Escherichia coli MntR protein is the Mn(2+)-responsive transcriptional repressor of the MntH manganese transporter. We have used chromatin immunoprecipitation to determine the distribution of Mn(2+)-MntR across the entire E. coli chromosome in vivo, and we report that MntR binds to only four targets, adjacent to the mntH, mntR, yebN, and dps genes. Unexpectedly, we found that dps expression is directly repressed by Mn(2+)-MntR.