SOS box

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SOS box is the operator to which the LexA repressor binds to repress the transcription of SOS-induced proteins. SOS boxes are found near the promoter of various genes. [1]

Contents

LexA binds to an SOS box in the absence of DNA damage. In the presence of DNA damage the binding of LexA is inactivated by the RecA activator. SOS boxes differ in DNA sequences and binding affinity towards LexA from organism to organism. [2] Furthermore, SOS boxes may be present in a dual fashion, which indicates that more than one SOS box can be within the same promoter. [3]

Examples

Phylogenetic CladeSequenceReference
Alphaproteobacteria GAAC(N)7GAAC
GTTC(N)7GTTC
[4] [5]
Betaproteobacteria
Gammaproteobacteria
CTGT(N)8ACAG [6]
Deltaproteobacteria CTRHAMRYBYGTTCAGS [7]
Gram-positive bacteria CGAACRNRYGTTYC [8] [9]
Cyanobacteria RGTAC(N)3DGTWCB [10]

See Nucleic acid nomenclature for an explanation of non-GATC nucleotide letters.

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">SOS response</span> Cell response to DNA damage

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References

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  7. Campoy, Susana; Fontes, Marta; Padmanabhan, S.; Cortés, Pilar; Llagostera, Montserrat; Barbé, Jordi (August 2003). "LexA‐independent DNA damage‐mediated induction of gene expression in Myxococcus xanthus". Molecular Microbiology. 49 (3): 769–781. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2958.2003.03592.x. PMID   12864858.
  8. Winterling, Kevin W.; Chafin, David; Hayes, Jeffery J.; Sun, Ji; Levine, Arthur S.; Yasbin, Ronald E.; Woodgate, Roger (15 April 1998). "The Bacillus subtilis DinR Binding Site: Redefinition of the Consensus Sequence". Journal of Bacteriology. 180 (8): 2201–2211. doi:10.1128/JB.180.8.2201-2211.1998. PMC   107149 . PMID   9555905.
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