Multiscale structuring of the E. coli chromosome by nucleoid-associated and condensin proteins

As in Eukaryotes, bacterial genomes are not randomly folded. Bacterial genetic information is generally carried on a circular chromosome with a single origin of replication from which two replication forks proceed bidirectionaly towards the opposite terminus region. Here we investigate the higher-order architecture of the Escherichia coli genome, showing its partition into two structuraly distinct entities by a complex and intertwined network of contacts: the replication terminus (ter) region and the rest of the chromosome. Outside ter, the condensin MukBEF and the ubiquitous nucleoid-associated protein (NAP) HU promote DNA contacts in the megabase range. Within ter, the MatP protein prevents MukBEF activity and contacts are restricted to ~280 kb creating a domain with distinct structural properties. We also show how other NAPs contribute to nucleoid organization, such as H-NS that restricts short-range interactions. Combined, these results reveal the contributions of major, evolutionary conserved proteins in a bacterial chromosome organization. Chromosome conformation capture of E. coli wt cells and several deletion mutants (fis. hns. matP. mukB. hupAB. mukBmatP) in different growth conditions