DNA uptake sequences (DUS) are widespread throughout the Neisseria gonorrhoeae genome. DUS allow endogenous DNA to be exchanged between Neisseria species, and also occur as inverted repeats (IR-DUS), which have been suggested previously to play a role in rho-independent transcriptional termination and attenuation. IR-DUS can potentially act as bi-directional terminators, therefore affecting transcription on both DNA strands. However, not all IR-DUS are transcriptional terminators, as has been previously demonstrated experimentally. Using both bioinformatics predictions and experimental evidence, we demonstrate which IR-DUS are transcriptional terminators and in which direction, establishing a basis for future predictions.
Next-Generation Sequencing