Identification and Characterization of a Bacterial Chromosome Partitioning Site

We have identified a DNA site involved in chromosome partitioning in B. subtilis. This site was identified in vivo as the binding site for the chromosome partitioning protein Spo0J, a member of the ParB family of partitioning proteins. Spo0J is a site-specific DNA-binding protein that recognizes a 16 bp sequence found in spo0J. Allowing two mismatches, this sequence occurs ten times in the entire B. subtilis chromosome, all in the origin-proximal ∼20%. Eight of the ten sequences are bound to Spo0J in vivo. The presence of a site on an otherwise unstable plasmid stabilized the plasmid in a Spo0J-dependent manner, demonstrating that this site, called parS, can function as a partitioning site. This site and Spo0J are conserved in a wide range of bacterial species.